Posts Tagged ‘Sandwiches’

Shangri-La Rose Verandah Afternoon Tea 2013

July 20th, 2013 365days2play

I am on a quest to try out all the afternoon teas available in Singapore to recommend you my favourites! After my visit to Ritz Carlton Chihuly Lounge’s Afternoon tea last month (the 3rd time I’d visited Ritz Carlton actually), the next stop was to naturally be reacquainted with the Rose Verandah.

Shangri La Rose Verandah (29)

Raisin scone with clotted cream and jam, one of best scones available

The Rose Verandah is like the grand old dame of Afternoon teas. Back in 2005 when I first started enjoying afternoon teas, the Rose Verandah would be my go to location. The afternoon tea has been available for as long as I know, and Japanese ladies of leisure love coming here to socialise over nibbles. You’ll be able to catch them in action especially if you come on the weekdays. In fact, it’s more economical to come on weekdays because the afternoon tea hours are extended, there being just 1 sitting instead of split into 2 on the weekends.

Shangri La Rose Verandah (32)

The Rose Verandah used to boast their 101 tea selection, quite a mind boggling number I must say. But guess what, it’s now morphed into 164 teas! For the price of your buffet, you can have free flow of 1 type of tea. Should you wish to have another type of tea, it will be an additional charge of $7.50. The trick is to just order one pot of tea first between you and your dining companion. You can then change the tea to something else halfway through the meal.

Although there are so many teas to choose from, which gives the impression that the Rose Verandah is an “English” Afternoon tea type of place, the spread is actually very international. There is also a good emphasis on local delights, so you can actually customise your own mee siam at the mee siam station, have har gow and siew mai, and even tuck into cooked dishes such as curry chicken and Asian duck.

Shangri La Rose Verandah (24)

Salmon sashimi, my favourite! There are a few sushi types to choose from too, but I only had eyes for the salmon.

Shangri La Rose Verandah

Someone came around with bowls of soup so we got one for ourselves.

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Posted in 1.1 Hotel Restaurants, Shangri-La Hotel Tags: , , , , , , , , , 2 Comments »

Afternoon tea at Halia, Raffles Hotel

May 25th, 2013 365days2play

I’m always on the look out for nice places to have afternoon tea. You know, I think that Singapore really could do with more afternoon tea places. I know we have lots of interesting new cafes, especially in recent times where we are literally seeing a new cafe pop up each month. But I’m talking about decadent afternoon tea places, places from yesteryear, that make you dream of faraway lands. For just those few blissful hours, each sip of tea and each morsel of macaron transports you to a place lost in time, where stress and tiresome duties do not exist.

And so I was glad to make acquaintance with the new Halia at Raffles Hotel. Halia takes over the spot which was once occupied by Seah Street Deli. Afternoon Tea Service is available here daily from 3pm to 5pm. For $35++, a two-tier tea stand with a scrumptious selection of sweet and savoury nibbles will be served to you.

The long and short of it all, is that all of the items were pretty delicious. I’ve come across several other afternoon teas where some items are really mindblowing, while other items are not worth your calorie intake. At Halia’s afternoon tea, there aren’t any items that are overly rich or cloying.

Afternoon Tea at Halia Raffles Hotel (14)

This is the entire set that will be served, along with your choice of a drink. It may not look like a lot, but guess what, I had to tabao a few items home! Scroll all the way down to check out the entire list of food items available in the 2 tier service.

Afternoon Tea at Halia Raffles Hotel - Macarons (2)

Which do you normally start with, the desserts, or the savouries? For me, I’ll definitely start with the savouries, but I think the desserts tend to make a more droolsome photo. This picture here plus a few other below show double the number of goodies but the accurate reference picture is the 1st picture at the top.

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Posted in 1.0 Media Invites, 1.1 Hotel Restaurants Tags: , , , , , , , , , 3 Comments »

Au Chocolat Bistro

September 28th, 2012 365days2play

As promised, here is part 2 of the Au Chocolat write-up. I visited Au Chocolat a total of THREE times in the span of 1 week, BEAT THAT!!!

The first time I was there, I was there with my BFF2012 to recce if Au Chocolat would be a nice location for my pre-wedding shoot. It was a pretty easy and unanimous decision that the whimsical and quaint look of Au Chocolat would be just perfect for chocolate loving me. A food blogger having her pre-wedding photos taken in a restaurant, not a bad idea right? We were there at 4pm to recce the place, and after perusing the menu, I was so famished that I ordered dinner! Ok fine, I had a very light lunch, and I had a Spa session which would end only after 8, so it was a good time for dinner.

The 2nd time I was at Au Chocolat was with The Partner and a whole contingent of photographers and makeup artist! The staff at Au Chocolat were so sweet (a pun?) they just made our day by being so helpful throughout our shoot. I’m glad I didn’t scare off any customers. They looked more amused and curious than annoyed. And in fact, the number of passers-by that did a double take, some even retreating their steps to get a better look at us, it made me feel like a model, aww!! It must be the wedding dresses I wore, plus the entourage!

The 3rd time at Au Chocolat was with The Partner again, after a quick visit to the Harry Potter Exhibition. This time I got to eat a proper dinner, although I had to rush off for the F1 after that. While eating, lo and behold, another friend walked into the restaurant! The same friend who I mentioned Au Chocolat to, and couldn’t wait to come and try it out too!

