A South African Celebration: High Tea at InterContinental Table Bay Cape Town

There are stories upon layered stories behind the high tea offering at InterContinental Table Bay. As you comfortably settle at a table in the conservatory section of Flint and Fennel (the hotel’s beautifully fitted out restaurant) with Table Mountain views that anchor you at the tip of the African continent, the flavours immerse you in the diverse cultures of this rainbow nation. From the Tee ea Borena heading (a Sesotho phrase meaning “royal tea”) to the custom TWG tea caddies designed by art students from UCT, each bite and sip is thoughtfully curated to take you on a whirlwind South African adventure.

Scones and Silver Moon tea

After a welcome drink of either a glass of bubbly or a grapefruit and tea mocktail to refresh the palate, the first course takes you into the classic tradition of scones and cream (one plain scone and one flavoured with orange and chocolate). Choose from the delightful Leo’s Little Jam menu with homemade jams (from a women’s empowerment project) that spans strawberry and rooibos, Cape gooseberry and naartjie marmalade. Silver Moon is the recommended tea to accompany these, a delicate green tea with subtle strawberry and vanilla aromas.

TWG tea selection

As you follow the ritual of choosing your teas for the next two courses, take time to admire the individual designs on the tins containing the speciality blends of renowned TWG loose-leaf teas. The third-year print-media students from UCT Michaelis School of Fine Art have each created a visual story to reflect the qualities of the tea within. You might choose the robust Gunpowder green tea with a smoky edge for your savouries, and the aromatic Orange Blossom Oolong for the sweets, but there are plenty more tantalising options. And you’ll also be served the Pu-Erh of the Night matured tea with soft notes of star anise as a final digestif at the end of the meal.

Savoury stories

A savoury bite of cucumber, minted cottage cheese pistachio bread and rooibos salt reflects the local flora familiar to the Cape’s Khoisan inhabitants, as does the Franschhoek smoked trout and dill cream cheese roulade. Then there are the nostalgic mosbolletjies of Cape Dutch tradition, topped with black forest ham and caramelised onion. The Coronation chicken pie brings the spices of the Cape Malay food culture to the fore; and the truffled asparagus quiche echoes flavours that would be familiar to the pre-historic hunter-gatherers who once roamed our coastline.

Sweet surprises

The striking Unity Cake is the Rainbow Nation captured on a plate, then there’s a playfully delicious peppermint crisp entremet that captures the essence of this national favourite. Milk tart choux buns tap into another South African staple, and the divinely pretty passionfruit-and-frangipane tart and chai tapestry macarons reflect Zulu beadwork and African art respectively. The menu carries all these stories and more, and concludes with a poem that you’ll want to take home with you, to remember an elegant and welcoming afternoon spent peacefully and deliciously in this beautiful setting.

Cost R595 (including glass of cap classique)
Time Wednesday – Sunday, 2pm – 4pm
Contact 021 406 5000
Where to find it  InterContinental Table Bay Cape Town, Quay 6, Breakwater Boulevard, V&A Waterfront, Cape Town
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