High Tea at The Stamford Plaza, Auckland is taken in the Knights On Albert Restaurant which can be found on the ground floor.
We arrived early for our High Tea and asked if we could possibly be accommodated. We were willing to walk around Auckland for a while but the staff went out of their way to seat us and see to our needs. Our table was beautifully laid with white linen, especially folded ‘Opera’ napkins and a vase of orchids. The cups were from The Rockingham range made by Andrew Hawley Ltd.
After being seated we were given the option of bubbles, choosing a tea and still or sparkling Antipodes water. Our High Tea was brought to our table on an elegant 3 tier stand and explained. Tea choices were made and the staff member answered our questions about the food and tea flavours. The tea was from the New Zealand based tea supplier who uses NZ influenced flavours, NZ LIVE. I enjoyed the Bergamot Bluff.
The High Tea was the traditional savoury bottom, scones and sweet top tier. Sandwiches did not feature on the stand at all. Other savoury delights did and we enjoyed these. With the quality of the savouries I can’t say that I missed the sandwiches. Although it would have been nice to have some accompanying chutney or relish with the savoury layer.
The savoury layer was the star for us. I found this refreshing and enjoyed the global savoury offerings. We were both particularly taken with the unusual fusion of the Inari Pocket which was filled with roast tomato risotto and mozzarella. The Peking Duck roll was a perfect thickness and filled with delicious duck. The chicken and asparagus pie was encased it perfect pastry and I could have easily eaten on as a main meal and been happy. Both the Hot Smoked Salmon slider and Roast beef wrap were good but could have done with more sauce/dressing. Overall, this was an impressive and filling savoury selection and different from the norm.

The scones were enjoyable and we liked the subtle taste of the pumpkin and orange. I was pleased to be the only cream eater as I got to apply it heavily and enjoyed topping it with jam.
Moving on to the top tier we started with the Mango panna cotta with passionfruit jelly. It looked beautiful served in a glass and the jelly was a nice edition. The Exotic macaron was next, we were not sure about the flavour and guessed at passionfruit and mango. A little less filling would have been good to allow the taste of the macaron to shine. My favourite item on this tier was the Lemon Polenta Sticky Cake, it immediately caught my eye and was delicious. The Lemon Polenta Sticky Cake and Inari Pocket were particular favourites for me.
As we ate, the room filled with other groups. There were groups of female friends, couple and I could see the venue easily hosting a large group. The atmosphere was happy and even though Knight On Albert is an open space, noise was not an issues. Over all, this High Tea was good value and easily a light meal.
High Tea Menu at the Stamford Plaza Auckland:
The Savoury:
- Peking duck roll with spring onion, cucumber and hoisin sauce
- Hot smoked salmon mini slider with dill cucumber mayonnaise
- Roast beef, peppered mushrooms, rocket and horseradish crème wrap Inari pocket stuffed with roast tomato risotto and mozzarella
- Chicken and asparagus mini pie with leek fondue
The Scones:
- Classic vanilla scone
- Pumpkin and date scone
- Served with cream, butter and mixed berry jam
The Sweets:
- Strawberry mille-feuille
- Hazelnut and chocolate mousse cup Lemon polenta sticky cake
- Exotic macaron
- Mango panna cotta with passionfruit jellySpecial dietary menus are available if requested at the time of booking.
