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Sir Stamford at Circular Quay Hotel High Tea

August 6, 2018 / CBD, Circular Quay, High Tea, Sydney, Sydney Food / 0 comment

Enjoy traditional high tea in the understated elegance of the Sir Stamford Circular Quay Hotel. A Sir Stamford High Tea is the perfect afternoon indulgence and can be catered to suit all special diets.

The Sir Stamford Hotel is located at Circular Quay, a few steps from the Sydney Opera House and a short walk to the Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney. It’s an elegant hotel, full of old world charm.

Sir Stamford High Tea

The Sir Stamford high tea is unique in that several variations are offered. This makes it much easier when dining out with a larger group who have different dietary requirements. Our group ordered two traditional high teas, two deluxe Devonshire teas and one children’s high tea.

A gluten-free high tea is also available, as is a “guilt-free” high tea, served with fresh Vegetable juice & Dilmah Tea Selection. All items on the guilt-free high tea have low saturated fat (no butter, cream) and are low sugar.

We really enjoyed looking at the curios around the dining room, such as a hand-made model ship. This is a hotel that embraces its history, and a visit is like a trip back in time.

Traditional High Tea
Served with a glass of Australian Sparkling Wine and coffee or tea

Savoury

Curry Egg Sandwich
Chicken & Shallot in Tomato Bread Pinwheel*
Tuna & Celery Sandwich*
Prosciutto & Persian Feta on Baguette*
Cucumber with Dill Cream Cheese Sandwich
* I was given vegetarian substitutes for these items

Sweet

Yellow Peach Yoghurt Dome
Blueberry Cheese Cake
Passion Coconut Verrine
Explosive Raspberry Marshmallows
Assorted Macaron
Lemon Scented Scones with Clotted Cream and Mixed Berry Jam

Deluxe Devonshire High Tea
Served with a cup of freshly brewed coffee or tea

Savoury

Curry Egg Sandwich
Chicken & Shallot in Tomato Bread Pinwheel
Tuna & Celery Sandwich
Prosciutto & Persian Feta on Baguette
Cucumber with Dill Cream Cheese Sandwich

Sweet

Brownie with Fresh Berries
Lemon Scented Scones with Clotted Cream and Mix Berry Jam

Kids High Tea (5-12 years old)
Served with a glass of juice or hot chocolate

Savoury

Ham & Mayo Sandwich
Cranberry & Turkey Sandwich
Roasted Chicken Pinwheel in Tomato Bread
Tomato and Cheddar Sandwich

Sweet

Chocolate Brownie
Strawberry & Lemon Cheesecake
Dark Chocolate Mousse Cup
Assorted Macaroon
Lemon Scones with Clotted Cream and Mix Berry Jam

We really enjoyed the Sir Stamford high tea. With many hotels and restaurants gearing their high teas towards a more modern audience, it’s really lovely to be able to enjoy a high tea that harkens back to a time gone by.

Sydney High Tea served from
11 am – 4 pm Monday – Sunday

Sir Stamford Circular Quay Hotel
93 Macquarie Street
Sydney, NSW
Phone: +61-2 9252 4600
Online stamford.com.au/sscq/restaurant–bar/sydney-high-tea

More things to do in Sydney

Find a list of the best things to do in Sydney with kids here.

Find things to do in Sydney for free here.

Get a list of the best kid-friendly beaches in Sydney.

Find the best animal experiences in Sydney here.

Visit the best kid-friendly restaurants in Sydney here.

Find the best high teas in Sydney here.

Head to one of the best museums in Sydney here.

Check out things to do in Sydney on a rainy day here.

Enjoy one of the best ocean pools in Sydney here.

First time visiting Sydney? Get tips for first time visitors to Sydney here.

Four Frogs Creperie and Gateway Sydney

September 18, 2016 / CBD, Circular Quay, Sydney, Sydney Food / 2 Comments

Circular Quay finally has a reasonably-priced place to get a delicious bite to eat – the brand new Gateway Sydney complex has opened, with the first of the 25 planned eateries open for business.

Gateway Sydney is kind of like a fancy food court – think upmarket chain restaurants and takeout joints. It’s located directly behind Circular Quay train station, making it the perfect place to eat for tourists as well as local workers.

We ate at Four Frogs Creperie, the first of the restaurants to offer an eating area that is more cafe-like than food court, including full table service.

Four Frogs Creperie has an extensive menu of both savoury and sweet crepes, including a cute little kids’ menu that is very reasonably priced – on the menu are a ham & cheese galette (crepe) $7.50, ham, cheese & egg $8.50, bacon, cheese & egg $8.50.

