High tea is known for its traditional sandwiches, scones and cakes. Crystalbrook Kingsley is trying something a little different.
Executive chef Matthew Smith and his team have put together a savoury high tea experience downstairs at Ms Mary that complements doughnuts.
And not just any doughnuts. DoughHeads doughnuts.
Smith is a fan, and reached out to DoughHeads founder Anna Farthing about a high tea collaboration. His only request? That the doughnuts would be exclusive to the high tea.
Farthing was intrigued.
"I knew Crystalbrook had done high tea collaborations before, so I took it back to my pastry team and asked them for ideas," she says.
"We've introduced a pineapple doughnut to our menu which people have been loving, so we decided to look at flavours like coconut and lime.
"Then one of our chefs said he liked to make a secret snack to eat while in the kitchen - he smothers a doughnut with Biscoff and drizzles a bit of honey on it - so that's where the honey buttercream and Lotus biscoff biscuit crumble idea came from."
The team agreed to make three exclusive doughnuts:
- Summer Glaze, a strawberry Champagne-glazed doughnut with freeze-dried raspberries;
- Honey I Shrunk the Doughnut with honey buttercream, milk chocolate, crisp pearls and Lotus biscuit crumble; and
- Pina Colada Cheesecake with pineapple icing, cheesecake filling, lime curd and a coconut garnish.
The Ms Mary x DoughHeads High Tea costs $79 per person, which includes the exclusive DoughHeads doughnuts, scones, savoury goodies, unlimited T2 tea and Sprocket Single Origin Coffee, and a glass of First Creek Botanica Sparkling. Optional free-flowing sparkling wine costs an additional $30.
"We've had a lot of different iterations of the traditional high tea over the three years which keeps things interesting, and I've been a big fan of DoughHeads for a long time," Smith explains.
"Traditional high tea can be a little bit stuffy, and we're trying to make it playful and fun. We also have a different take on scones with jam and cream, presenting to the guests a warm scone and freshly churned and whipped vanilla bean ice-cream.
"And instead of a classic jam, it will have fresh strawberries and a strawberry coulis.
"We'll assemble it at the table."
The savoury menu includes a chorizo sausage roll with "a beautiful butter puff pastry and housemade pepper jam", an heirloom tomato and goats' curd tartlet, and a pastrami-cured salmon on a seeded loaf with creme fraiche and roe.
Bookings are now being taken for sittings at 11am and 1.30pm, Friday through to Sunday.
And this special high tea is here for a good time, not a long time, so don't drag your feet. Ms Mary x DoughHeads High Tea ends on December 22.
Bookings are essential and must be made by noon on Wednesdays for the upcoming weekend. Visit the website, email kingsley.restaurants@crystalbrookcollection.com or phone 4928 8600.
A SWEET SUCCESS STORY
Collaborations have become part of DoughHeads' business model.
"Things like the high tea allow us to flex our creative muscles a little bit, and to tell a story," Farthing says.
"We don't want to just be salespeople, that's not what DoughHeads is about. It's about adding a dash of joy to people's days, and this is a nice way to do that."
Customers are welcome to eat in at DoughHeads' headquarters at The Junction and watch the doughnuts being made in the open kitchen, too.
"You can sit and have a chat with the chef and if he's trying new things, he'll give you a taste, or if he's making gelato, he'll give it to you fresh out of the churner," she says. "We want people to see the work that goes into our doughnuts. We've always said quality is our game and we've proven it over 10 years."
DoughHeads' Pump Up The Jam Doughnut was named the best traditional jam doughnut in the country at the National Donut Competition in Melbourne in July.
