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Where to Find the Best High Tea in Sydney

March 9, 2016 / CBD, Sydney, Sydney Food / 12 Comments

High tea in Sydney is an elegant affair. Choose from 20 tested high teas, each with its own twist on the traditional British tradition. From high tea with a view in Sydney, to modern high tea, vegan high tea and the best value high tea in Sydney, there is a delicious tea to suit everyone. After careful testing, I present to you a selection of the best high teas in Sydney.

The Best High Tea In Sydney

InterContinental Sydney Double Bay High Tea

Indulge in a luxe high tea at the Intercontinental Sydney Double Bay. Choose from the Signature High Tea, Oriental High Tea or Kids’ High Tea. High tea at the Intercontinental Sydney Double Bay is an elegant affair. Located upstairs in the Stillery, high tea is served daily between 11am and 4pm.

The Signature High Tea comes with the perfect mix of savoury and sweet, with fresh sandwiches and pastries, warm scones and delicious sweets. The jam is sublime. The Kids’ High Tea features a chocolate pot and strawberries to dip in it.

Get more info on high tea at the InterContinental Sydney Double Bay here.

InterContinental Sydney Double Bay, 33 Cross Street, Double Bay

Burnt Orange

The perfect spot for afternoon tea on the Northern Beaches area of Sydney. Enjoy delicious square sandwiches, fluffy scones with plenty of jam and cream, with delectable sweet treats such as the salted caramel and chocolate tart at this Mosman, North Shore, cafe. The balcony wrapping around Burnt Orange offers stunning harbour views, so request a prime spot when making your booking. Sit back and enjoy the view at one of the best spots for afternoon tea in Sydney.

Get more info on high tea at Burnt Orange.

Burnt Orange, 1109 Middle Head Rd, Mosman

Four Seasons Hotel Sydney

Indulge in a delicious high tea at the Four Seasons Sydney. Enjoy the perfect afternoon tea, offered at Mode Kitchen & Bar on the ground floor of the hotel.

The Four Seasons high tea includes a three tiered platter with the perfect bite-sized savoury and sweet delicacies, plus your choice of tea or coffee. Scones are served separately on cute little glass stands with covers.

Get more info on high tea at the Four Seasons.

Mode Kitchen & Bar, Ground Floor, Four Seasons Hotel Sydney
199 George Street, Sydney

Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel Sydney

You’ll find fluffy fresh scones with vanilla bean cream, delicious sandwiches and savoury pastries, plus delectable sweets at the Radisson Blu high tea. The tea is topped with a pair of salted caramel swans that you’ll be torn between eating and taking home as a souvenir. The Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel also offers gluten-free, kids and vegan high tea.

Get more info on high tea, chocolate high tea and vegan high tea at the Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel Sydney.

Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel Sydney, 27 O’Connell St, Sydney

Gatehouse Tea Rooms, Parramatta

Enjoy high tea in the historic Gatehouse, located in beautiful Parramatta Park. Choose from a traditional high tea, savoury high tea or kids high tea. Gluten-free high tea, dairy-free high tea and vegan high tea are available.

Parramatta Park is rich in colonial history. In 2007 the park and Gatehouse building were granted World Heritage Listing by UNESCO.

Built in 1887, the Gatehouse is one of the oldest high tea venues in Australia, and my favourite spot for high tea in Parramatta.

Get more info on the Gatehouse Tea Rooms here.

Gatehouse Tea Rooms, Macquarie St Gatehouse, Parramatta Park, Parramatta

The Cortile, InterContinental Sydney

A classic high tea served with a modern twist. High tea at the InterContinental is served inside the restored 1851 Treasury building, making it the most visually stunning building of all high tea locations. The sweets are tea-themed, such as the Jasmine Gold tea crème brulée.

Get more info on high tea at the InterContinental Sydney.

InterContinental Sydney, 117 Macquarie St, Sydney

Sheraton Grand Sydney Hyde Park

Choose from a classic tea stand or the buffet high tea. Their high tea stands are often themed, such as the Fashion High Tea, or Christmas. The buffet is excellent quality and value at $49pp, and includes an ice cream station, fresh creme brulee, sandwiches, savouries, scones, crepes and platter after platter of sweet treats.

Get more info on high tea and the buffet high tea at Sheraton on the Park.

Sheraton Grand Sydney Hyde Park, 161 Elizabeth St, Sydney

Gunners’ Barracks

A classic high tea with the best view in Sydney. Ask for a seat on the balcony and watch out for kookaburras who like to swoop down and steal sandwiches. The scones are served fresh and warm, and the staff are outstanding. It’s hard to top this high tea, which is why you’ll need to book well in advance. The Gunners’ Barracks is known as one of the best high teas in Sydney.

Get more info on high tea at the Gunners’ Barracks.

Gunners’ Barracks, Suakin Dr, Mosman

Westin Mad Hatter’s Afternoon Tea

Fall down the rabbit hole into a whimsical high tea land where all of the dishes are inspired by Alice in Wonderland. Enjoy delicacies such as the The Mad Hatter’s Hat (rich dark chocolate mud cake encased in chocolate icing) and The White Rabbit’s Pocket Watch (purple macaroon with a blueberry cream filling). Without a doubt, this is the most whimsical Sydney high tea!

