In Canberra I’m staying at The Hyatt Hotel on the government side of the city. The facility has an interesting layout with a set of low-rise buildings connected to each other by a string of elegant courtyards with lush vegetation. It’s the winter here in Australia, so it’s still a bit too cold to sit outside. But in the summer it must be quite serene to sit out there with a cold drink under the shade of the many trees… or afternoon tea.
As the more regular readers to this blog have probably already figured out, I really love having afternoon tea. I’m fully aware of the fact that the British have a lot to answer for as far as their colonial history goes – but I do think that they should also be commended for the invention of afternoon tea and its contribution to just making people happy in general through the power of food.
The afternoon tea at The Hyatt is served on dark earthenware that seems to have become very popular in recent years.
There’s a set menu of items for the afternoon tea. The staff are happy to top up any of the items in case you haven’t had enough. Although to be honest, the serving is quite generous. Asking for top ups is really just an indulgence.
Much to my surprise, there are even Maltese pastizzi tal-irkotta on the menu. They’re the diamond shaped things made with filo pastry to the right of the ketchup in the picture below. They’re very good, but I’m not sure how authentic the chives are.
One thing I have noticed in my many years of experience as an afternoon tea afficionado, is that not that many places will serve the scones with real clotted cream. What you usually get is either plain old whipped cream, or if it’s one of the fancier joints, mascarpone – which I agree is the better substitute for clotted cream than whipped cream.
The sweets are quite unusual and very enjoyable.
And as far as the sandwiches are concerned, guilty as charged: I ordered seconds.
In the sum of all things, I very much enjoyed my visit to Canberra (except of course for the shooting incident on the way back to Sydney). And although I wouldn’t exactly call it Australia’s most exciting city, I certainly would like to return one day for a longer visit. And afternoon tea at The Hyatt.
knightofmalta 
Pre-pandemic it used to be a high tea buffet where you would help yourself. Not great on the waistline, but we’ll worth it.
I recommend tea at the Gunners Barracks in Mosman – you can’t beat the harbour views. Reach out if you’d like a tour of the area by a local reader while you’re staying in Manly!
Hi Dave,
Thanks a lot for the recommendation. Today we tried the Langham High Tea. Not bad at all, I would say.
Nice variety of sandwiches and sweet treats. A little something for everyone. Some very interesting flavors too.
“Asking for tops is really just an indulgence.”
Ok, that made me (unintentionally) crack up, because sometimes I have the maturity of a 14 year old.
That’s what happens when the fingers are faster than the brain. I assume that will only get worse with old age.