Afternoon Tea at The Langham Gold Coast is a lavish affair, served in the plush Palm Court lobby bar and lounge overlooking the hotel’s lagoon pool.
Photos by – Sally Scott & Samantha Gowing
Afternoon Tea at The Langham Gold Coast is a lavish affair, where their spectacular three-tiered triumph is served daily in the picture perfect surrounds of the Palm Court lobby bar and lounge within Gold Coast’s newest luxury hotel.
The Langham Gold Coast is the first luxury hotel with direct beach access to open on the Gold Coast in over three decades. Taking design inspiration from the facets of a jewel, the new hotel dazzles at every turn. Featuring 196 rooms and170 residences plus a plethora of dining options including the exquisite Palm Court where afternoon tea is served.
The afternoon tea ritual pays homage to the tradition, which originated at The Langham London in 1865. It’s suggested that afternoon tea was served in the afternoon (of course) and high tea served at 6pm and was considered the meal period between lunch and tea (dinner) time which was usually 8/9pm or later. Afternoon Tea was taken by the affluent as a luxurious option and typically at low tables in front of the fireplace, in the parlour or garden and was an indulgence with sweet and savoury pieces while high tea was described as the meal period to get the working class through to dinner time on high tables and more substantial fare of fish, meat and bread etc.
There is certainly no need for a fireplace on the Gold Coast, where afternoon tea is served overlooking the lagoon pool in the sophisticated surrounds of the Palm Court. In a British nod to its namesake at the Langham London, Palm Court pays tribute to its heritage with a bespoke offering of the traditional Afternoon Tea with a menu crafted by culinary experts.
Executive Pastry Chef Ryan Stevenson has curated his afternoon tea creations with techniques honed over extensive time training in Europe, marrying them with celebrated Australian ingredients with a modern flair. His philosophy focuses on flavours and finding a balance where sweetness enhances the ingredients rather than overpowering them.
Afternoon Tea is served on a tall, freestanding three-tiered stand, which is placed beside the table, thereby not inhibiting convivial chatter across the table. The table is elegantly clothed and set with fresh flowers in The Langham’s signature blush pink and Dibbern Fine Bone China.
We commence with the savoury selection and the Fraser Coast spanner crab is a divine starting point managing to balance being both rich and light. The free-range duck egg brioche roll with Australian black truffle is deliciously decadent. The selection of ribbon sandwiches is plentiful, fresh and light and we particularly enjoyed the smoked salmon on granary bread. With prior notice, the Langham chefs handle dietary requirements with ease and our requests were handled efficiently.
The scones are served with a white ‘velvet’ cream with 60% white chocolate alongside strawberry rhubarb jam and lemon curd. The flavours were delicious but the serving size was a tad small, we’d have loved to see more generous proportions to really enjoy lashings of cream!
Moving on to the finale and the sweet treats included the delicious vanilla moelleux topped with mandarin compote and the rich and decadent dark chocolate & salted caramel brownie. We found the Sunshine Coast strawberry cheesecake texture to be very soft and thus a little difficult to eat elegantly. Each delectable piece was flavoursome with Executive Pastry Chef Ryan Stevenson achieving his goal of finding a balance where sweetness enhances the ingredients, letting ingredients such as orange, strawberry and mandarin shine.
The wine list features a selection of Champagne and sparkling options by the glass or bottle, which are additional. Price points run from the accessible Dal Zotto Pucino Prosecco at $15 a glass through to the more expensive Ruinart, Blanc de Blanc Brut for $97 and served with exclusive Black Pearl Caviar.
The hotel had only recently opened when we reviewed afternoon tea and while the service was polite and professional some of the teas and wine we requested were unavailable, which we’re sure will be corrected when supply chain issues subside.
Tea at The Langham is by Jing; a UK based tea brand founded by Ed Eisler and is inspired by the teas of China and Japan. The high quality, single origin loose leaf teas available at Langham include a selection of black, green, white and herbal options including traditional Earl Grey through to the more exotic Organic Jade Sword.
Guests dining in Palm Court are elegantly attired and the overall atmosphere feels like you’ve stepped into an international hotel leaving the glitter strip of the Gold Coast far behind.
The Langham offers a new wave of refined luxury and Afternoon Tea is a decadent affair no longer reserved for the affluent, but accessible to locals and visitors alike and is a real jewel in the Gold Coast’s growing collection of boutique hotels.
Afternoon Tea at The Langham Gold Coast menu:
Savouries:
- Fraser Coast spanner crab salad, Bowen mango, shrimp caviar, gougeres
- Slow roast scenic rim beef, caramelised onion, horseradish cream, spinach bread
- Tasmanian smoked salmon, fennel pollen cream, crispy onion, granary bread
- Free range duck egg, whole grain mustard, cress, Australian black truffle, brioche roll
- Cucumber, lemon myrtle cream cheese, white bread
Sweets:
- Toasted pecan nut & orange choux
- Fruit pavlova, vanilla whipped ganache
- Sunshine Coast strawberry cheesecake, soft almond biscuit
- Vanilla moelleux topped with mandarin compote
- Sao-Tome dark chocolate & salted caramel brownie
Scones:
- Served with white “velvet” cream, lemon curd, strawberry rhubarb preserves
High Tea Gold Coast – find more experiences
in our High Tea Venue Directory
