Jacqui Felgate reviews a Melbourne institution that’s the PERFECT school holiday trip
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You’d struggle to find a person in Victoria that hasn’t taken their grandma or been taken by their grandma to the Tea Rooms in the Block Arcade.
Opened in 1892, it’s as popular as ever, and the window display is exactly the same as I remembered as a kid.
I think my children had the same reaction as I did when they saw the tiers and tiers of pavlova, lemon tart, carrot cake and strawberry sponge!
On the day I visited with my kids, there was a queue out the door and the owner told me demand has returned to pre-pandemic levels. It’s certainly touristy but it’s so nostalgic and worth a trip into town, especially if you have a nana who loves high tea.
It’s served on the classic three tiered stand and includes quiche Lorraine, roast beef sandwiches, pinwheels of smoked salmon and cucumber, biscuits with chicken liver pate, fresh fruit and signature petits fours. Of course, it’s all eaten alongside a huge array of teas! I had an earl grey.
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An interesting fact about the Tea Rooms – the world’s one-time richest woman, Helena Rubenstein, once worked there as a waitress.
The highlight for me was the second-tiered stand laden with more scones than you could possibly eat! Served with jam and cream, of course.
It’s a perfect school holiday activity — the high tea selection has been modified to make it more child friendly and the kids will literally spend most of the time gawking through the window at the magical display of cakes. Now, to pick just one…
The Tea Rooms 1892
Shops 1 & 2 The Block Arcade
thetearooms1892.com.au