Blu Bar on 36 — Restaurant in Sydney

Blu Bar on 36 had me screaming 'shut up and take my money already', when I saw that 'free-flowing cocktails' come with their weekend high tea! Along with a gaggle of ladies all dressed in pink, I arrived on time for the 1.45pm kick off to their Blu Bar High Tea Buffet ($95/person). On this particular Sunday, our attendance was dedicated to celebrating my very good friend being breast cancer-free for three years. It was a cause for celebration, and we were eager to begin; so the ten minutes we were left standing in the corridor dodging frantic kitchen staff still stocking the high tea buffet were torturous.

The promised Champagne on arrival took another fifteen minutes to hit our table, so, somewhat parched, but eager to begin our experience, we hit up the buffet instead. Compared with some of the photos I’ve seen circulating on the Internet, our high tea buffet lacked the visual impact I’ve come to expect from Anna Polyviou and her team.

Savoury eats were separated into hot and cold, with the cold dishes performing better that the lamb croquettes and selection of quiches that didn’t seem to move throughout my two hour visit. Updated classics, like egg sandwiches turned into egg shots with creamy egg and mayonnaise, crustless bread and watercress, and cucumber sangas presented as layered cream cheese and cucumber ribbon open-faced affairs, were my highlights.

While I appreciated seeing them using local cultured butter from Pepe Saya, I wasn’t quite sure what we were expected to do with the lewd yellow pat, sitting right next to a wheel of bland cheese and some charred sourdough to eat it on. Beetroot cured salmon arranged with capers on rounds of brown bread, and cold chicken and salad sliders helped round out the buffet's savoury selections.

With the free-flowing cocktails in distinct absence, one of my fellow high tea attendees popped up to the makeshift bar to get us a pair. She was redirected back to the table with the news that they were an all-or-nothing, full table affair. Built over whole glasses of crushed ice, the tequila cocktail lacked the fluffy pink Mohawk of Persian fairy floss the online photos had me expecting, and drank like tequila and orange juice. The gin cocktail fared slightly better against pink grapefruit, but could have been filled up completely considering how long we had already had to wait.

While I recognise the need for cocktails that can be made quickly, I have to say I was disappointed with both cocktails being acidic, juice-based, single spirit, one-note affairs that really didn’t live up to Blu Bar’s brand promise. And don't even get me started on how long it took to get another one, or the fact that we had to ask for them each time. Clearing the tables of used plates without it being necessary to make a request was another sore point.

Okay, let’s distract ourselves with cake... For something contemporary, ‘popping’, was my highlight, decked out with caramel, popcorn and chocolate with a gooey, Mars Bar-like centre. Polyviou’s twist on the classic orange and poppy seed was another eye-catching curvaceous winner, though everyone else at my table seemed more taken with well-presented shot glasses of berry panna cotta.

Buttermilk and tea-raisin scones, served with two jams and clotted cream, lacked the lightness I’ve come to expect from the beauties I’ve eaten courtesy of the Country Women’s Association.

With last drinks called at 3.15pm (thirty minutes before our allotted two hours ended) and food cleared with most guests still in the bar at 3.30pm, I can’t say I felt like I received good value for my nearly hundred dollar spend.

Staff would do well to remember that when replenishing the buffet, they’re entering a dining room and on display to guests. Dirty tea towels dangling from waists and restocking from plastic tubs with use-by dates on display (rather than white plates), detract from the five star hotel experience. I’ve seen this venue...

I am providing my feedback on my recent Christmas Eve dinner with my partner last Saturday. We had drinks at the bar and Trust-the-Chef dinner at Blu Bar on 36.

Service The staff are lovely and attentive most of the time. I understand that it could get busy at time due to the holidays but everything felt so transactional and lacking human touch given that it is the festive season.

I have confirmed my booking online and uploaded a photo of me and my partner as (according to the online booking confirmation message) we would be welcomed. I have not been acknowledged upon entering in fact I have had to look for the receptionist through security. There was no system in place. It is not what I have expected for a luxury hotel bar/restaurant.

I was expecting an explanation/story/history of the dishes served (ie why it’s the holiday menu, who crafted the dishes, who’s the chef, etc). No communication from the servers what dishes are being served. No menu given. I had to ask what we should expect. The server told us “Wagyu, Kingfish, Steak, Octopus, and desert”.

Food Quality

The wagyu and kingfish dishes were served on the same plate. Octopus dish was served separately but for 2 servings. There was no sense of luxury and opulence visible in any dish. The kingfish was not seasoned properly. It tasted bland.

Octopus was tough and so chewy. I would assume it was over cooked.

The value of food served was absolutely far less that what I have paid for. It was supposed to be a special Christmas Eve dinner with my partner but it turned out to be a disaster. We had to walk-in to another hotel restaurant after this to have a better time.

Ambience, Entertainment

I have upgraded my table reservation to a window seat which required 130 per person minimum consumable. That’s okay, we got the view. Which was the only good thing we appreciated in the entire experience.

I ended up paying roughly 400 in total for a dinner that I would value around 180. Quality-wise, I felt cheated and undervalued with the level of service from Shangri-la and Blu Bar.

Overall, I am utterly disappointed and will not consider going back due to the lack of quality on food and...

I've been to a lot of high teas around Sydney and unfortunately would never go back to this one.

The savory items were quite nice (loved the finger lime on the savory tart!) but there were no sandwiches which is a massive deal breaker for me at a high tea. The sweets were all lovely looking however were all were strawberry or raspberry based and tasted very similar. I am not difficult to please with a scone but unfortunately the scones were simply inedible - they were overcooked but the biggest issue was they were served with a tepid, tasteless jam. Honestly if you can't make jam then just serve with store bought.

We had a table with a lovely (although partially obscured view) which we only learnt at the end of our meal required a minimum spend of $140 per person. For context the high tea with a glass of champagne each is $105. I have no problem with charging premium for view but I personality wouldn't have bothered - the biggest issue is it should have been brought to our attention on being seated a. Just to ensure we were aware and b. To then be able to order the extra drinks required throughout the meal (not that we would have had enough interaction with the staff to do so - my water glass sat empty the whole meal). Instead, as we were almost finished the meal we were told we must order more drinks which meant we simply didn't have enough time to meet the minimum spend. Nor should we be encouraged to have 2x cocktails or a bottle of wine in a rush - it's just not responsible service of alcohol. We were even told to just purchase a bottle of wine and they'd let us take it out corked (can't imagine this is in line with their license). Let alone the fact we only needed to make up $30 at that point and the wines started at $70.

Just really, really disappointed when basic levels of communication/customer service would have made such an awful experience fine. And it really put a damper on our special occasion.

Overall the food would have been forgiven but the customer service and being forced to drink/pay extra without being told when we sat down is unforgivable. Hope you give your team more education on the basic elements...