A little bit tired, a little bit proud and very much relieved.

Just got home from my friend Becki's wedding reception and MY GOODNESS the whole thing was just gorgeous. The venue, the decor and yes yes yes of course THE BRIDE. Her new husband, very lucky guy indeed. So the purpose of this post is to show you the result of my 'hard work' haha. I had mixed feelings about it this morning because I hadn't seen it in all its glory. I told my friend I felt like a mother whose child came 3rd in a race out of four. Not my proudest moment, but I'll take it.

But THEN... I saw it on the stand with flowers behind it, and saw how people reacted when they saw it and then I was oh so very proud :D

Enough talk though, here is my baby.


Pretty cool, right? Yeah you're damn right it is. White chocolate mud cake with milk chocolate ganache filling. While I'm not really sure if I'd ever do another wedding cake again, I'm glad I did because it was a moderately enlightening experience (yes, I do realise I'm the only person that would think that). Here's what I learnt:

1. I can become overwhelmed and frustrated at the drop of a hat and all it takes to make it better is telling myself to get over it.
2. Patience is key. You're not an idiot, you just didn't give it enough time or thought. Try, try again.
3. I believe it is okay and somewhat healthy to attempt things you don't think you will succeed at or feel completely overwhelmed by. The feeling of accomplishment is far better than any fear or anxiety felt in the process.

That is all. Thanks for reading. Let the bragging rights commence! Heehee.
x. Miss Ling-Ling

P.S. What did I do with all the bits of cake I cut off? Cake-pops, that's what.

Crazy times equates to less time for tea...

So you may or may not have been wondering "Where all your posts be at, Woman?" or something of the like. Well... I have a few things in the pipeline at the moment which distracts me from organising and executing a successful High Tea so that has been put on the backburner for now.

Though you may be pleased to know that it still has to do with cakes and things of that variety. Some of you will know (because I talk about it constantly) that I am making my friend's wedding cake! For the life of me I cannot figure out why someone would ask me (I mean, I'm no expert... well, maybe the eating part) but I couldn't turn down the opportunity for bragging rights so I agreed to do it. And also because we are friends, of course :D

So I have been baking heaps lately trying to perfect the recipe (thanks to everyone that had to put up with my 'test cakes' and for all the feedback). I'll get some photos up here I when it's finished I guess. Also, I've been spending a lot of time and money on eBay feeding my obsession with cupcake patty cases. Oh all the wonderous colours and patterns! Which makes me think of ways to make the money back so I can continue to buy more (vicious cycle for the win!) So if anyone was wondering where to get yummy cupcakes that look and taste delicious, gimme a holla. I'm not here to claim that "my cupcakes are the best in Perth!" or "these are so yummy it will change you're life!" or any of that mumbo jumbo. I just like baking okay? :D

Check out these badboys I made for a quiz night. Vanilla cupcakes with chocolate buttercream frosting, chocolate ganache drizzle and Maltesers on top. Microwave ganache for 8 seconds before pouring on top to give it that lustrous shine.

That's about all from me at the moment. Hope to update again soon! There's a heap of coffee places I want to blog about but I haven't taken any photos so I'll do it properly when I get some.

Thanks for reading! Much love and warm cuddles through this chilly weather :)

x. Miss Ling-Ling

High Tea @ Duxton Hotel, Perth 12.06.10 - Red Theme

To celebrate the coming of Winter, I thought it would be awesome to have a themed High Tea, so on this fine Saturday afternoon we all got dolled up in red to remind ourselves that we can be red-hot even in the coldest of times :)

It would seem that I've been blessed by the Tea Gods as every high tea I've hosted so far has been on perfectly sunny days and today was no exception. Excitement clicked in our heels as we strut down St. Georges Terrace in our finest red getups and see the sign outside the Duxton Hotel boasting a "high tea fit for a queen".

As we walk inside we see that plenty more people of Perth are embracing the beauty of this age old tradition. After all, few things come close to being this good on Saturday afternoons.
The table is beautifully set with white tablecloth and classic white china. The gracious waitstaff seat our group and offer us a glass of Chandon sparkling wine, though we opt for the standard high tea - $10 less than with the wine. We all decide to order our tea first from the decadent tea menu on offer. Personally, I very much recommend the Dream of Fruits tea if you want to go for a lighter refreshing tea option along with the Oolong Formosa Grand. All the teas are loose leaf and served in individual pots (which is a great idea, but for the crowding on the table).

The tiers of food come out promptly and we all take a minute to marvel at the treats on offer. We had the traditional selection of sandwiches, but let's get specific anyway. Tasmanian smoked salmon, Black Forest Ham and mature cheddar, roasted chicken with goats cheese and basil, free range egg with roma tomato - easily the tastiest in my opinion.

The sweet petites were just adorable, especially the mini pavlova - a bite sized meringue with strawberry on top which was just as tasty as it looked. Others were Fig and Walnut Friand, Rosewater Shortbread and a very rich treat for dark chocolate lovers - Belgian Chocolate Tartlet. The scones were deliciously crunchy with both traditional fruit scones and vanilla buttermilk on offer.

