high tea

This week, I have been missing some retail theraphy. I was in Brisbane the whole week for work and the shops there seem to close a bit too early. So this morning, after church, Malc & I headed for the CBD to do some window shopping.

Before we hit the stores, Malc, suggested we try The Tea Room at the Queen Victoria Building. (Level 3, North End, Queen Victoria Building, 455 George Street, Sydney ph 02 92690774). As it was lunch time, what I had in mind was some 'real' food and was checking out the Lunch Menu. But there was some miscommunication between us, Malc wanted afternoon tea, complete with dainty sandwiches, tarts, etc.

So we had afternoon tea. (grumble, grumble)

The tea menu was 3 pages long including the more common to some exotic tea varieties. Malc & I skipped the english breakfast tea page and headed for the "premium" page, Africa for Malc and Dragonwell for me. Tea arrived in polished silver pots and Royal Doulton china. Then, the accompanying food arrived on a three-tiered stand - top tier: egg sandwiches, ham and chutney sandwiches and savoury tarts; middle tier: assorted pastries and cakes; bottom tier: scones and spinach triangles.

The verdict? Tea was good, and the sandwiches and pastries were tasty . . . but not enough for lunch.

all roads (and race tracks) lead to . . .

Flower Drum!!! (17 Market Lane, Melbourne ph 03 9662 3655)

Every first Tuesday of November, Australia stops for the running of the Melbourne Cup horse race. This year, the first two horses that finished were Japanese horses from the same stable. Two overseas horses finishing 1 & 2, it must have been quite a shock for the local horse owners.

Anyway, according to the newspapers, after the win, the people behind the winning horses all headed to the venerable Melbourne restaurant The Flower Drum. It was rumoured that the solid gold Melbourne Cup was transported in a limousine and the winning party took the tram to the restaurant.

Just a few weeks earlier, Malc and I were in the same restaurant, making our bookings one month in advance. The restarurant was located in a hard to find side street (we couldn not find it on the tourist map). Walking up the street dotted with garbage bins and empty shops, we were doubtful that it was the location of the most exclusive restaurant in Melbourne.

But we persevered.

Inside the restaurant, we were a world away from the creepy alley we were just in. The place was tastefully decorated and the staff were discreetely professional. The waitstaff were attentive and promptly escorted us to our seats and brought us the menu.

For entree we had crab and lobster dumplings. When the dish arrived they looked rather plain, just like any old yumcha steamed dumpling . . . but the taste, they were out of this world. The crab dumpling was juicy and sweet with a hefty filling of chunky crab meat. The lobster dumpling was so luxurious, I had to savour it bit by bit, enjoying every small morsel.

Next, the piece de resistance, Peking duck. It was fantastic to taste good quality Peking duck again, after a number of pseudo-Peking duck dishes we have had. Although the other diners were less rambunctious, our tastebuds were transported back to the small (and busy) Peking duck restaurant in Beijing's Haidian district. And we did not have to even roll the succulent duck meat and crispy skin in the small pancakes ourselves, our waiter did that for us.

Then came Cantonese beef. Malc ordered this dish and I was expecting the usual stir-fried dish with strips of beef and vegetables. But to my surprise, the beef was served in one piece like steak with vegetable sides . . . not very Chinese (or Cantonese), I thought. The taste however, did not disappoint, the beef was marinated in a sweet-spicy sauce and was melt-in-your-mouth tender.

Our waiter then offered us dessert, but Malc and I were too full, and had to decline. Maybe on our next visit.