Tag Archives: Afternoon Tea
MUSEO @ The Quayside Isle, Sentosa Island
From the very same people who brought you Arteastiq Boutique Tea House, their newest foray into the local dining scene- MUSEO sports a decidedly swankier and classier appeal, incorporating both a restaurant and barroom with one of today’s most luxurious postal codes- Quayside Isle on Sentosa Island.
Pronounced as ‘MOO-ZAY-O’, which is Museum in Italian, MUSEO boasts of a ritzy interior, with rough-cut concrete walls, plush comfy seating as well as an integrated social painting studio (known as Art Jam at Arteastiq), a stunning view of the Marina and a picturesque sunset to boot. Accompanied by specially selected house music, MUSEO seeks to whisk you off into an idyllic respite where the mind can relax and the soul is at ease.
The first-of-its-kind, MUSEO presents a whole new dining concept of ‘Dine-In-A-Cup’ where signatures of Pan Roast Cod Fillet $33 and Two-way Lamb $35 are served in tasteful glass holders, adding on to the overall snazzy appeal of this place.
For a more intimate touch, diners are allowed to customize their very own Mezzanine set by choosing up to 4 out of 12 specially concocted Chef creations for $39. Alternatively, you could leave it to the expertise of Chef Yip and his team and order their Mezzanine Signatures, which includes 4 recherché selections for $38.
** Do note that these are tasting portions
The gimmicky concept of Specialty Tea Sets has also been brought over from Arteastiq and diners will recognise the similar presentation of the teapot, glass cup, biscotti and shot of syrup, all served neatly in a row on a dark wood tray with a tea menu which includes old favourites and new refreshing concoctions of Fruit, Floral and Ginger teas.
Chihuly Lounge @ The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore Presents Spring Weekend Afternoon Tea
Cheese lovers rejoice! The beautiful and classy Chihuly Lounge at The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore presents its seasonal Spring Weekend Afternoon Tea with a delightful theme of CHEESE! Be enamored by more than thirteen cheese-based desserts creatively put together by Executive Pastry Chef Terence Pang during this Cheese extravaganza from 2 March to 26 May 2013.
The Spring Weekend Afternoon Tea features a live station of Strawberry Balsamic Salad with Mascarpone Sorbet, together with a choice of Cheddar Raisin Scones or Plain Scones. These fluffy buttery scones are kept warm in the wok and are best enjoyed with the lashings of jams and cream all available on display. My vote goes to the Mascarpone Sorbet which was refreshingly light with highlights of creaminess and milky sweetness, the perfect compliment to the crunchy olive croutons served alongside.
Savory bites include a MUST TRY Oven Baked Bacon Wrapped Potato with Honey Mustard, simple but well executed dim sum items such as Steamed Scallop Siew Mai and Steamed Vegetarian Soon Kueh with Sweet Flour Sauce and Sour Chili, and an indulgent Glazed Wagyu Beef Ball with Smoked Garlic.
Wimbly Lu Chocolate Cafe @ Jalan Riang
Wimbly Lu Chocolate Cafe located at a relatively obscure part off Upper Serangoon has been on the radar for quite some time now. But having lived in the West for most of my life, venturing to the North is hardly on the cards. So when a few of my friends and I had a sudden adventurous streak one day, we decided to explore this much raved about dessert cafe.
The place was not hard to find with the GPS and once we spotted the iconic red coloured Beetle parked outside the shophouse, we knew we were at the right place. The layout of the cafe bore a subtle semblance to Open Door Policy. We were greeted by the same dim and romantic setting upon walking in, while the courtyard had similar glass paneled ceilings allowing cheerful sunlight to pass through. Furniture were mismatched on purpose, with different types of chairs and tables pulled together quite easily by that rustic red-bricked wall. And because Valentines’ Day had just passed, there was still residue decor of streamers with hearts and ornaments hanging from the ceilings, giving a whimsical touch of fancy.
The menu here at Wimbly Lu, though not extensive, offers a decent variety of desserts such as cakes, truffles, waffles and ice-cream. There is a heavy emphasis on the sweets but savoury items such as Golden Fries, Cottage Pie and Hash browns are also available for a light snack.
For just $8.50, this Waffle with Salted Caramel Ice-Cream and Chocolate Sauce was superb. Light and fluffy with a crispy browned skin, this was faultless and easily one of the best waffles in town. The Salted Caramel ice-cream had a lovely balance of salty and sweet. You could almost feel that distinct flavour of the sea salt flakes on your tongue as well as the stickiness of the caramel all in a single taste. Unfortunately, our additional scoop of Honey and Cinnamon Ice-Cream did not have anything on that Salted Caramel Ice-cream and paled much in comparison.
