There’s nothing quite like a high tea, be it the chance to dress up, get out, indulge in a variety of sweet and savoury bites and sip away at an endless selection of tea’s and coffee’s, maybe even bubbly for some.

 

• A quintessentially British tradition, high tea includes scones, cucumber sandwiches and other beautifully crafted bite-sized servings.
• Traditionally, high tea was meant to fill the often long gap, between lunch and dinner.
• The Sandton Times visited the Urban High Tea, the Springtime in Paris High Tea and Afternoon High Tea to see who tops the tea-time tier.
• Visit www.sandtontimes.co.za for more stories.

 

An indulgent experience at the best of times, high tea is a wonderful way to spend a weekend afternoon with friends or family, to catch up and take time eating a variety of beautifully prepared, bit-size treats accompanied by some hot or cold beverages. With an array of 5-Star hotels and eateries in and around Sandton, it’s long been the place to be for a good high tea!

 

Sadly, not all of Sandton’s pre-lockdown high-teas are in service again, but there are some that have returned. The Sandton Times took up the invitation to try some of greater Sandton’s sweet and savoury spreads to see what is on offer.

 

So how do the 3 high-teas we tried, stack up? We’ve picked and ranked them from fine to fabulous:

 

DA VINCI HOTEL AND SUITES: Urban High Tea
Corner 5th Street & Maude Street, Sandton
R355 per person
Served: Every Saturday and Sunday

 

Set in the black and white Da Vinci Hotel Lounge, opening up to the patio and pool area, the Urban High Tea combines beautiful surroundings with a well-ventilated space and ample bites to eat, as the high tea is served from a central buffet table.

 

Unlike the traditional 3-Tier stand served at the table, the Da Vinci Hotel has opted to do a centralised table filled with a selection of sweet and savoury treats, featuring some all-time favourites, canapes style regulars, a chocolate fountain, a selection of candy and some healthier options to balance it all out. The buffet-style spread is managed by a team of chefs to ensure social distancing and all COVID-19 protocols are adhered to.

 

In addition to this, there is a welcome drink on arrival and the Da Vinci serves up a selection of Nespresso Coffee’s and Ronnefeldt Teas, set to the sounds of live entertainment.

 

Even though the Urban High Tea takes place every weekend, secure your seat early as it is a popular choice for intimate celebrations and special gatherings, as we experienced during our visit.

 

To book, call +27-11-292-7000

 

JUST TEDDY FINE BOULANGERIE & PÂTISSERIE: Springtime in Paris
Hyde Park Corner Shopping Centre
R250 per person
Served: Daily

 

Set in the upmarket Hyde Park Corner Shopping Centre, Just Teddy Fine Boulangerie & Pâtisserie stretches across two stores, transforming the mall space into a very intimate fairy-tale garden with a Pâtisserie on either side, showcasing some of the sweet sensations prepared by the Just Teddy team.

 

The daily Springtime in Paris high tea comes in both a vegetarian and meat variation and features scones on the top tier, a Mediterranean inspired middle tier, with the bottom tier focusing on all the sweet delights you can imagine. What makes this high tea particularly fun and special is the beautiful crockery and cutlery, the cosy seating and the fancy-filled environment in the hustle and bustle of the shopping centre.

 

To book, call +27-10-203-9038

 

THE MASLOW HOTEL: Afternoon High Tea
Rivonia Road & Grayston Drive, Sandton
R395 per person
Served: 14 & 28 August 2021
Additional: G&T High Tea – R460 per person | Champagne High Tea – R695 per person (Minimum of 6 people)

 

Top of the tiers has to be The Maslow Hotel Afternoon High Tea in Sandton for its wonderful outdoor gardens, ample distancing space and most of all, a delicious and dainty selection of tea-time bites created with impressive delicacy and skill.

 

With a choice of three different ways to enjoy your Afternoon High Tea, The Maslow Hotel is by no means the most competitively priced, but delivers a most decadent 3-Tier stand, delivered to the table accompanied by a range of coffee’s and flavourful Ronnefeldt
Tea selection. We recommend pairing the slightly fruitier tea’s with the quiches and sandwiches and keeping the Lemon and Rooibos teas for the sweeter treats.

 

The Afternoon High Tea features live music and an unrushed afternoon that will leave you comfortably satisfied, so come hungry! With only August dates set, for now, you might want to book your seat for this one, sooner rather than later.

 

To book, call +27-10-226-4600

 

Stand a chance to WIN with The Sandton Times.

 

Advertise on The Sandton Times today!

 

Head back to The Sandton Times Home Page for more stories.