The 12 Apostles Hotel is the latest establishment to expand their repertoire to vegan food. Not only did they create a vegan menu in 2017, they have extended this to include a vegan high tea.
I’m a fan of their original High Tea by the Sea and feel it’s one of the best “middle ground” high teas in Cape Town. Meaning, it doesn’t cost a fortune, but the execution is above average (to say the least).
One of my best friends, Cait, recently became vegan so she was the perfect friend to accompany me on my 35th birthday to the famous hotel under the petticoat of Table Mountain. I eat a lot of junk food (yikes!), which will impact my experience of the high tea. Those who follow a ‘clean eating’ diets tend to have more refined palates so I was interested in her feedback.
Mr John drove us to the hotel on Saturday afternoon where we were seated at the ‘posh’ table, overlooking the vast Atlantic ocean.
Apart from ordering rooibos tea (I’m not a big hot drink consumer, so I kept it simple with the South African classic), I also ordered a glass of bubbly. After all, it was my 35th birthday and no girl should go a day without a glass of bubbly on their birthday! Villiera is one of their house offerings and an absolute favourite of mine, so I was very happy.
Soon the high tea arrived and I was most intrigued. I’ve eaten some amazing vegan food in London so I knew what the standard could be. Before tucking in, I was impressed with the bright, fresh and colourful presentation.
The 12 Apostles Vegan High Tea Menu:
- Roast seasonal vegetables with peppadew hummus sandwich
- Fried aubergine and dukkha spice sandwich
- Roast pepper, olive, tomato and basil sandwich
- Avocado, hummus and marinated tomato tortilla wrap
- Valrhona Manjari chocolate & hazelnut cake slice
- Banana & oat cookie
- Toasted coconut and date bar
- Valrhona Manjari chocolate and peanut bonbons
- Vegan scones served with jam and mix berry compote
- Forest berry jellies
- Banana and walnut loaf
My favourite sandwich was the roast pepper, tomato and basil sandwich. The fresh crudités with 2 dipping sauces were moreish; definitely the best I’ve ever had consideirng they are usually dry and boring. This was delicious!
The second tier was home to the forest berry jellies (made with agar-agar not gelatin), chocolate and peanut bonbons (later I learnt it was Valrhona Manjari chocolate from Madagascar), banana and oat cookies and the banana and walnut loaf. The banana and walnut loaf was Cait’s favourite, but I liked the fresh berry jellies served in a mini-glass with fresh berries. It was the perfect mixture of sweet and sour, yum.
I’m a bit confused between the two below, one was the chocolate and hazelnut cake slice (which I think is the purpley one). This chocolate cake was YUMMMMM! Definitely one of my top treats of the day!
Cait and I both agreed that the banana and oat cookies were enjoyable, but were a litttle on the dry side. Having said that, I think it’s quite difficult to create moistness within a cake when you can’t use eggs/butter. You also don’t want EVERYTHING tasting like coconut oil/milk/cream.
The pannacotta were a great rendition, coupled with fresh peach compote. Smooth and cool, this will make a delicious dessert for any vegans who are missing these sweet desserts.
Final Thoughts
What I found interesting is that Cait and I often liked opposed treats. What wasn’t sweet enough for me, was yum for her. What was too much for her was delicious for me! The 12 Apostles Vegan High Tea has 100% been designed to favour the vegan palate. It does NOT taste like an ordinary high tea and is not meant to either. Vegan cooking is incredibly challenging (and exciting); the purpose is not to make exact replicas but to offer vegan alternatives for those following the diet.
If you are vegan, I am 100% confident that you will enjoy this high tea. Natural sugars are celebrated in the fruits so if you try to keep your sugar and fat intake down, consider this high tea over the regular one as well. But if you’re just greedy and horrible (like me), go for the regular tea.
Enjoy Your Vegan High Tea
The Vegan High Tea is available daily in the Leopard Bar and Conservatory from 10h00 to 16h00 at R375 per person. 24 hours notice is required for a booking. For more information and to book, contact Restaurant Reservations on 021 437 9029 or restaurants@12apostles.co.za
Thank you for having me for my 35th birthday 12 Apostles!