Westin, Lobby Level, 1 Martin Place Sydney

The Langham Sydney

Dining at the newly renovated Langham is an elegant affair. I enjoyed their Afternoon Tea with Wedgwood for Mother’s day last year, where a sophisticated high tea is served in Wedgwood china specifically designed for The Langham hotel. The environment is opulent and serene, the high tea full of tarts, tasty sandwiches and savouries. Do yourself a favour and book into the excellent Langham spa downstairs for a treatment after your tea is finished. The Langham often does really cute themed kids’ high teas in the school holidays, such as this Barbie one.

Get more info on high tea at The Langham Sydney.

The Langham Hotel, 89-113 Kent Street, Sydney

The Tea Room QVB

Set in the historic Queen Victoria Building, afternoon tea at the QVB is a popular outing. The Tea Room is owned by the same company as the Gunners Barracks, which ensures that both teas are of a high standard. Be sure to arrive hungry as the extremely efficient staff offer extra sandwiches once yours have run out. The Tea Room was my first and one of my all-time favourite high teas in Sydney.

Get more info on high tea at the Tea Room QVB.

The Tea Room QVB, 3, Queen Victoria Building, 455 George St, Sydney

The Tea Cosy

A family owned and operated cafe tucked into the historic Rocks district of Sydney, The Tea Cosy boasts “Scones and tea like Nana used to make”. Choose from a wide variety of teas and scones, which will likely be the best you’ve ever tasted. Scones are served warm and fresh with house-made jams (that are available for purchase).

While the Tea Cosy no longer has their high tea option, it’s worth visiting for a tasting platter that includes delicious finger sandwiches such as egg and cucumber and cream cheese, plus a variety of scones and jam. The tea pot cosies are so cute you’ll be tempted to buy one of them, too. The Tea Cosy is our number one spot to return for a Sydney afternoon tea. In fact, I would go so far as to say the incredible quality of the scones and sandwiches at the Tea Cosy make it the best afternoon tea in Sydney.

Get more info on high tea at The Tea Cosy.

The Tea Cosy, 7 Atherden St, The Rocks NSW

Parliament House of New South Wales

The most exclusive high tea in Sydney, served only on the last Friday of each month, this is also the only high tea in Sydney that you’ll have to pass through a metal detector to gain admission. Dine in the Strangers’ Dining Room that is usually off-limits to the public, overlooking Hyde Park. The bocconcini tartlet with chive coulis was a fave, as were the sandwiches – with a second plate being delivered after the first was finished.

Get more info on high tea at Parliament House.

Parliament House of New South Wales, Parliament of New South Wales, 6 Macquarie Street, Sydney

Sofitel Sydney Wentworth High Tea with Christina Re

The Wentworth hotel has partnered with High Tea and Lifestyle designer Cristina Re to create beautiful high teas presented on the designer’s vintage-inspired Signature High Tea collection, adorned in 24 carat gold finishes.

The high teas are often themed in collaboration with Sydney’s art and culture scene – for example, when we dined on previous occasions, we enjoyed their limited edition Sleeping Beauty and Archibald high teas, which were in conjunction with the Australian Ballet and AGNSW. The Wentworth has the best value kids’ high teas around – at $40 they might sound a bit steep, but they are virtually identical to the adult ones so two or three kids could easily share one. The Sofitel Wentworth is home to some of the prettiest high tea in Sydney.

Get more info on one of the themed high teas at the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth.

Sofitel Sydney Wentworth, 61-101 Phillip Street, Sydney

Shangri-La Sydney

Try the Traditional or Chocolate High Tea at the Shangri-La Sydney, created by their amazing Executive Pastry Chef, Anna Polyviou. As you’d expect from an innovative pastry chef, the pastries on this high tea stand are the most innovative and delicious you will find anywhere, including her famous carrot cake.

Get more info on high tea at the Shangri-La Sydney.

Shangri-La Hotel Sydney, 176 Cumberland St, Sydney

Coco Chocolate

Hard core chocolate lovers will enjoy this sweet-heavy high tea at Coco Chocolate’s studio and school location in Mosman. Sit outdoors and enjoy an informal high tea with a stunning view of the Sydney harbour. As befits a chocolate high tea, treats include a shot of hot chocolate, chocolate pistachio shortbread, florentines, scones with jam & cream, melting moments, flourless orange cakes, chocolate cakes, and, the star of the high tea, a selection of house-made chocolate. Bookings are essential as each tea is made to order.

Get more info on high tea at Coco Chocolate.

Coco Chocolate, Sydney Chocolate School and Coco Chocolate Studio, Past Burnt Orange and HMAS Penguin at Chowder Bay Rd turnoff, Building 21, 1110 Middle Head Road, Mosman

Vaucluse House Tea Rooms

Take a trip back in time and dine at historic Vaucluse House. The sandstone mansion was built in the 1830s and is set in 10 hectares of picture perfect gardens stretching down to the harbour. The high tea features a delicious array of savoury tarts and sandwiches, fresh scones, and sweets that include a sugar-covered donut and delicate fairy-floss. After your tea, wander through the building or meet the farm animals out the back. There is plenty of space to roam in solitude and enjoy the serenity. Bookings essential.

