What a great little spot to have high tea. We had finger sandwiches followed by scones, cream and…read moreJelly. You pick 2 tea served in a really pretty tea pot and a strainer. I had Buddha's finger. It was a delicious tea. Service is impeccable. Wish we had one closer to us. Just a real neat place.

Located in historical block arcade. They do a great job with the display case. The tea room has a…read moretourist clientele as Tour groups passed through this area, which is how I spotted it. However, out of several dessert spots this is fine, but not a place I would return. I would prefer shops that are less crowded and frenetic. Although the tea room is quaint, seating is tight and service has more of a diner feel. Melbourne has some other great dessert shops, which I prefer.

Our waitress was so patient while we celebrated my daughter's 9th birthday. They even brought a…read moreslice of cake out ! I will be forever grateful for such a lovely experience and nothing was too hard for her ! I wish I got her name but I'll be going back to celebrate my own birthday there

Small little tea house hidden amongst the Bridal stores in the Brunswick end of Sydney Rd…read more The light filled venue is a quiet spot perfect for a catch up with friends or as a space of reflection while you sip on their extensive tea range. Vegan desserts sit pretty in the glass cabinet begging to be eaten. After battling Dejour Jeans a few doors down on a Saturday this was the perfect spot to try a Kombucha (tea-based fermented probiotic beverage) and try a Hazelnut and Cranberry Meringue Cupcake.

Can't speak highly enough of this place, it's an absolute gem and I'm so happy it's located in this…read morepart of town. The food is incredible, definitely has that home-cooked with a lot of love flavour. The guy there is really friendly and welcoming. If you're in the area, you must try it, definitely a place that's gone under the radar.

We came for breakfast, and left planning a trip to Turkey…read more We started with a Turkish coffee each, and then shared a lamb mince Gözleme and a Turkish breakfast, which was an amazing array of bowls filled with olives, boiled eggs, cheese, small slices of sausage and more - with plenty of Turkish bread to eat it all up on. Surprisingly filling, we struggled to finish it all. The decor is great - and makes the Teahouse double as a bazaar of sorts, with everything from lights to rugs, handbags and decorative doors all carrying price tags. Definitely something different from your 'smashed avo' cafe on every corner, but that's a good thing. Might not be a place we visit every weekend, but will be sure to pop in from time to time to shake things up and try something new and interesting. Service was incredibly friendly too. Worth checking out.

This lovely place is full of pretty teapots, teacups and tea. I'm a huge tea drinker so I couldn't…read morehelp but wander in for a look. They have a number of premium teapot brands, from classic Japanese pots which feel like they weigh a ton, to the traditional British 4 cup. You'll also find all sorts of tea related trinkets: strainers for loose leaf tea, teaspoons and tea towels. And, of course, tea. I asked the sales assistant for some help finding a few new teas, and she was more than happy (even excited) to oblige. I gave her a few criteria and like magic she suddenly had three large tins of tea in front of me to smell. She did a great job at describing them all, and from my experience in drinking the tea I purchased from her, her knowledge and recommendations were spot on. The tea is reasonably be priced for premium tea, and is worth the little bit extra just to get the expert opinions. If you're looking for an awesome malty black tea to have with milk and sugar, try the Assam Dimakusi BOP. It's smooth, has a lovely aroma and isn't at all bitter. It's replaced Yorkshire as my favourite cup of tea! Just note that this isn't somewhere to sit down and have a cup of tea - The Tea Centre is purely retail. If you're hankering for a cup of tea and a scone, head down a level to The Tea Salon.

Took a break from Boxing Day sales frenzy to have a quick brekky here…read more Delivery boxes, half unpacked. Tables dirty and un-cleared. No customers inside. I had to poke my head in to make sure they were actually operating. But once we were seated, the service was friendly and warm and we opted for fruit salad and pancakes. The pancakes were a little flaccid and chewy, not fluffy and light as expected. However the macerated berries it came with was nice. Once the pancakes soaked up the berry juices it was much nicer. Fruit salad was a generous portion too and came with what tasted like a balsamic reduction and some yoghurt. Wasn't bad. Overall it was an "OK" place, nothing to blow your mind. Fine for taking a break from shopping, though not sure if service / Wait time differs when it's actually busy.

