Hopetoun Tea Room

Nested cozily along the rows of shops of Melbourne city's Block Arcade is Hopetoun Tea Room, a beautifully decorated cake shop preserved in the 19th-century style. It was so beautiful, the first time I walked past, I stopped dead in my tracks. You could have tipped me over with a feather.

Recently, an old friend visited Melbourne and it was the perfect opportunity to check this place out. With it being the Christmas season (although it's concurrently summertime in Melbourne), the Tea Room was plushed up for the holidays. And boy, it looked just as amazing as I remembered, with rows upon rows of cakes and tarts lining their display shelves.

Luckily, my friend was around, who stopped me from pressing my face up against the display shelves. 

There is a trick I love to play on my dog: I would place two doggy treats in front of her, then roll them in opposite directions diagonally away past her. The first time I tried, she jumped on the spot in indecision looking at both treats rolling away from her, wondering which one to chase, until both disappeared. (The second time I tried though, she wised up and seized one immediately, then went looking for the other one.) I was wrecked with indecision looking at their cakes, and like my dog, I could be content just jumping from one cake to another thinking of which one to buy, until they're all sold out. It probably proved that dogs indeed learn faster than some humans, because I apparently still haven't learnt my lessons over the last five years. 

I love that meringue topping on the tart in the corner. 

We got there around 3pm on a Tuesday afternoon. A sizeable queue  has already formed outside, and we joined it forlornly.  Luckily, we soon reached the front of the queue and were seated within thirty minutes. We ordered their Pavlova ($9.50), which was highly recommended on Urbanspoon, as well as their New York Cheesecake($9.50), which was a personal recommendation from Miss XS.

Pavlova (left) and New York Cheesecake (right)

Pavlova

I wasn't sure what a Pavlova was, but given the amount of rave it generated online, I just had to get it. Turns out, a Pavlova is a dessert made from a crunchy meringue exterior filled with a softer interior meringue, The fruit compote on top was sweet and slightly tangy and contrasted well with the meringue. The first bite was terrific, but towards the end, the sweetness overloaded was too much and we left the remainder uneaten.

The New York Cheesecake was marvellous. The cheesecake texture was very smooth, rich and creamy and utterly delicious. I wished the crust was not so soft, though this cheesecake is still a winner.

The great thing about Hopetoun Tea Room is that you can choose to jump the queue by ordering the cakes to go, though it's slightly more expensive than eating there, and you miss out on the ambience. We had a great time there, and it gave my friend confidence in my dessert-recommending palate. In fact, after leaving Hopetoun Tea Room, we immediately hurried up the hill to Le Petit Gateau 10 minutes away because it's another dessert place that is a must-try in Melbourne. But that's for another post...