Going for high tea at one of Sydney’s best hotels is fallen out of favour in the past few years, as bottomless brunches take over as the afternoon activity of choice for groups looking to pack a sesh into their weekends. But that’s just because high tea has become such a standard affair, with the expected quadruple tier of biscuits, sweets and savouries and the expected pots of tea. There’s little room for experimentation here, but squeezing pops of creativity despite little wiggle room has always been something QT Sydney has excelled at.
The darkly eccentric luxury hotel in Sydney CBD has followed up their beautifully received refurbishment of Gowings by rejigging the art of high tea. By ushering in the welcome return of Adriano Zumbo, QT Sydney has flipped the script on this daytime tradition, layering on the theatrics and offering a high tea that’s quintessentially QT.
The master pâtissier, well known for introducing Australia to the not-so-humble Croquembouche, has furthered his reputation as the Willy Wonka of desserts by creating a high tea menu – conceived as QTea – that plays heavily on nostalgia and introduces plenty of new never-before-tasted Zumbo creations like the Sconez – obviously taking a hard left turn from the traditional scone – and a chocolate, raspberry and pistachio dessert called Just Love Me.
“Not one to do things the traditional way, I wanted to work with QT’s signature quirk and create a high tea that you’d never expect,” said Zumbo.
“Forget sensible finger sandwiches or stuffy service, QTea is for guests looking for a sugar rush with a side of theatrics.”
Served in a very design-forward vessel, the QTea features Zumbo’s classic passionfruit tart along with those expected Zumbarons and savoury options like a Champagne lobster roll with coconut, chilli and I’m mayo, Ceaser sliders and Goat’s cheese tarts. It’s all soundtracked by a DJ in QT Sydney’s ornate lobby with a flowing Champagne trolley and Perrier Jouet paired to every palm.
As for the tea, expect the favourites along with a unique Blueberry Macaron tea. Tempting if you can peel yourself away from the 60-deep Champagne menu taken from the hotel’s multi-award-winning wine list.
QTea is now available for bookings from $95 per guest. Bookings can be made here.
