Concrete Playground

The Victoria Room has a reputation for two things: delicious cocktails and the best high teas in Sydney. Innocuous from street level, The Victoria Room feels a world away from the sleazy streets of Kings Cross below. A popular destination for hen's nights, they also boast a restaurant and some of the most awarded drinks in Sydney. Decorated to evoke the heyday of British India, The Victoria Room thrives on an atmosphere of days-gone-by decadence, kitted out with decorative screens, paintings, small palm trees and ornate wallpaper. Reclining on a well-upholstered velvet lounge, you can imagine you're deep in the midst of a colonial gentleman's club or a burlesque lounge - except for the no-smoking part.

High Tea runs on weekends from 12pm until 5pm, and is definitely the kind of thing you should feel free to dress up for. Elegant ladies gather in packs to enjoy what is regularly touted as the best high tea in the city. The menu includes a vast variety of sandwiches including Chicken and Wild Herbs, Cucumber, Crème Fraiche, and Dill and Smoked Salmon, Rocket, Lemon and Capers, as well as sweets including Baked Lemon Cheesecake, Fruit Tartlets, Red Velvet Cupcakes and a Dark Chocolate Cup. There are also the ubiquitous Scones, either plain or date, served with organic strawberry conserve and chantilly cream, and a wide variety of teas. You can also upgrade to include a glass of champagne or sparkling rosé if you're planning on making an afternoon of it. Be sure to book in advance because high tea at The Victoria Room can fill up fast.

As if high tea weren't enough, bar manager Jessica Arnott and her team create original innovative cocktails which conjure up another era and have deservedly won a slew of awards for the best cocktails in Sydney. The menu divides the offerings into four categories: 'The Garden Party,' 'The Parlour', 'The Library', and the ever so slightly judgmental 'Teetotalers'. The selections change fairly regularly.  There's also beer, wine and cider, although at The Victoria Room you'd be mad not to test the barmen's mixology skills. If you choose to stick around for dinner, the Barramundi Fillet with baby vine tomatoes, capers and garlic confit comes highly recommended.

There is also a smaller sister branch of The Victoria Room which has recently opened on Level 4 of Westfield Sydney, whimsically enclosed by a white picket fence. While it is an excellent high tea option for a luxury shopping centre, the original Darlinghurst Victoria Room is still the best.