High Tea at Parliament House takes place just once a month, on a Friday afternoon when a few dozen diners are lucky enough to settle in for a session in sweet delights. Tea is held at the back of the building, in a room overlooking The Domain. Large, wide windows look straight out to the fig trees and manicured lawns, the afternoon sunlight streaming in to a room set with crisp white linen tablecloths, bespoke Wedgewood china and silver tea pots.
The tiered tea stands arrive laden with savoury and sweet treats – starting with bit sized prosciutto bagels, rye BLT buns, Gruyère cheese tartlets and vegetable muffins. An array of mini cupcakes, tiny pear tarts, raspberry meringue drops are to follow, with a final tier of fruit scones and Persian orange blossom cakes. Paired with a glass of Tyrell’s sparkling, or Peterson House Brut Rose, it’s a generous serving when it comes to high tea. But we challenge anymore to turn down teeny tiny lime meringue tarts and almost too-cute-to-eat mini bagels.
There’s an extensive tea menu, served in the house’s delicate gold-plaited teacups, that are perfect once you’ve moved on to the scones. All that’s left to do is settle in to watch the sun set.
Parliament House High Tea
6 Macquarie Street, Sydney
Bookings essential, from $46 pp