And now for the scores:

Food: 7 - Fresh and tasty, nicely presented
Service: 8 - Very friendly, also offers refills on teapots!
Ambiance: 7 - Classy venue, though the table was quite crowded.
Value: 7 - $28 for Standard High Tea, absolutely worth every dollar
Overall score: 7.25

Loved having high tea here and will most definitely come back. You may have noticed I'm trialling a new layout for this blog. Just playing around with it until something feels right for it. Let me know what you think!

x. Miss Ling-Ling

High Tea @ Langham Hotel, Melbourne 14.05.10

Nothing quite describes the feeling when you walk into the Langham Hotel, except maybe elegance and class... and then ensuing excitement for what is bound to be a delectable experience. With a double staircase and drop chandeliers leading up to the ARIA Bar & Lounge we decided we would go with the Tiffin Langham Classic which comes with espresso coffees included in the price! (bonus - because generally High Tea only comes with percolated).

It really was a great way to to enjoy some company on a Friday afternoon in such a beautiful setting. We sit down and are promptly served by a very lovely and polite waitress. In an age where customer service lacks like my desire for Bushells tea, I am very much prepared to pay for it if it's going to be this good. The table is set and the tiers are brought out along with the tea (loose leaf English Breakfast, of course) and water is brought out too, without having to be requested. Starting at the bottom tier we have a traditional sandwich selection of cucumber, egg mayonnaise and cream cheese ribbon sandwiches and rolled smoked salmon on wholemeal.


On the second tier we have two kinds of scones: plain and raisin. This is served with clotted cream and cherry jam. I must say, I haven't had cherry jam before but I am definitely a fan. It starts off a little bit tart and then the sweetness takes over and makes you melt a little. Scones were warmed and perfect in texture with that tiny bit of crumbliness that I like.


The desserts on top were the first things I savoured and after that it was pretty hard to stop. Four different treats: Strawberries dipped in white and dark chocolate, candied fruit tea cake, strawberry fruit tarts and chocolate eclairs. Couldn't have asked for more. Presentation was key here with the chocolate eclairs donning a light spray of gold for class.

And now for the scores:

Food: 9 - only missed 1 mark because some were not fans of cherry jam :P
Service: 10 - Perfect. Nuff said.
Ambiance: 9 - very classy setting, though wondering whether our table was crowded or cosy?
Value: 8 - $35 for High Tea. That's on the higher end in Perth talk but on the lower end in Melbourne talk.
Overall score: 9

So after visiting Langham Hotel, I will be using this as the benchmark for High Teas from now on. This pretty much means I am going to go back and give my other review a different rating now. Dammit, it really is that good.

x. Miss Ling-Ling

High Tea @ Esplanade Hotel Fremantle 18.04.10

Welcome reader! You are reading the first review from Miss Ling-Ling's Official Tea Party.
Well, when I woke up on this fine Sunday I had a really good feeling about having High Tea at The Esplanade Hotel in Fremantle. High expectations were placed upon the restaurant claiming to have "Fremantle’s finest High Tea".


So when we arrive with a party of eight we can already see a room full of people enjoying this very popular old tradition in the spacious and welcoming atmosphere of the Atrium Garden restaurant. The china is standard hotel issue but there is no tablecloth. Doesn't scream of classiness, but I'll let it slide (this time).

We sit down and are promptly served by a lovely waitress and order our tea from their extensive tea menu (all teas are included in the cost, as is percolated coffee - espresso coffee and other beverages are extra). We are waiting on one more person and a waiter brings out the beautifully presented tiers of food.

Starting from the bottom, three different types of ribbon sandwiches: Cucumber, egg and sprout, ham and cheese. Now, I haven't been to very many high teas in my time but where I thought a smoked salmon and cucumber combination was appropriate, I certainly don't remember ever encountering a ham and cheese sanga. Yes, it was quite tacky. Oh and the bread was a little dry; not to the point where I'd call it stale but you could tell it was made a fair while in advance. And if you look closely at the photo, there is a bit of a crust-cutting fail. Come on people, we didn't pay you for below par cutting skills.

Moving up to the second tier to the selection of scones - I really did appreciate the choice of plain or raisin scones. Though the these were a bit dense and dry as well, it seemed to team up well with the strawberry jam and fresh cream and gave it a bit of texture.

The desserts on the top tier looked delightful with a selection of shortbread biscuits, lemon meringue tarts, mini custard pots and fruit tarts that we couldn't wait to get into but for tiers shared between two the quantities weren't balanced. The highlight here was probably the lemon meringue tarts which had a very nice equal portions of fluffiness and tangy lemon even if the base was not as crunchy as I would've liked. The custard pots certainly looked appetising and even resembled creme brulee but in my opinion the consistency was just a little bit tough for custard. In any case, some enjoyed them, some didn't. It's a shame they didn't serve any cake, which I have a distinct feeling would've gone down a little better.

If you ever decide to have high tea here, I recommend you try the Mango Tea. The aromas were simply divine! And oh so smooth...

And now for the scores:

Food: 4 - Could have been fresher
Service: 4 - Excellent waitstaff though sometimes hard to get their attention
Ambiance: 6 - Very welcoming vibrant open area
Value: 4 - For $28pp we left feeling full and didn't finish everything
Overall Score: 4.5

I guess what I'm saying is the standard was average but being around such wonderful company did make this experience a lot better. We may never come back... As I understand it at the time I am typing this up, their claim to be Fremantle's finest High Tea is technically correct as they are the only High Tea service in Fremantle..

Thank you to everyone who came and everyone who reads this :D
x. Miss Ling-Ling