High Tea with Adriano Zumbo at the QT Hotel, Sydney

The pâtisserie extraordinaire, Adriano Zumbo gives High Tea the rock and roll treatment at Sydney’s chicest central spot, the QT Sydney.

Adriano Zumbo is, arguably, the ultimate rock star of the pastry universe. Starting from sweet beginnings, sneaking candies from his family’s supermarket, he has risen steadily since his first apprenticeship at just 15, expanding his empire slowly but surely before exploding in a powdered-sugar poof onto our screens with the Netflix smash hit Sweet Assassin. With a long-standing relationship with the avant-garde QT Hotel, Zumbo is now back for his second year designing, curating, and sugar-crafting their High Tea menu.

At High Tea Society, we love any excuse to break from the norm, so we donned our heels and boarded the elevator to the second-floor Gowing’s Restaurant. The mirrored ceiling and walls adorned with photographs of famous rock stars felt totally fitting for the occasion.

Having enjoyed the last iteration of Zumbo’s high tea creation, we were thrilled to see, smell, and taste that he had reached new levels of culinary imagineering with this year’s savouries. Replacing last year’s Katsu Sando were a Harissa Prawn Roll in a soft milk bun, a Mac & Cheese Croquette, and a Tuna Niçoise salad served in a tiny teacup. Salad at a high tea might sound a little safe – but trust us, this was anything but!

Taking cues from the zesty glamour of Gowing’s Bar, the sweet selection included a marvellous Mojito Tart, alongside a ‘Rare Pear’ spring-inspired dessert layered with Aussie macadamias and almonds. It was a delight, elevated further by homemade strawberry–rhubarb jam and delicate pear gel cubes. Chocolate lovers were also well looked after: the ‘Earl & Mandy Chocolate Adventure’ combined hazelnut praline crunch with Earl Grey chocolate cream – a subtle infusion that tingled our taste buds.

Zumbo himself calls scones the “OG” of the high tea plate, and we couldn’t agree more. Even though the menu joyfully bends high tea convention, we were oh-so-pleased to see the ‘Sconez’ appear, layered with lashings of cream and homemade preserves. Playful “zumbaroons,” in every colour and flavour imaginable, danced around our tea tray – a Zumbo signature we adored so much we asked to take a few home for later!

There are a variety of teas on offer to pair with our ‘rare pears’ and other yummy delights, including the signature ‘Burned Blueberry’ variety which warmed our cockles. Four cocktails, and two mocktails are available for the tipsily inclined, or, if champagne is more your vibe, there’s four to choose from. The tea is also available as Plant Based and/or Gluten Free at no extra charge.

The Adriano Zumbo High Tea at the QT Sydney is truly not your run-of-the-mill experience – it’s one to celebrate and turn into a treasured memory with loved ones or friends. The glamorous bar setting in the heart of Sydney makes it the perfect chapter in a weekend escape, or a decadent pause after a day of shopping or a night at the theatre. We can’t wait to see what Zumbo dreams up next – his creativity seems to know no bounds. By the end of our visit to QT, only crumbs remained.

High Tea Sydney – find more experiences
in our High Tea Venue Directory