The Olive Tearooms

The Olive Tearooms

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Posted 2017-11-17 by Douglas Sutherland-Brucefollow
Increasingly the High Tea, epitome of Edwardian elegance and style, is increasing in popularity and more and more venues are arising to cater for this growing demand.

Ideally, such a venue should be relaxed but formal, stylish and offer a truly great High Tea, conforming to all the high standards expected. It should have a view, shade, elegance and outstanding food and, naturally, tea.



There are a few venues that offer some of these features and very few that offer all. , recently opened in Upper Swan is one such venue, offering all these and more.

One big fan of the High Tea is my sister, known as Roxy, so I was happy to accompany her to a trial High Tea.



Now, in addition to her attraction to delicately cut sandwiches, Fairy cakes, scones and cream with home-made jams, little vanilla custards and such-like fancies, Roxy has a gluten intolerance verging on Celiac Disease caused by the gluten in wheat, which one can't help noticing is found in heaping helpings in the above.



So, I rang beforehand and asked about options and was assured it would not be a problem - and in the event it was not.

One drives up a curling driveway through huge wrought iron gates to the parking area behind a beautifully restored clapboard house, home to the actual Tea Rooms.



Surrounded by shady trees the freshly painted varandah was host to a beautifully laid table with retro fifties crockery, crisp white linen and fresh flowers overlooking an old-brick paved courtyard.

Within minutes two three tier cake stands arrived, almost identical, one containing gluten free goodies, the other mine, laden with gluten.

Roxy, something of an expert on GF foods, both eating and cooking, said that hers was just about the best she'd ever eaten, and I have to say, that was pretty much true of mine, too.



The scones were just perfect, light and hot, the jam, home-made - as was the amazing lemon curd - the cream rich and the other treats to the same very high standards.

Running upwards from savoury to sweet the delicious range ran from a sweet potato and pumpkin frittata, scones, sandwiches, fresh fruit in bite sizes and some enchanting sweet pastries on the top.



The tea and coffee came exactly as requested - Roxy's tea so weak it was merely flvoured hot water and my coffee so strong it could wrestle alligators.

The service is impeccable, swift, polite and friendly. The value at roughly $36 per person for High Tea is excellent and in addition to the High Teas, they will serve portions of it as light lunches in the form of frittata, sandwiches, Banana bread, toasties and the amazing scones at prices ranging from $5 to $15.



The house is perched well above West Swan Road, which you would imagine might be quite noisy, but oddly, isn't. The traffic forms a sort of low-level buzz as a background, overlaid by bird song bourne on the gentle breeze.

A long, leisurely tea made for a most memorably pleasant afternoon. As well as food and drink, offer a function centre and a range of herbs and plants for sale, including precious thyme and Sweet Basil.



Very Highly Recommended Indeed.

#australian_restaurants
#cafes
#escape_the_city
#gluten_free
#henley_brook
#high_tea
#restaurants
#swan_valley
%wnperth
115028 - 2023-06-12 18:06:39

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