Note: I was invited to Tipsy Tea at the White Rabbit Cocktail Room, however all opinions are my own.
This was my first visit to the White Rabbit Cocktail Room and I arrived early (for a 2pm start) hoping to take some photos inside. However, doors didn’t open until 2pm so I waited with other keen Tipsy Tea goers outside. Tipsy Tea at the White Rabbit Cocktail Room is $65 per person and is served as two courses, a savoury and a sweet, with a cocktail provided per course. Cocktails can be swapped out with a mocktail, coffee or tea.
The first thing I noticed when entering was the brightly lit bar and cabinets to the side filled with liqueurs.
It’s quite a small space with lots of dark corners, long low lounges, cushioned stools, and quirky decor. A soundless Alice in Wonderland movie was projected against a dark wall surrounded by a gorgeous antique-looking golden frame to set the scene.
The Tipsy Tea menu had been printed listing our sweet and savoury snacks as well as the cocktails available.
Once my friend and I were settled in, our waitress came over to explain how things would work and we both decided to order mocktails with our savoury course. The mocktails were based from the cocktail list provided. Our waitress was friendly and gave us enough time to decide on our drinks before coming back. My mocktail was peach and French earl grey tea based, while my friend’s was strawberry and grapefruit bitters based.
Our savoury stand consisted of asparagus wrapped prosciutto, salmon and cream cheese wraps, chicken and pistachio sandwiches, spiced pork sausage rolls and a triple brie tart. I liked the combination of chicken, mayonnaise with crunchy pistachios. The spiced pork sausage was still warm and quite generous. My friend loved the warm triple brie tart which was still oozy as we bit into it. We were both happy with the savoury course selection.
For the sweet course, we both ordered tea – French Earl Grey and English Breakfast. When I asked what types of teas they have, our waitress also mentioned green tea, chamomile, and lemon and ginger. Not the biggest selection but with enough staples. Our sweets stand came out first and we were advised that our teas would follow shortly. The sweets consisted of lemon meringue tarts, chocolate and coffee slices, caramel mini cupcakes, raspberry macarons and hot cinnamon doughnuts served with jam and cream.
I could smell the hot doughnuts as the stand was placed on our table. We were both a little disappointed that there were no scones, but the hot doughnuts did smell delicious. Sadly, they weren’t fluffy and light but doughy and a little dense in parts. I also didn’t understand the pairing with jam and cream but that’s just me. The oddly shaped macarons needed improvement in texture. I liked the chocolate and coffee mix and the crumbly biscuit base of the chocolate slice. The lemon meringue tarts were my friend’s favourite with a generous serve of meringue on top. Our teas arrived in small cast iron pots on cast iron coasters. I asked for a hot water refill for mine.
I noticed that the printed menu we were provided with didn’t match what was served, but our waitress did explain what was on each stand. Both our backs were a little sore from having to hunch over as the tables are at knee level and it didn’t seem practical. I did have to remind myself that the White Rabbit Cocktail Room is a bar first, that does high tea on the side. My friend pointed out that there seemed to be just one waitress working at the front with a bartender at the bar, not that this detracted from the service provided.
Ambience was strange as it was purposely dark inside with some light shining through the windows. It did feel like I was in the dark for no reason. But I guess it fits into the theme of being down a rabbit hole! Although the place was completely booked out, it wasn’t too loud to have a conversation. One thing I asked was whether the $65 price tag would be lowered for those not wanting any cocktails. At this stage, prices remain the same but my suggestion has been passed on. It is called a Tipsy Tea for a reason, so if you’re not keen for cocktails, there are other cheaper places you can try.
Tipsy Tea is available both Saturday and Sunday from 2pm-5pm (allow for at least 2 hours). Bookings are essential.
White Rabbit Cocktail Room
65 Northbourne Avenue, Canberra City
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