This High Tea is an experience. The setting, the views, the staff and excellent food make for a wonderful venue. The Hippopotamus High Tea is a must for any High Tea fan when in Wellington.
The QT Museum is a bit of an institution in Wellington and very much part of the cities eclectic culture. From the minute you walk into the hotel and through to the lobby area your senses are amazed and you know you are somewhere special. Amazing art work adorns the walls, this carries on through the hotel and into the restaurant. The Hippopotamus Restaurant & Cocktail Bar is on the third floor and faces towards the beautiful harbour and Te Papa Museum. The hotel itself was moved from the site of the museum on train tracks to free up the space. The restaurant is French inspired, as is the High Tea. The Executive Chef Laurent Loudeac hails from France and his influence can be seen in the food served.
On our arrival we were greeted and shown to our window table. The service is on the formal side, the tables were dressed in thick white linen and beautiful Old Country Roses Royal Albert Bone China tea cups and plates. This is a perfect Hit Tea venue for an occasion and dressing up smart. It stays the right side of stuffy and is one of those places to enjoy the more formal side of dining.
After a short explanation of how the High Tea works we were left to choose our choices of drinks, tea and this included having a cocktail. The Hippopotamus serves Dilmah Tea and 2015 Laurent won the World title for the Dilmah Real High Tea Challenge. The Dilmah Tea choices included fruit, botanical, green and black teas. Also, option for L’affare Barista coffee and chocolate were available. Throughout the High Tea our tea was kept topped up and we were given the choice to change to another tea, I really enjoyed the Elderflower and Apple Infusion and stayed drinking this. We both also enjoyed a glass of bubbly.
Our High Tea was presented by Laurent and Pastry Chef Mariah Chua. Laurent had worked on the savoury and the Mariah on the sweet. Keeping with tradition, we started with the savoury. The Avocado mousse, Salmon Rillette and Bread Soldier made for an excellent start and the combination was excellent. My favourite was the savoury mille-feuille as the olives and goat cheese were perfectly balanced. The sandwich was a nice nod to the traditional High tea as was the pie. However, the pie was a decadent morsel and a brilliant take on the great Kiwi pie. I would certainly order a larger one for lunch one day if it appeared on the menu.
The two sweet layers showcased the Pastry Chefs skill and were marvellous. We started with the Lemon Meringue Tart and both made contented noises. We then moved onto the more French themed delights. I say delights as that is what they were. Everything had that truely French taste and was made with the finest ingredients. Next we had the Yoghurt Mousse and Sable Breton, the mousse was moulded and had an amazing wobble, the sable tasted of buttery goodness. The last item on the middle tier was a delicious little Passionfruit Truffle. The top tier carried on the French theme with a delicate Raspberry Entremet with perfect layers and a delicious and perfect Pistachio Choux Puff, I loved the pistachio creme. After our table was cleared we were presents with two Orange and White Chocolate Macaron on a Hippopotamus Plate, they were perfect and nice ending to this wonderful High Tea.
This High Tea is an experience. The setting, the views, the staff and excellent food make for a wonderful venue. The Hippopotamus High Tea is a must for any High Tea fan when in Wellington.
High Tea at Hippopotamus Restaurant, QT Museum Wellington Menu:
- Avocado Mousse, Salmon Rillettes and Bread Soldier
- Kalamata Olives and Goat Cheese Mille-Feuille
- Cucumber Traditional Sandwich
- Beef Cheek, Truffle Potato Mash Gypsy Bacon and Parmesan Crisp Lemon Meringue Tart
- Yoghurt Mousse and Sable Breton Passionfruit Truffles
- Raspberry Entremets
- Pistachio Choux Pastry Puff
- Orange and White Chocolate Macarons

Reviews for this venue:
- 14 October 2015: High Tea at Hippopotamus Wellington NZ
