Patissier Adriano Zumbo has promised to take afternoon tea to a new level with the opening of a tea salon in Melbourne.

Named Fancy Nance after his mother, Nancy, the degustation-style menu will serve a set-price high tea throughout the afternoon and a different dessert offering in the evening.

Located around the corner from Zumbo’s South Yarra patisserie, the space will incorporate a contemporary high tea salon, cocktail bar and bakery café.

“I want to create a high tea salon where the desserts and drinks are the primary focus. Customers will be able to watch the cakes and pastries being created as the orders come through,” Adriano said.

“It will be a fresh take on the high tea concept. I am getting rid of the traditional stands and instead the desserts will be served on share plates, almost tapas style”.

Designed by newly-formed interior architecture practice, Studio Tate, Adriano’s latest venture aims to evoke a sense of whimsy, with signature pink accents and bespoke interiors.

“Fancy Nance is one of those rare projects that invites experimentation and encourages a progressive aesthetic; this freedom has allowed us to create an elegant environment with genuine character,” Studio Tate principal Alex Hopkins said.

It’s another sweet victory for the South Yarra precinct, which is fast gaining momentum as the patisserie mecca of Melbourne.