Get more info on high tea at Vaucluse House Tea Rooms.

Vaucluse House Tea Rooms, Wentworth Rd, Vaucluse

Park Hyatt Sydney

Located on the waterfront and delivering a perfect view of Sydney Harbour, high tea at the Park Hyatt is the popular location for a groups such as a bridal showers. The high tea features finger sandwiches and quiche, warm scones with jam and cream, and mini cakes, tartlets and macarons. For larger groups, a private room is available.

Get more info on high tea at the Park Hyatt Sydney.

Park Hyatt Sydney, 7 Hickson Road The Rocks Sydney

High Tea at The Calyx, Royal Botanic Gardens

The only high tea in Sydney set among the flowers! Enjoy a delicate high tea set against largest indoor green wall and surrounded by vibrant flowers. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 1:30-3:30pm, high tea lovers can indulge in finger sandwiches with smoked salmon and roast turkey, gourmet sausage rolls, fetta tartlets and sundried tomato arancini, plus sweet treats including French macaroons, mini cupcakes, chocolate brownies and warm scones with jam and cream. A glass of sparkling wine and a selection of T2 teas are included in the price. There’s also an option to upgrade to unlimited champagne. Cheers to that!

Read more about high tea at the Calyx here.

High Tea at The Calyx, The Royal Botanic Garden, Mrs Macquaries Road, Sydney

Thanks to my high tea taster Havewheelchairwilltravel.net for the pic.

Boronia House

Dine inside a Victorian mansion built in 1885 at Boronia House, situated on Sydney’s North Shore. The Classic High Tea Experience includes a selection of light breads, sophisticated savoury bites, house-made scones with double cream and jam, desserts and cakes, served with a choice of a T2 tea or coffee.

Kids aged 3-12 can enjoy the Little Ladies High Tea, which includes ham and cheese finger sandwich, scone with cream and jam, fairy bread, Remi’s homemade chocolate chip cookie, chocolate fondue with fresh fruit, homemade sweet treat of the day, mini pancake stack with maple syrup and a choice of T2 tea, hot chocolate, iced chocolate, fruit juice, pink lemonade or soft drink.

Boronia House, 624 Military Rd, Mosman

Sir Stamford at Circular Quay Hotel

Enjoy traditional high tea in the understated elegance of the Sir Stamford Circular Quay Hotel, located a few steps from the Sydney Opera House and a short walk to the Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney.

The Sir Stamford high tea is unique in that several variations are offered. Choose from a traditional high tea, deluxe Devonshire tea, children’s high tea or “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. Gluten-free can also be catered for.

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.

Read more about high tea at Sir Stamford here.

Sir Stamford at Circular Quay Hotel, 93 Macquarie Street, Sydney

Are there any high teas I’ve missed? Have I included your favourite afternoon tea in Sydney? I’d love to know where to try next!

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High Tea At Parliament House: Sydney’s Most Exclusive High Tea

February 27, 2016 / CBD, Sydney, Sydney Food / 1 Comment

On the last Friday of every month, at precisely 3:15pm, excited lovers of cake and tea are admitted into the rarely seen Strangers’ Dining Room at Australia’s first and oldest Parliament House to enjoy their High Tea in the House experience.

It’s a somewhat secret experience at the moment, as so few people are aware of this high tea. When combined with the limited seating option available, this high tea becomes Sydney’s most reclusive, and exclusive, afternoon tea experience.

To get to the Strangers’ Dining Room, overlooking the beautiful Domain park, requires walking through a metal detector and passing by some heavily armed guards. It’s a bit of a surreal way to enter a high tea room, that’s for sure.

With the only dining option for 3:15pm, a small crowd gathered in anticipation of the dining event about to take place.

After checking in with our names, we chose our table – by the window with the best natural light.

The china drew our attention immediately – it’s a special Wedgwood china pattern designed for Parliament House. I was hoping to be able to purchase a tea cup to take home, but sadly they are not available for sale.

There are three options available:
Traditional High Tea served with tea and coffee – $42 per person
Hope Estate Pinot Chardonnay NV Sparkling High Tea – $44 per person
Lerida Estate Lake George Brut Rose Sparkling High Tea – $52 per person

The High Tea in the House was created by Executive Chef David Learmonth and his team of expert chefs. While not every component was made in-house, every ingredient on the menu was sourced from NSW.

Scone tier
Lemonade scones with strawberry gel and cream

Savoury tier
Bocconcini tartlet with chive coulis
Smoked salmon and dill cream cheese crepe roulade
Cream cheese and cucumber sandwiches

Sweet tier
Milk chocolate aero squares
Flamed lemon meringue pie
Macarons
Mini cupcakes
Opera cake

I was somewhat perplexed when the tea stand arrived with the one type of sandwich, the salmon scroll and the bocconcini tarts after I had told them I was vegetarian, as usually I am given an alternative to meat. After confirming that this was the regular platter and there was no vegetarian option I was grateful that there happened to be two vege savouries for me to eat. After we devoured the savoury plate, another was brought over, which I loved. The hot weather had put me off eating too much sickly sweet stuff and I was craving savouries. I do appreciate when extra sandwiches are offered at all high teas, actually, as well as additional tea.