Check out 5 Best Places For Waffles In Singapore for more great waffles!
I was a little disappointed with the Eton Mess $6 which was just not as tied together and well combined as I had hoped. The cream and mixed berries sat as a separate entity from the meringue pieces instead of coming together as one dessert. I would not order this again.
The Root Beer Cake with Vanilla Ice-Cream $6 however, was a surprising and unique number. Loved how the Vanilla ice-cream really brought out the root beer flavour and had me thinking of the A&W Root Beer Float!
Drips Bakery Cafe
Our Tiong Bahru food trail brought us to Drips Bakery Cafe after a rather satisfying lunch at PoTeaTo a few blocks away. A lovely walk through the old school houses that we passed by while taking the back alley lanes and short cuts for Tiong Poh Road made us feel as though we were not in modern cosmopolitan Singapore for a bit. Somehow, time seemed to slow down and with the beautiful windy breeze we had that day, it was as if we were back in the 1960s at that moment. I am really loving this indie heritage neighbourhood for all its charms and of course, their growing number of cafes, restaurants and bakeries.
Drips Bakery Cafe has been around for a while and needs no introduction. It is a quaint space with framed pictures hanging on their white washed walls, with a cosy lounge area and whimsical comfy lounge seats for you to kick back and while the afternoon away over a cuppa coffee or tea. As its name describes aptly, Drips sells a drip of everything- sandwiches, cakes, tarts, drinks and takeaways, an almost guarantee that everyone will find something they like right here.
The display counter of their mouthwatering and very visually appealing cakes and tarts first greet you when you walk through the glass doors of the cafe. It is difficult to make choices here because every single baked good is simply a work of art as pastry chef, Alfred Chan had cleverly played with the natural vibrant colours of fruits and condiments to create that final end product that is almost irresistible. So hold onto your purse strings tight! Or you will find yourself ordering everything…
The first we tried was the Cinnamon Pear Tart $7.50 that tasted as good as it looked, if not better. Chunky pear slices that were deliciously sweet, sprinkled with cinnamon spice sitting on a bed of custard and buttery crust. Loved how the overlaying gelatin seemed to tie everything together, allowing you to get a bit of pear, cinnamon and crust all in a single forkful. This was a good tart and must-try!
The Dark Chocolate Banana Tart $7.50 is one for the dark chocolate fans. While the chocolate was a little too strong and intense for me, the sweetness of the ripe sliced bananas balanced out the flavours, making it quite delightful. The dust of cocoa powder and icing sugar over the top was a lovely finish to the overall look of the tart.
I was very intrigued by the Cinnamon Egg Custard Tart $4.50 because of its over-browned top layer that had a bit of a crème brûlée-like consistency without the caramelization. I definitely eat with my eyes and so once I saw this, I knew this shortcrust pastry was coming to my table.
Carpenter & Cook @ 19 Lorong Kilat
Artisan bakery and vintage furniture shop, the little less than 2 month old Carpenter & Cook has already earned itself quite a fan base in the scene despite its not-so-central location. The shop is relatively big and almost every corner is adorned with vintage paraphernalia, from typewriters to cake stands and even an old grandmother’s trunk that is used as a ‘bench’ at the communal dining tables.
Yes, almost everything you see in the shop can be brought at a price. Definitely a unique concept going for them and with freshly baked pastries and breads everyday by Chef Shenn Sim who graduated from Le Cordon Bleu (London), you can be assured of a fine tea party at this place, with the matching decor and quirky furniture to boot.
Deenise and I had a date here on a Tuesday afternoon after hearing many good things about this place. And being the pastry and dessert fans we were, this place was definitely a must-try on the list.
We arrived at 1pm and were pleased to find many seats available. There is no food menu at this place as the daily offerings are what is on display on the pretty vintage flowery cake stands and matching rustic looking platters. And since they had only opened at 12pm, there was unfortunately not much out of the kitchen yet. The nice server informed us that more would be coming out later in the day.
So we settled on a few delectable looking items available first and waited patiently for more pastries or tarts to come out from the kitchen.
The first we tried was the Fruit Scone $4, served with clotted cream and jam. Very pretty looking and the perfect scone shape. Spreading a large dollop of cream and jam onto a half of the scone, we each took a large bite with much anticipation. To our dismay, the scone was a tad too hard and not as fluffy as we had hoped.
The Vegetarian Quiche $7 came highly recommended by the ladies at the counter and it did not disappoint. For one, I had already fallen in love with the beautiful flower-patterned china plate the quiche and side salad was plated on. The open-faced pastry crust of the quiche was nicely crisp and buttery, while the filling of cheese, onions, mushrooms and roasted tomatoes made a very tasty savory baked custard that complimented the crust very well.
