The day before Valentine’s Day, Karen and I decided to have Devonshire Tea at Room with Roses in the heritage listed Brisbane Arcade. One of the main facets of dining at Room with Roses is the old world atmosphere. The tables, chairs and other décor all create the illusion that you’ve been transported back to the eighteen hundreds. There are roses on every table, and several nooks where you can escape the modern world.
Although they don’t do a set Devonshire Tea, their scones are delicious, if not traditional Devonshire scones. And they’re big! They had a thin layer of raspberries, and they melted in your mouth. Room with Roses provided a good approximation of clotted cream (might just have been Paul’s dollop cream, but it was much better than is often served with scones in this country), and some very nice rasperry jam. They served some kind of leaf tea in a dainty little pot that had a very old Commonwealth Bank insignia on it. Strictly speaking, the cups were for coffee rather than tea, but I suppose it’s hard to provide bone china tea cups in a popular restaurant. Karen enjoyed her hot chocolate also. The other diners seemed to be thoroughly enjoying their lunches, too.
The only slightly disappointing thing is the noise from the kitchen. However, our table was very close to the kitchen while the majority of tables are a good distance away. Given the kind of atmosphere that Room with Roses is trying to create (and for the most part it succeeds), it would be a nice touch if orders were taken at your table rather than having to go to the counter to order. The little number sign you have to take back to your table to display for the staff spoils the effect created by the surroundings ever so slightly.
Our Devonshire Tea cost $20.20 (two scones with jam and cream, an English breakfast tea and a hot chocolate). A booking is recommended.