Speaking of tea, I chose an English Breakfast loose leaf tea which came in a beautiful silver pot. The handle was burning hot strangely, and the post only held enough water for two very small cups, but it was a really lovely tea.

The scones were excellent, even though they were not super fresh. I really love when scones arrive fresh out of the oven!

The dessert tier defeated me on this day. I enjoyed the lemon merengue tart, the opera cake and the tiny vanilla cupcake with strawberry frosting, but I couldn’t eat any more!

On the whole, I enjoyed the high tea, in particular the savoury tier and scones. The desserts were good, but not very creative. I did think that this high tea was excellently priced. At $42pp it’s cheaper than the majority of high teas in Sydney, and in a location you’re likely to never be privileged to step foot in again.

NSW Parliament House
6 Macquarie St, Sydney NSW 2000
Phone: 02 9230 2248
Bookings are recommended and can be made by contacting NSW Parliamentary Catering on 02 9230 2248 or by email to dps.catering@parliament.nsw.gov.au
Get Directions

The Tea Salon’s Katherine Sabbath High Tea: Sydney’s Best Afternoon Teas

October 23, 2015 / CBD, Sydney, Sydney Food / 0 comment

The promise of a high tea created in collaboration with the amazing baker Katherine Sabbath beckoned me to The Tea Salon in Sydney’s Wesfield this week. The limited edition high tea only runs until October 31st, so if this amazing tea looks good to you, make a booking post-haste!

I hadn’t thought to try a high tea at The Tea Salon until now as I was a bit put off by the thought of a relaxing high tea … in a shopping centre. Like I said, it took the promise of Katherine Sabbath goodies to draw me in with my fellow food-loving blogger friend Jayne Gorman of Girl Tweets World.

The Tea Salon is indeed right in the middle of Westfields, but the atmosphere was very quiet, and I forgot very quickly that I was in a shopping centre. The decor is whimsically playful and delightful – a little bit Alice in Wonderland with the cutesy pastel china and white furniture.

We ordered the Katherine Sabbath high tea for two – at $39.95pp for the basic tea, it’s pretty good value. Kids up to the age of 13 can order a children’s version of the Katherine Sabbath high tea for $19.95 per child.

I didn’t bring Cheese with me on this occasion, which is a shame as the venue is incredibly kid-friendly.

Onto the high tea! Each tea come with pot of Premium Loose Leaf Tea or Espresso Coffee. We chose tea, which arrived quickly in large pots. The tea menu was quite extensive with some interesting selections to be had. We chose the “Creme Brûlée” – a black tea with caramel notes. The tea was a bit on the sweet side, but not sickeningly so. It was a great accompaniment to the food, and we managed to get at least three cups out of the pots.

As I requested vegetarian substitutions to the regular menu, we were given our own three-tiered stands. The teas were identical with the exception of the sandwiches, and our choice of scone.

Tier 1: Scone
One scone per serve. I chose the Katherine Sabbath Blueberry & White Chocolate Scone with raspberry cream.

Pinwheel Sandwiches:
Smoked Salmon, Rocket, Lemon & Capers
Cucumber & Dill Butter
Savoury Tartlets:
Beetroot, Goats Cheese & Caramelised Onion Jam
Pumpkin Feta & Pesto
Vegetarian sandwiches:
Cucumber and Dill Butter
Pesto

Sweet Treats:
Rose & Pistachio Pannacotta with Persian Fairy Floss
Lemon & Raspberry Zig-Zag Gumball Donut
Banana Cupcake with fresh Raspberry Cream
Dark Chocolate & Orange Fudge Tart with Salty Toffee Shards

The verdict:
I really enjoyed my vegetarian sandwiches. They were light and soft, freshly made, and the pesto sandwich in particular was really tasty. The scone, while being very blueberry-y, was a bit cake-y and lacked the sharp flavour that Australian scones usually have. This one was a bit more like a sweet American scone. The desserts were super cute and nicely bite-sized. My favourites were the Banana Cupcake and Rose & Pistachio Pannacotta with Persian Fairy Floss. The Pannacotta in particular was amazing – it tasted quite like Turkish Delight. I found the chocolate tart a bit rich for my taste, and the doughnut a little dense.

I really enjoyed the service at The Tea Salon. The staff were extremely friendly and attentive, and our waitperson was very knowledgable in teas, which I really appreciated!

The size of the teas were actually perfect. We were both so full that we needed to take one of the sweet treats home for later (little plastic take away containers were brought to our table to help facilitate a smooth transition of the cakey goodness to our homes).

I highly enjoyed the high tea at The Tea Salon. For the price in particular, it is exceedingly good value. The Tea Salon has a very kid-friendly atmosphere – a lot more so than most traditional high tea venues – so I will definitely be back with my kid in tow next time.

Highchairs: Yes.
Stroller storage: Yes.
Easy access: Yes.
Change tables: Yes.
Kids’ menu: Yes.

The Tea Salon
Westfield Sydney, Lvl 4,
Cnr Pitt St Mall and Market St,
Sydney NSW 2000
Phone: (02) 9233 2231
Prices: $$
Hours: Daily 10am-6:30pm
Get Directions
Bookings recommended. Email: sydney@theteasalon.com.au

Archibald Inspired High Tea at the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth

September 26, 2015 / CBD, Sydney, Sydney Food / 1 Comment

The Sofitel Hotel prides itself on being Sydney’s Hotel of the Arts. As such it presents an Archibald inspired High Tea at the same time as the Archibald exhibition is on display at the nearby Art Gallery of New South Wales. While the high tea is over (today, September 27th, was the last day), the Sofitel has a Wentworth High Tea available all year round.

