High Tea at Spicers Balfour, Brisbane

High Tea at Spicers Balfour Brisbane is served in a beautifully restored heritage Queenslander, with timeless character and skyline views.

Built in 1918 on a quiet, leafy street in New Farm, the property has the good manners of a house that has always known how to entertain, with timber floors that creak with a little history and a terrace that opens onto the Brisbane skyline. It now operates as a boutique hotel, restaurant and spa.

When we arrived, an intimate, stylish wedding reception was underway in the front courtyard, a fitting introduction to a property that clearly knows how to host.

From the rear veranda, the view across the city is spectacular, with the Brisbane River and Howard Smith Wharves close by. It’s a lovely spot to enjoy the welcome glass of sparkling wine.

The High Tea menu is the work of Chef Glen Tilly. From the savoury course, the standout is the Curried Egg & Lettuce sandwich, the kind your grandmother might have made if your grandmother had opinions about garam masala, and it’s the sandwich I’d go back for. The Mustard Chicken sandwich is generously filled, the chicken moist and delicious. A Duck & Cherry Pâté en Croûte arrives soft, while a Spinach and Ricotta Quiche has a delicious, crumbly pastry.

High Tea at Spicers Balfour, Brisbane

Savoury

The sweets tier keeps to familiar territory: macarons, an Orange and Almond Cake, a Blueberry Friand and an assortment of slices.

The scones deserve particular mention. Freshly baked and petite, they’re exactly the right proportion for a course that’s meant to be one of several, not the whole meal. A generous swipe of Chantilly cream, a spoon of raspberry jam, and each one disappears in two bites, which is precisely the point.

High Tea at Spicers Balfour, Brisbane

Scones with Chantilly cream & raspberry jam

Spicers Balfour

Spicers Balfour clearly understands its own appeal. The kitchen doesn’t need to chase spectacle when the address is doing so much of the talking, and as an afternoon spent watching the skyline shift over a pot of tea, it’s hard to argue with the experience on offer.

High Tea dates can be found on the Spicers Balfour website.