Review: Marriott Resort Surfers Paradise, Signature High Tea

30 June 2012 Lobby Lounge Bar Signature High Tea at the Marriott Resort Surfers Paradise

The Particulars:

Date: All year round
Time: Available daily until 3pm
Price: $27.50 per person
Minimum 2 guests.
Bookings: Phone 0755978700. Bookings essential.

The Review:

On 30 June 2012 ten members of my family attended the Lobby Lounge Bar to celebrate my Nanna’s 85^th Birthday by enjoying the Marriott’s signature High Tea.  Given the significance of this birthday and that all of the family were getting together we had high expectations of a beautiful morning.  Our booking was for 11.30am however arrived at 11.15am.  When we arrived we were seated at our table and the cream and milk were already sitting on the table.  We were offered tea and coffee initially by a waitress however when we requested for coffee the waitress did not come back to the table.  We also requested skim milk at this time and again the waitress did not come back. 

With other party members arriving by approximately 11.45am we still did not have the skim milk and coffees as requested however were now being served by a different waitress.

We again requested the coffee and milk and she attended to this.  However when someone requested early grey tea instead of English breakfast we were informed that this would be a further charge.  Given the similar costing in tea and that earl grey is a standard type of tea this was quite a shock.

We were served with our scones there was no jam on the table, and yet the cream by this time had been sitting in the sun for almost 45 mins.  When we requested jam the waitress brought out apricot conserve and marmalade.
We requested that we have strawberry jam with our scones and again the waitress went away and after delay we were provided with a basic necessity of jam to have with our hot cream and cold scones.  Furthermore, when a waitress brought out the food she was wearing a skin-coloured band-aid on one of her fingers, but what made this worse was that the band-aid was tattered and had strings coming off of it.  This was concerning given we did not know how much involvement she had in the preparation of our food.

Whilst the sun was beaming down on us through the glass windows, the finer details of luke warm tea out of thick coffee mugs, no tea pots on the table, and appalling service really ruined our day.  So much so that we wrote a written complaint.

The Food:

This high tea had all the regular favourites including finger sandwiches and scones.  You each the equivalent of two full sandwiches made up of a combination egg, salmon, turkey & cranberry and of course cucumber.  The sandwiches were fresh and there was ample filling.

The second tier was of course scones, jam and cream.  The scones were small, cold and quiet dry however there was adequate servings of jam and cream.  There was also a little blueberry friend muffin which was very fresh and a nice addition to this layer.  The top layer included all things chocolate – chocolate dipped pears, warm chocolate sauce, fresh strawberries, chocolate covered marshmallows and strawberry and white chocolate tart.

The third tier was a cinnamon scroll of which my family didn’t eat; mini chocolate éclairs, blueberry cheesecake and a custard tart.

Overall the food was quite nice.  The food however did not shine enough to distract from the poor service and attention not being paid to the things that really make high tea a favourable experience.

Review: La mousse au chocolat

La Mousse au Chocolat

The Particulars:

Name:  La mousse au chocolat

Home made chcolocate mousse, tarts and waffles

Made by Nicolas de Maere

Phone:             0477 153094      

Email: demaere007@hotmail.com

Where you can find him: 

• Palm Beach Currumbin Farmers Markets (Every Saturday 7-12pm),
• Byron Bay Markets
• Chillingham Village Market (2nd Sunday of the Month 8.00am til 1pm)
• Favourite Product: Of course his signature Chocolate Mousse.

The Review:
Chocolate is the one food in my world that cannot be altered or replaced by anything else. In my European travels I had the opportunity of tasting some of the world’s finest chocolates in Switzerland, France, Belgium. Of course they are all unique and amazing in their own right but Belgium chocolate was one of my favourites because of its smooth texture.

In my dazed wanderings of Palm Beach Farmer’s Markets last Saturday morning I had the opportunity to meet the owner of la Mousse au Chocolat, Nicolas de Maere. Now if you are a fan of chocolate mousse, hot chocolates, freshly made waffles drizzled in chocolate, or anything chocolate related - than this is the stall for you! 

Nicolas was born in Belgium and has been living in Australia for ten years, a carpenter by trade but is now following his love for food and of course something close to his home, Belgium chocolate. Nicolas imports his chocolate from Belgium and uses all fresh and natural ingredients including cream and eggs to make his divine chocolate mousse. 

He told me his story about how he makes his mousse and believes that making it two days prior to the markets allows gives the perfect combination of freshness of the product and richness of the chocolate. 