The basic high tea starts at $49pp, including savouries and sweets and your choice of tea ($59 with a glass of sparkling wine) and a ticket to the Archibald Prize at the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

Chef of Sofitel Sydney Wentworth, Boris Cuzon, created an amazing replica of last year’s masterpiece, a portrait of champion snowboarder Torah Bright, by artist Zoe Young, on decadent white chocolate, as the centerpiece of each platter.

The platters were arranged very differently from a regular tiered high tea. The sweets and savouries were arranged artistically on a piece piece of slate, and placed on a tripod-like stand.

Sweets
Opera cake “splash”
Mini pastel macarons
“Painted” eclair
Gold framed apple “tarte fine”
Scone, cream and homemade jam
White chocolate painting

Savoury
Egg & herb sandwich
Roasted beef and tomato mini baguette
Chicken and leek tartlet
Avocado, tomato, lettuce mini baguette (vegetarian option only)
Mixed vegetable sandwich (vegetarian option only)

The food was a great amount for lunch – I polished off the lot and didn’t feel ill from eating too much food. The desserts were so small that I didn’t feel like I had sugar overload at the end, either. The only weak spot I would suggest would be the scone – it was tiny and more like a biscuit than a big, fluffy scone.

The sandwiches were fresh and light, and I liked that I received my own extra vegetarian sandwich platter.

At $49 I thought the price was very reasonable. The only downside of our experience was the service. While very polite, we had to constantly flag down a server if we needed anything, like ordering the tea or asking for the cheque. We would have all loved our waters to be topped up and an offer for an additional tea or coffee.

Sofitel Sydney Wentworth
61-101 Phillip Street,
Sydney NSW 2000
Bookings

Shangri La Hotel Afternoon Tea: Sydney’s Best High Teas

August 9, 2015 / CBD, Sydney, Sydney Food, The Rocks / 7 Comments

A very happy birthday to me! I love to celebrate with high teas, so the family and I head to the Shangri La Hotel Lobby Lounge on this birthday to try their Traditional Afternoon Tea. The Traditional Afternoon Teas are priced at $42 pp, $52 pp with a flute of Chandon NV Brut and $65 pp with a flute of Perrier Jouet Brut Champagne. (They also offer a Wickedly Chocolate Afternoon Tea which I will try next time.)

The Lobby Lounge is a relaxing venue. Not as posh or filled with character as many of the other tea venues, but instead very laid back and relaxed, while still being chic. Afternoon tea here is a quiet, refined affair. Small groups gathered to sip tea and munch on treats – more of a sedate crowd than the large groups of hens and birthdays you often see at many afternoon teas.

There was a bit of a mix up with our reservation and they prepared one more afternoon tea than we needed. It was a bit confusing but they were extremely gracious about the mix up, and gave us the extra tea service anyway. Very kind.

Included in the tea is your choice of tea and coffee. I believe it’s not limited to just one tea or coffee as my parents both ordered one of each and we weren’t charged for the extra pots of tea. I appreciate little things like that, it makes the tea feel like good value rather than getting the bill and finding unexpected charges having added up.

Our afternoon teas arrived on large platters, very impressively displayed. My dad has some dietary requirements which they were more than happy to accomodate with zero fuss, and my afternoon tea was vegetarian – exactly the same as the Traditional Tea except for the sandwiches.

One of the main reasons I was so keen to try this afternoon tea is because I wanted to sample delights from the hand of renowned pastry chef, Anna Polyviou. I have to say, they did not disappoint.

The afternoon tea is served in 3 layers. Sweet on top, savoury in the middle, scones on the bottom.

Top layer: Sweet

Tropic-Anna: Coconut dacquise, white chocolate disc, coconut and Malibu crème, tropical fruit compote, popping mango pearls, baby coriander. This was one of my favourites. Light, citrusy with a hint of coconut. Amazing.

Carrot cake: Carrot cake rice bubble and hazelnut crunch layer, Apricot and carrot insert jelly, praline cremeux, caramel glaze, and yellow graffiti. Finished off with orange and milk chocolate discs. This is a dessert Polyviou is well known for, but as I’m not the biggest fan of carrot cake, I enjoyed the others more.

Rhubarb and Ginger Pudding: Rhubarb and ginger cake, whipped cream baby celery on top, custard sauce. My other favourite. Simple and so delicious.

Berry Me: Vanilla panna cotta, raspberry jelly, biscuit crumbs, mixed berries, meringue kisses, yoghurt and strawberry macaron, baby basil. A very delicious, creamy affair.

Middle layer: Savoury

Tart: Caramelised onion, goats cheese, tomato and baby basil salad. Delicious! The basil salad was unexpectedly cooked inside and was delicious.

Traditional Sandwiches: Roast pork, Vietnamese salad roll; Chicken and celery sandwich; Salmon, cucumber and cream cheese, salmon roe, sandwich.