Gorgeous little tea room in St Collins street…read more Food: We had lemon tart and an orange mousse cake which I can't remember the name of. Both were really high quality with lovely flavours. I felt my orange cake was really delicate and light, very enjoyable. The presentation was exquisite and all the cakes looked equally beautiful. The decor and gorgeous teapots give a real feel of an English tea room. Atmosphere: Great relaxed atmosphere. We were seated outside - inside looked like it could get a bit crowded when busy. Lots of people enjoying coffee and a catch up or a relaxed brunch. It has the great advantage of being In a quiet arcade so much less of the hustle and bustle of the busier laneways. Service: We were greeted promptly, given a couple of minutes to browse the window display (which we requested, and I was pleased the waiter went away and didn't hover over our shoulders). Greeted again and shown to a table as soon as we started looking around for someone. Staff were friendly and seemed to enjoy being there which always makes a big difference. Only thing I would improve would be labelling the cakes in the window - it was impossible to match them up with the menu items and the cafe layout makes it awkward to point at items in the window. Would I go back: Yes definitely. I enjoyed both my cake and tea and there were lots of other cakes I'd like to go back and try. While there are other cafes that probably have the edge on Runya's in terms of their cakes, the relaxed atmosphere - and particularly the seating on the mall make this a very viable alternative.

This was one of those really fancy tea houses in a pretty fancy Melbourne shopping centre. Since I…read moredo enjoy my tea I decided that I would check it out one lunch time. Well, they certainly had a huge selection of teas available, though the problem was that like many places they seemed to assume that we all want our tea really, really strong. In fact it was so strong that I honestly wasn't able to drink it (though I did). Yeah, I wasn't really all that impressed.

Possibly the only people drinking coffee in The Tea Salon but it went a treat with the delicious…read morescones that we devoured. The scones initially seemed a little on the petite side but with the cream & jam were actually just enough. The Salon has a top 10 list of scones & we sampled 3 (Date & Orange; White Chocolate & Cranberry; Lemon, Pistachio & Currants). I wouldn't hesitate to head back again for more of the same!!!

Even before I moved to Melbourne, I had heard quite a lot about The Windsor Hotel's traditional…read moreafternoon tea. Being a fan of this tradition myself (who doesn't want to be served bite-sized sandwiches and cake while you sip on tea) I decided that a visit to The Windsor was definitely in order. Having served this traditional afternoon tea since 1883, my expectations were high. Keeping in mind that the Windsor is known for its poised, luxurious reputation, we got dressed up for an afternoon of cucumber sandwiches and sweet bite sized morsels. We were seated promptly, our order was taken and we requested for everything - tea, food and champagne to arrive at the same time. The bubbly and three-tier gourmet finger food arrived promptly but we sat there and chatted for at least 25 minutes before the tea finally made its entrance. Needless to say I was parched by then and couldn't understand why no one even explained the delay and when we enquired about this, the student who was serving us just smiled awkwardly and walked away. The cakes/ pastries were okay (nothing to scream about) and the finger sandwiches were a little dry for my liking (this happens when bread is left out so the sandwiches must have been made much earlier). I did like the scones with jam and cream though but I didn't appreciate having to wait yet again for my teapot to be refilled. And at $59 per person on weekdays and $79 per person on weekends - I certainly expected better and cannot see what the fuss is all about.

While not as classy as I was expecting, this was certainly a fun outing…read more The good: The scones and tea were excellent. The Windsor morning blend was nice and strong, and the scones were of a good consistency and flavour. It was also nice to have proper cream to go with them, instead of the whipped cream concoctions that you end up with at many other places. The venue is of course another plus - beautiful historic building, with nice china and table settings. The less impressive: The service was a bit underwhelming - all very nice and polite, but generally very young, and really just not the calibre I was expecting. The sandwiches were also a bit dry. It would have also been nice if there was some sort of music playing (jazz or something?) instead of silence.

Maybe I have been suffering a bit of brunch fatigue of late but not much has really stood out for…read moreme. Everything in Melbourne is just a bit samey and call me grumpy, but why has everyone accepted the fact it can take up to an hour to even get a table at most places for the same old avo on sourdough? My weekend visit to The Maling Room was such a refreshing change that i walked away feeling happy, full and wondering when I can pop by again. We were greeted by friendly staff who were quick to bring out a pretty fabulous tasting latte while I looked through the menu. The variety was great and although i ended up going for the special of warm grain salad with lamb (amazing!), the brunch offerings looked delicious. The vibe was friendly, relaxed and efficient. Definitely worth a trip to the 'burbs.

Perfect coffee, atmosphere and staff - you can't want for anything else! The light and airy post…read moreoffice-come-cafe is a reliable haven for those times you just need a no-nonsense perfectly-crafted latte close enough to the city to be convenient, yet far enough away in leafy Canterbury to feel like you've just slipped away to your favourite cafe at your weekend home in some yet-to-be-discovered nook of heaven! Friendly, knowledgeable, personable staff, sunshine teeming from every crevice - you won't be able to tear yourself away from the place until you have the coffee-jitters from too much Costa Rica cuatro mujeres or the staff slowly coax you out the door and turned the "closed" sign in the process. If you're contemplating it, just go experience it already - you're missing out!