High Tea @ Cape Lavander, Swan Valley 06.01.11

If ever you are in the Swan Valley and have a hankering for an impromptu High Tea, then may I suggest Cape Lavander for a quick and easy (not to mention cheap) solution to satisfy your needs.

Turning up on a quiet Thursday afternoon, we were well catered for even though we had no booking and chose to sit outside while we eagerly awaited our food. Our coffee/tea orders were taken as we were seated but there was no tea menu, and we had to ask what teas they had to offer (which were just the standard ones anyway).

A very short time later (maybe 15 mins) our tier came which we just shared between the three of us which might sound stingey to some considering it is usually one tier between two people but it was more than enough and we didn't even finish all of it.

The tier presented in reverse order: savory items on top, sandwiches in the middle and desserts on the bottom with miniature scones. As I understand it, their menu items change frequenty but I'll tell you what we had on this particular day. Savoury: Spinach vol au vents, onion chutney scrolls and cheesey savoury mini muffins. I like that these were tiny mouthful sized portions so you don't really get full from them, just a nice little taste for them which is what High Tea is about - indulging in tasty morsels without it turning into a heavy meal.

For sandwiches we had a selection of egg mayo, tuna with cucumber and cream cheese, ham with cheese and tomato served on both white and wholemeal bread.

Desserts were a the best part as they usually are. We had a fantastic selection to chose from consisting of strawberry cheesecake, caramel slice and mini cupcakes with zesty lemon frosting. The cakes tasted very fresh but the scones and jam were the most dissappointing part. The scones I assume weren't fresh but were warmed prior to serving and had been infused with lavander flowers to go with the theme of the store. While it was refreshing to try something different, I predict that their High Tea would do a lot better with the removal of lavander from their scones. The general consensus was that they tasted terrible. And also, while it wasn't confirmed, the jam had that overbearing sweetness of a store bought jam and kind of brought back memories of my childhood. Cottee's anyone?

And now for the scores:

Food: 6 - Sandwiches were fresh and cakes were tasty. Lavander scones are a major letdown.

Service: 5 - Not bad but not great either. Coffees were poorly made as well. The leaf tea (English Breakfast) was nice though.

Ambiance: 7 - Situated in the Swan Valley, if you sit outside on a sunny day it will leave you feeling relaxed and in a really good mood.

Value: 8 - $20 for High Tea. I have to admit it was pretty good value for what was offered and for the quantities provided. What I like the most is the option of savoury food as well as sweet which is not always there.

Overall Score: 6.5

All in all, it was a pleasant albeit average experience. Probably much better than average if you are a huge lavander fan, haha. Thanks for reading y'all.

x. Miss Ling-Ling