Native High Tea at The Westin Melbourne

It may come as no surprise that when we’re talking about the best high teas Melbourne has to offer, The Westin Melbourne rates as a perennial favourite.

Having cemented a reputation for their stand-out high tea creations (High Cheese, anyone?) in recent years, each one seemingly outdoing the last, The Westin Melbourne cconsistently nails the brief of beautiful surroundings, exquisite flavours and a sense of theatre to their offerings.

So when we heard that The Westin Melbourne were serving up their new Native High Tea menu, we had to see what all the fuss was about.

Executive Chef Apoorva

Native High Tea

Created by Executive Chef Apoorva Kunte and The Westin Melbourne’s culinary team, the Native High Tea puts a spotlight on Australian native ingredients.

The theme extends from the visually stunning food to the two native cocktails (opt for the Purran if you prefer a sweeter tipple; otherwise the Yarrai is a winner for those wanting more of a kick).

There’s also the beautifully designed menu featuring the artwork of Wurundjeri artist Valerie Evans, whose piece “River of Dreams” brings another expression of connection to Country to the experience, as does the native flower arrangements dotted around the Lobby Lounge.

Native Cocktails

Native cocktails are served

Open Sandwich & Finger Sandwich

Savoury selection

Served on The Westin Melbourne’s trademark three-tier stand, we’re invited to start with the warm orange soup with a sprig of myrtle.

From here, we move to yellowfin tuna open sandwich that’s layered with rye bread and fennel-spiced cream cheese and topped with a tantalising taste of finger lime.

This is succeeded by a delightfully substantial chicken and avocado finger sandwich featuring desert lime.

A tasty shiitake mushroom, caramelised onion and wattleseed pithivier and crunchy potato nest filled with whipped feta mousse, Davidson plum jam and heirloom tomato and cucumber round out the savouries nicely.

Pithivier & Potato Nest

Native High Tea

Moving up to the desserts, and a generous strawberry mille-feuille tart filled with thyme-spiced cream and dotted with delicate sprigs of Geraldton wax lent a savoury twist (note: the Geraldton wax is edible, but might be best to pop on the side of the plate).

The creatively named Pannamisu (a fascinating marriage of panna cotta and tiramisu) delivered an explosion of flavours and textures, beginning with a tart sunrise lime compote, followed by a satisfying pistachio crunch, the silky smoothness of panna cotta, and finishing with a rich espresso biscuit base.

Mille-Feuille Tart

Pannamisu, Tea Cake & Lamington Inspiration

Scones with Served with jam and whipped cream

Chocolate lovers will be thrilled by the 70% dark chocolate tea cake, featuring interchanging layers of rum-soaked chocolate sponge with chocolate wattleseed ganache, and the lamington inspiration – a lemon myrtle-scented white chocolate and coconut bavarois with a mango centre – was a fresh and fun take on the original.

In yet another nod to the Australiana theme, a fantastic muntries, raisin and blackcurrant scone topped with Rosella dust was served alongside a more traditional vanilla scone.

 

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At this stage you may find it difficult to eat both, so if there’s a choice to be made, the muntries scone is our pick (the Rosella dust is the perfect touch).

Starting at $80 per person with free-flowing tea, coffee and hot chocolate (with sparkling wine and cocktails extra), this is a well-priced quality high tea in the heart of Melbourne’s CBD.

Westin Melbourne’s Native High Tea is a great celebration of native ingredients and modern fine dining. But be quick – it’s only here for a limited time.

The Westin Melbourne Native High Tea

Savoury

• Cinnamon Myrtle-Scented Warm Orange Soup
• Potato Nest: Heirloom tomato and cucumber tartare, Davidson plum jam, whipped feta mousse
• Open Sandwich: Flash-seared yellowfin tuna, mountain pepperberry crust, fennel-spiced cream cheese, finger lime
• Finger Sandwich: Free-range chicken, mayonnaise, smashed avocado, fresh herbs and desert lime
• Pithivier: Shiitake mushroom, caramelised onion and wattleseed

Desserts

• Mille-Feuille Tart: Strawberry, Geraldton wax and native thyme-spiced cream
• Tea Cake: 70% dark chocolate, rum-soaked sponge, wattleseed ganache
• Lamington Inspiration: Lemon myrtle-scented white chocolate and coconut bavarois, mango centre
• Pannamisu: Pistachio and mascarpone panna cotta, espresso sponge, sunrise lime compote

Scones

• Muntries, raisin and blackcurrant scone topped with Rosella dust
• Vanilla scone
• Served with jam and whipped cream

High Tea Melbourne – find more experiences
in our High Tea Venue Directory