Rose Veranda @ Shangri-La Hotel, Peranakan Fare

I have been wanting to take a day off so that I can head to Rose Veranda at Shangri-La to just chill. It is one of my favorite places for an afternoon tea as it is a bit far out and the place is not too stark or noisy (though at times it can be when there are lots of children or big groups).

We got a table by the window with view of the greenery surrounding the hotel. The burgundy velvet deep armchair was quite perfect to relax in with a book and some nibbles.

Rose Veranda has changed its menu and now serves tea by TWG. The downside of it is that we don't get to keep changing the type of drinks (hot tea, iced tea, different types of coffee) unless we pay an additional $10++ for that option. The additional cost is not that much of an issue (though $48++ for tea?) but just that it is different from expectation. Usually I like to start with a glass of iced tea (usually some berry flavored), then a pot of hot tea before ending with the Viennese coffee which I love so much.

I decided on the Emperor's White Garden Tea which was under the White Tea selection. I typically prefer white tea as it is milder and not as acidic as black tea which has a sharp taste to it. The Emperor's White Garden Tea was a bit bitter but still mild enough to enjoy it without any sugar or milk. I am not sure if it is the teacup, but the tea gets cold very quickly so it is best to drink it fast if you do not like cold tea.

There was a Peranakan promotion on the day we were there, so the food was geared towards that. It was still good. I liked the char siew bun a lot. The bun was slightly sweet and soft and the char siew was tender and covered with just enough sauce. The siew mai and shrimp dumpling were equally good. Maybe I was lucky to get them when they were still fresh and had not been sitting in the steamer for ages.

The salmon sashimi was fresh and I could just eat this the whole day. The sushi was not as good as the seaweed wrap was a bit hard and dry by then.

There was the duck soup with kiam chye (salted vegetables) and straw mushrooms which was delightfully tasty. I did not really care for the straw mushrooms which tasted like they were out of a can. I guessed I am used to fresh mushrooms that I really dislike canned mushrooms.

The fried mee tai mak (short or mouse tail noodles) was a bit too oily for my liking and the prawns seemed overcooked. The assam fish was average and the prawns were not too bad. What I really liked was the beef dish. It was slightly sweet and reminded me so much of Indonesia. I could not remember the name but it was a bit dry with coconut shavings? Not beef rendang but something else. It was not a common dish that was usually found in Peranakan restaurants.

At the carving station, there were roast duck which was really good with the plum sauce. I also tried the otak which was not too bad. I do liked the quiche with its flaky crust and eggy filling.

I still loved the chocolate truffle cake and creme brulee. The creme brulee was rich but I liked it that way. The Parisian Beard was interesting with a light peanut filling.

The macaroon which was sticky chewy sweet. I guessed it could be airier and lighter but it was not too bad.

All too soon it was time to go. If you are in a hurry, ask for the bill with at least 30 minutes to spare as they do take a long time to get back to you.

Afternoon Tea at TCC, Suntec City Mall

TCC over at Suntec City Mall offers a tea set special in the afternoon. It is pretty good as you get a pot of tea with scones, open faced sandwiches and fruit tarts.

Unfortunately I only like the open faced sandwiches. The other stuff didn't impress me much. Still, it is nice to sit down with a book and enjoy some tea and nibbles when you have an afternoon to while away.

A good way to spend a couple of hours. The outlet at Suntec City Mall is usually quiet as it is not very crowded on a weekday.

TWG Tea at ION Orchard

If you are a tea lover, then you will definitely adore TWG Tea for its vast array of tea blends available. With the opening of ION Orchard, it now has a boutique and salon in the heart of Orchard Road.

Established in Singapore, TWG (The Wellness Group) Tea offers over 800 types of tea. The mind boggles when presented with the tea menu.

With names such as Emerald Sun, First Kiss, Double Happiness, Magic Moment Tea, Valentine Breakfast Tea, Ocean Voyage Tea, Weekend in Casablanca Tea, Golden Rose Tea and Secret of Kashmir Tea, it is not a wonder to be drawn to the place again and again.

Besides tea, it also serves pastisseries and light meals and macarons. I love the rows of tea canisters lining up in the dark wood paneling and shelves.

Une glacé, anyone? A scoop of ice cream in a tea cup. I love the traditional proper place setting. It is the little touches which make a difference to the entire dining experience.

