Rochelle Adonis – High Tea

October 21st, 2010 by Monica

The Bestie is ready to drop her bundle now. Her OB may have told her otherwise but the body has reached that point in late pregnancy where you wonder what the point is in the last three weeks of gestation. Heck, my own second-born saw no point in hanging around in utero any longer. With the Bestie needing a boost, I crossed my fingers that our high tea experience at Rochelle Adonis would be nothing short of amazing, especially as we felt a bit let down after last week’s high tea.

If you haven’t heard of Rochelle Adonis as yet then you’re forgiven, particularly if you’re not a foodie. It’s not a household name as such but given time, I’m fairly certain you’ll have interstate friends begging you to send over some of her amazing Rocky Road and nougats, in the same way I demand my husband bring back goodies from Koko Black in Melbourne or Cocolat in Adelaide. What this lady and her team produce in her kitchen is unique and made with passion. We’re also talking about someone who does profiteroles with a metallic chocolate sauce. Her approach isn’t Adriano Zumbo wacky (it’s a good wacky but the man uses cauliflower in desserts!) but it sure isn’t ordinary either.

So the Bestie and I rocked up at noon for our high tea and immediately took great joy in entering the shop. It had been bucketing down with rain so Rochelle Adonis’ cosy and warm little parlour was a most welcoming haven. The decor is light and bright with one wall dedicated to stunning photos of Rochelle’s creations. For people who prefer ogling things in 3D, a display case boasts some of the finest cakes and treats I’ve seen in Perth in a long time.

We were cheerfully greeted by staff and guided over to our section of the massive marble table that takes centre stage in the shop. Some people may be put off by the idea of being seated en masse but there’s ample room to move and you still feel like you have your own little space. If anything there’s something wonderfully uniting about the table. It’s not like you have to strike up a conversation with your neighbour but in a society that seems to be getting more and more aloof, it’s nice to have these such communal moments.

We were offered tea or coffee (both by Fiori) which took me by surprise for a moment (high tea is the one time I’m not lured by the mighty bean) but chose to side with tea. Traditionalists may scoff at the idea of coffee being on offer but I don’t think Rochelle is one to worry about shoulds and shouldn’ts (metallic profiteroles people!). In fact, if you’re a lost soul without a serve of scones with your high tea then you’ll be in for a shock. However, once that shock subsides, you’ll be a convert. This is modern high tea baby!