Tea Lounge - Japanese Afternoon Tea

Last year, there was also this Japanese Afternoon Tea at Tea Lounge, however I could not make it for last year's so when I saw it again this year, I knew I had to go. Sadly, by the time I came to know of this, the weekend afternoon tea buffet was already fully booked with a rather long waiting list! :( So I decided to go on a weekday.

The "journey" for today's afternoon tea wasn't smooth sailing at all, it was as if I was fated not to try this afternoon tea again this year. Luckily, I managed to get there still to try it out (:

This Jap Afternoon Tea is presented by Pastry Chef Yoshihide Hamamoto of Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo. I'm not sure if he's the chef who came last year though! His creations showcases traditional English afternoon tea items with a Japanese twist, with some good creations really showcasing the mix of cuisines but some didn't shine as much though the names sound really appealing.

Tea Selection

The different tea blends on offer! Some weren't displayed here but are on the menu. You can open the cover and smell the tea to decide what you want! There's also a full and informative description of each tea, including the leaves, how they're roasted, the flavour, whether its full bodied or not, etc in the menu! 

The setting

Mountain/Mixed Berries

Forgot what its called, anyway its a mix of diff berries and is caffeine free! This tastes like a less sweet version of cranberry juice haha. Doesnt really go well with afternoon tea IMO 'cos its slightly sweet? 

Lemon curd/Devonshire cream/Organic Strawberry Preserve for Scones

Left: Lemon Mango Tea

This was Mom's tea and it was slightly sour! Good refreshing tea to accompany an afternoon tea I feel! This is also caffeine free!

Top tier: Assorted sandwiches

We were served this first and not in the traditional stand 'cos the sandwiches were ready first and not the oth desserts! (: I'll talk about the sandwiches that I didnt take individual pics of!

Smoked Salmon and Ikura on Nori Bread (front left): a few things. 1) There wasn't any ikura, or there was but I didnt see and didnt taste any. 2) The bread didnt taste like nori bread, it was hard and well, tasted like wholemeal bread to me. Nori's seaweed btw. Mm smoked salmon was a tad salty for me? 3/5

Organic Egg and Wasabi-Mayo on white bread (back, right): This one had no wasabi taste at all, the normal egg sandwich. Though I must say that the egg mayo on top was v light! 3.3/5

Japanese Cucumber and Cream Cheese on Sour Dough 

The Jap cucumber was v crunchy, though the cream cheese was barely discernible. Would've thought it was mayo if I didnt look at the menu! More cucumbers would have been an added delight as the current ones are sliced quite thinly and the middle section seems to not have any, though from the pic it looks like there is! 3.6/5

Unagi and Seaweed on Soya Bread

This was the best sandwich of the day! It really feels like something Japanese. The unagi was sliced really thin and you've gotta slowly chew and savour to taste it and with the slow eating, you'd be rewarded with flavours you'll miss if you chewed quickly like you're rushing somewhere. The seaweed atop's v fragrant as well!! 4.5/5 

Teriyaki Chicken Salad with Bonito Flakes on Seven Grain

1) The bread doesnt taste like a seven grain bread haha cos its v light!

2) The chicken has no teriyaki taste at all and we even thought it was ham! V slight meat taste to it

3) This was not bad, bonito flakes just remind me of takopachi (Jap balls haha) 3.6/5

Afternoon Tea Set

Its non-refillable and the top tier is supposed to be the sandwiches!

Middle tier

Bottom tier

Dark Choc and Yuzu Souffle with Vanilla Pod Creme Anglaise

This was served shortly after we were presented the tiered stand and we were advised to eat it while it was hot else it will deflate. A few things about this too:

1) It wasn't hot when it was served, my Mom's was slightly deflated too

2) Didnt taste any vanilla pod creme anglaise. There was a layer of sugar "water" or sth right at the bottom of the souffle, maybe that was it?

3) It didnt taste like dark choc at all, more like milk choc cos it was quite sweet!!! Even with the sour yuzu to balance it out, it was still sweet!

Didnt enjoy this at all, lucky it was a small cup. 2.5/5 

Roasted Tea Chocolate Tart

Didnt taste any roasted tea at all, this was like a regular dark choc tart! Not bad, pastry isn't the usual crumbly type, quite hard and stays in a piece even when bitten! Rich dark chocolate here (: 3.6/5 

White Miso Cream and Dark Cherry Tiramisu

The white miso cream tastes a little like yoghurt? It would've been good if there was a stronger liqueur taste or if the cherries were soaked in liqueur to "lift up" the dessert! Else it was pretty flat. 3.5/5 

Wasabi Apple Eclair with White Chocolate Dipped

This was one of the best desserts I had that day!! Really reminds me of Japan and a good twist to the classic English eclair! The cream has subtle hints of wasabi, savour this slowlyyyy please. No apple taste though! 4.3/5

