Having seen the Simply Strawberries afternoon tea publicity photos, I was completely swayed to give it a try as it looked so tempting. However, it was almost impossible to make a reservation at such short notice as they were fully booked (sigh, lesson learnt). Fortunately, a friend of mine was able to help arrange for a table so this visit could still happen!
Depending on whether it’s a weekday or a weekend, the price per person will set you back $45++ or $49++ respectively. There are two seatings each day: 1pm to 3pm and 3.30pm to 5.30pm. My husband and I went for the first seating as I anticipated it to be sufficient as a late lunch substitute. Free-flow Brazilian Coffee and Ronnefeldt Tea were also included but with an additional $20++ per pax, there was the option to have unlimited Prosecco. During our visit, paying with a DBS, Citibank or UOB credit card accorded us a 15% discount so do remember to check for ongoing promotions with the staff.
- Our order:
- Simply Strawberries afternoon tea for 2
- Spent: SGD$90.05
Located on level 1 of the hotel next to the main entrance, the Lobby Lounge is comfortably furnished and has a nice, relaxing ambience. It didn’t feel all that spacious though, probably because there were huge columns punctuating much of the area.
Shortly after we were seated, a staff brought us two glasses of Sweet Kiss welcome drinks to start. This tea-based drink had a mix of strawberries, pineapples and kiwis, which turned out to be extremely sweet so I didn’t touch mine after a few sips.
Looking at the beverage options on the menu, I was very much drawn to the flavoured fruit infusion section. Alas, we were informed that they’d run out of these (the only one still available was Sweet Kiss, which had already been served as our welcome drinks). The Irish Whiskey Cream black tea was likewise sold out due to its popularity.
In the end, we decided on hot chocolate, the Morgentau and Jasmine Pearls green teas, as well as the Dragonwell Zhejiang chinese tea. Although each pot only held about two cups worth of tea (which isn’t a lot), that gave us the opportunity to try out various teas so that worked out nicely (:
When the beautiful rotating display of treats was brought to our table, the staff pointed out each item to explain what it was and recommended for us to eat from the bottom up. Gosh, the scones were soft and warm when they arrived, absolutely enjoyable! This reminded me of the other rare occasion when I actually finished a scone at Four Seasons Hotel’s afternoon tea, just too good. You could see the skill and finesse that went into preparing each segment. From the perfectly buttery, crumbly tart bases to the smooth consistency of the mousses, the execution was indeed impressive.
Most of the items also had a great balance of flavours. I thought I wasn’t going to like the ones that had both sweet and savoury ingredients, like the balsamic roasted strawberry pintxos with onions and cheese, as well as the mango strawberry tartlets with garlic cream cheese. These ended up being my favourites of the lot, especially the tartlets! This further reinforces my belief that garlic truly makes everything better (in the right proportions).
Unfortunately, there was one particular item that was rather appalling – the mascarpone swiss roll. The jam tasted strange and artificial like plastic, according to my husband. It was so unpleasant that I had to wash away the lingering taste with my hot chocolate. What an anomaly this was.
My overall rating of the experience: 4 out of 5 stars. The Lobby Lounge had a comfortable, cosy feel to it, wonderful for chilling and having extended conversations at. Save for one exception, most of the food items were really delicious and well done too (making me willingly devour a whole scone is no mean feat). The staff here were also friendly and approachable, especially Shane, who checked in on us from time to time to actively offer us beverage refills. It was a bit of a pity that they ran out of quite a few beverage options but the teas that we eventually ordered were fantastic nevertheless. Definitely worth returning a second time (:
Dania Experiences 