The new Sheraton in Melbourne might not be where you expect it, neatly tucked away up the Spring street end of Little Collins Street, wedged in nearby Bar Lourinha and opposite a carpark. Although it sounds a bit random, they’ve done a great job with the space.
My family discovered the joys of the Sheraton’s weekend buffets at Little Collins Street Kitchen, and the endless Alaskan king crab legs that we devour with fervour, but more recently, I visited with Daisy to check out the high tea, which I knew we had to do once I learnt La Belle Miette were providing some of the macarons …so sign me up!
Little Collins Street Kitchen is a homely, but bright and welcoming space, with chairs that encourage you to kick back, settle in and lounge around a bit and a lovely clean and light palette.
All in all? A really lovely afternoon, where we kicked around for 2 or 3 hours, starting with some lovely aromatic tea from LMDT (prettiest tea tins ever) and the usual three tier stand of goodies. Whilst the scones were nice, but not amazing, the savouries were a delight. A savoury eclair with foie gras and fig jam simply ticked off every single box I needed in life, whilst the pissalidiere of caramelised onions, cherry tomato and thyme brought me a touch of Italy in the flavours. The savouries also included a chicken roulade with herb goats cheese on walnut fruit loaf and fresh poached prawns on brioche, with cucumber ribbon and Avruga.
As expected, the La Belle Miette macarons could not be faulted, with perfect little feet, and one of the most uniform macarons shells I’ve seen in my life. Great texture, and totally delicious, with surprising flavours hidden right in the middle.
If you haven’t had quite enough, once you’ve worked you way through the three tiers, a fresh plate of cakes are brought out to you, which are just so pretty, so delicate!
Surprisingly, I loved the orange madeleine with a citrus curd, light and refreshingly zingy. The Poire Belle Helene, Escoffier’s classic 1864 recipe of poached pears in an aromatic sugar syrup, served with chocolate syrup and almonds and served in a chocolate cup, was also a nice dish as it wasn’t too heavy or sweet. I was all about the cocoa bean brûlée mille feuille, so insanely moreish, and the raspberry and rosewater mousse was also a nice choice as it wasn’t so heavy, and a little more refreshing. The rosewater was not too strong, and the texture was just beautiful, melting onto the mouth.
It wasn’t busy the weekend we were there, meaning we could really get into a good conversation fest, and enjoy each other’s company. Fo $45 a head, I felt that the Parisian afternoon tea was great value, and well thought out so that you don’t feel overly rotund by the time you leave…
1/27 Little Collins Street
Melbourne 3000
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