I had vegetarian sandwiches instead. I’m not sure exactly what was in them, but they were light, with very fluffy, fresh bread, and light, tasty ingredients like sweet potato, cheese and cucumber. Really good.

Bottom level: Scones

Buttermilk and vanilla scones, Buttermilk and tea raisin scones, Clotted cream, Mixed berry jam. The scones were on the flat side, small and dense, rather than the large fluffy ones you often get in high teas. They still tasted great, but were more like an American biscuit than a traditional English scone. The jam was flavourful but a bit on the runny side, and the cream was thickly whipped.

I highly enjoyed the Traditional Afternoon Tea – in particular the surprising, innovative desserts. I will absolutely be back to try the Wickedly Chocolate Afternoon Tea next time.

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

Afternoon Tea at the Lobby Lounge, Shangri La Hotel
176 Cumberland Street,
The Rocks, Sydney, NSW 2000
Phone: (02) 9250 6000
Prices: $$$
Hours: Daily 1pm-5pm
Bookings are essential. Please call (61 2) 9250 6000 or email dine.slsn@shangri-la.com
Get Directions

The Langham Sydney Afternoon Tea With Wedgwood: Sydney’s Best High Teas

June 4, 2015 / CBD, Millers Point, Sydney, Sydney Food / 1 Comment

The Langham Hotel has under gone a significant refurbishment, and is now lighter and brighter than ever before. The Palm Court at the London Langham Hotel is heralded as the birthplace of the traditional Afternoon Tea, so it has been on my list of “must-do” Sydney afternoon teas for a while.

Mother’s Day is always a good excuse for an indulgent high tea, and so it was the location for an elegant lunch (yes, even with my 30 year-old in tow) to celebrate, well, me!

The Palm Court at the Langham Hotel offers guests an exclusive afternoon tea experience with their new global partner, Wedgwood. The beautiful tea experience was heightened with the serving of Wedgwood specialty teas in tailor-made “Langham Rose” Wedgwood teaware.

Our server for the tea was lovely beyond belief. She offered our testy preschooler a hot chocolate and made it on the lukewarm side without being asked. Perfect not just for Cheese to drink straight away, but also in case of spills.

Since we visited on a weekday, it was a quiet seating. Our tea and then food were brought out quickly. I particularly enjoyed our server’s attention to detail through out the tea, ensuring that we were happy with everything and asking if there was anything more we could do for us. She also made an effort to engage with Cheese, and complimented us on how well behaved she was (lucky Cheese saved her tantrum for refusing to wash her hands in the bathroom!).

With one vegetarian and one regular diner, our platters looked exceptionally pretty with the added variety.

Starting with the savoury, I loved the pumpkin tart the best. It was just a delicious morsel of pumpkin and pastry with nuts for garnish. Next was the corn and avocado cornet (delicious) and the sandwiches. The sandwiches were sadly the only part of the high tea that I wasn’t happy with. All three were a kind of vegetable medley – it would have been nice to have a bit of variety like an egg salad, or cucumber. The bread was also kind of on the dry side and god stuck in my mouth. The fillings were fresh and flavoursome however.

The scones were my favourite part of the tea, along with the pumpkin tart. They were freshly made that day (not warm, but obviously not made long ago) and came with the most delicious strawberry jam and cream.

Desserts included a pannacotta with lychee, blueberry tart, sesame macaron and a kind of pistachio cake. My favourite was the blueberry tart, which was nice and tart rather than sickeningly sweet. I wasn’t a fan of the macaron as I don’t like sesame flavour in general, but Alec really enjoyed his. The panacotta was creamy and light, and the cake a dense chocolaty way to finish.

All in all, it was a very enjoyable high tea.

Wedgwood High Tea at The Langham Hotel
89-113 Kent St, Millers Point,
Sydney NSW 2000
Prices: $$$ (From $55 pp Mon-Fri & $65pp Sat & Sun)
Phone: 02 8248 5220
Hours: Daily 12pm–5pm
Get Directions

The Tea Cosy, The Rocks: Sydney’s Best Afternoon Tea Spots

June 3, 2015 / CBD, Sydney, Sydney Food, The Rocks / 3 Comments

I’ve written about how I love The Tea Cosy before. This adorable, family-owned cafe is tucked down in The Rocks. It’s well worth a visit for a quick scone and tea, or a larger afternoon tea like I had on this occasion.

Alec once again had the Ploughman’s Lunch ($15). We ordered Cheese the Kid’s Devonshire tea ($7, one plain scone, jam & cream and a babyccino) and I enjoyed the High Tea ($35 pp: sandwiches, 2 scones, 2 drinks and cakes). Note: the High Tea is no longer being served.

The scones at The Tea Cosy are always the star of the meal. I think they are baked fresh all day, so the ones we had were the freshest scones I’ve ever had. The jam is sensational – such a big flavour in a tiny bite of jam.

I also loved the sandwiches – the bread was so fluffy and fresh that it almost melted in my mouth. The toppings were great – cream cheese and cucumber and curried egg. The egg was my favourite and I could have eaten even more.

Cheese loved her fancy babyccino (it came with two marshmallows – one was eaten before I could snap the picture) and scone. She even ate it with jam this time.

