Here’s a new take on high tea from W Brisbane with a Sunshine State High Tea that includes a chocolate puzzle. W Brisbane is known for its innovative high teas that demand more than just eating, and this one doesn’t disappoint.

Sunshine State High Tea

If high tea is your thing, make sure to put W Brisbane’s Sunshine State High Tea on your menu.  Taking over from the Eat Your Art Out High Tea where guests were invited to paint their food with edible colours, the Sunshine State High Tea moves back to the hotel’s Brisbane roots with the flavours of the state on a plate.  Served in the hotel’s lobby bar, this innovative approach makes it a strong contender for the best high tea in Brisbane.

Sunshine State High Tea W Brisbane
High Tea Brisbane at Living Room W Brisbane

Plenty of treats in Sunshine State High Tea

Forget the Royal Doulton and cucumber sandwiches. The Sunshine State High Tea will take your tastebuds on a culinary adventure of Queensland.  Think Australian flavours native ingredients like strawberry gum, macadamia, rosella and wattleseed infused with a W twist into edible mementos.

The creative concept comes from Pastry Chef Teodora Ciric. Her inspiration stems from her intense appreciation and gratitude for living in a place like Brisbane.

“When designing the menu, I reflected on all the things I personally love about this beautiful state and my life here in Brisbane. Putting together the ideas for the menu felt like a big puzzle that came together to complete the image of Queensland”, said Chef Teodora.

It all comes presented in a ‘W’ shaped serving stand with glass shelves that are pulled out to reveal the beautifully presented goodies as a delight.

W Brisbane High Tea

What’s on the plate in this W Brisbane High Tea?

Start with the savoury standouts that champion local ingredients and feature nods to some of Queensland’s locations.  You’ll enjoy Townsville-farmed Lobster Brioche Buns, Toowoomba Free-Range Egg Sandwiches and Yeppoon Spanner Crab on Rye.

Sweet delights include Salted Caramel Mousse with Chocolate and Macadamia Sand Jewel, which takes inspiration from endless days spent by the beach. There’s fine golden sand, colourful coral and vibrant aquatic life thriving beneath the surface. The chocolate base is filled with macadamia and salted caramel mousse, topped with sand chocolate velvet spray, marzipan pearls and a chocolate seashell.

The Exotic Sunset Marshmallow Tart celebrates Brisbane’s vivid sunsets with a hot palette of intense oranges, reds and yellows. The passionfruit marshmallow is cocooned with colourful shards of white chocolate encapsulating the sun.

A Native Spice-infused Earl Grey Mousse takes inspiration from Queensland’s powerful and intense thunderstorms. The intricate flavours are coated in moody colours to resemble an imminent storm and embrace the complex layers of a rain event.

The custom-made white chocolate puzzle is the high tea’s striking centrepiece bringing guests into an interactive experience while they dine. Putting the pieces that make Queensland unique is a highlight of this high tea, only surpassed by eating the pieces! 

Pair it with a cocktail

Amp it up with a perfectly paired themed cocktail like The Ray to My Heart. Made with Milton Silver Rum, Malibu, clarified coconut and pineapple, the flavours evoke the steamy temperate climate of tropical North Queensland.  That’s a great W Brisbane High Tea option.

Brisbane Art high tea

Need to know

When you book for this experience, request a table near the riverside window, so you can enjoy the view as well.  The seating is lobby style, so if you are taking grandma who needs back support, ask for a chair to ensure her comfort. It also would be better to have an area to yourselves, rather than sharing the space as we did.

Townsville-farmed Lobster Brioche Buns,

Where and when?

Sunshine State of Mind replaces the former Eat Your Art Out high tea and is available in W Brisbane’s (81 North Quay, Brisbane) Living Room Bar on the hotel’s lobby level on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11 am to 3 pm.  High Tea costs $70 per person or $90 with a cocktail on arrive. If you would rather have champagne, it’s $99 per person.  You can book here.

If you’d rather enjoy something a little more traditional with all the elegance of a High Tea, try the Height of High Tea.

W Brisbane Living Room Bar