I’ve mentioned before my love of high tea, and in my mind there are few things better than catching up with the girls (and this time boys too!) over tea, scones, and tiny cakes. And what better place than The Tea Room Gunners Barracks, possibly one of the most gorgeous vantage points of Sydney Harbour. We were seated outside, which would have been lovely were it not a decidedly cold and windy day. The staff kindly provided warm blankets and moved the heater closer, but we were still shivering.
We ordered our teas and they were brought out quickly, however it took a few more minutes for our teacups to appear and by then the tea was beginning to get cold. I had the Irish Whiskey Cream tea, while secretly envying Steph’s choice of blueberry muffin tea, definitely one to try next time. I loved the beautiful Royal Albert tea cups and the craggly raw sugar cubes that always taste so much better.
I think the secret to a good high tea is all about the scones. These were very large, almost too big and it was a little strange to see them with blueberry preserve rather than the usual strawberry jam. The scones were light and fluffy without a floury taste. They can’t compare to home made scones, but were a huge step above Sir Stamford’s cheesy fail scones and are probably the best you’re going to get at a high tea in Sydney.
The savouries were a big hit. I really liked the asparagus tartlet, but our plate came without the yoghurt sauce for the samosas. They were delicious nonetheless. The sandwiches were okay, the fillings were pretty standard – smoked salmon, egg salad and roast beef. The bread was a little dry but this might have been from sitting out in the wind!
After a short break we were ready to tuck into the sweets. I really liked the little peach cake. It was moist, flavourful and went really nicely with my tea. The cheesecake was a little soft and soggy, probably my least favourite of all the sweet offerings. I was surprised by how much I liked the macaron. I haven’t eaten many since Macaron Day, but this one was baked perfectly and the chocolate and orange flavour was fabulous. The last little cake was my favourite, kind of like an Opera cake with sponge, coffee and chocolate flavours. It was delicious and decadent, but just rich enough. And last but not least was a fabulous mango and tapioca pudding that seemed to get better with every spoon. The taste and texture were both perfect.
I really enjoyed this high tea, although it would have been much nicer if the weather had been better! There was quite a lot of food all up, more than other high teas I’ve been to and for $40 it seemed reasonably priced for such a great location, definitely a good reason to cross the Bridge. I’m also really looking forward to trying the Tea Room in the QVB too. And afterwards, on Ellie’s recommendation we drove up the road to a truly gorgeous shop called Burnt Orange where Karen, Steph and I picked up some gorgeous kitchen bits and pieces! Thanks ladies, and gentlemen for a fabulous afternoon!
The Tea Room, Gunners Barracks – End of Suakin Drive, Georges Heights
11 Comments on “Tea Room, Gunners Barracks”
I have scone cravings now…again, I think they should've given us two each imo heh
Always a pleasure with you lovely ladies!
Mmm the scones were huge but really good. I want one right now! Ahhh we must go back to burnt orange!!
Can't wait for our next high tea! I only wish that we were sitting inside and that they had strawberry jam instead, but all in all a fabulous day out! Oh, and sorry for getting us lost, thanks for your navigational skills! lol.
mmm looks delicious :P*
Those scones were awesome! So glad we got those blankets coz it was so windy and the tea got cold so quickly. Next time we'll have to go back on a warm summer's day 🙂
The high tea does indeed seem rather reasonable, all things considered.
Love mango and tapioca pudding! Looks so nice too 🙂
Hello there! This is a really nice blog and love the Ice Cream recipes!
I think you should come by Natural selection and check out Lilac Ice Cream! your photos are beautiful recipes inspirational!
Thank you
these photos are so lovely! definitely makes me crave some clotted cream and earl grey.
I looooove tea salons….my favorite places to hang out with girlfriends… talk, drink delicious tea, and indulge on all those lovely sandwiches, scones and….well… crumpets with clotted cream and lemon curd are my all time favorite!!! 🙂
love your photos, too. 🙂
This sounds lovely; I recently blogged about the Windsor high tea in Melbourne – enjoyed it and recommend it to all fans of high tea. I'm visiting Sydney again soon, may give this a try!
Cheers, K_Bom
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