A PLANT-BASED TWIST ON TEA
The Saxon is channelling the zeitgeist with its new vegan high tea
When it comes to local fine dining, the Saxon has long held its own. Some of the country’s top chefs have run its kitchens, including Rudi Liebenberg, David Higgs, Candice Philip and now, Matthew Foxon.
Besides its traditional high tea, the hotel is now offering a “vegan high tea” menu, and a dedicated vegan menu in its Qunu Restaurant. The vegan high tea in the Piano Lounge is about raw, unprocessed food — but it’s definitely not without sugar.
(This writer tested the waters, unintentionally, by bringing along a “fussy friend” who, it turned out, aims for gluten-free where possible. It was a good litmus test.)
A high tea at the Saxon is an experience: we get the lowdown from waiter Lindsay, who knows her stuff. The Ronnefeldt TeaStar range — boutique tea blends served in top hotels and restaurants — includes white tea drunk by royalty.
So how does a tea offering become vegan? Here, the cheesecake was soaked and fermented in cashews; the carrot cake was made without eggs; and the bonbons were made from vegan Valrhona Amatika chocolate.
The cream is whipped coconut cream, refrigerated for 24 hours, which emerged as an unexpectedly light alternative to dairy cream.
The “fussy friend” opted for the vegan rice pudding — a standout of the Saxon high tea. But there were other options — including provolone, pesto on rye and smashed avocado and peppadew on brown bread. On the sweet side, you could opt for oat and raisin scones with red berry jam, lemon curd carrot cake and burnt orange dark chocolate and hazelnut brownies.
Not that it’s cheap: it will set you back R550 during the week and R600 on weekends.
But the Saxon is in tune with the zeitgeist. A vegan high tea has become an event in many capitals around the world, notably in London, where places like The Savoy, one of city’s most famous hotels, now has a menu including finger sandwiches with fillings such as wild mushroom, artichoke and scones topped with vegan cream and jam. Along with a glass of Deutz Rosé, this indulgent experience will cost you £95 per person.
Fortnum & Mason’s high tea is cheaper, at £60, and it comes with finger sandwiches that include pickled celeriac with kale pesto, grilled courgettes with artichoke, root vegetable hummus, passion fruit and avocado mousse, and mandarin and coconut yoghurt. Throw in a pot of Fortnum’s tea or a glass of bubbly, and you can see why the concept is popular.