Crossroads Bar, Swissotel, Market Street, Sydney

Crossroads Bar, Swissotel, Market Street, Sydney
Sunday 24 December, 2006

I love great service before you even arrive! Here's what happened when I completed the online booking form for the Swissotel:
Dear Stephanie

Thank you for your interest and I would like to confirm your booking for
High Tea on 24th December 2006 at 2pm at Crossroads Bar.

Once again thank you and we look forward to welcoming you.

Kind Regards,
Walter Ho
Bar Manager Sydney

So, as you can imagine we were very much looking forward to having high tea at Crossroads Bar.

We arrived on Christmas Eve (having popped in for some last minute shopping in Pitt St Mall) and caught the lift to the 8th floor. The Swissotel is one of those hotels I have walked past many times but never thought of going in - I'm really pleased we did - the hotel foyer is a large, white open space and beautifully decorated for Christmas. As you exit the lifts you are greeted with a large green Christmas tree and several large bauble wreaths in silver and red.

Crossroads is positioned in the centre of the foyer and the view is breathtaking - it's a dessert lovers paradise - starting with the centrepiece - the chocolate fountain....WOW! We were seated in lounge chairs and our waiter explained the drill - unlimited coffee/ tea and soft drinks and help yourself to the savoury & dessert buffet.

We ordered coffees and then went to suss out the buffet. We were all in agreement that we should start with the savoury and work our way up to dessert. The savoury offerings were triple layer sandwiches with a mixture of cold meats, smoked salmon and lettuce and also mini meat pies, spinach triangles, risotto balls and scones with jam & cream.

The savoury food was really average - it was mildly warm and didn't taste fresh - each item tasted like it had been out for days. The dessert offerings, however, were just delicious - there was a great mix of cakes, tarts, individual mousses and creme brulees including bowls of fresh fruit and mashmellows for the chocolate fountain. Everything was fresh and beautifully presented. My absolute favourite was the chocolate tart with fresh strawberries - the pastry base was light and the chocolate filling was rich and decadent.

The coffee, unfortunately, was terrible - it was from one of those pre-processed machines and was really ordinary - needless to say we only had one & then switched to soft drink.

The next time I am shopping with friends in town I may consider popping in for the dessert buffet however I am convinced there are far better options around town which we plan to discover in 2007.

Crossroads Bar - Level 8, Swissotel, Market Street, Sydney - (02) 9238 8888

http://sydney.swissotel.com/