Sip your way to Spiceworld with a side of Zig-a-zig-ah up on the 38th floor of Crown Sydney.
With many hotels making the claim of being a ‘Destination Hotel’, The Crown Resort, glittering high above Sydney’s Barangaroo precinct, truly is one. With 69 floors, The Crown boasts 7 restaurants, including the Sydney branch of the famously glamorous Nobu. The interior of the hotel is marble, gilt, floral, and absolutely breathtaking, and with valet parking available, the lobby bedecked with shiny-buttoned bellhops, you only need to graze the threshold to feel like a VIP. We boarded a lift, guided by our bubbly and charismatic host, Bradley, to the 38th floor, where the Teahouse restaurant was the location for today’s high tea.
The Teahouse sits beside a broad balcony, where guests can request an outdoor seat with views of a quieter, calm nook of Sydney Harbour, or sit inside a charming, Eastern-style silk pagoda for more privacy and an extra luxurious feel. Although the carefully designed interior smacks of old-world prestige, the curators like to keep guests guessing by regularly offering themed menu items, such as today’s Spice Girls themed tea. At the time of visiting, it had recently been announced that Sporty Spice, AKA Mel B, had just been announced as one of this year’s ‘The Voice’ judges, and we were casting our eyes around, wondering if we were going to catch a glimpse of her – we would have been totally spice-struck!
The Wannabe High Tea offers guests the chance to select what they ‘really really want’ out of a beverage. For more traditional ‘baby spices’, a selection of quality TWG brand teas is on offer; for those going deeper-and-down, champagne or a special themed cocktail could also be selected for a small extra charge. We selected the ‘Viva Forever Violet’, which sparkled vividly with edible glitter and blueberries – and boy, did it have attitude!
We were offered a selection of sensational savouries, punchy flavours in the form of the ‘Wannabe Posh’ Caviar and Tuna tartlet, the ‘Spice Up Your Life’ sausage roll, and a classic British Black Pudding scotch egg surrounding a big, bold red heart-shaped brioche filled with foie gras. Unusual, quirky, a little bit sexy, and VERY fun – so reminiscent of the vibe that the Spice Girls pioneered. The tea tray was also full of Girl Power, adorned with leopard print and union jacks, upon which lay boldly coloured, supersized sweeties in classic Spice Girls styles.
For the sporties, a jelly-filled football bao bun, which had a texture that bounced like Beckham’s 90s kicks, and another favourite was the bright pink chocolate handbag, which looked almost too good to eat – we wanted to use it as the latest fashion accessory. For the chocoholics amongst us, the ‘Ginger Kiss’ took our breath away with its truffly, cherry-kissed flavour combo. The scones at the high tea, unfortunately, did stand in the shadow of such vivacious savoury and sweet offerings, and were a little dry in texture, but were flavoured thoughtfully with trendy matcha, which paired excellently with the raspberry jam and cream.
At the end of the High Tea sitting, we were feeling really rather sensational, like ‘some kinda superstars’ – perhaps it was that high-kickin’ cocktail, paired with the luxurious setting up in the sky. Although The Crown’s Wannabe High Tea was just a limited-time offering, the hotel offers short runs of themed high teas across the year, so it’s an absolute must if you’re looking to snap up something that’s special edition, outside the box, and a little exclusive. Say you’ll be there!
The Teahouse offers rolling themed high teas. Keep an eye on their website for the next themed high tea.
High Tea Sydney – find more experiences
in our High Tea Venue Directory
Reviews for this venue:
- 30 September 2022: High Tea at TWR Crown Sydney
