Decadence Awaits at Taj Cape Town’s High Tea [Review]
If there’s one thing I LOVE it’s high tea! Seriously, what could be better than sitting in a room for an afternoon stuffing your face with delicious eats and treats while sipping on bottomless tea? The answer is nothing. Which is why I was super excited to be invited to the ultra fabulous Taj Cape Town for afternoon tea recently – I’d never been before and had heard only great things so you can imagine that my mouth was watering at the thought of their afternoon tea spread. So, what are you waiting for? Ring up your girlfriends, put on your best dress and your prettiest high heels and find out why The Taj will soon be your new favourite spot to enjoy high tea in Cape Town!
Located on the corner of Adderley and Wale streets Taj Cape Town is housed in what was once the Board of Executors and the Reserve Bank. A beautiful heritage site dating back to 1932, the hotel is something to behold. Afternoon tea takes place in the hotel’s lounge area (what was once the banking hall of the Reserve Bank), a particularly beautiful area of the heritage site with high ceilings and opulent finishes. Bathed in sunlight, the absolutely stunning space still houses the original columns of the bank as well as other key artifacts and structural components. Decorated with reds and golds, the room offers guests comfy seating and an elegant atmosphere in which to enjoy a delicious afternoon feast.
When we arrived we were ushered to a table near the afternoon tea buffet table and boy did it take everything in me to not immediately rush to that table and begin stuffing my face. Our server for the afternoon offered us the extensive tea menu to start and said she would return 5 minutes later to take our order. It took us quite a while to decide what we wanted as Taj Cape Town’s tea menu offers a huge range of teas (I counted 17 when I was there) to suit every taste including yellow, white, blue, green and black teas. We eventually decided on the Jasmine Pearls Tea (elegantly fragrant Chinese green tea), the Crown Jewel (white tea leaves hand crafted into a bouquet of pink amaranth) and Chocolate Tea (an exclusive, Black Tea Blend with real morsels of dark chocolate and cocoa beans). All three teas were absolutely exquisite and were served in the prettiest Asian-style tea pots. Special mention must go to the Chocolate tea which actually tasted like chocolate and the Crown Jewel tea which was beyond delicious.
And then there was the food – what a spread it was! Afternoon tea at Taj Cape Town offers guests a rather decadent spread of sweet and savoury eats that just beg you to indulge. From pretty macaroons, freshly baked tarts and scones to fresh fruit, chicken kebabs and mini quiche there is so much to try. I loved that the buffet included all sorts of other mini bites – small portion sizes are always good as it means you don’t have to over commit to one thing and you get the chance to try everything. The table also offered the most delicious pumpkin fritters in Cape Town – a great local addition! Our tea sandwiches were brought through fresh from kitchen on request and were served on a stacked cake platter.
Afternoon Tea at Taj Cape Town is perfect for birthday celebrations with the ladies, kitchen teas and baby showers. Afternoon tea is served daily from 14:00 till 17:00 at R195 per person.
For more information on Afternoon Tea say Hi to Taj Cape Town on Facebook or visit Taj Cape Town website.
