The Tearoom

Ph: (02) 9283 7279; Queen Victoria Building, 3/ 455 George St, SYDNEY 2000 www.thetearoom.com.au

Contemporary, $$, ** for Ambience
Open Lunch 7 days noon-3pm; Morning tea 7 days 11am-noon; Afternoon tea Sun-Fri 11am-5pm, Sat 11am-3pm; Licensed; AE DC MC V, Seats inside 200
Chef (Mark Holmes & Robert Crichton, 2007-11-3) Owner (Manuel Spinola, 2007-11-3)

Mietta's Review
The Tearoom's set high in the high camp QVB in what was the Ballroom. As well as the expected tea, cakes and sandwiches it also serves lunch. Chef, Mark Holmes, ex-Salt controls the food which of real quality and priced very reasonably (in 06 mains $25). Smart white jacketed waiting staff look very much part of the grandeur of the whole experience. It's a very good way to spoil yourself for a minimal outlay.

Other published opinions

Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2008 Score: 13.5/20 "This grand old ballroom still conjures images of ladies swooning and gentlemen vying to offer them handkerchiefs"

Gourmet Traveller 2008 Australian Restaurant Guide "With its high ceilings, gilt-framed mirrors and white linen, The Tearoom is reminiscent of the grand dining rooms that once graced many a department store"

Sydney Eats 2008 "High tea of yesteryear is suddenly so now, and this venue, at the top of one of the city's most dramatic and historic buildings, is perfect for it"

Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2007 Score: 13/20 "The grandeur of the Queen Victoria Building would be incomplete without a sophisticated and elegant place to dine. Wind your way to the top level and seek out the tearoom, with its soaring lace-patterned ceiling and long, thin, arched windows."

Gourmet Traveller 2007 Restaurant Guide "Having undergone a major refurbishment, with bespoke Florence Broadhurst wallpaper and Czech crystal wall sconces, the magnificent former QVB Grand Ballroom is more glorious than ever. With its soaring ceilings and ornate period plasterwork, it cries out for evening gowns and candlelight."

Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2006 score 14/20 "Victoria's secret is hidden in a spacious, soaring, beautifully proportioned room with chocolate-brown carpet and comfortable, colour-matched seats. Shoppers, tourists and informed business lunchers find their way up for cuisine that, too, has seen a lift in finesse and flair."

Gourmet Traveller 2006 Australian Restaurant Guide * "The Tearoom is a great gem to spring on unwitting lunch guests. Watch their disbelief at being led into the OVB shopping centre fade as they step out ofthe hubbub and into this lofty, stylish space. Observe their delight as they scan the menu and realise there's more to the Tearoom than the name would suggest."

Sydney Eats 2006 "The fin de siede splendour of the QVB is a gracious setting for this modern gloss on the traditional English teahouse."

SMH Good Food Guide 2005 Score 13/20 "There's an endearing gentility to the QVB's tearoom, from the smartly white-jacketed waiters to the plush aubergine-coloured carpet, padded chairs and the gloriously high ceilings. Young, efficient staff bring water to weary shoppers as they wait on the couch for friends to gossip with over a cuppa. Nowadays, the menu does more than you'd expect of the grande old dame."

Gourmet Traveller Australian Restaurant Guide 2005 * "This is one of the city's best kept lunch secrets. The nanna set are onto it, of course, as are a few savvy business punters, but, considering the quality and value, not to mention the massive appeal of the soaring ceilings and artful decor, it's surprising there aren't queues."

Sydney Eats 2005 "Previously this was a straight rendition of the great English teahouse. And with its high ceilings, and smart table settings, the sense of genteel formality we've mentioned in past editions remains. But the place is now under the management of ex-Salt chefs."

The Sydney Morning Hearld, goodliving, Eat up, Keith Austin. 12/3/02. "Smashing snags, lashings of cream and jam...simple super stuff."