Luxury High Tea at Joseph's Restaurant Lancemore Mansion Hotel Werribee Park

Werribee Mansion has long been one of the most elegant destinations in Melbourne’s west, but Joseph's Restaurant is giving visitors yet another reason to make the trip with a high tea experience that feels more fine dining than afternoon tea.

While the venue has always been an impressive high tea location, it’s clear Joseph’s Restaurant has certainly elevated its offering in the past 12 months.

Located on the ground floor of Lancemore Mansion Hotel Werribee Park, Joseph’s Restaurant has a simple yet elegant décor, with large arched windows that boast stunning views of Werribee Mansion and Werribee Park.

While current restoration works mean some scaffolding partially obscures those picturesque views, the lush gardens and Mansion façade and still very much visible. During the warmer months, high tea is also served under the great arches that front Werribee Mansion, an experience we are assured is a must-try.

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The table is set with textured eggshell linen tablecloths and matching napkins, offset by colourful mismatched T2 teaware, including a milk jug and sugar bowl with sugar cubes.

The menu is, in a word, luxurious, with a strong focus on seafood and a distinctly local influence throughout.

Several dishes feature fruit sourced from the venue’s own orchard, reinforcing a connection to the surrounding estate.

Luxury High Tea at Joseph’s Restaurant

Sweet selection

Tempura king green prawn, warm marie rose

Lancemore Mansion Hotel Werribee Park, supplied photo

Premium ingredients – including Oscietra caviar, ama ebi (sweet shrimp), yellowfin tuna, spanner crab, salmon roe, finger lime, and king prawns – appear throughout, pushing the menu into contemporary fine-dining territory rather than the cucumber sandwich and petit four model many venues still follow.

This is perhaps unsurprising considering Executive Chef Sam Homan’s impressive resume, with previous roles at Vue de Monde, Yugen Dining, Iki Jime and Omnia.

And with a packed three-tier stand and stand-alone servings of open sandwiches and hot savouries, this is very much a more-ish menu.

Executive Chef Sam Homan’s

Savoury selection

T2 Teaware

Scones with jam and cream

One of the early stars of the show is the tempura king prawn. Served in its own bowl and swimming in a generously portioned Marie Rose sauce, this is aromatic, crisp and a dish that immediately commands attention.

The pomme dauphine topped with crème fraiche, salmon roe and chive is indulgent without becoming heavy, while the cheddar, bacon and onion quiche offers comforting familiarity.

The trio of open sandwiches is both visually striking and generously topped. Smoked salmon paired with pickled red onion and crème fraiche offers classic flavours executed well, while the creamy avocado, feta, lime and jalapeno focaccia provides a welcome contemporary twist – although I wasn’t brave enough to keep the jalapenos on!

Luxury High Tea at Joseph’s Restaurant

The desserts are similarly sizeable and divine, with nods to the delightful classic chocolate and coffee flavour combination in the opera cake, and the richness of the honey and fig tart balanced with the (pardon the pun) tartness of the yoghurt.

The buttermilk scones are excellent, featuring a satisfying biscuity crunch on the outside with just the right amount of softness on the inside. Paired with orchard plum jam and whipped vanilla cream, they definitely hit the spot.

At $99 per person with free-flowing Prosecco (or $169 with free-flowing Tattinger Brut Prestige Champane), this high tea represents excellent value considering both the quality of ingredients and the sheer quantity of food presented.

For those seeking a unique high tea experience, the latest high tea at Joseph’s Restaurant is well worth the drive.