Yuzu and Grape Fruit Jelly

This is good as a end-of-meal palate cleanser! Its sour and tangy!! 3.6/5

Strawberry Cream Sesami Pie

This tastes like a v thin tart base with cream and strawberries, v normal. 3/5

Peach Tart Tatin

Honestly, you cant tell what fruit's on top haha its just sweet and a little soft/juicy. The crust was a little airy and flakey, not bad. 3.4/5

Honey Ginger Panna Cotta

This panna cotta was hard. Not soft and pudding like, like what I had in most Italian restaurants. This was hard, slightly cake-like texture. Taste it slowly and hints of ginger can be detected which I quite like! (: 3.4/5

Plain Scones

These were undoubtedly fluffy!!!! I've heard some saying that Tea Lounge has the best scones in Singapore, I'd agree if you like those fluffy soft kind of scones! It wasnt crispy on the outside like how I like mine but the fluffiness, oooh, definitely the most fluffy ones I've had to date!! This must definitely be eaten in small bites and over a period of time else you'll get full and tire of it quickly, I feel. 4.3/5

Adzuki Beans and Matcha Green Tea Scone

This tastes like green tea, and there are some adzuki beans scattered but barely discernible. A more cakey texture and less fluffy vs the plain one. Felt the strawberry preserves went best with the plain and less so with the green tea one. 4.2/5

For 38++/pax, I wouldn't say this is value for money, a good experience though. But one that I doubt I'll be returning for. For a little bit more, I'd get a wonderful Sunday brunch buffet at Basilico with foie gras, seafood, and a sizeable size of desserts too! The were some good stuff today but on the whole, quite disappointing. There are magazines to read and papers as well, the ambience is q good with a pianist playing at about 2.30pm I think? Oh yes you can choose 2 teas I think, and I switched to the Jasmine tea which was not bad.

Service is friendly, professional and prompt!!

Tea Lounge

The Regent Hotel

Bistro Soori - Good value set lunch

After looking at their lunch, dinner and brunch menu, I felt that the set lunch menu was the most value for money because essentially the food you're getting is similar but at a cheaper price! And lunch is from 11.30am-2.30pm, great for early eaters!!

The boy and I walked from Chinatown MRT station and the walk was quite fast! Umm about 10mins or so? If you need directions, I can help you! (:

2 kinds of bread

Mixed seed and wholemeal

Liked the seed one better! 

Butter with pepper bits! Note: they only have olive oil and not balsamic vinegar!

Karaage Fried Prawn, Cherry tomato, Kaffir Lime, Russian Dressing

This was good, light batter, not too oily, liked the Indian-ish tinge to this dish because it somehow tasted like lemongrass? Haha. Succulent juicy prawns!! 4.3/5

Scallop, pistachio, arugula, truffle, pear vinegar gelee

Scallops were a tad salty if eaten on its own with smothering it in the good truffle sauce! Loved the sour & sweet gelee! 3.5/5

Miso soup 

You cant choose the soup you want, it depends on the day! This was ok, lots of mushrooms though for such a small cup.

Fish of the day (butterfish), fennel, tamarind, thai basil

This was done pan-fried and boy was I glad to have ordered this instead of boring ol' salmon!! This was like cod fish, but less oily, flesh was definitely soft and super fresh!! The boy and I both loved it! Also liked the crunchy fennel and the yummy sauce! (: 4.7/5

Braised short ribs, polenta 

This somehow isnt in their menu on their website so I think the menu isnt updated? At first the boy was like "huh such a small piece ah *sad face*" but after he bit into one piece of the ribs, he gave a huge satisfied smile and went "mmmmm so soft!! THIS IS GOOD!" He happily ate the remaining piece of the ribs and yearned for more! He says he'll order it ala carte next time! (The ala carte lunch menu has the same items as the set lunch menu! Just that I guess, it has larger portions?) 5/5

Beautiful and relaxed interior of Bistro Soori. Makes me feel like I'm in a restaurant in Bali! Love how the sunlight illuminates the place so nicely and the clean minimalist feel of the place! The man there behind the counter is Chef Benjamin McBride! Quite friendly guy! The chefs really do prepare your food behind that counter so if you want to have a look, do ask for those seats!

Pandan Souffle, Strawberry

Look at that! Pretty & perfectttt. Dug into it like a happy kid and was glad it was airy, soft, quite strong pandan taste (reminded me of pandan waffles like those from prima deli haha), scrapped every last bit of it I could! The cookies were butter cookies, v crisp and light!! Evil because I could eat them all day. 4.3/5

Almond panna cotta, blueberry, lemongrass

This almond panna cotta isnt v strong unlike the chi desserts, firm but soft at the same time. Those nuts lend a nice crunch to this dessert! The boy was quite happy with this! 4/5

Service was definitely very good here, friendly, polite, water constantly refilled and nice atmosphere! (: Its quite near both Outram and Chinatown MRT! Nestled in the old shop house, wonderful neighbourhood to walk around after your meal (: Oh and set lunches are 39++!! Quite a few choices to choose from for appetisers, mains and desserts!

