I'll call this 4.5
Staying for 7 nights in the always gorgeous Intercontinental Sydney, I ate frequently at the Cortile. A few breakfasts, for days I was too busy for the Opera Cafe buffet, for the odd coffee, a late night snack and mid-afternoon meals, a fabulous high coffee treat,
I'll talk about, then, our first visit for a snack and a and a pot of tea. The server assumed we were there for the High Tea buffet, crisply told us we should have booked in advance and upon overhearing us, her boss quickly ushered us to a (fab!) circular lounge to enjoy our hotel classics - what else but a club sandwich and a Caesar Salad? - cuddled into soft cushions. The next day, the same staff member after I indicated my choice of a few "tapas" plates, questioned my choices and explained to me times what the size of a sharing plate is. Explained to me both before and after I gave her my order. She then did not fill my water glass on my arrival and it remained empty after the food arrived. I spent 15 minutes waving her down as she bustled to other tables ignoring ours before being rescued by a kind other server. Phew. I was parched.
The 7 other men and women associated with our nibbles at the Cortile are a testament to how carefully the hotel selects its staff for this restaurant. They were to a person cool-headed and careful, took the energy and potential for stress in room and turned it not into a impersonally smooth running machine but an environment where all were aware of the (hungry/thirsty) guests and worked hard with each other to maintain the cosy, relaxed intimacy that we all love about hotel bars. To a person the rest of the staff did not bustle or hurry, but gave the impression of being excellent conversationalists when you need a talk, and give you space when you a tucking in. In other words - excellent hosts. And though unfortunately I do not recall their names now, the hotel certainly does after I filled in a hospitality card to thank them for making dining a pleasure. read more