My last trip to Australia was back in 2022, when I visited as part of my sabbatical. Following a post I’d made about where to have afternoon tea in Sydney, a reader of the knightofmalta blog suggested I try the afternoon tea at Gunner’s point. And so, two years later, I’m back and on my way to Gunner’s Barracks.

I take a slight detour getting there. First, I catch the ferry from Circular Quay to Taronga Zoo. The location of the zoo on a hill overlooking the harbour is just brilliant. I have a theory that the real reason giraffes have such long necks is to give them an unobstructed view of the opera house. There’s also a part of the zoo that is dedicated to Australian fauna, which is great and features plenty of cutesie Koalas.

From the main entrance of Taronga zoo at the top of the hill to Gunner’s Barracks, it’s a pleasant thirty minutes walk through a quiet residential area. The location is excellent, situated on a promontory overlooking the bay. The view is gorgeous, and in the distance I can see the Freshwater, one of the big old Manly ferries, chugging along on its way back to Sydney.

Gunner’s Barracks is an elegant looking restaurant/café with an enclosed veranda. In the summer it must be so nice to sit here with the windows open, watching the world go by while you enjoy afternoon tea.

The table is set for afternoon tea. The crockery has a nice, old-fashioned rose design. the tea is served in heavy silver tea pots.

The tea is served on a three-tier étagère. On the first and second tier are the sweets. The green pastry is a profiterole filled with vanilla cream and apple compote. Behind it (not clearly visible) is a white chocolate and rhubarb cheesecake. In the foreground is a chocolate covered madeleine filled with mandarin, and in the back, on the side of the window, is a chocolate tart with hazelnut ganache.

The sandwiches are on the bottom tier. The sandwich with the red filling is cheese with a tomato sauce and what I think is Thai basil. It’s quite nice and full of flavour. Then there’s chicken with iceberg lettuce, and last, boiled egg.

Then there’s a plate with warm savouries and the scones. One is a plain scone, while the other is with raisins. The pastry with the dark filling is spinach. Behind it are two small cheese quiches, and in the foreground are two potato röstis with beef tartare, which I don’t try.

The cream and preserves are served on a separate plate.

The afternoon tea at Gunner’s Barrack is nice. It’s a considerable spread and the quality of the food is good. Once I’m done, I decide to walk off the excess calories by walking back to Sydney via the Harbour Bridge. It’s slightly more than 5 km and takes about ninety minutes. But it’s a lovely walk that takes me past Mason Bay and Neutral Bay on my way to the bridge. I’ve timed it perfectly, so that I cross the bridge just before the sun sets. What a spectacular view!

Conclusion

I know I‘m probably biased because I just like being anywhere near, on, or in the water. But I still think that Sydney is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and I love that you can just quickly hop on a ferry across the water like people in other cities take a bus. The only other place that I can think of with a similar setup, is Istanbul.

But I digress, sorry. I enjoyed the afternoon tea at Gunner‘s Barracks very much. It was nicely presented and the staff were kind and attentive. It’s also nice that the Australians know how to make a good cup of tea.

The only thing I didn‘t eat was the canapé with beef tartare. But that‘s on me. When I arrived, the staff did inquire about any dietry requirement, so I could have said something. Now I know for next time.