Special thanks to Victorian Garden for extending this food review invitation.
Nestled within the serene neighborhood of Jalan Irrawadi, Victorian Garden Tea Room & Cafe is a dainty English tea house with an attractive facade. Formerly operating as Victoria Rossa, this eatery has included Western-style dishes into its menu, making this place a viable choice for proper meals.
Setting foot into the restaurant, one is greeted by the front counter decorated with petite ornaments. An elaborate chandelier hangs from the ceiling, giving visitors a true feeling of English-style hospitality.
The dining room is decorated with fancy tables and chairs in neat fashion. Warm motif of the wallpaper provides customers with cozy ambience as warranted in such a fine establishment.
Even the silverware is nothing short of charm. It is evident that Victorian Garden goes through great lengths to provide a sense of exclusiveness for its clientele.
While most people are accustomed to mushroom soup with creamy consistency, I find such creaminess quite surfeiting as an appetizer. Therefore, I appreciate the salty approach undertaken with this bowl of Mushroom Soup (RM11.50). Actual mushrooms provide much-needed mouthfeel to this otherwise-homogeneous soup.
Moving on to main dishes, Cold Pasta (RM15.80) is served chilled to give a different sense of enjoyment towards pasta. Prepared al dente, the spaghetti is flavored with pineapple chunks, mango cubes, sesame seeds and black pepper. The presence of lemon juice and ginger flower allows the pasta to take on sour appeal reminiscent of Thai-style som tam (ส้มตำ).
As expected in Western restaurants of such prestige, due attention is paid to the plating of this dish. Served on the side is a salad of lettuce, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes and Thousand Island dressing. No meat is used to prepare Cold Pasta, therefore I recommend this dish to vegans in particular.
Next on the line is Salmon Wellington (RM32.00). While Beef Wellington is an established recipe in English cookbooks, its salmon counterpart is novel indeed.
To prepare Salmon Wellington, salmon steak is first coated with puff pastry. Then, the steak is baked so that the pastry turns crispy while the reddish flesh retains its juiciness.
Roe and caviar are not mere icing on the cake. Together, their distinctive saltiness helps to accentuate the natural savoriness of salmon.
On the side are an assortment of grilled vegetables. Meanwhile, a dash of tomato coulis is meant to complement the salmon.
Overall, the Salmon Wellington is quite delectable especially when enjoyed with tomato coulis. The salmon itself is slightly dry; it can certainly benefit from more sauce.
For its supply of cakes, Victorian Garden works in partnership with Jenni The Cake & Bake Shop. Having operated for two decades from its modest store in Pulau Tikus, this bakery is highly acclaimed for its cheesecakes and chocolate brownies.
To a chocolate lover, the Chocolate Belgian Cheese Cake (RM8.50) is a dream come true. The dense layer of cheese is nicely matched with mild chocolate bitterness, giving immeasurable gratification bite after bite.
As if this is not enough, the side of the cake is coated with dark chocolate frosting, making this a heavy dosage of cocoa for chocolate fans.
Served alongside the slice of cake are slices of peach and cherry on whipped cream. The plating of this dessert is splendid indeed.
English tea is supplied by Victoria Rossa, a producer of highly-quality teas in England. Today’s choice is Summer Evening (RM11.80), a pot of black tea with an infusion of floral aroma. Served in a tea set made of bone china, the tea does not linger on the palate for too long. As a result, the Summer Evening is an ideal drink to reset any lingering taste on the palate in between courses.
Like all good English tea houses, Victorian Garden’s afternoon tea is an integral aspect of the dining experience. To this end, the Irresistible Afternoon High Tea is served daily between 3:00pm and 6:00pm. The set consists of 14 pastry items presented in a 3-tier stand, and a warming pot of English tea of customer’s choice.
In lieu of the à la carte menu, noontime customers can also take advantage of the Temptation Set Lunch that is served daily from 12:00pm to 2:30pm. The meal includes a drink and is priced from RM17.80.
A little-known fact is that Victorian Garden has a spacious upper floor that is accessible from a flight of stairs near the entrance. Furnished with cozy armchairs and an electric fireplace, the additional space is tiled with wooden parquet to lend a sense of warmth.
Naturally, the upper floor is an ideal venue for events such as birthday parties. There is sufficient space to accommodate more than 30 people. Meals and birthday cakes can be arranged with Victorian Garden.
Overall, the dining experience at Victorian Garden is favorable in terms of food quality, presentation, ambience and service. In terms of creativity, the restaurant offers several unique dishes that are seldom found elsewhere. In spite of all of this, the pricing at Victorian Garden is surprisingly affordable for an eatery of such prestige.
Name: Victorian Garden Tea Room & Cafe
Address: 33, Jalan Irrawadi, 10050 George Town, Pulau Pinang
Contact: 04-226-9128
Business hours: 11:00am-6:00pm (Sunday-Thursday), 11:00am-10:00pm (Friday-Saturday), closed on Mondays
Website: https://www.facebook.com/Victorian-Garden-1531644177098905
Coordinates: 5.42572 N, 100.32194 E
Directions: From Burmah Road (Jalan Burma), turn right to Service Road (Jalan Servis), then right again at Irrawaddy Road (Jalan Irrawadi). Victorian Garden is located on the left after the next crossroad, somewhat opposite of Madison Kafe & Dine. There are parking spaces in front of the restaurant.