Olinda Tea House

One word to describe how I felt about Olinda Tea House: HAPPY. 

Olinda Tea House is my manager's fiance's business and my, my, my..... it is excellent!!!!!!!!! I've been meaning to go to this place for too long now but turned a blind eye due to other commitments and pure laziness (the drive from my area is quite far). Fortunately for me, Giraffe drove because he wanted to go up the Dandenong Mountain with maximum speed, leaving me shitting my pants at every turn. 

However, I'm glad I FINALLY MADE IT... The location, The story behind it, The menu... Everything that this serene place had to offer is remarkable. I love mini road trips, as I feel that every now and then we do deserve a vacay. The weather was sunny with blue skies and that just made my day a whole lot better.

Sorry the photo is so crooked, I was TOO excited to look at the menu and order some food. This is the first page of the extensive menu - it is a pretty sad and emotional story behind the tea house. To think that their daughter was the same age as I am now.. the pain would be unbearable. But to pick yourself up and move on with your life is not an easy task, and they did it perfectly. 

Forgot everything I learnt at the gym when I saw the food come out...

Cheat day everyday? I NEED TO STOP THIS HABIT.

♡ "Signature Chai Tea" - $6.00 ♡

The teapot above filled about three mugs. I also like the idea of having pistachio biscotti on the side. Cafes rarely do that these days, so it was nice to see some thought and extra care. Unfortunately the teapot didn't keep the chai tea warm for long. They provided cinnamon but not honey, but it's sweet and amazing enough as it is.

 ♡♡♡ Homemade scones - $12.50 ♡♡♡

Wow. Big, fluffy, warm and baked to perfection. The last time I ate scones was at Dead Man Espresso - they were small, hard and really displeasing to the tastebuds. I couldn't walk away from the tea house without trying the scones, something that my manager also recommended it when I told him I was coming. Now, I am recommending it to you all. The homemade jam was sweet and not too chunky. I like smooth spreads, such as smooth peanut butter or nutella. You can actually buy the jam in jars for $9.50, they are made by other manufacturers but it would definitely be a good addition to the pantry. The price is dear, but it is sure as hell worth it.

♡_♡ ERMAGHERD !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SCONEZZZ

Mini beef burgers with salad and shoestring fries - $18.00

The first time I ever had mini burgers was at my friend Morgan's 18th birthday. Her dad had prepared an entire tray of them and the concept of it was delightful and interesting compared to your conventional size. The bread was sweetened, and tasted good on it's own. I would recommend that you order one of the more interesting Mains - something I wish I had done but I already ate a substantial breakfast. The rest of the mains menu is awesome. The breakfast menu ended at 11:30am which totally sucked ballz because we really wanted the baked eggs. The only bad thing about these burgers is that they ended too quickly. You are left wanting more and more mini burgers. 

Hand cut "chips" with garlic aioli - $10.50

These were "chips" hand cut into wedges. Joe's Garage on Brunswick Street also has hand cut chips on their menus, but it's actually just a fried potato cut into irregular sized cubes. This had the perfect level of seasoning and salt, and was crunchy!!! I love crunchy chips. Hot chips are actually my weakness. 

After eating, we migrated from the outdoor tables to the outdoor couch to finish off our tea and coffees. It was sunny, the environment was green and refreshing and there were lots of elderly people that kept staring at me whilst I was taking photos. It was good to sit down, relax, calm down my food baby and to soak in the sun rays. The drive back was horrible because we were stuck in traffic and it was just busy and congested and was the worst way to end a lovely day.

The back patio area. There wasn't much of a view but it was beautifully constructed. The entire place had a very modern and clean look.

The best thing to see on a road trip - "arrived" !!!!!!!! We thought we were lost but fortunately there is a sign along the way that states "Olinda Tea House, 70m". Don't worry about the distance, it's about 25 mins away from Glen Waverley depending on how fast you drive. I thought it was so much further than that, but it's just pass Miss Marple's Tea Room.

L is for the way you LOOK at me....

I absolutely LOVED this place and endeavour to go back in the next couple of months. They have a rating of 77% on Urbanspoon which is pretty good considering there are only 108 voters.

Apart from the A La Carte menu, also have HIGH TEA (my favourite way too eat, right next to steakhouses). Make sure you let them know two days in advance that you're wanting it so that they can prepare the food. It's $50 per person which is pretty standard for High Tea. Overall my eating experience was hindered by my selection of food. Wish I had ordered something from the normal Mains menu, or arrived before 11:30 to order from the breakfast menu. Definitely on my next trip back, I will endeavour to go early. Hopefully some of you can come with me too!

Olinda Tea House
Address: 86A Olinda - Monbulk Road, Olinda 3788 (on the Dandenong Mountains)
Contact: 9751 0556
Hours: 9am - 5pm Wednesday to Sunday
Price Range: $$$$
Website: http://www.olindateahouse.com.au/