Miss Marple's Tea Rooms

August 20, 2013

Miss Marple's Tea Rooms

Christmas in July at Miss Marple’s is a lovely way to spend a chilly winter’s day in the Dandenongs. The outside of the quaint building is dressed up in fake snow, whilst the inside is decorated with Christmas cheer. Christmas carols play in the background creating a wonderful festive atmosphere. That’s if you can actually get into the place... Or at least be patient enough to wait quite a long time. Luckily today we managed to be seated straight away. A table of two has a better chance of bagging a table in a timely fashion. A bigger party may as well put their name down on the list, head home for awhile, wash their hair, watch a little T.V., and then return at the indicated time. The tables are rather close together which is not ideal for any sort of private conversation as you tend to have an audience. However, today our table was fairly separate, which allowed us to indulge in some juicy gossip. The waitresses at Miss Marple’s are always charming and efficient, dressed in their delightful outfits that make you feel as though you are a character in an Agatha Christie book. The menu includes English fare such as the Pimlico Pastie ($14.50), Cottage Pie ($14.50), and the Ploughman’s Lunch ($17.00). Today I felt like having some of Miss Marple’s Famous Fingers. I went with the Chicken, cheese, and pineapple fingers ($14.00). A yummy, creamy topping makes these fingers delectable. The alfalfa garnish adds some freshness to the fingers.

Chicken, cheese, and pineapple fingers

My friend chose the Welsh rarebit fingers ($13.00). Mature English cheddar, eggs, Guinness, mustard, and spices make for a delicious lunch. Of course a trip to the Dandenongs must include a Devonshire tea. Miss Marple’s Devonshire scones ($9.00) do not include a drink, but you can choose between having plain or fruit scones or one of each. I know Miss Marple’s scones are not your traditional type of scone but they do taste great. Cooked more like a slab, each scone can be split into three. Just the right amount of raspberry jam and cream is provided to top your scones. As we were dining in a tea room, we went with tea rather than coffee today. Huge, ceramic pots of Irish tea ($3.95) went perfectly with our scones. We both enjoyed a relaxing Christmas in July at Miss Marple’s but the real Christmas is only a few months away...