The shallow teacup allows the heat to dissipate faster which may not be agreeable to those who loves their tea to be super hot. For me, it is perfect as I could sip it without burning my tongue. I could not remember what I had, but it was in the white tea range with a subtle hint of floral.
We had macarons to go with the tea. The dark brown macaron had caramel in the centre and it was the bestseller. Not too sweet despite the caramel and it was slightly sticky chewy too. The other was something rose. It was a bit sweeter than the other and not too bad too.

TWG Tea was insanely crowded even on a Monday afternoon. It would be wise to make reservations.

Afternoon Tea @ Sherie's

Pretty delectable cupcakes, made by my friend Sherie. She is an amazing baker who makes the most delicious baked goods. She invited us (or rather, I self-invited and then it snowballed to an official invitation :p) to her place to try the red velvet cupcakes, in her words, we were the guinea pigs. And oh, we were such willing (guinea) pigs. Hehehehe.

Red velvet cupcake with very light cream cheese vanilla frosting. The frosting has real vanilla beans in it. See the tiny flecks of vanilla beans in them.

Our simple tea party where the cupcakes were the centerpiece. Celest and I added on the Malay sardine and potatoes curry puffs (or curry poks) and bbq chicken wings. Sweet and savory always go well together.

Then an unexpected treat ~ freshly baked bread rolls just out from the oven. Even though Sherie messaged to say the bread is ready, it did not register in my mind that she actually made it for tea. Hahahaha.

On the cooling rack. There absolutely is nothing like the scent of freshly baked rolls. These were infused with herbs and sun-dried tomatoes.

The first plate with its lovely motif on it. Cupcake and bread roll.

Slathered with generous serving of butter, it was yummilicious! Warm, soft and crusty with the little tart and sweet taste of sun-dried tomatoes and the slightly salty butter, absolutely delicious.

The red velvet cupcake with its ultra-lipsmacking frosting. Being home-made, the frosting was not super sweet like those sold outside. It was just nice. I loved the heart-shaped sprinkles too. So cute and so us! Hahahaha. The cupcake was moist and the frosting really went so well with it.

Red velvet refers to the reddish-brown hue of the cake and is thought to originate from the South (in USA). Some recipes call for red coloring or vinegar where it reacts with cocoa to form the red-brown color. Since there are many debates on the origins and traditions of red velvet cake, more information can be found here.

It is neither a chocolate or vanilla cake, and the taste is normal? Nothing too out of the ordinary, so it probably just looks pretty. More for decorative purposes?

Finally, one last surprise from Sherie. A dessert to round up the tea time feast. She called it a failed chocolate fudge and she turned it into dessert. She added alcohol and it became something like a chocolate trifle topped with a slice of orange. The alcohol content was quite high and each bite was soaked with it. A very rich and nice dessert, best to be shared.

Thank you, Sherie, for inviting us over and for such gorgeous and fabulous goodies and company.

Tea break @ The Canteen

After the very nice Elvis toast I had the other day, I went to The Canteen again with another friend. I realized I tend to go to the same few places and maybe try out new places every few months.

Then again, it could be that I am always in the Orchard area and there just are not that many new places (besides ION Orchard) to try out?

Anyway, I decided to try the sardine toast tea set. It was a bit of a disappointment as the bread was thick and it was not toasted till crispy brown. So the edges were just toasted and the inside was soft though not soggy. The sardine filling was nice, a bit spicy with just a slight hint of tanginess. The regular coffee was also much better than the kopi-c I ordered previously.

Then we spilt another order of the Elvis as this was not very satisfying at all. TT was also underwhelmed by her smoked salmon on scrambled egg toast set. The Elvis was soooo good as usual. I would not bother trying the other toasts in future and just stick with the Elvis.

Rose Veranda Again (Shangri-La)

I totally forgot I had promised a friend we would go to Rose Veranda at Shangri-La until she told me she had already applied for leave. Luckily I was able to reserve a table as it was quite full. Most tables were reserved for the afternoon tea session, not many were like us who just stayed there for the entire day.

This was the first time I actually tried the caesar salad and it was the right decision. The salad was so fresh. The crisp and crunchy green lettuce looked so appetizing and whoever did the mixing did a marvelous job of maintaining a balance of the dressing, anchovies and bacon with the greens. I loved it!

As usual, I needed my sandwiches. The mini brioche was nice, but not its pairing of tomato slices with brie (or was it camembert). It just tasted wrong. In the end, I added smoked salmon to the brioche and removed the cheese and that made it so much better. The slightly sweet bread with the savory smoked salmon.

The layout of the food had changed and the sushi and sashimi were kept in a chiller at a corner next to the soup section.