We ordered a plain egg and cheese crepe and were charged an extremely reasonable $5.

For the adults, we enjoyed a Spinach, Feta, Mushroom and Avocado galette ($15) which came with a side salad, and a summer special with Feta Cheese, Cherry Tomatoes, Toasted Pine Nuts, French Dressing & Salad ($15) with added Avocado ($3).

The galettes arrived very quickly, cooked to perfection. The crepe base is made from home-milled Australian buckwheat flour and is naturally gluten-free.

If crepes don’t strike your fancy, you have plenty of other options to choose from:

Bekya (Egyptian street food)

Bread & Fill (roasts and sandwiches-style of food)

Burger Project (to come)

Chat Thai (to come)

Din Tai Fung (to come)

Espresso Room (speciality coffee)

Gelato Messina (best gelato ever?)

Hero Sushi Express & Train (amazing-looking sushi to stay or go)

Mad Mex (Baja-Mexican food)

McDonalds (located outside the main entrance)

Neptune Palace (Chinese and Malaysian dishes, located on level 1)

Oporto (Portuguese flame-grilled chicken)

Paragon Hotel (pub food from noon)

Quay & Co (to come)

Rolld (Vietnamese cuisine)

Schnitz (specialising in schnitzels)

Ship Inn (an informal restaurant and bar outside the entrance to the Gateway)

Spiced by Bilus (Coming soon)

The Golzeme Co. (Turkish golzeme)

Top Juice (fresh juice, salads and yoghurts)

Urban Orchard (wholesome, healthy food made from natural ingredients)

Workshop Espresso (Italian-style espresso bar)

Zumbo (delicious sweet treats)

There is a large area in the middle of the centre with general seating, as well as seating attached to each eatery.

Entrance is on ground level and the entire centre is wheelchair and stroller-accessible.

A note on bathrooms – while there was a sign leading to a parents’ room, we looked and couldn’t find it, so it’s unknown if the gateway has babychanging facilities/family room. I did however find the disabled bathroom which was completely accessible.

Gateway Sydney
Alfred St, Sydney NSW 2000
Hours: Mon-Fri 7am-12am, Sat & Sun 10am-12am
Online: gatewaysydney.com.au
Get Directions

MCA Cafe & Sculpture Terrace: Kid-Friendly Restaurants, Sydney

March 12, 2016 / CBD, Circular Quay, Sydney, Sydney Food / 2 Comments

A kid-friendly restaurant in Sydney’s CBD is quite a find. We end up spending a lot of time around Circular Quay at the Sydney Opera House, the AGNSW and the MCA, so are always in search of Sydney’s best kid-friendly cafes in these areas.

On our recent visit to the MCA we tried their rooftop cafe, which I previously didn’t even know existed. To get to the cafe, enter through any of their regular entrances, then take the elevator to the 4th floor. Entrance to the general exhibitions at the MCA is free, so you won’t need to pay if you stop along the way to check out some art.

When you reach the top floor of the MCA, turn right to enter the cafe and sculpture terrace. Dining is casual, so grab menus at the front, choose a table, then order and pay at the counter.

The cafe currently has a British Grayson Perry-inspired menu, running at the same time as the gallery has the Grayson Perry exhibition on downstairs. I love themed menus, so this was a fun, unexpected bonus. The menu was a celebration of all things British, such as Devonshire tea & scones, crumpets, fish & chips, bangers and mash, or their Little Pretty Eton Mess.

I chose the Honeyed Oats, Summer Berries, Elderflower, Yoghurt & Pistachio ($12),
Alec had the Roasted Salmon (with green beans, roast potatoes & lemon, $28), and Cheese selected the Battered Fish & Chips ($14) from the kids’ menu.

While we were waiting for our meals, Cheese amused herself by checking out the giant sculpture on the terrace, while we admired the view. Not too shabby, eh?

My honeyed oats were really delicious, but I did find them to be a tad dry and would have liked more yogurt. I thought the dish was colourful and beautiful, and really tasty. Alec’s salmon was crispy on the outside and moist on the inside, and Cheese’s fish and chips were also a winner. The portion was so big it would have done an adult who wanted a smallish-sized lunch.

After our brunch we strolled downstairs to take part in the free drop in craft session for kids. The MCA usually has a kid-friendly component to their major exhibitions where little ones can experiment with different materials in the spirit of the big show, which, in this case, was Grayson Perry’s “My Pretty Little Art Career”.

