Morning tea at the Hyatt

I’d always liked the idea of having high tea. I had been meaning to go to the one at the Hyatt Hotel, Canberra ever since I found out they did high tea - so when C and M invited me along, I couldn’t resist! Except, it was morning tea ($26), not high tea. Ah well, it should still be pretty good, right?

The service was impeccable. We were greeted at the entrance by a doorman and a doorwoman. My first impression as we arrived at the Tea Lounge – it was the definition of elegance. Delicate classical music played softly in the background and conversation was quiet. Once our tea/coffee orders were taken, we were off to the buffet!

I started off with a spinach and feta morsel. The puff pastry was light and crispy but the filling lacked flavour. Next, I tasted the ham and cheese croissant, which would have tasted much better had it been warmed up. By far, the best of the three on this plate was the chocolate croissant. The chocolatey filling was rich and decadent.

My chai latte arrived shortly. I usually like my drinks quite strong and flavoursome. So the weak chai latte tasted a bit disappointing at first, but grew on me. It complemented the nibblies perfectly. It also meant I was able to drink more than one cup!

The scones came highly recommended, so I tried that next, along with a danish. The scone was perfectly acceptable, however, not as good as some homemade ones I’ve tried. The danish, in my opinion was the worst item I picked during the whole morning tea. The unidentifiable filling contained an unusual combination of spices which was not at all pleasant.

Next up, I tried the pale friand-looking item with blueberry in it. It was delectably dense, yet, sort of crumbly as well. The next best item on this plate was the orange cake. It was moist and had a beautiful flavour and texture. Unfortunately, the almond croissant and the cinnamon scroll didn’t have much filling in either of them, so they got a thumbs down from me.

The last item I tried was a warm, round bun. This was also highly recommended and it certainly did not disappoint! It was fluffy and delicious with the jam and cream; much better than the scone.

Overall, the experience was delightful, but the food was a bit hit and miss. Some items met my standard of what I thought a prestigious hotel buffet should produce, but other items did not even match the quality of my local bakery. As I said, the service was so good that my water glass was never empty and the surroundings were charmingly majestic. I would definitely return for the experience, especially to try the actual high tea, which includes sandwiches, but I may need to BYO a portable microwave (or blowtorch) to heat up the items that should really be served warm.