Bistro Soori

No 2 Teck Lim Road

Keystone Restaurant - unique experience

Read about this new restaurant and thought it'd be quite interesting to have a meal there! Plus the menu looked v enticing! So the boy and I went down for lunch on Monday (:

Complimentary Amuse Bouche

Beetroot with goat cheese ash and pumpkin soil

Now this was rather interesting blend of flavours! Surprisingly, goat cheese and beetroot works quite well together! The pumpkin soil just melts in your mouth haha 4/5

Charcoal bread with rosemary

Ohmyyyyy now this was YUMMY with CAPS. The bread will always be served piping hot (PIPING, unlike some restaurants where its just warm/cold) and the aroma of the bread, mmm~~~ salivating now!!! Hints of charcoal and the definite strong aroma of rosemary when you bite into the bread, plus the soft but firm texture of the bread, I'M IN HEAVEN (: Loved the bread so much we asked for more!! MUST-TRY! Pls dont skip this wonderful bread! 5/5

Foie Gras Burger - His Lunch Set

Petit brioche, mix berry jam, honey pineapple air

We bought thought the honey pineapple air was reallyyyy refreshing! But felt the brioche to be a little too thick such that you cant really taste the foie gras with 2 slices of it so we took out the bread and ate the foie gras on its own. Loved the jam w the foie gras! Oh and the foie gras, expectedly, was melt-in-your-mouth yummy goodness! (: 4/5

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Osteria Mozza

Dinner at Osteria Mozza before Lion King! It's a greattttt musical, please catch it if you havent! You'd be amazed by the costumes and its really hilarious (:

FYI, most restaurants at MBS have a pre-theatre menu for Lion King which starts around 5pm! So yall can go check it out! (:

After placing your orders, the serving staff will come around and give you a choice of 3 breads I think? Sourdough, wholemeal and sth else which I forgot ooops. The wholemeal's really good! Cos its studded with seeds and the texture's not too hard/soft, just nice for me (:

With compliments from the chef

Little Gem Lettuces with asparagus, peas & Pecorino

I felt that this dish was really average, and that they put a little too much of the cheese! There were walnuts in it as well. 2.8/5

Grilled octopus with potatoes, celery & lemon

This was reallyyyyyy salty that day! Sodium overload! And the texture was a little too chewy. Perhaps the chef over-grilled it? 2.5/5

This was grilled sardines with some beans at the bottom. (Sorry cant find the name in their website!)

This was surprisingly good!! Initially I didnt want to order this because I thought it was a little weird eating sardines at such a restaurant, but luckily we did order it in the end! This was the best appetiser that night! The fish was fresh and tender, not overcooked at all. The beans were a delight to eat as well! 3.9/5

Burrata from Puglia with leeks & fett'unta

The cheese had a really mild taste and you have to slowly savour it to taste the aroma of the cheese (it is really quite mild for me). But I think the creaminess is awesome! And it goes really really well with the toasted brioche that came along with it!

After reading many raving reviews about this, I must say I was rather disappointed with it, cos I something with perhaps a stronger cheese taste? But nonetheless, it was rather enjoyable in terms of the creaminess! 3.5/5

Pan roasted pork loin with cranberry beans cooked in soffrito

According to the parents, the pork was really soft and tender + flavourful! They really enjoyed this dish! 4/5

Guinea Hen Crostone with liver pancetta sauce

My mom thought this was a bit too much for her in terms of portion as the meat/liver to bread ratio was quite large. She didnt manage to finish this dish and commented that it wasnt very enjoyable because it wasnt fragrant or anything and it was a tad too salty. Just an average dish. 3.4/5

Grilled Japanese Eggplants with mint & yoghurt

This was quite yummy cept that most parts were charred, think the kitchen could've done a better job in terms of that 3.5/5

Pan roasted sea trout with umbrian lentils and red cabbage sottaceto

Felt that the fish was a tad overcooked and was a little too bland. The stuff at the bottom were average tasting too. Didnt expect such a dish at such a restaurant! 3.2/5

Duck al Mattone with pear mostarda & sweet corn

Everyone agreed that the duck was good, with crispy skin and juicy on the inside. The boy preferred to eat it with the pear mostarda though! He says it makes it taste much nicer! The sweet corns were mixed with some chili I think? But they were really enjoyable! 3.8/5

Vanilla Panna Cotta, mixed berry compote with hazelnut & almond biscotti

THIS WAS VERYVERY GOOD. Easily the star of the night!! You could see the vanilla bean specks studded throughout the panna cotta which was extremely fragrant and of the right texture! The berry compote was not too sour and complimented the panna cotta perfectly. The biscotti was good too. 4.5/5

Cioccolato

The choc cake was really smooth and the taste of the dark chocolate was so divine I tell you! Pure bliss if you're a chocolate lover! Also there were different types of chocolates that came with the cake, and all were great! 4.4/5

To sum it up, I think Osteria Mozza did not impress me as much as I expected it to and I think desserts are definitely their forte instead of their appetisers/main. Perhaps I should try their pastas another time?

But the next visit would probably be to Pizzeria Mozza with more of their desserts in mind!