Estate Vaucluse House — Restaurant in Sydney

High tea at Estate Vaucluse House is a waste of money. We were a party of 11 coming in to try Estate's high tea to a guest travelling from the US. When I made the booking over the phone, I asked what were our options for high tea and their à la carte because I really wanted to try their main menu and there were some that wanted the high tea. I was told that I needed to pre-book the high tea and that everyone needed to do it because in the past people were sharing and they cant have that but I could still get food from the à la carte menu if I wanted to. I wanted to arrange for a 1pm lunch but I was told that it's best that I come in at 12:30pm because they have a wedding that day. All seemed fine when I made the booking. We had a few back and forths but I must admit that getting in touch with the reservations people is just painful. Finally get to the day and I had a mix up with the numbers. Again if someone from reservations answered the phone it would have easily been sorted out. But the team at Estate only respond via email, it's a little difficult to sort out issues typing an email and driving. When we got there 8 mins before 12:30pm (so nice and early) two waitresses promptly ignored me as I was standing there with my party waiting to be greeted. I know they saw me standing there because the way those two were staring at each other and mouthing words was just stupid. So I walked right past them and made my way to the next counter when like magic one of the two waitresses appeared and was acting surprised that I was standing there having made a booking. She rushed to fix my table and then another person (blonde guy in black thinking he is the grand wizard of some fantasy realm) approached me to tell me off. Like seriously. I'm about to spend over $600 in one hit and you have the nerve to start scolding me because I can't email a response to you and drive to add one adult to my booking. What load of bull. My party was on time, we were dressed nicely and the kids that were with us sat in their seats and were behaved, unlike the kids at the tea party that were running all over this place. The waitress serving our table was lovely but yelling "Lady" everytime she wanted my attention was a little off putting and she really didn't know what was on her menu but still she did her best. The icing of this disappointment was the high tea. If you want to try their high tea don't waste your money. For $70 per adult and $45 per child what you got was Coles freezer food and a selection of T2 teas. Seriously, we got 3 finger sized sandwiches which was eggs, cucumber and tuna and one plain scone per person. The opportunity to present something creative is seriously lost on these guys. The whole experience was an absolute rip-off. When I asked to see the à la carte menu I was told that I might not be able to order anything because there is a wedding function booked and they aren't sure if the kitchen will make anything. I had enough. It was a mistake to come to Estate Vaucluse House. The service was disgusting and the food was just poor and cheap. The place just felt like a kids playhouse with the kids party running in the background and here I am paying $70 per head for the privilege of the audacity of it all. This place I'd trying to be too many things at once from local restaurant, to elegant wedding venue, to a kids play house, to high end catering but in the end its just a disappointment and a reason why I would never go back. I wouldn't be surprised if this place I'd run by a bunch of investors trying to make a quick buck before running the business into the ground and then flogging it off.

Update I sent Estate an email explaining my experience and to managements credit they did call me to apologise. I'm not sure if I'll go back because I'm not sure this is the right place for high tea. But you get 1.5 stars for reaching out. Amanda was nice on the phone in conveying...

The ageing beauty of Vaucluse House, completed between 1803 and 1839 in the Gothic Revival style, sits in a field of green. Nestled within its grounds, Estate Vaucluse House, allows you to combine your historic house viewing with a spot of high tea ($75/person). Constructed in the same period as The Nielsen just down the road, the interior space was given over to wedding preparations on the day we dined, so we took our afternoon tea on the sandstone-edged verandah.

Staff here work to their own rhythm and are not easily dissuaded. This saw our tiered platters of sweets and savouries arrive before our tea orders were even taken. Lucky the trio of finger sandwiches—bested by egg, chive and watercress—weren’t so dry as to leave us parched! While service lagged, the kitchen did a lovely job with savouries. The tiny mushroom brioche bun and the tomato tarte tatin being standouts in the eating. Passed separately from the platter, salmon rillettes smeared onto long thin crackers, were an enjoyable way to begin.

Sweet treats, which are admittedly less and less my stomping ground, ranged from hyper-sweet strawberry and cream macarons to well-executed mini caramelised apple eclairs punctuated with toffee shards. Dainty mounds of citrus cheesecake on biscuit bases topped with fresh raspberries were a good diversion from the expected creamy excesses. The Valrhona chocolate and macadamia tart, topped with caramel squiggles, was too hectic for me, but I did appreciate its dainty casing. Buttermilk scones, timed to your liking, were served golden brown. While I suspected they were going to be biscuity, I was pleased when they didn’t dissolve into crumbs after I pulled them apart...

⭐⭐⭐⭐ for Idie - the hospitality team

I recently attended my friends' wedding at Vaclouse House, and I experienced outstanding customer service that truly went above and beyond. During the celebration, my dress zipper ripped unexpectedly, leaving me quite stressed with no way to return home to change. When I asked one of the waitstaff, Idie, for a safety pin, she immediately understood my distress and took it upon herself to help.

Idie spent over 30 minutes looking for various pins and even creatively used a bobby pin to temporarily hold my dress together. Despite the busy event, she didn’t give up and continued searching until she found a safety pin, securing my dress perfectly. She even gave me a few extra pins in case I needed them later.

What truly impressed me was how Idie went above her job description, prioritizing my needs with empathy and commitment. Her exceptional problem-solving skills and dedication reflect amazing leadership in customer service. Vaclouse House is fortunate to have such a caring and resourceful staff member. I hope her efforts are recognized, as she undoubtedly made my night far less stressful. Thank you, Idie, and Vaclouse House, for such a...