Au Chocolat is definitely a must visit when you are at Marina Bay Sands. Even if you don’t dine there, it’s worth taking a look. The sweet shop is enough to make you wanna open up your purse or wallet. Hey, that’s what happened to my make-up artist, who ended up buying some cute sweets for her son!

Au chocolat (11)

Au chocolat (36)

Au chocolat - Croque Monsieur $16 - Sliced ham & aged gruyere cheese between 2 slices of crusty bread, coated with creamy bechamel grilled (2)

Croque Monsieur $16 – Sliced ham & aged gruyere cheese between 2 slices of crusty bread, coated with creamy bechamel grilled

Before I begin on sandwich, I have to tell you that Au Chocolat’s fries are fantastic! Really crispy on the outside, and having fluffy insides. It was a pleasure to eat every single one of them. And they arrived piping hot and crisp on all the occasions that I ordered them.

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Posted in 1.4 Cafes, 1.9 Others, Cafe Reviews, Food Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , Comments Off on Au Chocolat Bistro

Cafe Crema at Gardens by the Bay

July 15th, 2012 365days2play

After the whirlwind visit to Gardens by the Bay 2 weeks ago for the Supertrees Dining event, I’d made a mental note to spare no effort in returning to visit Gardens by the Bay properly as soon as possible. That day came earlier than expected when a friend managed to take leave on a weekday to accompany me there.

My plan was to visit the Jewellery Fair at Marina Bay Sands, enjoy a leisurely lunch at Cafe Crema followed by an equally leisurely stroll through the Gardens. In the evening, we would head to Sentosa to enjoy a barbecue by the beach. What a fantastic way to spend the day don’t you think? By the way, our leisurely lunch turned out to be even more leisurely than we’d expected so we only managed to cover a third of the Gardens. Which now gives good reason for me to return yet again.

Cafe Crema - (4)

Cafe Crema is one of the eateries at Gardens by the Bay. If you’re walking over from Marina Bay Sands/Promenade MRT Station, it is a pretty long walk, at least 20 minutes or more I would say? However, if you’re taking the public bus from Marina Bay MRT Station or if you’re driving, it would be easy to get to Cafe Crema as it is just after the Visitor’s Information Counter.

Cafe Crema, with its whitewashed walls and black-framed windows is pretty hard to miss. In fact, the decor is such that you feel like you just want to go in and buy a croissant or something, just to relax in its environs and people watch. Food here is a little pricey, but not overly so. Unless you’re buying a slice of cake or just a drink, do not expect anything under $10.

Cafe Crema - Mediterranean Vegetable Sandwich $17 (4)Mediterranean Vegetable Sandwich (Grilled Zucchini, peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, roast tomato salsa and pesto dressing with foccacia) $17

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Posted in 1.4 Cafes Tags: , , , , , , , , 3 Comments »

Devonport Deli Cafe in Auckland

July 1st, 2012 365days2play

After my bank breaking trip to Norway and Denmark last year, this trip to New Zealand is much more pocket friendly. New Zealand is really a very affordable country to visit. Restaurant and cafe prices are very similar to that of Singapore, and I would even hazard to say that the cafes are cheaper. I haven’t seen a latte that costs more than $4.50 here, even from the cafes in a crowded mall. And don’t get me started on food at the supermarket, it’s crazy! Meat and fruits are half the price! But more about that in the next post.

I thought I would be blogging daily during this trip, just like how I did it for the Norway trip. However, this being my 4th visit to New Zealand, I haven’t gone to any of the key tourist attractions except for the Auckland Zoo and Devonport. The highlight for this trip was actually for us to take our pre-wedding photos in New Zealand, and this we managed to do on Wednesday, after scrutinising and fretting over the weather reports daily. Can’t share any photos of that for now as they are still with the photographer. Yoo hoo photographer, if you’re reading this, where are the photos?

After the pre-wedding photo shoot, we finally had some time and peace of mind to do the more touristy stuff. Visited the Devonport area on Saturday. It’s across the waters from Auckland City central, so it seems to be more laid back and less crowded. The place looks quaint, with a number of buildings in the Art-Deco style. Lots of restaurants and cafes, and shops selling antiques, gifts and books.

Where to eat in Devonport Auckland?

We had lunch at the Devonport Deli Cafe. I didn’t google about any of these cafes before I visited. Heck I didn’t even google about Devonport before I visited. I just stepped into the cafe whose decor appealed to me the most. But that’s the great thing about food here in New Zealand. More often than not, the food (and coffee) will be good. Certainly for this entire trip, the food has surprised me on upside.

Devonport Deli (1)

Devonport Deli Cafe (5)

Deli Breakfast $12.50 – Scrambled eggs, bacon, hash brown and grilled tomato on toast, plus a flat white

We thought this was a pretty good deal as the flat white on its own already cost $3.80. See I told you stuff is cheap(er) here. Loved the scrambled eggs, they had such great flavour! Also loved the hash brown, which for some reason tasted like meat, although the texture was that of potato.

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Posted in Country Guide - New Zealand, Travel Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment »
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