On Now: Capella's Lunar New Year Afternoon Tea

Capella Sydney's Lunar New Year afternoon tea has just landed. Housed in their botanical themed Aperture restaurant, the menu is full of Chinese delicacies from sesame prawn toast, Peking duck pancakes, lobster rolls and delicate salt peanut and chocolate praline choux among other delicious bites. Not only that but it starts with a very luxurious serve of caviar and accompaniments. Come along and see what the Capella Lunar New Year afternoon tea is like!

I have this suspicion that Mr NQN secretly loves afternoon tea. Every time I invite him along he jumps at the chance. But it could be that he also loves visiting Capella Sydney. Last year we stayed at Capella for my birthday and had an incredible staycation.

We are visiting on the first day of the Lunar New Year afternoon tea on January 28th and we can hear the dragon dances in front of the hotel from a couple of streets away. These dragons will make their way into the lobby and then into basement back of house blessing each area with good luck.

The afternoon tea is held at Aperture where the installation of 19 flower like lanterns opens and closes above. Because it is a Lunar New Year afternoon tea, the tea is a Chinese tea. Specifically it is the "White Rabbit" jasmine tea by Zensation tea house made with spring leaves of Chinese white tea scented with jasmine blossoms. It got its name as the tea leaves resemble rabbit ears. The afternoon tea is $125 per person and you can add a glass of champagne NV Louis Roederer collection 244 for $25. There is also a kid's afternoon tea; this is not Lunar New Year themed. All are designed by Head Pastry Chef Arthur Carré.

And for hotel guests staying during the Lunar New Year, they also have a tea ceremony performed by tea master Raymond Leung where guests get to relax and enjoy the tranquil and grounding elements of the traditional Chinese tea ceremony while sipping on freshly brewed Chinese tea.

It is time for our first bite. The Kaluga caviar is produced in China from sturgeons farmed in the waters of Qiandao Lake. Kaluga Queen supplies caviar to 21 out of the 26 three-Michelin-starred restaurants in Paris and is used by Alain Ducasse. It is also the caviar used if you've had caviar bumps at mimi's in Coogee. Here it comes with sour cream and blinis. You can either try it off your hand or on your wrist pulse point where the body's heat melts the fat in caviar. You can also eat it on the blini with sour cream for an almost transcendental experience.

The afternoon tea is served on plates rather than a tiered stack and each plate comes out a bit staggered so that they are still warm. The first plate has a lobster roll with baby gem lettuce and a yuzu mayo that gives it a nice tangy counterpoint. There is also silky textured tuna tartare on black sesame crisp with spicy mayo and sea blite. My favourite however is the round deep fried sesame prawn toast sandwich edged with black sesame seeds and drizzled with chilli honey. It's so fresh and crunchy and the chilli honey is a judicious choice.

Next up is a plate of savouries from the Peking duck pancake roll filled with cucumber, hoisin and green shallots followed by a chicken & mushroom half moon puff pastry. There is also a pan fried pork dumpling with a soy and black vinegar dipping sauce that are also crispy and tasty.

Before desserts they bring out a refreshing chilled ginger tea and then a plate of desserts is served. There is a red cube of pandan and mandarin lamington with a chocolate mahjong tile on the side that is tangy yet rich. There is also a spiced orange tartelette with a segment of orange on top and a layer of custard underneath a crisp, buttery shell.

But my favourite is undoubtedly the salted peanut & chocolate praline Choux au Craquelin. I savour this delicately light morsel in about a dozen tiny bites and instantly want another.

And to finish, there are the traditional scones served with a raspberry rosella jam and whipped coconut chantilly cream. Served warm and fresh so that you can't help but have another.

So tell me Dear Reader, what is your Chinese horoscope sign? Are you celebrating Lunar New Year this year?

Capella Sydney

24 Loftus St, Sydney NSW 2000

Afternoon tea is held from: 1:00pm – 4:00pm Tuesday 29 January – Sunday 16 February, 2025

Reservations Essential

https://capellahotels.com/en/capella-sydney/lunar-new-year