Fit for a Queen: 12 Apostles Vegan High Tea Review
Jam and scones. Light cucumber sandwiches. Warm herbal tea. A good 'ol biscuit. Dang, I love tea-time. I like having an excuse to get dressed up in the middle of the day for a mid-day fancy meal. I feel a little like royalty.
Did someone say ROYALTEA?!
Ha.
After having a grand, fine dining experience at the 12 Apostles a few months back (you can read up on my review here) I was very curious to try out their new vegan high tea menu, Tea By The Sea, which I heard was a must-try!
With my dear mother's birthday drawing near, I figured it would be a good excuse to give one of Cape Town's favourite hotels a visit once again. It also so happened that the hotel was hosting a live screening of the British Royal Wedding that was taking place on the same day so we were all to have a stately Saturday b-day tea.
We sat in the elegant Leopard Bar, among some die-hard royal family fans (I must admit I didn't know who was getting married until about an hour before!) who were keenly keeping an eye on the wedding proceedings. My mom made me promise to never spend the same amount as Meghan Markle did on a wedding dress. I mean... I don't even know if I will even have a wedding, let alone have a gown to go with it! But I digress.
Enough about the fashuuun. How was the food and draaank?
The tea started with a classy gin and tonic topped with a rose petal and a slice of cucumber, served in the daintiest, little tea cup I've ever come across. We were then presented with two beautiful, three-tiered display stands, consisting of finger sandwiches, scones, sweets and strawberries. My dad doesn't trust this whole vegan thing very much so he ordered some extra french fries on the side to keep him going. They were thin and crunchy just how fries should be.
Oh, where to begin?!
Serious for savoury
We began with the savoury food. In first place: the fried aubergine and dukka spice sandwich. In second place: the roast veggie sarmie with peppadew hummus. It can't be a vegan meal if there's no hummus, right?! In a close second (aka third): the sammie that came with a purple olive tapenade. I don't know what type of bread they used was but it was soft and the crust was on point.
Unfortunately we weren't given any mini vegetable crudités, as stated on the menu, despite asking for them three times....eeeeep :( I know they are just raw, sliced veggies, but still. I love 'em veg.
Little sandwiches. Loads of flavour. Welcome to the party, peppadew hummus and roasted vegetables. You're most welcome here.
Right, onto other very important matters...
Delectable dessert
Their vegan dessert selection was great. I thoroughly enjoyed the Valrhona Manjari chocolate and peanut butter bon bons and Valrhona Manjari chocolate and hazelnut cake slice. Sounds fancy because it was! Sounds delicious because it was! We also had a cute banana and walnut loaf (like a mini banana bread) and a teeny tiny, yummy raw, berry cheesecake slice.
A moment for the nom nom scone
I can't even remember the last time I had a good 'ol scone with a slap of jam, and I must say, their scones were absolutely perfect. Insider tip: add some some berry panna cotta and jam to the scone for a match made in heaven! It's light, sweet, and silky all at once! Day made.
Maybe they can add a savoury scone?! Now that would be smashing.
Well done to the 12 Apostles team for putting together yet another awesome vegan menu. This team is definitely leading the way for vegan eating within the hotel and tourism industry in Cape Town and South Africa, which shows that there is indeed demand for plant-based food from locals and tourists alike! Thank you for setting such a high (tea) standard.
This special, vegan high tea costs R375 per person and must be booked 24 hours in advance.
If you end up going, let me know what you think of the overall, royal experience. I would love to hear if this article helped you in any way.