zealong tea estate

this place is very interesting. love the a service and food options. beautiful high tea. pricey but worth the visit. go with the signature option. tea is beautiful. highly recommend place.

definitely a place for those who enjoy tea as they have different types of tea for drinking and many tea inspired food. we booked and pre ordered beforehand since we had a large group. after confirming the orders they gave us an introduction on their teas.

the food was presented nicely and tasty. i had ordered the clam fettuccine. the fettuccine was nice but couldn't really taste the tea. the clams had grit in them so it was a bit unpleasant. it was a nice place for a leisurely lunch as you could re infuse the tea a few times. the high tea also looked amazing.

we were assigned a main server who wasn't present when the orders were brought down so we had to direct it (they were given a seating plan of where the food would go beforehand).

we were seated outside overlooking the plantation, which was nice. there is also parking further down the driveway. it is a new experience which was refreshing.

such great service. the staff were friendly and attentive. i ordered the satay chicken entree and it was such a generous serving. the lemon cheese cake was amazing

one of the best tea place can be found in new zealand and have. a good view. the staff are very lovely.

signature hightea is a must get!

we had to wait for more than 90 mins for our food to arrive and it was a hot day but the they refuse to serve tea with ice... the high tea was average however the view was great.

a complete waste of time - will never be back.  yes we arrived early but the retsaurant was only half or so full - and the manager said this would be not problem (we asked if it was ok and could have come back).  i noticed coming in that the chef was sitting down eating with some people - not a problem at all until....

from the minute we sat down our waiter was apologising for not coming to our table, not taking our order etc.  he spent the first half of our visit apologising and the second half making excuses.  we managed to get an entree (fairly good) after about 45 minutes but it was then almost impossible to get our table cleared despite empty tables all around us being cleared but staff who didn't even glance our way.

after an excessive (45 mins or so - after the entrees were finally cleared after sitting unclear for 20 mins or so) wait for our mains the waiter noticed that we were still waiting.  he first said that our food was being plated and that they will be 5 mins, then when they didn't arrive that he had just called them away - and when i got up to go and see where the heck they were he said that they had been delayed because a film crew had been in.  perhaps focus on paying customers rather than 'fame'! 

clearly there is no floor captain - the manager seems to have no overview and no other wait staff seemed to be interested in our table.  there were at least 15 other people served their mains who had arrived after us, while we were waiting.  the waiter the took the blame by saying he hadn't called away the mains - but come on, the kitchen needs to take responsbility as well given that they hold the dockets.

no one here seems to know how to run the order logistics of a kitchen and the service delivery side of the restaurant - a pleasant and apologetic waiter is not enough.  we cancelled our mains and they gave us two plastic tea mugs and some teas as way of apology - but this was not proactively offered.  a good chef should be running his kitchen first and foremost before dealing with a film crew or sitting down having lunch in his uniform (clearly on duty) with others.  not a problem if the kitchen keeps going but in this case it failed badly.  we don't blame our waiter - the issue rests with the manager, the chef and the clear lack of a floor captain with an overview.  other wait staff could also have a look at what's going on other tables occasionally.  the focus of this place is not about being a restaurant, but rather a high turnover high tea destination.  on a positive note, wait staff helped out with our umbrella which kept moving and re-filled our tea pot.

nice place to have a relaxing lunch on a weekend. but be warned if you don't book ahead you will have a long wait for a table. we went in winter and it was nice and cosy. there is a fire with a kettle warming. the food is tasty and they keep changing the menu. but it is good idea to book and order ahead, especially if you have any dietary restrictions. the view is breath taking. i just wish there was a little walk through the gardens. just to elevate the experience. it is a bit expensive but very nice for a special occasion.

i was so surprised that i could find a chinese tea farm in new zealand!
zealong tea farm is specialize in planting oolong tea.
i was told the owner is a taiwanese.

booking is essential especially you would like to enjoy the outdoor garden overlooking the farm and lake.

they served afternoon tea set, lunch set and a la carte meals. we tried the penang laksa and steak. honestly penang laksa doesn't look and taste like what they have. we called it curry noodle in malaysia. the curry noodle was full of veggie, a few prawns and with little bit noodle served in curry soup. the soup base was good but with veggie in it make the coconut based curry soup became diluted. the portion was very small. couldn't even fill the tummy of a small eater.
the steak was very good but the portion was very small too.

we are served with teas (we had the choice of green tea, pure oolong, aromatic oolong and black tea). i preferred the pure oolong cause the aromatic oolong was a bit bitter.

how to brew a cup of nice chinese tea? the temperature of hot water and infusing time are equally important to make your cup of tea taste smooth and right taste (not too tasteless nor too bitter). ask the waitresses for help. they are happy to tell you.

oh yes, the prices of each and single mains are not cheap.

during our visit, due to some other function held in their premise, we waited quite long for our food to be served.
as a courtesy apologize, the manager sent us a plate of complimentary desserts all made of tea. the desserts were not up to my expectation as a restaurant running afternoon tea as their main business, they should do better.

just before i left, i grabbed some of the teas selling in their tea shop.

heard about this place for a long time and finally got a try. nice presentation of the food and also nice tea tour. the best thing is the woo long tea. u can try different tea here and purchase them in their store, a nice gift for family and friends.

great service here. we had a tea tasting with high tea. lots of delicious treats. it was a wonderful experience. lots of treats such as cauliflower soup, macaron with tea filling, and profiteroles of green tea filling.

the experience and the taste of tea was phenomenal, enjoyed every single sip of the tea.

food was on par of what i would expect of the restaurant. after all the tea was really really nice.
would definitely go back to experience the tour to get to know the tea making process.

the service was very welcoming and friendly. introduction to every detail of the food and the tea was very complete. the process of brewing and steeping/sitting the tea was very well explained.

its well worth every second of the experience.

great venue and service but unfortunately the food was well below par.

zealong tea estate is very well presented and offers diners some serene views.
the service is great and some what made up for our poor experience.

we were greeted and shown to our table. our waitress explained the tea that was available and also how long the tea needs to steep for the first and each subsequent cup.

the menu was rather highly priced and our expectation was that the food would be of a rather high standard.

the food was presented but unfortunately scored extremely poorly on taste. we had the laksa and a waiygu eye fillet. my wife's laksa was doused with lemon and was left uneaten. my waiygu was overdone and couldn't be enjoyed. my sister who was also dining with us sent her waiygu back which was replaced.

we did complain and were offered two dessert platters but even these were poor quality.

there are high chairs but no kids menu.

i'm not going to write this place off as there is a lot of potential and will go back so i can change this rating.

rating out of 5 (5 being the highest):
food – 1
ambience – 4
presentation – 4
service – 4
environment – 4

4 of us had lunch here 11/4/2014. as i had been before i knew what to expect, the others hadn't. as it was wet we were inside the house. the atmosphere and surroundings are lovely. service great, very friendly and helpful. a good comprehensive menu, which i think is a little on the expensive side. paying for quality not quantity. it is a place to take someone for a special occasion. would say worth while.

awesome place for lunch. have been a number of times and the food is really divine. i love the signature high tea but still get food envy!

down side is nothing for little ones to eat - even a bowl of chips (as like comes with the steak) would be great. service overall is great apart from the last time where it took forever to get service - not impressed that other people after us (2 groups) in our immediate sitting area of 4 tables got service before us every though our menu's where sitting on the table - a clear indication that we are waiting.

will be back again soon for a high tea yummo.