With views across the road to Hyde Park, the Gallery Tea Lounge at Sydney’s Sheraton on the Park Hotel is an easy place to slip in to for a quiet bite to eat. The casual atmosphere and book-lined wall gives the open space a reading room vibe so outside of main dining times it’s a pleasant place to hang out. The service is far too efficient or is it that my companion and I are too slow in opening the menus? Our large pots of tea arrive promptly and just before the plate of four smallish scones accompanied with three juicy strawberries. The raisin and plain scones are crispy on the outside and are good but nothing remarkable. What impresses me is the clotted cream; thick, rich and almost like butter. It’s definitely the highlight. To me all five-star hotel scones tend to taste the same: bland, but I am hoping to be proved wrong some day.

Scones: 

Jam:

Cream: 

Tea: A great range of Twinings and Penelope Sach herbal loose-leaf teas.

Price: $$$$

Overall: Pricey for what you get.

Location: Lobby Level, Sheraton on the Park, 161 Elizabeth St, Sydney NSW 2000 Ph: 02 9286 6000
www.sheratonontheparksydney.com/thegallerytealounge 
Reviewed in September, 2013