Been busy recently? Do you find your waking hours filled with endless chores and a task list that stretches to the floor? Well, it’s time. For an afternoon break and high tea in Singapore, to be exact.
Where to Find High Tea in Singapore
Go on, pamper yourself and get together with some friends even with your kid in tow. From affordable to luxe, these places below are all kid-friendly and will hit that sweet spot when you need a dose of high tea in Singapore.
L’Espresso at Goodwood Park
Credit: Goodwood Park
Escape the bustle with an elegant English afternoon tea at L’Espresso, a lounge cafe with a breezy poolside terrace. Bring an empty tummy – the spread is substantial!
Foodie alert: Duck rillette with Granny Smith apple with red onion marmalade canapé, slow roasted spiced lamb with garlic aioli in pita bread, roast paprika chicken or slow roasted boneless veal leg with herbs, passionfruit meringue tartlet
Sets you back: From $45++ (adult), $22.50 (child) including two servings of coffee or TWG tea
When to go:
Monday – Thursday: 2 pm – 5.30 pm
Friday – Sunday, Eve of PH and PH: 12 pm – 2.30pm (1st seating), 3 pm – 5.30 pm (2nd seating)
House at Dempsey
Travel back in time with the House High Tea buffet, served in a dreamy, rustic fashion. The restaurant is a sprawling space and kid-friendly, so you can soak up the carefree ambience with your baby on your hip. How absolutely Instagrammable.
Foodie alert: Sweet potato leaf fried rice, Phad Thai, be surprised
Sets you back: $30++
When to go: Thursday and Friday – 3.00pm to 5.30pm
READ: 60+ Kid-Friendly Restaurants in Singapore
Anti:dote at The Fairmont
Credit: The Fairmont
Explore a leather-clad jewellery chest laden with sweet and savoury gems. A selection of 14 small bites await at Anti:dote at Fairmont.
Foodie alert: Finger sandwiches like pickled beetroot cream, smoked salmon and ikura roe, Boston Maine lobster roll, banoffee pie, traditional Battenberg cake, freshly-baked warm scones with clotted cream and lemon curd
Sets you back: From $48++ (adult) and $18++ (child)
When to go:
Monday – Thursday: 3 pm – 5 pm
Friday, Saturday, Sunday, eve of Public Holidays and Public Holidays – 12 pm to 2 pm (first seating), 3 pm to 5 pm (second seating)
*Call ahead to make reservations
Lime Restaurant at Parkroyal On Pickering
Credit: Parkroyal On Pickering
Surrounded by greenery, this airy cafe is a chill place to sip your tea. You might not weep tears of joy at their decent afternoon tea set Tiers of Joy, but you’ll most certainly be able to happily catch up with your BFFs with this value-for-money offering.
Foodie alert: Chocolate pudding with Guanaja Chantilly, peanut butter chocolate cup with Gianduja Chantilly, Peking duck duxelles in profiterole, ayam percik shepherd’s pie and snow crab with green apple open-faced sandwich.
Sets you back: From $42++ (serves two); includes a high tea set and one serving of speciality coffee and TWG tea
When to go: 3 pm to 6 pm
Tiffin Room at Raffles Hotel
Credit: Raffles Hotel
This is a stalwart of high tea in Singapore. It offers the whole nine yards for the atas tea sipper – ambience, food, architecture, service. Of course, there’s a three-tier stand for finger foods and a small buffet spread of other small bites offering a fusion of English-Asian flavours. They also have a special menu available with dairy- or gluten-free options but do ask at least two days in advance.
Foodie alert: Salmon and cream cheese finger sandwiches, scones with homemade jam and clotted cream, mango pudding with lemongrass cream, chicken curry pie, croque monsieur with grain mustard
Sets you back: $62++ (adult), $30++ (child)
When to go: Daily 3 pm to 5.30 pm
*Tiffin Room will be closed from 13 August 2017 as part of Raffles Hotel’s restoration programme and is slated for a grand re-opening in the middle of 2018, along with the rest of the hotel.
Tea Lounge at Regent Hotel
Credit: Regent Hotel
A posh, quiet affair, this English afternoon tea lounge does not disappoint. On weekdays, an English three-tier afternoon tea set comes with a choice of tea, illy coffee or Valrhona chocolate shake (!). But it’s the weekend high tea buffet that shines with a mix of western and eastern, and a plethora of local flavours.
Weekday foodie alert: Chocolate shake! Raisin scones, gravlax salmon finger sandwich, almond-basil macaron
Weekend foodie alert: Afternoon tea set; local buffet counter with laksa, Hainanese chicken rice, live waffle station, and dessert spread by Culinary Olympics gold medalist Pastry Chef Alex Chong and his team
Sets you back: Weekdays $48++ (adult), $22.50++ (child); weekends $61++ (adult),| $30.50++ (child, buffet only)
When to go:
Monday – Friday: 12 pm to 5 pm
Saturday – Sunday: 12 pm – 2:30 pm; 3:00 pm – 5:30 pm
Cassia at Capella
Credit: Capella
Pamper yourself with a tea sesh at luxury resort Capella’s fine dining Chinese restaurant Cassia. Go for a quintessentially British colonial afternoon tea set with Gryphon tea selections, or opt for a fun twist – a Chinese “dim sum” tea experience.
Foodie alert: For colonial set, feuillete chicken sausage with Parmesan, custard of duck liver with yuzu, 70% dark chocolate cheesecake and Bordeaux caneles; for Chinese “dim sum” set, steamed barbecued US Kurobuta pork bun with black truffle, siew mai topped with abalone, homemade passionfruit cream
Sets you back: $39.90++ (pair with a Taittinger Champagne at $59.90++)
When to go: Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays only: 3 pm – 5 pm
*Or you could pretend that Capella’s luxe Sunday brunch (12.30 pm to 3 pm, from $148++ with alcohol) is actually high tea, with free-flow champagne and boutique wines. They have mocktails designed for kids during Sunday brunch.
Clifford Pier at Fullerton Bay Hotel
Credit: Clifford Pier
With an expanse of views of Marina Bay, this luxurious dining room offers a modern local Singapore Heritage Afternoon Tea set of savoury and sweet items.
Foodie alert: Chilli crab bun, chicken curry and roti jala wrap, paper-thin kueh pie tee, kurobuta kong ba pau, wagyu beef croquetas, scones, bandung macaron
Sets you back: $38++
When to go: Monday – Sunday: 3.30 pm – 5.30 pm
LeBar at Sofitel Sentosa
Credit: Sofitel Sentosa
How about doing high tea with some French flair? LeBar’s Afternoon Tea à la Française might win you over with its accompaniment of Sofitel Sentosa’s tranquil surroundings, and a charming jewellery box filled with food.
Foodie alert: Finger sandwiches, scones and jam, cakes, savoury amuse-bouches and mini pastries
Sets you back: $80++ (serves two persons)
When to go: Monday – Sunday: 12 pm – 5.30 pm
And there you have it! 10+ amazing places where you can sit back and relax to enjoy a wonderful afternoon of high tea in Singapore.
