East meets West at The Melbourne Hotels, Grand Orient Oriental Bottomless High Tea.
Situated in Perth’s CBD, this high tea delivers a “journey through the mahjong parlour…and invites patrons to step into an imagined 1920s Shanghai Mahjong House, where elegant ladies and mysterious scholars gather over jasmine tea, delicate bites, and sweet gossip”.
The story (menu) is told in seven chapters, complete with mahjong tiles and ornate hand fan at your table.
This creative narrative had me intrigued, so I promptly ordered a mocktail, the Lavender Lemonade Fizz, to accompany the savoury chapters, starting with the soft-shell crab bao with red cabbage, sweet chilli, lettuce, and gochujang mayonnaise. The presentation was top-notch with great flavours to match; special shout out to the sweet crab and spicy mayo.
Chapter two then beckoned: the Mantou Duck on Cognac Toast. The duck was super succulent, while the toast had an unexpected sweetness that worked. A 5-spice chicken slider may sound like a lot of flavours but with a crispy lotus root, snow pea sprout, and chipotle sauce, it was the perfect combination. The pork dumpling pillow was mildly spicy and a welcomed light concluding chapter to the savouries.
The sweet treats kicked off with a T2 peppermint tea and chapter five, the vanilla egg tart topped with a white chocolate leaf. A buttery shell housed the scrumptious filling that was oh so moreish. A lychee panna cotta followed that felt like a palate cleanser (not that I’m complaining) before finishing my “journey” with dish of the day, candied mango sticky rice. Presented on a Chinese soup spoon, I wish there was much much more. I would happily go back there just to order a regular serving of it.
I will admit I did devour this menu (only) slightly out of order according to the pretty-as-a-picture storybook which is a fascinating read, but I just had to finish with the sticky rice.
The Bottomless High Tea at The Melbourne Hotel’s Grand Orient mixes the western tradition of the high tea with a wonderful oriental menu. It is only available on Saturdays from 11:00am- 3:30pm with their last seating at 1:30pm.
Packages begin at a very affordable $65 per person, which includes bottomless coffee, tea, and mocktails, up to $89 for all things classic plus bottomless cocktails such as the Lychee Coconut Spritz and Osmanthus Oolong Iced Tea. Their gluten-free menu also closely resembles the regular menu.
For a high tea on the lighter side, the Grand Orient Oriental Bottomless High Tea delivers a journey well worth taking!
Grand Orient Oriental Bottomless High Tea Menu
Savoury
- Soft shell Crab Bao – soft shell crab, red cabbage, sweet chilli, lettuce, gochujang mayo
- Mantou Duck Cognac Toast – mantou, truffle cognac pate, crispy duck
- 5- spice Chicken Slider – charcoal slider, 5-spice chicken, crispy lotus root, chipotle sauce, snow pea sprout
- Pork Dumpling Pillow – Wonton skin, pork, chilli oil, spring onion
Sweet
- Egg Tart – vanilla tart, egg custard, white chocolate
- Candied Mango Sticky Rice – sticky glutinous rice, coconut cream, candied mango, black sesame seed
- Lychee Panna Cotta – vanilla and lychee flavoured panna cotta, lychee syrup
