High Tea at the Lab - Treasury Casino | CBD

I hate scones, and anyone who knows me can attest to that. However, after visiting the Lab, I have gone through a complete transformation.

They must conduct some pretty cool experiments at the Lab, because the scones are one of the best I've tried (and yes, this is coming from a recently reformed scone-hatter). In fact, their scones completely blew my mind - soft, yet moist and crumbly, with a delicious buttery taste. And best of all, the scones were slightly toasted which made it delightfully crunchy on the outside but still light and fluffy on the inside. I can probably talk about how awesome the scones are all day long, but I will spare you the pain. The High Tea ($45 for adults) came with 2 scones - one plain and one with sultanas - generous servings of sultanas hidden in a moist, delicate scone (Ok, ok I get it - I will stop now).

Three tiers of sweet and savoury delights:
Tier 1: Plain scone, Sultana scone, Petite Quiche & Fritata
Tier 2: Freshly made dainty gourmet ribbon sandwiches
Tier 3: Assortment of sweet treats

The accompanying clotted cream was even more spectacular than the scones - thick and creamy, with an intense burst of vanilla flavours. Infused with real vanilla pods, you get a delicious, authentic vanilla taste (and not the fake artificial flavours you get from vanilla essence). You also get a jar of strawberry jam as well, but who needs jam with you have delicious creamy cream (How original - using "creamy" to describe cream *rolls eyes*).

Creamy Vanilla Cream

Moving onto savouries, Tier 2 comes with 6 different types of gourmet finger sandwiches (mix of wholemeal and white bread):

• Egg and lettuce with mayo and butter
• Chicken with mayo, chives and brie
• Roast beef and cucumber
• Smoked salmon with red onion, mustard and capers
• Swiss cheese and tomato
• Cucumber with cream cheese, spring onion and sour cream

The sandwiches were pleasant but it didn't blow my mind.

The last tier was presented beautifully (check out the swan shaped profiteroles!) and came with an opera cake, pistachio macaron, petit fruit flan, lemon meringue tart and swan shaped profiteroles stuffed with vanilla cream. Unfortunately, the choux pastry felt a little stale and the ganache in the opera cake wasn't rich enough. Apart from that, the desserts were fairly standard (but decent :)).

What's a High Tea without good tea? The High Tea at the Lab comes with La Maison Du Tea (Premium handcrafted French Tea created by one of the oldest tea blenders in Paris) and there's 7 that you can choose from:

• English Breakfast - a classic blend of black teas, blended to provide a gloriously reviving drink that is suitable for any time of the day
• Earl Grey - a traditional oriental blend of the unsmoked Chinese teas
• Darjeeling - known as the champagne of teas with a subtle taste of amber liquor and a hint of ripe fruits
• Green Tea - rich in antioxidants
• Lemon & Ginger - a delicious balance of cool lemongrass and warm spicy ginger
• Peppermint - a refreshing mint infusion which leaves a clean taste in the mouth
• Camomile - carries notes of citron and a light bitterness

I was extremely impressed with the Camomile Tea - as you can see it was flavoured with real camomile :)!

And if you hate tea, you can get sparking for an extra $9 - $24.

Verdict
Enjoy an elegant high tea experience and indulge in decadent treats - the scones were ABSOLUTELY A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. At only $45 per person or $25 per child, it is one of the more affordable high teas around. Only available on Saturday and Sunday between 2.00pm - 3.30pm.