Did You Know Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel Was the First Sydney 5-star Hotel to Offer Vegan High Teas?
Since originally introducing our Vegan High tea back in 2017, our pastry chefs have continuously reinvented and updated our high tea menus to ensure they are exciting, and utilising delicious flavours and techniques to provide a premium experience.
Noa Nisell-Hauser, our specialist pastry chef explains, “For the Vegan High Tea, I really enjoy playing with flavours and making food exciting, as I do think the world is going vegan. I find ways to use [uncommon] ingredients and make it appealing; vegan ingredients aren’t boring”.
One ingredient Noa includes in her baking is tapioca, which is a starchy ingredient providing a chewy texture to many recipes, often found in puddings and other desserts. The tapioca, kaffir lime and mango fruit cup is one dish which is a signature inclusion on the Traditional, Gluten Free AND Vegan High Tea menus.
Vegan food doesn’t have to be boring…
According to the ABC, approximately 11% of Australians don’t eat meat. Following this, Australia is seeing a rise in the number of vegans, with the nation being the third fastest growing vegan market in the world after the UAE and China. (https://www.sbs.com.au/news/vegan-trend-takes-hold-in-australia)
Aussies were also the number one searcher of the word ‘vegan’ on Google in 2018, going to show the rising interest in veganism and vegan food. (https://www.peta.org.au/news/australia-ranks-number-one-in-the-world-for-vegan-searches-in-2018/)
When asked about whether the Vegan High Tea is comparable enough to a Traditional High Tea, Noa says, “I wanted to move away from the typical ‘raw’ [vegan] desserts where everything is quite sweet and have similar aftertastes, but create unique vegan components that really ‘wowed’ the palate”.
Gluten Free? No worries, there’s a high tea for you too!
With the growing trend of dietary needs in mind, we continue providing options to all dietary requirements, including providing a distinct Gluten Free High Tea as well. This particular menu has been made to ensure it has exciting flavours, and isn’t lacklustre to the others, just because it is gluten free.
“The Gluten Free High Tea is a combination of different items from each menu, plus some special canapes, ensuring those that avoid gluten don’t miss out on delicious treats”, says Noa. The almond caramel cheesecake is a standout on the Gluten Free High Tea Menu, being a tasty, yet light cheesecake to please every sweet tooth.
The Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel Sydney has a complete high tea offering with seven menus, assuring you of all dietary needs or requests being met. For further enquiries or bookings, contact Communications on 02 8214 0000 or email communications@radisson.com.
https://www.radissonblu.com/en/plazahotel-sydney/restaurants/hightea
(By Emma Hedges)