The cutest little tea parlour in all of Sydney!

Redfern has always gotten a bad rap - it's remained rather underdeveloped despite the surrounding suburbs flourishing, probably because of the negative connotations associated with the place. It's a shame, because its one of the oldest suburbs in Sydney (and therefore packed with lots of period charm), and i can see that it has the potential to be another little Surry Hills or Darlinghurst - as long as the area stays clean and safe.



Slowly but surely though, I'll hear about a cafe or a restaurant taking its chances and opening in the area, getting the vibe going. AND, you can imagine my excitement when i heard about a little place called The Tea Parlour - serving my favourite of all things, afternoon tea.



I do believe I've tried all the best high tea's in Sydney, so i was apprehensive about this one - mainly because of the price. $20, to be exact, which will get you sweets, scones, cucumber sandwiches and tea - lots of tea. I thought it very inexpensive - most high tea's will cost you double the price, at least. This would either be the greatest bargain I'd come across in a long time, or frankly a little bit dodgy.



Thankfully, it was the former not the latter. I persuaded a friend of mine to join me this afternoon, and we were completely charmed by the place. It IS teeny tiny, but it's decked out in that Bohemian style that i love (complete with stuffed peacock and mounted deer head), and Ruby, the owner, is lovely. She makes everything herself, using her grandmothers recipes, and it's all delicious. The scones? Huge. Seriously huge - some of the best I've ever had (and you're talking to a genuine scone-lover, so i should know.) The sweets are always changing - today we got mini chocolate cakes, little fig and walnut cakes, lemon tarts, blueberry and custard pastries and plenty more. The tea comes in enormous tea pots, and you get unlimited refills. The cucumber sandwiches were refreshing and plentiful. We spent a very pleasant 2 hours eating and drinking our way through it all, and were stuffed by the end.



If you don't feel like all of that, no probs - you can get just tea and scones for 8 bucks. (Did i mention how awesome the scones were?) I highly recommend this place - and also highly recommend you make a booking, especially on weekends. The place gets pretty full. Why wouldn't it? It's good, old fashioned food at good, old-fashioned prices. I guarantee you'll be charmed - but if you don't believe me, maybe some pics will persuade you...

T is for Tea

I'm into those daily deal things at the moment, especially when you get a good one for eating out somewhere - something i looooove doing. So when i cam across one recently for high tea for two at a bargain price, i snapped it up.

Mum and I went along try it out. I have my usual high tea favourite spots in Sydney, but this one was at the cafe at the Museum of Sydney, and i have to say i was pleasantly surprised. Mismatched crockery is always a hit with me - tick, they had that. And high tea definitely has to be petite, but filling - tick again. Oh, and the tea selection should be good - extensive, plenty of black teas and plenty of herbal concoctions. Tick again. The decor wasn't fab, but hey, can't be fussy for 30 bucks.

Here's mum, having a grand time...

...and here's what she came up with when i trusted her to take a picture of me...(thanks for making sure that silver bar cut me right in half, Ma.)

There was plenty of food - we were both stuffed by the end of it. High tea always surprises me like that. I never think there's going to be enough, everything always looks so small - but I'm always so full by the end of it. PS, note the sugar cubes - tick. Very civilised.

And the candy floss on top of the creme brulee? A triumph.

After our tea, we wondered around town for a while before heading up to do some shopping (great sales at Myer by the way). Even though i work in the city every day, i stick to the same places all the time - you can easily forget how many pretty buildings and sights there are (even when its drab and overcast).

It was a nice day out, my only day out the whole long weekend actually because it bucketed down on my way home that afternoon and didn't let up again. I'm glad i got out of the house at least once.