Afternoon Tea Review: Shangri-La Singapore
Keywords: Afternoon tea - Pink - Local Inspired - Elegant - Luxury
Month of visit: October 2020
Youtube video review: Shangri-La Singapore Pink Hope High Tea | Review
Pink Hope High Tea at Shangri-La Singapore.
The Shangri-La Singapore’s Pink afternoon tea has a specially curated menu running parallel with the annual breast cancer awareness month. This menu was introduced in collaboration with The Estee Lauder Companies to raise awareness for breast cancer research. For every instagram post with both of these hashtags, #TimetoEndBreastCancer and #UnitedinHopeSG in October, The Estee Lauder Companies will donate $5 per post (up to $10k) to support breast cancer research at the Singapore General Hospital.
This afternoon tea consisting of local and internationally inspired sweet and savoury finger items is held at the elegant Lobby Lounge of the Shangri-La hotel, Singapore which overlooks the lush greenery and pool deck of the hotel.
The Lobby Lounge at the Shangri-La Singapore.
Once we were seated at our table, we were presented with a beverage menu. There was a limited selection of specially brewed Shangri-La teas, coffee selections as well as locally inspired teh or kopi tarik. The table setting was nice, a floral plate with a folded napkin placed on top of it. A pink ribbon with an attached safety pin was provided if guests would like to publicly show their support of the breast cancer awareness movement. On the table, a copy of the menu was also provided although the afternoon tea set was fixed. This afternoon tea was priced at a modest $42++ or $48++ on weekdays and weekends respectively and was good for two. Diners can opt for a flute of rose Veuve Cliequot Rose Champagne for $25++.
Table set up for the Pink Hope High Tea.
Soon after making our beverage choice known, we were served the drinks. We had gotten their peppermint tea which was largely refreshing. The tea came in a beautiful and vibrant floral teapot with a matching teacup.
Tea served during the afternoon tea.
Not long later, our sweet and savoury items were brought over in an elegant three-tier stand and an accompanied rectangular plate. The stand came with a pink ribbon tied at the top to mark the occasion. Truthfully, this was one of the most opulent afternoon tea set-up we have came across in recent memory.
Opulent afternoon tea presentation.
The top tier consisted of a platter of pinkish dessert that was so pleasing to the eyes. The first on the list was a lime and peach tartlet which was a terrific blend of sweet and sour and was easily our favourite item on the menu. The second was a strawberry yuzu quenelle which was another great blend of sweet and sour but with a softer texture than the tartlet. The third was an araguani raspberry galet, an interesting take of a French delicacy. Finally, a milk chocolate dipped in pink chocolate was presented like a lollipop in the middle.
The top tier of the afternoon tea presentation.
Moving on to the second tier also led to a continental shift from European desserts to Asian desserts. This platter compromised of delectable asian delicacies in the form of kueh namely pulut hitam, chendol, rainbow lapis, sago and ang ku kueh. The concept of having these desserts, namely pulut hitam, chendol and sago in a classic kueh format was a unique experience for us. Worth mentioning, the ang ku kueh came with a bean paste or peanut filling.
The second tier of the afternoon tea presentation.
The bottom tier consisted of savoury items like the sakura blossom toro maki which was a little underwhelming given the hype from its fancy name. There was also rose water infused otah sandwich which was essentially a mackerel slider and was tasty. Finally, a pink lady smoked salmon sandwich completed this platter.
The third tier of the afternoon tea presentation.
On a separate rectangular floral plate, a vegetarian curry puff which was nice was accompanied by chicken Ngoh Hiang that was chewy. No afternoon tea is complete without scones and the scones served were rose tea infused. The scones were terrific in terms of their fragrance, texture and taste.
Accompanying plate with more food.
While the afternoon tea hours were 3-5PM, we were allowed to stay for as long as we wanted and the service crew were happy to top up our teapot with more hot water.
Concluding remarks: At a very modest price from $42 for two adults, this afternoon tea set is very affordable. Despite its price, there were no compromise in terms of presentation style, food quality and service rendered. We had very little to complain about and would highly recommend this afternoon tea.