I love The Tea Cosy and always want an excuse to get back down to The Rocks so I can indulge in more scones, yet again.

Highchairs: Yes.
Stroller storage: Minimal – it’s a very small space.
Easy access: Yes, the majority of dining is outside or is on ground level.
Change tables: No.
Kids’ menu: Yes.

The Tea Cosy
7 Atherden St,
The Rocks NSW 2000
Phone: (02) 9247 4955
Prices: $$
Hours: Mon, Wed-Fri 10am-4pm, Tues closed, Sat & Sun 9:30am-5pm
Get Directions

Swissotel: High Teas In Sydney

March 29, 2015 / CBD, Cheese, Sydney, Sydney Food / 0 comment

Ever on the hunt for Sydney’s best high tea, this time I tried the Swissotel’s buffet high tea. For $69 (Sat & Sun) or $59 (Mon-Fri), you get to eat your fill of finger sandwiches, scones, savoury delicacies and delightful desserts. It sounded like a great idea for this little piggy, so off I went with a dear friend to see how much sweet stuff I could eat.

I scored a Groupon voucher in advance which gave us the high tea experience at a 2-for-the-price-of-one deal. Seriously, a bargain. Keep your eyes peeled for more of these deals as they are run regularly.

I was a little unsure about how this high tea would measure up from the outset, as I didn’t have much luck with their customer service team. I emailed them to confirm our booking, and to make sure that they received my note that one of us was vegetarian, and the other gluten-intolerant. I received a curt reply that it wad been noted in the reservation request and that was it. I was unsure if this meant that they were able to cater for dietary requirements or not, so email back asking this. The reply was again curt and vague. The staff would show us what food was vegetarian or gluten-free. Um. Ok ….

So I have to say that when we arrived we were a little worried about what we would be eating. The staff in on the day were also a bit confusing. We were each given a plate of sandwiches that suited our dietary requirements. The gluten-free one had three selections, but my vegetarian one was only one type: six small summer vegetable sandwiches. It was way too much of one sandwich. A plus: because the sandwiches had been made and delivered they were super fresh.

On our arrival we were offered our choice of a special mocktail or cocktail of the day. I accepted the cocktail which sounded fruity, and then realised afterwards that I was supposed to have the option of a glass of sparkling, which I wasn’t offered by the waitstaff. Very confusing. I would have preferred he glass of sparkling, as even though the cocktail was delicious, it was about 70% crushed ice. It was also removed from the table half finished, when I went up to get my first plate from the buffet.

We asked about the savoury items on the buffet, and if they could show me which ones were vegetarian (there were no labels on any of the dishes), and I received a vague, “yes, there are vegetarian dishes”, but it was up to me to work it out for myself. Through guess work I discovered that there was in fact a vegetarian quiche.

My gluten-free dining companion fared better than I did. The staff very thoughtfully provided her with a special plate of gluten-free desserts, even though over half of the desserts on the buffet had no gluten in them. She received two little cakes and a pot of some kind of fruits. Again, we weren’t told what they were, so your guess is as good as ours. The cakes were really delicious, and the fruit proved to be nicely poached in a sweet juice.

It was just as well that the food was pretty solid after the pretty meh service we received. There wasn’t anything that particularly stood out as being amazing or innovative, but everything was decent quality, fresh, well-made.

I found a menu that listed the buffet dishes but couldn’t locate some items on the menu and vice versa, so I’m not exactly sure what everything was.

Savoury dishes: roasted chicken, cucumber, cream cheese on quinoa soy bread, slow roasted NSW Angus beef, semi dried tomato, rocket, pesto aioli, grilled summer vegetables on dark rye with lemon mayonnaise, Gold Coast prawns and corn salad on mini brioche, smoked salmon, cream cheese and wild rocket on sourdough, goat cheese and pine nut quiche, chicken and leak pies.

Sweet: roasted Forbes peach and pistachio tart, berry white mousse cake, stone fruit macarons, chocolate cherry with coconut (couldn’t find these), pistachio white chocolate slices (couldn’t find these), chocolate macadamia brownies, creme caramel, pavlova, salted caramel lamingtons (couldn’t find these), watermelon panna cotta with salted caramel (don’t think we saw this either), dark chocolate profiteroles filled with plum pastry cream.

We had several items that weren’t on the sweets menu: a creme brûlée, a mango pudding, a strawberry pudding and a chocolate mousse or pudding. The puddings were a disappointing substitution for the items that were missing from the menu.

Other food options include “freshly baked” scones with jam and double cream (the apricot jam was fantastic), and a variety of fruit ready to be dipped in the chocolate fountain.

The scones on the menu are listed as quinoa, but ours were chocolate chip. They had definitely been sitting there for a while as they were dense and hard.

My favourite food was the cheese and pine nut quiche (it was so delish – flaky, fresh, cheesy), the pavlova (something about the cream! it was the perfect ratio of cream, fruit and meringue) and the roasted Forbes peach and pistachio tart (the fruit was flavoursome, and it had the perfect shortbread crust).

The high tea also comes with your choice of T2 loose leaf tea or coffee. When we were about half way through our meal I had to get up and ask for our tea, as it was never offered. I ordered a berry tea that was really delicious. The service continued to be lax, however. Our water glasses were filled on arrival, and then not filled again until just before we left.

