High Tea at Abode Bistro & Bar Sydney

High tea launches are always exciting for us here at High Tea Society. It’s a great opportunity to head along and speak to the chefs behind the menu and get a glimpse at their new creations before they’re open to the public.

High tea launches are always exciting for us here at High Tea Society. It’s a great opportunity to head along and speak to the chefs behind the menu and get a glimpse at their new creations before they’re open to the public.

So it was wonderful to recently head along to the launch of the newest Sydney-based high tea at the Abode Bar & Bistro at PARKROYAL Darling Harbour hosted by world renowned chef, restaurateur and Dilmah tea ambassador, Peter Kuruvita, the menu was developed in conjunction with Abode’s head chef Ryan Hong.

Abode has recently gone through a refurbishment and stepping in to the venue you’ll notice the open and airy feel to the three distinct areas. Plantation shutters and white paneling add an Australian beach-side feel to the room. Look closely at the room dividers and you’ll find cutouts of eucalypts and cockatoos. A great nod to the “Aussie bush” for visiting international travellers without being garish and over the top.

Speaking with Peter, his passion for tea shines through. It’s really refreshing to see tea being used as an ingredient across the menu, not just as a drink to accompany it. On that note, every element of the menu has a specific tea suggestion matched to it – kind of like the ‘matching wines’ of a degustation tasting menu. So be sure to read the whole menu before you make your tea selection to see if there’s a suggested match you find interesting.

The tea service for the Dilmah loose leaf teas are from Villeroy & Boch. The quality is just another nice touch adding to the ambience of the space.

Looking over the menu it’s clear to see a lot of thought has gone into incorporating tea as much as possible into each course. Things like peppermint tea infused slow cooked lamb in the mini pie, the earl grey poached chicken sandwich, and the sprinkle of Ceylon dust on the crab salad cup point to Peter and Ryan’s expertise, or experteas if you prefer.

This is a large high tea, six savoury and six sweet delights to enjoy. But if you’re expecting scones, think again, there are none on offer here. Don’t despair though, the scones have been replaced by the most perfect macarons we’ve sampled in a long time. We’d even go out on a limb and say they rival Zumbo’s.

Abode High Tea menu

• Lively lime and orange tea infused duck rillettes pots served with parmesan crostini (tea match: Brilliant Breakfast Tea)
• Rosemary with peppermint tea infused slow cooked lamb shoulder pie with mashed pea (tea match: Pure Peppermint Leaves)
• Crab and avocado salad, Ceylon dust in baby gem lettuce cups (Green Tea with Jasmine flowers)
• Finger roll of extravagant l’artisan triple brie, smoked ham, Dijion mustard, olive dust (tea match: The Original Earl Grey)
• Earl Grey poached chicken, herb aioli sandwich (tea match: Supreme Ceylon Single Origin Tea)
• King prawn salad, lemon and dill aioli sandwich (tea match: Green Tea with Jasmine flowers)- Lemon, pistachio and almond macarons (tea match: Italian Almond Tea)
• Mini apple mille feullie, rose and French vanilla cream (tea match: Pure Chamomile flowers)
• Abode’s opera cake (tea match: Rose with French Vanilla Tea)
• White chocolate and spiced chai fudge (tea match: Brilliant Breakfast Tea)
• Bitter chocolate mousse pots, sable and hazelnut crumb (tea match: Moroccan Mint Green Tea)
• Individual Eaton mess with blueberry and pomegranate jelly (tea match: The Original Earl Grey Tea)