Never Too Sweet

I love afternoon teas And I’m sure if you’ve read my blog for a while you will know hehe I love everything about it the concept of girls ( and maybe boys) sitting together enjoying scones and just chatting about everything ~ I’ve been very spoilt and tried out many afternoon teas in Hong Kong, but unfortunately it doesn’t seem as common in Melbourne.

The Gables

That’s why when Alice and Annette my colleagues asked if I’d like to join them for afternoon tea at The Gables, I immediately jumped at the opportunity The name ‘The Gables’ immediately reminds me of the book that I use to read as a child ‘Anne of Green Gables’, have you read that book before? I use to love it and read the whole series! Anyhow, I have  heard of The Gables House and Mansion in Malvern East before but didn’t know that they offered afternoon tea every Wednesday for $45 and Sunday $55 both include a class of French Champagne.

We booked for the early Sunday seating which started at 11am and ends at 1pm, not very long for an afternoon tea and it should really be called a morning tea instead There is ample parking in front of The Gambles mansion, its a Victorian style house made out of brick with white fences all around it ~ very nice and can see why many people choose to this as their wedding venue.

Dessert Buffet

Upon walking in, we were immediately greeted by a friendly waitress and also a large table filled full of desserts That’s when I realised that desserts was going to be served in a buffet style ~ I couldn’t have been happier!

The waitress then led us to a room on the right where there were 5 to 6 tables, we were placed in the middle of the room, which was fine, but we would have wanted a little more privacy and could hear the conversations from the tables around us and would have preferred a table closer to the window.

Champagne

Another waitress then came to offer us a glass of Champagne but unfortunately, I couldn’t see or remember the type but I know it was from France hehe it was a rather light tasting Champagne and not my usual favourite Moet & Chandon.

Very quickly our ginormous 3-tiered stand full of savouries arrived at our table My colleagues aren’t really use to going out with a food blogger, that’s why I quickly took the photos and didn’t want to take took long taking the photos. So sorry in advance for the not-so-great photos ~

Sandwiches

Starting at the bottom, there’s a range of little triangle sandwiches with a variety for us to choose from – egg and lettuce, chicken and chives and smoked salmon with caper berries. I was impressed how fresh and soft the bread was and the filings in the sandwiches were also delicious. If I was to be picky, they would have looked better if the sandwiches were cut into little squares instead to make them look fancier

Mini pies and quiches

The middle layer had mini beef and burgundy pies and spinach and feta quiches, unfortunately they look and tasted like supermarket-bought quality. The fillings for them were nice but the pastry was very thick and not very buttery which was a shame.

Scones plain and fruit scones

At the very top layer was the scones, plain ones and other which we can’t work out, it tasted like whole wheats with some mixed berries. It was also served strawberry jam which looked and tasted more like strawberry jelly and also whipped cream. I found the scones to be strangely moist and dense and not as fluffy as I would have liked.

Jam, cream and butter

The afternoon tea also provided unlimited teas, they had a good variety of teas from the regular English Breakfast through more exquisite teas such as green tea with jasmine flowers and Galle District OPI Orange Pekge) tea.

English Breakfast Tea

Even though the savouries and scones weren’t that exciting, I was super excited about the dessert buffet   on the large table in the foyer. They had such a large range of goodies macarons, cupcakes, variety of slices, mini tarts, fresh fruit and little chocolate profiteroles.

Dessert Buffet Table

So many to choose from! We had a hard time deciding! But once again, I recognised some of the desserts and have seen them at many cafes, I suspect from the same supplier.

My selection

I am trying to learn the art of eating in moderation so I only got a small plate and tried a few things Starting from the left the coffee panna cotta tasted more like coffee mousse topped with a thick layer of coffee jelly and dollop of whipped cream. The berry jelly and chocolate mousse was nice and smooth, but the pistachio macaron shell was too hard and had barely any filling and last but not least the mixed berry cheesecake was actually my favourite, velvety rich cream cheese with crushed berries through it.

Regrettably, I wouldn’t describe this afternoon tea to be one of the best, but it was certainly lots of fun and good to spend some time with the girls. We have now moved into different teams and work on different sites, so it’s hard for us to meet up. I would still recommend you visiting The Gables for afternoon tea if you’re looking for a nice quiet place near the city for tea that also offers a dessert buffet this is the place It’s also perfect for Mother’s day since it’s just around the corner, a shame my mother will only eat Chinese food and afternoon tea is out of the question

The Gables 
15 Finch St, Malvern East
Melbourne Victoria
PH: +61 3 9563 6108