because I can't cook

InterContinental Hotel (Market Lane Bar) in the Melbourne CBD
Address	The Rialto, 495 Collins Street
Opening Times	Mon-Sat   11am-midnight
Cuisine	High Tea, Tapas
Visited	17 March 2012
Rating

The last event I attended as part of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival 2012 was the InterContinental’s Rooftop Honey Afternoon Tea.

A deliciously sweet afternoon tea with a twist, the event incorporated honey from the hotel’s rooftop beehives into the menu; a three-tiered stand of delicacies with honey-inspired champagne cocktail and Ronnefeldt tea collection.

While relaxing in the quiet sophistication of the InterContinental’s Market Lane Bar, we indulged in their signature honey and lavender macaroons and a fine selection of pastries accompanied with their beautiful Honey and Lavender Mumm Champagne Cocktail and Ronnefeldt’s Smoked China tea (and Cape Grim water!).

An overview of the delicacies:

The homemade sandwiches:

• Honey glazed ham with aged cheddar and dijon mustard
• Smoked salmon and dill cream
• Honey and Yarra Valley goat’s cheese
• Cucumber and tomato relish

The pastry selection:

• Honey-infused, chocolate and wattle seed scones served with blackberry Shiraz jam, pear and fig jam, and clotted cream
• Honey and rosella cheesecake
• Wattle seed and chocolate shortbread
• Muntries, quandong and almond tart

Everything was so fresh and delicate.  I loved every bit of my high tea experience (okay, maybe not the smoked salmon sandwich –for being smoked salmon sandwich- and the goat’s cheese sandwich –also for being it stinky self) (oh, and also maybe not the part where my tea cup had coffee stain on it, but really, everything else was terrific!); their crispy/tender macaroons, the scrumptious miniature sandwiches, the freshly baked warm (chocolatey!) scones, the fragrant honeyed champagne, the Ronnefeldt’s Smoked China’s strong smoky Souchong flavour.. the InterContinental’s sweet honey!

Located at the Rialto, one of Melbourne's most stunning examples of Victorian neo-gothic architecture, the InterContinental Melbourne created that elegant, enchanting ambience that made my high tea experience even more chic. Will definitely revisit for another high tea (or perhaps to try some of their 100 martinis? ).

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