We are so lucky to have such a beautiful patisserie right here in the heart of Wellington. What a treat afternoon tea at Grace Patisserie is. Read on to learn more and discover the unexpected star of the show.
High Tea Honeys members had raved about their individual experiences at Grace Patisserie on Tory Street, so we were way overdue a visit as a group to experience it first hand.
Upon entry, the style is minimalist, light and enticing. The beautiful oversized dried flower arrangement dominates the interior decor, and the glass cabinet loaded with rainbow rows of macarons nestled among other beautiful cakes and treats sets the scene well for the calibre of tea service to expect.
To begin with, the team at Grace's patiently prepare a pot of loose leaf tea and it is served to each guest steeped to perfection. I opted for the caramel and vanilla black tea and it was just the right way to start off our afternoon. The aroma of the chamomile apple spice selected by other Honeys proved to be just as delectable and will be one I go for next visit. (Spoiler alert: Yes, I'll be back!)
So far the decor and tea experience have ticked the boxes, and when the tiered stands are brought to the table, it's immediately obvious that Grace's will well and truly deliver on the promise of exquisite patisserie.
The savoury options included a finger sandwich, salmon croissant and a sundried tomato scone with a disc of butter. From perfectly seasoned cucumber in the sandwich, to just the right balance of cream cheese, salmon and pastry, and the touch of olive flecks flavouring the butter to smear on these delightful little scones - it was clear they know a thing or two about flavour pairing.
On the sweet side, we were treated to a lemon ginger meringue tartlet, a duck egg blue blueberry cheesecake macaron (yum!) and my favourite sweet item - the citrus poppyseed tart with freeze dried orange topper.
Normally my sweet tooth makes me a sucker for the sweet tiers, and don't get me wrong, it was all divine but for me - the normally underrated and unexpected star of the show was the superb sundried tomato savoury scone and olive butter. I wasn't alone in calling this out either - the general consensus was that we were all pleasantly surprised by this!
I loved that the cheerful and attentive service we received perfectly complimented our experience and I won't hesitate in recommending Grace Patisserie as a place to go for a wonderful afternoon tea.