With the stunning view, free admission to the MCA plus the also-free art-making session, this was one extremely good value restaurant, perfect for kids, right in the heart of Sydney.

Highchairs: Yes.
Stroller storage: Yes.
Easy access: Yes.
Change tables: No.
Kids’ menu: Yes.

MCA Cafe
140 George St,
The Rocks
Phone: (02) 9250 8443
Prices: $$$
Hours: Daily 10am–4pm, Thur 10am–9pm
Get Directions

Quay Restaurant: 6th Anniversary Dinner

January 4, 2016 / CBD, Circular Quay, Family, Love, Sydney, Sydney Food / 5 Comments

For our 6th wedding anniversary, Alec and I dined at Quay Restaurant – Australia’s most awarded restaurant, and one of two Australian restaurants on the prestigious S. Pellegrino World’s Top 50 List. The menu, created by chef Peter Gilmore, is modern Australian with Japanese and Chinese influence.

Starters (same for both menus)

Goats curd with frozen sorrel and green tea.

Salad of summer squash, sheep’s milk feta, lemon jam, young almonds

Regular Tasting Menu

Raw smoked Blackmore wagyu,
horseradish soured cream,
fermented rye crisps,
raw funghi

Southern uni, koshihikari rice,
salted yolk, maw, sweet prawn,
caterpillar mushrooms, umami broth

Slow cooked abalone,
smoked confit pig jowl,
fermented shiitake chawanmushi,
bamboo, koji cultured grains

Crayfish, XO sauce, organic radishes

Roast masterstock duck,
scorched pickled cucumber,
sorrel, iceplant, agretti, karkalla

Vegetarian Tasting Menu

Eggplant tartare, horseradish soured cream,
fermented rye crisps, raw funghi

Green asparagus congee, egg yolk emulsion

Fermented shiitake chawanmushi,
hen of the woods mushrooms, bamboo,
koji cultured grains

Silken tofu, XO sauce, organic radishes

Stone pot organic green rice, mountain spinach,
spring cabbage stems, seaweed

Optional cheese course $25
Ours was an amazing swiss cheese cut into a flower shape, on top of a bed of grains and quince.

Desserts – same for both menus.

Snow Egg

Cream, honey, almonds,
muscovado, oloroso caramel, prune

Coffee, Tea and Quay Petits Fours

The staff surprised us with an adorable bonus cupcake to celebrate our anniversary.

The view! Doesn’t get any better than this.

Gorgeous cocktails with a stunning outlook.

Even my bag was well taken care of with a Quay branded purse holder.

We had such a wonderful evening at Quay. From the kind, thoughtful and efficient staff, to the amazingly created food and the snow egg dessert that was well and truly the best dessert either of us has ever tasted, Quay went above and beyond to deliver a dining experience that we will never forget. What a wonderful way to celebrate our anniversary.

Quay Tasting Menu is $235 pp 8 course degustation

Quay Restaurant
3, Overseas Passenger Terminal, George St & Argyle Street, The Rocks NSW 2000
Reservations
Get Directions

GrazeMCA: Kid-Friendly Restaurants, Circular Quay, Sydney

October 28, 2015 / CBD, Circular Quay, Sydney, Sydney Food / 12 Comments

On a sunny day in Sydney, the best place for brunch is a cafe with a harbour view. GrazeMCA has one of the best views in Sydney, right on the ground floor of the MCA, looking out at the Sydney Opera House. Local or tourist, this view is just stunning.

With our reservation made in advance, it was great to arrive and know our table was ready for us. All of the GrazeMCA tables are outside under umbrellas – some more in the sun than others. Request a particularly shady spot if you’re sun sensitive like we are.

I love outdoor dining for two main reasons: 1. The view. How amazing is it to be breathing in fresh air and looking out at the harbour? 2. I don’t worry about the kid as much. When we’re dining outdoors, the noise is less of a problem thanks to all the ambient sounds around, and there is also the space for my ever active daughter to run around outside the cafe if she gets too antsy sitting down.

GrazeMCA is situated in a part of town where it’s tough to get a good meal. Tourists abound, and so do overly priced tourist traps as a result. GrazeMCA stands out as one of the few high quality restaurants in the area. It’s the kind of place you’d go for a nice brunch or lunch out with the family and friends, which is exactly what we did on the day we visited.

Our dining companions were two of our close Australian friends who lived in New York at the same time that we did. Back in Australia together again, we love to get together and dine out in gorgeous Sydney locations such as this. A world away from our old New York haunts!

