Passiontree Velvet Macquarie - Sydney

I made a reservation for a high tea for eight people at 10:30 AM yesterday at Passiontree Velvet in the Macquarie Centre, but when we arrived, the staff had no record of my booking, despite having received email confirmation from OpenTable. We were asked to wait 30 minutes and were informed that the staff does not receive notifications for online bookings, and that I should have called or visited in person to make the reservation. On the positive side, the food was tasty, although it was prepared quickly, which made it difficult to divide one slice of cheesecake among seven people evenly!

We had a reservation for high tea, but the staff seemed unaware of it and didn't appear to be expecting us. We ended up waiting for a while as they tried to set things up, likely due to the mix-up. The sweets were beautifully presented and tasted great, but the sandwiches were quite dry. On the positive side, the waitress was polite and attentive. Overall, it was a bit of a mixed experience. However, it's still a decent spot for a more casual high tea, as it's located in a food court.

When the food finally arrived, the staff didn't explain what any of it was or what we were supposed to eat; they just dropped it on the table and walked away. I had to look at the dessert cabinet to find out what flavors were available. We were seated near the kitchen and noticed that none of the staff wore gloves while preparing food, and I saw one of them scratching their head before continuing to handle our meal. The sandwich bread felt stale, so I didn't eat any of it; apparently, cucumber with butter was considered acceptable. The other sandwiches were ham and cheese and one with salmon. The little apple tart tasted raw inside and seemed to have been microwaved, crumbling at the touch. There was also salmon on Salada crackers. The scone and macaroon were decent, but overall, we felt our $70 for high tea was not worth it. After expressing our disappointment to the staff, they simply apologized. I asked to speak with the manager, and they pointed her out for us. After getting her attention, we shared our concerns. She apologized and offered us a pack of macaroons, but we requested a refund instead. Eventually, she agreed to refund us because we couldn’t eat the rest of the food due to its stale quality. Overall, I would not recommend returning.

Very poor service. Staff extremely rude which spoilt the atmosphere.

Unfortunately, there was nothing special about this dining experience.