Inside the pretty white building that is the historical Esplanade Hotel in Fremantle, The Harbour Master is a restaurant and bar that serves your standard Western fare in a relaxed setting overlooking the Esplanade park and the harbour. It’s prime location in the heart of Freo’s busiest zone ensures a hustle and bustle especially on weekends which makes the outdoor seating area especially fun if one likes to people watch. For those who aren’t big fans of crowds and commotion, Harbour Master have introduced a high tea option starting at a very pleasant $38 per person.
Serving platter for two… in all its glory
The food selection, as pictured above, includes all the expected guests at a high tea, such as dense and moist scones in both plain and raisin variety served with clotted cream and jam, finger sandwiches, pastries and an assortment of desserts. Served alongside refillable mugs of tea or coffee and presented on a three-tiered platter, it was an impressive sight to see.
Laid out flat, it would be a surprise if two people couldn’t get full on this amount of food!
Smoked lamb rump on spinach, topped with onion jam served on toasted French baguette
My personal favourite from the savoury selection were the thick slices of smoked lamb rump topped with onion jam on toasted French baguette. The lamb was incredibly tender and the sweet onion jam complemented the smoky flavour of the lamb well.
The sweets selection
There was a large variety of desserts to choose from, including salted caramel filled chocolate macarons, little chocolate ‘mirror domes’ filled with fluffy and light chocolate mousse, apple crumble tartlets (my favourite of the pick), mini custard and fruit tarts and a slice of strawberry cheesecake. We could barely finish them all as there were so many and by this time we were quite full already!
The service at The Harbour Master was very attentive as they continuously refilled our glasses and checked on us as we dined. It was our first high tea experience in a long time and it definitely exceeded our expectations as our first high tea experience was somewhat mediocre. The food here was tasty and can’t be faulted especially at such a competitive price. Do bear in mind that some of it is outsourced rather than made in house.
Upgrade your selection to include a glass of sparkling Chandon Brut NV for $48 or for an extra $6 opt for their Luxe High Tea option to get a glass of Mumm Brut NV or a gin cocktail made with Hayman’s Gin. High Tea at The Harbour Master is available from 2-4pm on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