I really appreciated the helpful staff at GrazeMCA, particularly the one who, after I asked about iced tea (not on the menu) offered to have it made for me anyway. It was served New York style – ie very black and strong, with a lemon wedge in it – and enough caffeine to keep me going for the rest of the morning as a result. I so rarely get an iced tea in Sydney that I might have to keep coming back just for that one item.

Cute babyccinos are $1 (this one had a finger poked in it before I could get a picture).

We arrived in time to order from the breakfast menu. Our group tried: Honey Toasted House Granola & Goji Berries ($15, with vanilla berry compote and thick yoghurt), Eggs Benedict ($22, with double smoked ham, sauteed baby spinach and hollandaise on sourdough toast), Fried Egg (in coconut oil, $18, with raw greens and grains, dukkha, grilled flat bread and tahini yoghurt, $18, plus a side of avocado, $4.50), Free Range Eggs ($16, scrambled with sourdough toast) and the Vegie Heaven on Sourdough Toast ($16, with avocado, roasted roma tomatoes and ricotta).

The meals were delivered quickly, all freshly made with generous portions. My vegie heaven came with an accidental additional poached egg. I found the mix of components to be the prefect breakfast blend, with the creamy avocado and cheese, and the strong roasted tomato taste to cut through it, all on top of fluffy, lightly cooked sourdough. Delicious.

Cheese had the eggs on toast – a very simple dish she was happy to eat. Again, it’s a small thing, but really happy when we get bread that is soft and lightly cooked.

The house granola was an amazingly huge portion – enough for us to all give it a try. It was a delicious, light choice for breakfast.

After we ate we sat around chatting for quite a while, so thank you to the staff for graciously letting us linger.

The park out the front of the MCA is perfect for kids to burn off energy, which is exactly what Cheese did after her breakfast.

Highchairs: Yes.
Stroller storage: Yes.
Easy access: Yes.
Change tables: Yes.
Kids’ menu: No – one item for kids.

GrazeMCA
149 George St,
The Rocks NSW 2000
Phone: (02) 9245 2452
Prices: $$
Hours: Mon-Fri 11:30am-3pm, Sat & Sun 9am-11:30pm, 12pm-3pm
Get Directions

Fifth Wedding Anniversary at Aria and Quay Grand Pullman, Sydney

February 12, 2015 / CBD, Circular Quay, Sydney, Sydney Food / 2 Comments

Ahhh I love wedding anniversaries. This year, Alec and I celebrated number five, which seemed pretty significant for some reason. Half a decade has slipped by so quickly, and our lives have changed so very much in this time that it feels like another life time ago that Alec and I said our vows.

For our 5th anniversary, Alec booked us a night at the Pullman Quay Grand in Circular Quay for a “staycation”, and organised my parents to watch Cheese for the night. He arranged a suite with a harbour view – perfect for us to play tourist for the night.

When we opened the door what did we see but a complimentary bottle of champagne and a really sweet note from the staff wishing us a happy anniversary. Little touches like this really add to hotel stays to turn them into a special, memorable experience.

Our view was spectacular. We popped the champers and enjoyed our pre-dinner wine while admiring the view.

It wasn’t long before we were due for our dinner date. I’d booked us a table at ARIA, a restaurant right on the tip of Circular Quay, with a killer view of the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge.

ARIA is an award-winning, hatted restaurant owned by chef Matt Moran and restaurateur, Peter Sullivan.

We went in with high expectations for our meal, and were happily very satisfied with our dining experience.

For our dining, we chose the tasting menus. The regular for Alec, and vegetarian for me ($175pp). A vegetarian amuse bouche was brought out for each of us – sadly we ate them before I could photograph them. Next was miche bread and two butters: regular and seaweed.

The vegetarian tasting menu

Green asparagus with burrata, black olive and nasturtium.

Celeriac and carrot salad with smoked egg yolk and buckwheat.

Slow roasted bello rosso tomatoes with lemon verbena and olive oil.

Raviolo of potato and shallot with sage burnt butter.

Salt baked golden beetroots with watercress and charred artichokes.

Creamy mashed potatoes.

Slow cooked Cornucopia egg with broccoli, macadamia nuts and black truffle.

Regular tasting menu

Saikou salmon with apple cucumber, lemon and ear grey.

Southern calamari with Iberico Jamon, dashi custard and shiitake mushroom tea.

Pressed Jurasic quail and foie gras with pickled cherries and green almonds.

