Afternoon Tea at the Palm Court, The Langham Sydney

The Langham’s Palm Court Pink afternoon tea with Wedgwood.

An elegant addition to the already lavish grand lobby at The Langham Sydney, the newly renovated Palm Court has partnered with Wedgwood to offer an indulgent high tea in opulent surrounds.

Bathed in natural light, the room is very Hamptons-esque. A majestic bar with glittering bottles is the focal point on arrival. The rest of the room has understated accents of gold and marble dotted around. Tables are of several different shapes and sizes, all fully set with the beautiful “Langham Rose” Wedgwood fine bone china range. It’s a pattern specifically designed for The Langham hotels internationally.

Seated in plush wingbacked chairs at our table for two, we enjoyed a view out over rooftops down to the harbour. Our glass of Laurent-Perrier Rose was delivered by the attentive waitstaff and a gentleman started to play the grand piano in the corner. You get the picture, it was going to be a lovely afternoon ahead.

We shouldn’t have been concerned about how the stand was going to fit on our beautifully laid out table, when it arrived it was floor to table height so stood perfectly beside us – quite impressive (and heavy looking!) By the end of our time there, the stands were dotted around the room which was at full capacity. Make sure you book in advance for this high tea, it’s a very popular one.

Now, we don’t usually mention the best element on the tier straight away, we like you to keep reading the review! But considering that between past visits and having reviewed at least 30 other high teas around Sydney, it’s without doubt that the scones at The Langham are still firmly in our Top 5. Light, fluffy, slightly buttery and a perfect medium size, these scones won’t disappoint. Served with a housemade jam and cream, they’re amazing.

Turkey, brie & cranberry finger sandwich and Smoked eggplant & goats cheese tartlet

Sweet selection

Wedgwood tea ware

Savoury selection

The standouts for us on the savoury plate were the rich and creamy trout rillettes which we spread thickly on the thin slices of toasted brioche. A great match with the champagne. The bite-sized eggplant and goats cheese tartlets were quite enjoyable too. The shell looked like shortcrust, but was flaky like puff, a pleasant surprise. One thing we would have liked to see done a little differently was the roast beef on sourdough. A more generous sized slice of beef would have been preferred so the beef shone, not the sourdough toast it’s placed on.

If you’re wondering why this high tea is called the “Pink afternoon tea”, look no further than the pastries and sweets. It’s a little girl’s dream to eat this many pink things all at once. The three young ladies at the next table were certainly impressed when their tiers arrived.

Most options were impressive in the fact that for such pink things, they weren’t over-the-top sweet.

Rosewater lamington and Rhubarb and white chocolate truffle

Signature scones with homemade jam and clotted cream

The Grand Lobby

Personally, I liked the rosewater lamington the best. A lovely and moist butter cake rolled in pink icing and coconut that was ever so slightly touched with a hint of rosewater. The rhubarb truffle was another stand out, be warned though, it’s not to be bitten in half unless you want to wear the tangy rhubarb compote home on your blouse! My personal dislike of cupcakes on a high tea menu were again reinforced with the dark chocolate mud cupcake. Yes, it was decorated beautifully and had a rich dark flavour, I just think that with the myriad of beautiful pastry options available, a cupcake just feels a little like cheating.

That personal preference aside though, the Palm Court high tea at The Langham is still one of the best we’ve found in Sydney. We had a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon and recommend you add it to your ‘must go’ list when you’re planning your next high tea visit.