Afternoon Tea Highlight in Wellington: Hippopotamus Restaurant
Based on my Welly friends' recent posts on social media, it seems like summer has finally arrived in Wellington. To tell you the truth, I miss spending time with the "power puff" girls and "Daryun". Looking at their photos always takes me back to my wonderful memories in Wellington particularly with Ei, whom I spent most of my time eating and walking while I was there. Hence, I am writing one of the last bonding moments I had with the girl who changed my perspective on life a great deal.
Having stayed in the Museum Hotel for a couple of weeks when we first arrived in Wellington, I had the opportunity to eat breakfast at the Hippopotamus restaurant a few times and really had a good experience (even during those times when other people looked at me from head to toe because I was sweaty in my running clothes). During that time though, High Tea (or Afternoon Tea) was far from my mind because I still didn't have any friends then. Until of course I met Ei. Alas, I have finally found someone I could have an Afternoon Tea with. And where else would be the best place to experience my first Afternoon Tea in Wellington than Hippopotamus? Unfortunately, they were under refurbishment when I decided to take Ei to a special date, so we went to Martha's Pantry instead. But I wasn't going to leave Wellington without experiencing Afternoon Tea at Hippopotamus, so as soon as I found out they've finally reopened, I made a booking straight away.
Some things have changed in the restaurant, but the ambience remained friendly and welcoming. The staff let us choose our table so I asked if we could have one by the window. As soon as we settled, she came back to go through the Afternoon Tea menu with us. As neither of us drink alcohol, we opted for the Musuem High Tea (NZ$39pp).
We ordered the Rose with French Vanilla Tea which was absolutely delicious. And before we could even take a proper sip, we had to take a couple of mandatory photos to ensure that we captured the moment we were about to enjoy.
And when the three-tiered selection of sweets and savouries finally came, our attention was drawn to the staff who kindly explained each and one of the delightful creations in front of us. Unfortunately, as I have such a short attention span (and unreliable memory), I could not remember a single word she said. I just wanted to eat. This is the reason why I can never be a food blogger. I will have to write down the names of all the food items in order for me to remember them and I'd rather not do that.
Anyway, what I noticed about Ei and I when we have Afternoon Tea is that we start from the bottom of the platter and work our way up. Somehow we have maintained a systematic way of eating our food. Everything that we ate was deliciously rich and sumptuous.
After indulging ourselves with some delicate and decadent food, we thought that that was all about it. Until we were served with an extra treat of delicious French macarons that even Cookie would have enjoyed.
The view of the Wellington harbour from the restaurant is but a bonus. You go to Hippopotamus for the food, the service and the arty interior.
Hippopotamus Restaurant
90 Cable Street
Wellington, New Zealand 6011
Not that our Afternoon Tea treats didn't satisfy us, but because Ei and I have big appetite, we always have room for more food. And so after Hippopotamus, we met up with another friend for Chinese food.
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