John Dory with white beans, piquillo peppers, and sweet garlic.

Kurabuta pork belly with sweetcorn and palm sugar dressing.

Lamb loin with sweetbread sausage, peas and charred globe artichokes.

Granita and mango palate cleanser.

Blueberry pressed pineapple with coconut sorbet and summer herbs.

Selection of house made petit fours.

Our meal at ARIA was really incredibly good. I loved that they had a special vegetarian menu all ready to show me (most restaurants either don’t offer a vegetarian tasting menu or just whip up something when needed). This showed me that they actually care that vegetarians dining in their restaurant have an equally wonderful time as the omnivores.

Alec and I both thoroughly enjoyed each dish. The stand out for me was the slow roasted bello rosso tomatoes with lemon verbena and olive oil. The flavour from the tomatoes and lemon was just exquisite. Alec’s only let down dish was the John Dory with white beans, piquillo peppers, and sweet garlic, which he said was a bit bland with undercooked beans.

My only personal disappointment was the dessert. While the blueberry pressed pineapple with coconut sorbet and summer herbs was very nice and refreshing, I really like desserts that are a bit more innovative to make a meal end on a really high and memorable note. The petit fours were extremely tasty however, which was a good way to end the meal.

After dinner we strolled down to the Quay to just take in the beautiful evening and enjoy each other’s company. We had a really wonderful anniversary, and appreciated some much-needed time to spend together.

ARIA
1 Macquarie Street,
Sydney NSW 2000
Phone: (02) 9252 2555
Prices: $$$$
Hours: Mon-Fri 12pm-2:30pm, 5:30pm-10:30pm, Sat 5pm-10:45pm, Sun 5:30pm-9:45pm.
Get Directions

Pullman Quay Grand
61 Macquarie Street,
New South Wales 2000
(02) 9256 4000
Get Directions

Afternoon Tea By The Sea: House Eatery By George

October 6, 2014 / CBD, Cheese, Circular Quay, Sydney, Sydney Food / 2 Comments

After seeing the show Fluff at the Sydney Opera House recently, we stopped at the new House Eatery By George to try their afternoon tea. With a killer view and perfect location for shows at the House, it’s the perfect place for a nice lunch if you want to make it a special day out.

I’m a sucker for afternoon teas, and and on a mission to try every tea spot in every city I visit. Big goal. The House Eater Afternoon Tea consisted of three tiers, with a tray of 6 soft little finger sandwiches, two giant scones with butter and jam (no cream!), and a selection of sweets on top (two macarons, two slices of what I think was coffee opera cake and two lemon coconut cakes. The afternoon tea also included a choice of coffee or T2 tea. At $33 per person, it’s a reasonable price for an afternoon tea in Sydney, particularly taking into account the spectacular location.

I requested vegetarian sandwiches for myself and Missy E, and was told by the waitstaff that she would request it with the chef. I was not entirely sure what this meant, and if I would be served meat or not, and it looked like, when the tray came out, that I was basically lucky that some of the sandwiches were vegetarian by happy coincidence. Note to diners with special dietary needs: this is not the afternoon tea for you!

While the service was a little … spotty (for example, we had to flag down another staff member to ask for water to be brought to the table), the food was really delicious. The egg salad and cucumber sandwiches were fresh and light. The huge scones were fluffy and tasty. I would have liked cream instead of butter, but they were still great the way they were served.

I managed to get through my coconut-lemon cake (fresh and light) but that was it – I was too full for the rest. The wait staff obligingly boxed up the rest of the desserts we couldn’t finish for us to take home.

For Missy E, we ordered the Kids Afternoon Tea, which consisted of two finger sandwiches (egg and ham and cheese), a scone, mini biscuit and babycino for $7. I thought it was great value and would have suited me for tea for one. It was way too much food for Miss E to eat, but she did enjoy picking at most of it to give it a try.

After lunch, take little ones to the Royal Botanic Gardens next door to run off their energy. It’s one of my favourite spots to take Miss E because it’s one of the few places to take kids to play that makes everyone happy. Plenty for kids to do, and plenty for adults to enjoy as well.

Highchairs: Unsure.
Stroller storage: Yes – outdoors, there it plenty of room for strollers.
Easy access: Yes.
Change tables: No.
Kids’ menu: Yes.

The House Eatery By George
Colonnade on the Western Broadwalk
Sydney Opera House
Prices: $$$
Hours: Open 7 days a week from 11am till late Monday – Sunday.