Miss Marple’s Tearoom

Any city dweller who makes a trip to Dandenong, will most likely make a trip to Miss Marple’s Tearoom and have a bite at their highly appraised Devonshire scones and raspberry jam. As harsh as it may sound, I call this an “overrated-alleged-tearoom”. After a morning of cherry picking at Cherry Hill Orchard, we decided to have tea at Miss Marple’s and then late lunch at Pie in the Sky. I know the sequence is wrong but we decided to do so as the place is always jam packed with people and closes at 4pm. We turned up at 12:30pm and had our names taken down on the waiting list. I was impressed by the festive atmosphere the place exudes, as the whole interior was thoughtfully decorated with Christmas ornaments such as baubles, red stockings along the fireplace, jingle bells and wreaths.

As expected, 1 hour later, we were seated at the far corner of the restaurant, close to the fireplace (without fire). Despite the long wait, service was friendly and welcoming.

Teapot of Taylors, $4 per person

Apparently this traditionally brewed Yorkshire Gold was voted “the best cup of tea in England” by the British Tea Council. For someone who’s used to the strong flavours of Chinese tea, I can only say that it was mild and refreshing and average.

Devonshire Scones (Plain and Fruit Scones) $9.50 

We started with the all raved-about scones. The appearance was unexpected. Unlike most scones, these ones looked like they’ve been cut out from a giant loaf. However they smelled wonderful and had everyone fidgeting while patiently waiting for miss Madame here to take photos. Apologies if the photos are of poor quality as I left my SD card at home and had to resort to my Samsung S2. The texture of the scones were fluffy and light, however I wished I had more of the crusty exterior. They were served with homemade raspberry jam and an excellent thick whipped cream. The jam was slightly too runny for my liking but had a great flavour.

Just when we thought we could finally head to the much anticipated Pie in the Sky, I bumped into an acquaintance of mine. I wonder if I was lucky to bump into her or unlucky that I came to Dandenong on a day where the famous Pie in the Sky was closed for Christmas. Bummer!! For a pie person like me, I must confess that I felt like a child who was refused an ice-cream. Hence we decided to order lunch.

 Cottage Pie: Chicken, $14.50

Although it was the first dish that drew my attention, this dish was my least favourite. In fact I didn’t like it at all. As I was digging into the dish I thought, where is the chicken? I expected a dish of roasted chicken topped with a mashed potato crust. However, all we had was mouthful after mouthful of bland, tasteless mashed potatoes with cheap chunks of vegetables. Could have easily pass as “hospital food”. I wonder if they used instant mashed potato flakes instead. The sauce, tasted like something that came out from a tomato can. The only comfort was that I did not have to finish that dish all by myself. Sorry peeps ><. Scanning the room, I was surprised that this dish was a popular choice among their customers. I don’t know how anyone can force themselves to chuck this dish of cheap mashed potatoes in. We just threw $14.50 out the window for bland mashed potatoes. Bugger!

Quiche Lorraine (Egg and Bacon)

This dish was served with potato chips and garden salad. The pastry crust of the quiche was crispy but burnt. The chips were verging on soggy. Generally, most dishes taste nicer with a sprinkle of cheese however the cheese filling here was too overpowering (in my opinion) and (I suspect) of cheap quality. The garden salad added a refreshing texture to the palate.

Fish and Chips

Initially when Ken ordered fish and chips, I did not see sense in ordering this dish in a tearoom. However, after all the not-so-good dishes, I stand corrected. The tempura batter had an ok crust and was for once, well-seasoned. Not too salty and the fish was cooked to perfection.However, for the price we paid (sorry for not noting down the price, all I know the it was overpriced), I was expecting a more generous serving of fish. The tartar sauce was light and nice.  

All in all, I was surprised that a restaurant with such great reputation offered food of crappy quality. I agree that the presentation of each dish was appetising but it was all just a superficial façade. As an honest food blogger, I was utterly disappointed with the food.