I always try to have my birthday off work if it's at all possible. This year I managed to swing not just 1 but 3 days. Tom and I will be having 2 days in Melbourne and then 2 days in the beautiful Yarra Valley. Top of the agenda is eating. I am quite looking forward to it!
Today is the first day of the special long, long weekend, and I was lucky to spend a delightful afternoon with one of my favourite people in one of my favourite places. My friend Anna is a children's writer and academic whom I have known for over 20 years (we met in high school) and who lives in Melbourne. Her birthday happens to fall the day before mine, and every now and then comes an opportunity for us to celebrate our birthdays together.
I tend to shun parties in my own honour, finding it awkward to be the centre of attention. I have only ever had two birthday parties in my life: my 6th birthday party was not a great success (as you will deduce from the attached photograph at left which commerorates that day). The only other birthday party I ever had was a joint 18th birthday party with Anna. In those days we had many joint friends, and both of us thought that having a joint party would take the spotlight (and the pressure) of each of us as individuals. It was held at a restaurant in Canberra now closed but which I still remember for its lovely desserts. Anyway, that birthday party was a great success. We were chuffed that everyone we invited actually came, and even more chuffed that we both, surprisingly, had a good time.But back to the present day. Today Anna and I had afternoon tea at the NGV tea room, with browsing at the NGV bookstore before and after (of course) and capped off with a glass of wine at La Vite Buona, a lovely wine bar which makes you feel like you're in a musty French cellar (but in a good way!).
Now, I just love the idea of tea rooms in cultural institutions, but sadly they are so often disappointing affairs with no elegance whatsoever. They are usually uninspiring, over lit, sterile feeding pens with overpriced bain marie slop and dreadful chairs dragging constantly over bare floor surfaces. Many of these places feel as inviting as the cafeteria at IKEA, but without the lovely Dime cake you can at least get at the otherwise soulless IKEA cafe. And usually no one knows how to make a cup of tea in these 'tea rooms' of the modern day cultural institution (I note that apparently in England there are many good tea rooms and even champagne lounges in cultural institutions; that is not generally so here in the colonies).
I am delighted to report that the NGV tea room is quite refreshingly elegant, yet understated. It is a proper, modern tea room - not a cafeteria nightmare.
We had a seat right on the balcony edge, so we could peer and sneer at the comings and goings in the lobby below with the lovely water wall providing a restful backdrop. The only gripe about the setting was that the seats were just far too low and deep - a common sin.
The tea room does offer a three tier platter but we decided instead to just order a couple of plates of sandwiches and a small petit four each. This proved to be an excellent idea. The sandwiches, whilst a little expensive for what they were, really were quite delicious and creative. The selection of teas was very satisfactory. The petit fours were delicious, but it was very hard to decide what to have from such a tempting selection.
The NGV tea room proved a great location for a relaxing cuppa and catch up with an old friend, with very good food. Service was friendly, if a little bit patchy at times. Those uncomfortable seats though were not a delight, and it was a bit pricey. Overall, it gets a seal of approval with 7 out of 10 on the Scott Scale.
The picture below shows some of the food and tea ware. And Anna's leg - you can see how impractically low both the lounge and the table are. But the food looks, and was, good.
