The Tea Room Gunners' Barracks, Mosman

Doesn't every girl love a wedding?

There's that palpable sense of romance in the air, a rare chance to get all dolled up and shamelessly girly, and a tear or two shed as you celebrate two fantastic friends pledging a life together.

The reception and wedding took place at the Tea Room at Gunners' Barracks on the former military base overlooking Chowder Bay. Gun emplacements were originally set up here in the 1870s, an ideal defence site with incredible clifftop views across the harbour.



The Tea Room is housed in a charming sandstone building that dates from 1873--originally officers' quarters as its name indicates. The wedding ceremony was held on the building's verandah, panoramic views providing a picturesque backdrop, and after a simple but moving ceremony we nibbled on a neverending procession of delicate canapes, all beautifully presented and tasty to boot.


Mushroom tarts with goats cheese


Flaked salmon with chick peas


Pumpkin ravioli


Deep-fried camembert with pesto


Kookaburra

A visit from a passing kookaburra only added to the sense we were tucked away in a natural oasis of peace.


Wedding cake with bridal bouquet


Bridal bouquet with blackberries and baby cabbages

The bride, a devoted foodie with effortless class, had the most gorgeous and befitting bouquet: its clusters of baby cabbages and young blackberries were ingeniously original to say the least.


Reception table settings

One of the things I usually look forward to is, of course, the food. I've always loved Chinese wedding reception banquets, ten- or twelve-course spectaculars that involve abalone, lobster, a whole steamed fish and more. "Western" receptions on the other hand, usually tended to involve an alternate drop of disappointingly dry chicken or bland fillet of fish in a creamy sauce.

Suffice to say I experienced a revelation at The Tea Room, where the meals were delicate in taste, plated with style, and cooked to mouthwatering perfection. Sending a hundred meals out simultaneously is no feat, and I was incredibly impressed that each meal did taste as if it had been ordered a la carte.


Seared steak topped with beef cheek ravioli


Seared steak topped with beef cheek ravioli


Pan-fried jewfish with seafood foam

Congratulations to two of my finest friends. Long may you share good food and days of laughter.



The Tea Room at Gunners’ Barracks
Suakin Drive, Georges Heights, Sydney
(off Middle Head Road, Mosman)
Tel: +61 (02) 8962 5900