We decided to break for dessert after the cold items. Macaroon was nice, as was the tiramisu and chocolate mousse thing. The creme brulee was not that great as the sugar was too thick and it stuck to the teeth.

We shared the cake and the chocolate mousse cake was still my favorite. It was so soft by the time I got to it that it just fell on its side. The black forest cake and strawberry shortcake were not too bad either.

The hot food. I was not particularly tempted by them though I liked the siew mai and samosa. The drumlet was not too bad and the roasted potato was soggy. Maybe it had been in the warmer for too long with the cover down, resulting in a steaming effect?

Took a break of about an hour and then tried the tom yam noodle which was not nice at all. So I hardly touched it. The soup was not very tom yam-y as it lacked the fiery and sourish punch. It was a bit bland. Only the prawn was nice. Big and juicy and crunchy and sweet.

My last plate. I still preferred the samosas though the black pepper prawns with the yellow rice were not too bad. The cheese tart was average and the dumplings were quite hard by the time I took them.

After about 3 to 4 pots of different types of tea out of the 102 choices available, I switched to coffee. I ordered the Viennesse Coffee which was black coffee with whipped cream.

I totally forgot whipped cream was sweet and added 2 sugar cubes, making the coffee very sweet. Good thing I have a sweet tooth ;p I loved how Rose Verandah served the sugar cubes which were individually wrapped. That was so hygenic though probably not very environmentally friendly.

I still think Rose Veranda is a nice place to just chill on a weekday if you have the entire aftenoon free and just wanted to get away from it all. The food is not special but the highlight is more in the place and the choices of tea available.

Royal Copenhagen @ Takashimaya

It has been some time since I last went to Royal Copenhagen and it has made some changes. The menu is one of them. A bright fuchsia pink menu which seemed a bit odd.

Since we were there before 6pm, we were just in time for the tea menu. I had the tea platter for two as I wanted both scones and sandwiches plus the pastries (actually cakes). So I had 2 drinks. This was the house tea which was a bit too strong for my liking. I love the fine china used though.

The scones with butter, whipped cream and jam. They were not that fantastic at all. A bit run of the mill. Should have just skipped this.

The fruit platter which my friends ordered. Looked great. 5 types of fruits and a sherbet.

The open-faced sandwiches which were not too bad. Smoked salmon wrapped with eggs and shrimps over a tiny piece of toast.

My second drink - coffee- which was so much better than the tea. I simply adore good coffee. It just goes so well with pastries, especially donuts.

There were not that many choices left in the display case and so I had the chocolate tart and lemon cheesecake. The chocolate tart was very good. Rich and not so sweet. The cheesecake was not too bad.

Sheraton Towers Dining Room

Another Saturday, another lunch/tea buffet. This time it was back to the Sheraton Towers' Dining Room. I quite like the place for its simple yet decent food at a pretty ok price. Sometimes you just do not need to have all the rich dishes where you hardly have room in your stomach to really try everything.

The girls were late, so I started first since it was already 12+ pm and I didn't have any breakfast. The sandwiches were what I liked about the Dining Room and they were still good. I liked the toasted seasame seeds sprinkled over the ham/cheese sandwich. The siew mai were also surprisingly decent, same for the char siew pau. The popiah was a bit too dry and it fell apart when I tried to pick it up.

The pie tie was filled with shredded duck making it very yummy. The crepe also contained duckmeat and it was good too.

The sashimi and sushi were a bit sad, not that fresh or great. These were the "hot" items and the platter was always empty and they took some time to refill it. At least there were more choices instead of just the typical salmon.

The roast of the day was grilled turkey breast with cranberry sauce and gravy. Not too bad but I usually only preferred home-cooked turkey meat now :p

More sandwiches. My top three were the ham/cheese with toasted seasame seeds, tomatoes/cucumber and tuna with that pink stuff (I can't recall the Japanese name for it).

The other highlight besides the sandwiches was the laksa which was still very good. Lemak and flavorful. Nice.

Dessert time. The chocolate praline was to die for with its dark, rich chocolatey taste. The chocolate bread and butter pudding with vanilla sauce was equally good. The panna cotta was not too bad. I'm still a chocolate fan :p

For durian lovers, the durian penget which was very aromatic and sweet.

Chocolate lava cake with 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream and sprinkled with almonds. You could see specks of vanilla beans on it.

The chocolate oozing out of the cake. I did not bring my camera so had to make do with the phone camera which did not manage to capture the colors and details perfectly.

Next time, I guess :)