For a self-proclaimed tea and cake lover such as myself, I have a serious lack of afternoon tea experiences in my life. Afternoon tea appeals greatly to my inner Lady of Leisure-wannabe: a girly affair of never-ending tea, delicate sandwiches, scones and cakes.
There are many places in Sydney offering afternoon tea, or high tea as many call it. But tucked away on Elizabeth Street in Redfern is the unique Tea Parlour, and it is here with 3 girlfriends, Lara, Kat and Laura, that I had my long-awaited, first proper afternoon tea experience.
With an unassuming exterior, Tea Parlour is easy to miss. However once you step inside you’re in a different world to the streets of Redfern surrounding it.
Tea Parlour is run by Amelia Hepburn and here she has created a feminine, glamourous and charming old-worldly space. The room is very cosy, and after a slight mix-up with our booking (there was a large bridal shower in progress when we arrived) we are seated next to a peculiarly dressed man who was doing tarot readings. I must reference Harry Potter here and say he reminded me of a wizard trying to dress like a muggle. I thought it was fabulous, and I wish I’d been rude brave enough to ask him for a photo 
The menu is hidden inside vintage books, and the complete tea experience including sandwiches and cakes is $20 – a bargain in Sydney. You can also BYO your own wine or champagne if you wish. We select three teas to share from the list of 21 varieties: Apple Berry, Monk Pear, and French Earl Grey. I usually drink my everyday teas with milk and sugar, but I find myself loving all these no-milk-please teas, especially the Apple Berry which has a vibrant fruity fragrance and flavour.
Amelia brings us our plate of sandwiches and our first thought is that we could eat several of these plates. The bread is soft and the fillings of salmon and cucumber are light, simple and delicious. Very ladylike.
After our tiered cake platter arrives, I’m relieved that we only ate a small amount of sandwiches. It’s a glorious display, featuring scones, lemon tart, apple pie, rocky road, mini cakes, meringues, biscuits, and tarts. Amelia bakes everything herself, and she is very talented.
The standouts for me were the tangy lemon tart, the moist (sorry, I had to use this word) cake with sweet icing and raspberry and the huge fluffy scones with cream and chunky berry jam.
Tea Parlour is the perfect setting for an indulgent afternoon with your girlfriends. Amelia has created a beautiful and warm space, and I will definitely return for more of her delicious cakes.
I could get used to being a Lady of Leisure.
Tea Parlour
http://theteaparlour.blogspot.com/
Contact details:
0414 335 224
569 Elizabeth Street, Redfern
Opening hours:
Thursday-Sunday 1pm-8pm
oh wow thats one impressive looking platter!
Most impressive
Oh, this place looks fantastic! And such a generous amount of food for a bargain price. Must check it out sometime.
You really are spoilt for how much it costs here
This place looks so awesome! And BYO too! Love it, and such a bargain too!
There were 3 ladies next to us drinking champagne out of gorgeous vintage glasses, so I recommend taking a bottle, if you fancy!
I was just saying on City Hippy Farm Girl that I’ve tried to go here twice but they were full one time and they were closed the other. I shall still persist-it looks very cute!
I just did a search for the blog you mentioned, how funny we both posted it yesterday! Hopefully your persistance pays off soon, though I believe Amelia is overseas for a week or 2. I hope you enjoy it
How lovely!
I am having my first high tea experience in a couple of weeks too. Can’t wait to have a day out with the girls, and i am getting a hair cut in the morning!
Ooh enjoy! And how nice to have your hair done prior – I hope you have a lovely ladylike day
love the interior – so pretty. i had my first high tea experience with my maid of honor the other day at the qvb! it was awesome.. i can’t believe its only $20 for high tea here, it looks sooo good! i gotta get me here asap!
Ah, I just saw this! Wasn’t it divine? Can’t wait until they’re licensed, lol! Lovely photos
I wish we had tried the salmon sandwiches.
I wish I had a nice experience of this place. I have been wanting to go to this place for close to a year now and was super excited to go for my 30th birthday. I didn’t worry about not getting a response to my online enquiry, I just texted instead. We agreed on a booking and I gave a number of people saying I’d confirm the exact number in a week. I admit I left it very late to confirm the number but when I did the proprietor could not recall my booking and offered a time two hours later. I accepted the time but expressed that I was frustrated as I had the text reflecting the original booking. To that I was told “don’t come at all”.
I can understand being busy but how do you run a business if you can’t manage bookings? I had no intention of being rude and I don’t think I was out of line to simply state that I felt frustrated – I felt genuinely hurt by the response I received.
Hi Michaela, thanks for your comment. I’m so sorry to hear you had a negative experience there. I agree that you weren’t out of line saying that you were frustrated, and it’s sad to hear you were told ‘don’t come at all’
Thank you Chanel. I hate to say negative things especially about somewhere I was so keen to go, but I just feel so disappointed. Oh well, no point worrying about it so I wish her all the best and thank you again for your reply, it has helped me feel better.