The #HumanBrochure discovery events are over!
There has been a little absence of them from this blog.In fact, this blog has been a little quiet because I’ve been doing so much, there’s been little time to write!
Simply: many of the Discovery events I’ve covered on my Facebook page or on Twitter as it happened (are you a liker? Are you a follower? There’s no better time!); some of the events I’ve covered in detail before; and still others are where I learned some things I’m keen to show my guests in October… and write about in more detail then!
It’s been the most incredible month. I’ve met amazing people (but barely made a dent in all 101!), many of whom I might never have had the opportunity to meet otherwise, as well as spent even more time with some of my favourite people; been exposed to this region’s exceptionally generous hospitality; got to nerd it up at my favourite national institutions; briefly reopened/updated my Instagram account, got scared, and ignored it again; eaten my bodyweight in canapes (one of my many weaknesses); saw the National Portrait Gallery’s awesome museum dance-off vid at an event, and subsequently got it trending on Twitter in Australia (I still maintain we deserved to beat Spain!); and tried not to talk too much to my new-found friends about trolleys.
It’s been an exhausting month, and I’m quite sad it’s over – but it’s leading to an equally exciting one: I’m literally brimming with ideas! And with that, there’s no better way to end the discovery events than how I started: with food!
I am trying to forget that I’ve just purchased four cupcakes from Veganarchy at the Old Bus Depot Markets as I’m dropped off at the Hyatt Hotel’s banquet entrance and immediately spot the food that lays before us. How am I supposed to accommodate all this food?On fully surveying what’s on offer, my second thought is I am not worthy.
Not worthy
We’re in the atrium, and there are long tables piled high with food. There’s banoffee pie slice, salmon and avocado buns, praline millie pillie, truffle cake, white chocolate cake, spinach and ricotta triangles… oh my.I do my blogger duty and take photos, but it seems a little while between photos and when we’re able to eat. I’m sussing out whether it’s easier to take a spinach and feta triangle or a banoffee pie slice without anyone noticing when we’re introduced to our hosts.
Spinach and feta triangles
Banoffee pie slice
We #HumanBrochures are a very lucky lot, and today we’re told that the best Instagram pictures will win prizes (!), and that one of the staff has a master key to (almost!) everywhere in the hotel. My first mistake/best decision is to focus on the food rather than the tour. It does mean I miss out on seeing the Presidential Suite like some others, but make no mistake: I’m here for the food.The high tea buffet we’re treated to in this Atrium reflects the usual high tea. There are finger sandwiches (there is something about cucumber sandwiches for me!), small savoury buns and pasties, plenty of cakes and slices, and cookies and lollies for those who need the maximum sugar hit. Today, we’re also lucky enough to be joined by Lerida Estate, who’ve matched their wines to the afternoon’s offerings. The night before, Boyfriend and I enjoyed their award-winning Josephine Pinot Noir which we won following our visit at the last Canberra Region Wine Festival, so I’m pleased to see a winery I know and love! They’re offering their Pinot Grigio, Zenzi (a fizzy, low-alcohol wine – perfect for a summer (or anytime, really!), drink), dessert riesling and a different pinot.
Salmon and avocado buns
Rather perfect looking praline millie pillies, with creme brulees to the right
Truffle cake
Deliciously rich truffle cake
Come at me
Happy humans
When I’ve had my three banoffee pie slices fill, there’s another opportunity to head upstairs. The Presidential Suite’s guest has arrived, but we still get to go through the huge (no surprise!) kitchen, chat to the hotel’s obliging pianist, and check out a normal suite (no complaints from me!).
Chatting with our pianist, before he started a rousing rendition of Piano Man
A sweet suite
Do you get a bathrobe? Yes you get a bathrobe.
My thoughts are confirmed: this is a rather lovely place to stay. It’s huge.But, but… there’s still food (and wine) to be had. (And you know I’m here for the food.)As you may have gathered, the banoffee pie is simply divine. The textures work well together without compromising. I ate two slices with a fork and one with my hand, and can confirm it maintained its structural integrity. I may have had an equal number of spinach and feta triangles which are yummy: buttery and flavoursome. The
Pondering how to just pick it all up in one go and carry it home without anyone noticing
I resist strawberry desserts but I’m assured by reliable sources (CBRFoodie and HerCanberra) that this was excellent
Cake! (I resisted. I know you are proud.)
Cookies! Also resisted. Filled with regret.
Symmetry! Well there was symmetry but I didn’t really achieve it. I tried!
What’s the food like? The photos (or their captions!) speak for themselves. The brioche-like bun is a touch too dense for me with the salmon and avocado, but the flavours are really there (I eat two; that’s probably all you need to know). The praline millie pillie won a lot of fans and is a chocolate lover’s delight, but is a little too sweet for me (probably because I’m still trying to gorge myself on cucumber sandwiches). The rest? Exquisite.As much as I often feel like a faux-foodie (I really can’t cook and apparently my sense of smell is shot), ultimately I’m the same as everyone else in that I know what I like. And I liked a lot here. (Remember: three banoffee pie slices. Probably underestimating.)If you’re interested in seeing what the other Humans thought (including getting a peek inside the Presidential Suite!), head here.
Date: Sunday, 29 June 2014
Cost: Free*, courtesy of Hyatt Hotel, Lerida Estates Winery and Visit Canberra; normally $55-65 for the high tea
Want more? Head to Hyatt Hotel, Lerida Estate or, of course, the Human Brochure website. You can also check out the many stunning and/or hilarious pictures from the day on Instagram using the hashtag #humanbrochure
In The Taratory 
One Response to “#HumanBrochure – Hyatt Hotel High Tea*”