So when shopping at his stall you are guaranteed a fresh product every time that is free from the preservatives and additives found in most bought pre-packaged chocolate mousse from the major supermarkets.
The mousse is light in texture but decadent in flavour and he really gives respect to the Belgium chocolate itself. He sells four flavours, hazelnut, coffee, chilli and of course original chocolate.

If chocolate mousse isn’t for you though, give his freshly made hot chocolate a go (yes made from melted Belgium chocolate), it is to die for!

The next time you are at the markets head down and check out his stall. A lovely man producing divine food!

Recipe: Almond Milk

Home Made Almond Milk

Usually my addiction of baking and interest in food stays somewhat separate from my day job.  But at times it is hard to suppress this passion and my love of trying new things and learning from others.  Simple milk has become quite the debatable topic between myself and a colleague of mine who too, is a fellow fitness freak and foody.  Cows milk, goats milk, soy, almond, full cream, skim, high calcium, A2 - you get the idea.  The debate has raged; processes, additives, preservatives, nutritional benefits, health benefits and of course importantly for me; what works well when baking.  This discussion this week enlivened when he recently brought me in his home made Almond Milk.  It was divine!  It was extremely light (lighter than skim milk), but the creamy element of milk remained.  It had a sweet taste, similar to that of soy milk but left a slight almond after taste.  

Now in terms of some of the debatable points:

• Almonds are naturally very nutritious – rich in vitamin E, manganese, selenium, magnesium, potassium, zinc, iron, fibre, phosphorous and calcium;
• Almond milk doesn't need to be fortified which is why you can make it at home;
• It is high in protein; the typical glass/serving contains about one gram of protein;
• One serving contains about one gram of dietary fibre;
• It is very low in calories; it contains only about 40 calories per serving; and
• It is low in carbs at only two grams per serving.

It is great for those of us who are lactose intolerant and can be easily used as a substitute for most of my emazingly sweet dessert recipes such as custard and panacotta.

The recipe that he used is as follows:

Ingredients:

1 cup of almonds

2 cups of water

Method:

1. Soak your almonds overnight, then drain them;
2. Put it in a food processor or blender; and
3. Strain through cheesecloth or a very fine sieve.

  

Tips

If you want extra flavour add some dates, or a bit of honey.

Review: High Tea at The Palazzo Versace

My beautiful Nanna and I.  She is such an inspiration to this creation.



The beautiful high ceilings allow natural light to stream in.



The Particulars:

Palazzo Versace Gold Coast

High tea service runs daily in Le Jardin lobby bar from 11am until 5pm.

Reservations are not required unless there are over eight guests.

Group bookings required for more than eight guests. A table will be reserved in Il Barocco Restaurant from 1pm until 4pm.

Phone 07 5509 8000

Basic High Tea starts at $34.00 per person

 

The Review:

If you are like most and believe that high tea is an indulgent experience and are considering this as an option to indulge your mum this mother's day then perhaps the Versace is a place that most would consider.  After all it is the only 6 star hotel on the Gold Coast, right?  Well for me the signature high tea at the Versace was a little disappointing.  Don't get me wrong the décor and the hotel itself is impeccable but the service and the quality of pastries was below my expectations.

The signature high tea at the Versace includes three finger sandwiches, one plain scone, one choc chip scone, orange and poppy seed mini muffin, fruit flan and a chocolate brownie.  It also included a pot of tea to share which in my view wasn’t enough.  When I am having high tea I like the tea to be free flowing, fresh and hot.  Enough to relax and enjoy a full cup with each of the tiers or courses of food.  In this case I was required to savour my tea to ensure I had enough at the end to counter the sweetness of the pastries. 

The basic pastries provided of a chocolate brownie, orange and poppy seed muffin and a fruit flan did not take the food to the level in which high tea should be classed.  Especially when you consider the calibre of the hotel in which it is being served one would be expecting lavish chocolate works of art showcasing the talents of the pastry chef however this was not the case.  I do have to say though the jam provided for the scones was incredible, filled with chunks of divine strawberries; however again not enough to cover my scones completely.  I requested more jam from the waiter however it didn’t come; again leaving me to feel a little less than indulged. 

I loved the fine china and the natural light of the lobby however the poor service, small servings of jam and tea and lack of some of the traditional elements including cucumber sandwiches disappointed for the cost and prestige associated with the hotel.