We had an extremely mixed time at the Swissotel high tea. The food was pretty good, but a long way from the best high tea’s I’ve had, and with the Groupon voucher it was a decent price. The service and communication was a let down.

Swissotel Sydney
68 Market Street,
Sydney NSW 2000
Phone: (02) 9238 8888
Prices: $$$
Hours: Sat & Sun, call for their seating times. Mon-Fri 2pm – 4pm. Reservations advised.
Get directions.

The Gingerbread House: Kid-Friendly Cafes, Katoomba, Blue Mountains

March 26, 2015 / Australia, Blue Mountains, Cheese, Katoomba, NSW, Travel / 8 Comments

On our recent Blue Mountains drive we stopped off at The Gingerbread House for afternoon tea after several recommendations from friends. It’s the sweetest cafe, housed in a beautifully restored 100-year-old church. As you can guess from the name, The Gingerbread House is all about sweet things – milkshakes, Serendipity ice-cream, cakes, cookies & gingerbread. They do have light savoury food, by the way, but it’s the sweet things they’re well known for.

The Gingerbread House is owned by the creators of Josophan’s Fine Chocolates, so they obviously know a thing or two about the sweet things people go crazy for.

Inside the church is an adorably styled gingerbread house containing a sweet shop filled with lollies, and a mix of small and large communal tables. You can also sit outside and soak up the sun while the kids play in the gingerbread cubby house.

On our visit, we enjoyed a chocolate gingerbread man, a vanilla malt milkshake, a slice of chocolate cake with salted caramel frosting, an affogato with Serendipity caramel ice cream, and a scoop of Serendipity ‘Death by Chocolate’ ice-cream (which has just been awarded Champion Premium Ice-cream at the Sydney Royal Cheese & Dairy show).

The cake was mine, and I found it to be just the right mix of dense, moist chocolate cake, with thick caramel frosting for my taste. I loved the milkshake (nice and malty), as did Cheese, who stole mine off me. Alec enjoyed his affogato (said the ice cream was great) and Cheese devoured her ice cream (as the official “eat the rest of the cone when the kid is done” person, I can confirm that the chocolate ice cream was really, really good, too!).

The Gingerbread House is delightful and delicious – the perfect stop for a treat on your next drive to Katoomba.

Highchairs: Yes.
Stroller storage: Yes.
Easy access: Yes.
Change tables: Yes.
Kids’ menu: Yes.

The Gingerbread House Cafe
56 Lurline St (Cnr Lurline & Waratah Streets),
Katoomba NSW 2780
Phone: (02) 4782 6958
Prices: $
Hours: Daily 9am-5pm
Get Directions

Linking up with Grace and Bron.

The Tea Cosy: Sydney’s Best Afternoon Tea Spots

March 5, 2015 / CBD, Sydney, Sydney Food, The Rocks / 4 Comments

In the heart of The Rocks lies one of your best bets for traditional scones in Sydney. The tiny and adorably named The Tea Cosy is an Irish-Australian family-run business, housed in a stunning 1870s heritage-listed building.

If you’re serious about scones and tea – and also love a fancy tea cosy – then this is an outing for you.

The Tea Cosy is small and very popular. Blink and you’ll miss the small sign the wall near the entrance to the Irish Shop (that they also own and run), letting you know that you have indeed reached scone nirvana. Walk through the narrow hallway to the back and find any table you can – or stand around and wait till someone leaves and then grab their table fast.

We had a short wait when we arrived on a rainy gloomy Saturday, but very happily found a little corner in which to squeeze. Our order overflowed from our little table.

Devonshire Tea (Scone Basket) $14 per person, includes your choice of drink (I chose chocolate and vanilla tea), scones and jam (I chose Raspberry), Babyccino, Ploughman’s Lunch ($15), Ribbon Sandwiches in curried egg and tomato ($9.50).

The Babyccino actually came with TWO marshmallows, both of which were nabbed before I could get a shot.

I shared the scones with Cheese, who insisted that hers was also topped with the amazing raspberry jam and cream. Alec loved the jam so much he bought a jar to take home. His ploughman’s platter was light and yet filling – as described, it is indeed the perfect traditional lunch (for those who like meat).

All of the scones at The Tea Cosy are made by hand from scratch, using an old fashioned family recipe. Their jams are Australian-made gourmet jams, and the cream is double thick.

The food was so good, I honestly couldn’t fault a thing. The staff were really lovely – it’s really obvious that this is a family-run business as the people who run the joint really care about their customers and ensuring that they have a great experience. They’re also really friendly and chatty, which is also a nice experience in itself.

A little stroll around The Tea Cosy reveals many, many, many tea cosies. These can be bought for very reasonable prices (I saw labels for around $25 – $35). As each looks handmade and unique, that sounds like a pretty good deal to me.

Highchairs: Yes.
Stroller storage: Minimal – it’s a very small space.
Easy access: Small steps in, narrow corridors.
Change tables: No.
Kids’ menu: Yes.

The Tea Cosy
33 George Street,
The Rocks NSW 2000
Phone: (02) 9247 4955
Prices: $$
Hours: Mon, Wed-Fri 10am-4pm, Tues closed, Sat & Sun 9:30am-5pm
Get Directions