The boutique Rundle Street shopping and dining strip in Adelaide’s East End has long been home to cute cafes, trendy fashion stores, and funky bars. Amongst the plethora of long-standing outlets, new spots are constantly popping up along the hive in one historic building or another. The latest addition to join the Rundle Street digs is Curiositeas – a quaint tea room with an old-world charm.
Blink and you’ll miss it – Curiositeas is located behind a mysterious yellow door, which leads to a narrow corridor of stairs. Keep going upwards and you’ll find yourself overlooking Rundle Street through a sunlit window, where the sounds of traffic fades and the chatter of passerbys is somewhat distant.
Upon opening the door to your left, you’ll find the peaceful space that is Curiositeas – complete with elegant vintage couches, bodacious floor lamps, gold gilded frames from another time, and tea pots that hang from the rafters. Relax in pure comfort and style, or sit by the window and watch the world go by as you drift into another era.
Curiositeas offer a unique range of hand-blended teas, each of which tell a story – drawing inspiration from mythology, folk tales, and mystical moments. Experience the marvel of Merfolk Magic as it changes colour, or the soothing effects of the Sleeping Lion if you’re in need of an afternoon pick-me-down.
When it comes to the realm of food, Curiositeas provide a small but imaginative food menu, where they follow in the footsteps of the venue’s predecessor, Vego n Love’n It, and continue to offer a fully vegan menu, although with dairy products available upon request.
On the menu you’ll find fare with the likes of: grilled sandwiches including the Rueben which utilises corned jackfruit instead of beef, a healthful pumpkin pie porridge, waffled banana bread, and a dandelion jackfruit stew served with organic sourdough – to name a few.
Delectable dessert are also on hand with the plant-based gurus, Cherry Darlings Bakehouse stocking the sweets cabinet with goodies such as their fudgy gluten-free brownies, and dreamy apple and cinnamon cheesecakes.
Curiositeas owners, Shannaka Houghton says, “Tea drinking is a ritual of slowing down. I wanted to create an ambience and experience that allows people to do that; to escape the outside world, relax and just be themselves in the moment.”
“Tea is a very diverse and inclusive drink. Not everyone drinks coffee or alcohol, but there is a tea at Curiositeas for every person and every mood,” Shannaka finishes.