I was looking for a place for a quick catch-up with a friend when the Kempinski High Tea popped up. They were featuring the Singapore Heritage Afternoon Tea which has quite an interesting offering compared to the rest of the high tea available so I quickly put in a booking
Located next to the Capitol Building, the lobby lounge is on the first floor of the hotel with a private and exclusive entrance which I really like as there is no disturbance from people walking around the lobby
The lobby lounge has each table sitting in a small corner or area by itself to make sure that all groups will have their own privacy. The entire decoration is colonial-styled with wooden and grey hues giving the space a modern yet grand atmosphere
The server would bring the menu for the high tea set for your information and explain that the experience will be split into 3 different chapters; East meets West, Local takes centre stage and the Melting pot
Before the start of the chapters, we were given a palate cleanser, a light lychee sorbet served in a small shot glass on top of a wooden tray with pretty ceramic tiling details. The tea is also specially curated to match each chapter so with the service of a different chapter, the tea is changed
The first chapter was served in a cute, antique-looking wooden case with a sliding door. The first chapter covers the time of East meets West so it has a couple of pretty interesting items like; chicken rice shaped like sushi with a dash of garlic and chilli puree on top, chicken curry quiche with mashed potato rosette, Hainanese pork chop sando sandwich with HP sauce, kaya toast with foie gras butter and egg foam. The other items resembling the West include the butter marble cake, sea salt pandan scone with red bean clotted cream and Hazelnut Praline chantilly. The pairing for this chapter was the Mist Valley White Shou Mei white tea which was clear and light in flavour. My favourites from this chapter were the chicken rice, pork chop sando and chicken curry quiche as they embodied the local dishes’ taste in a new and innovative way. The kaya toast was nice but I could not taste the foie gras much in the butter which was quite a letdown
The next chapter was where local takes centre stage with the following items; chilli crab petit pan with coriander, Kueh pie tie with spicy tuna and seaweed powder, Otak Otak toothfish, Ondeh Ondeh cake with desiccated coconut and gula melaka and Bubur Cha Cha panna cotta with sweet potato foam. The tea pairing for this chapter was the Mist Valley Pu-Er which is a mild darker tea. After the elaborate display from the first chapter, the 2nd chapter was quite a toned-down version with the only interesting plating being the rice sack holding the kueh pie tie cup. The kueh pie tie has a nice crispy cup and a refreshing mix of tuna while the Otak has a light spice which is suitable for people who cannot take spice. The brioche bun was buttery but the chilli crab sauce in the bun was not enough in my opinion. The other sweet items were a little sweet for me
The last chapter consisted mainly of sweet desserts with only 1 savoury item and the pairing of Mist Valley Lapsang Souchong which is a smokey dark tea. I love that the tea balances the sweetness of the desserts. The last presentation was the most normal served on a rattan platter with pretty shelled tiles in the middle. This chapter has the Laksa Espurna with steamed scallops and prawn curd and dried shrimps, Milo Dinosaur Berliner, Mao Shan Wang Durian Pengat. Cold soybean milk tart with grass jelly and osmanthus boba and ice cream Uncle Wafer sandwich. The Laksa is mildly creamy with light spice which helps to make the rest of the sweet dessert less heavy on the stomach. The tart has a nice soybean custard but I found the tart too soft while the ice cream sandwich, milo dinosaur and durian pengat were all filling on the stomach
Overall, the experience at Kempinski Hotel Lobby Lounge High Tea was very enjoyable with great service and attention to detail. The entire environment is quiet and suitable for conversations while taking in the different creations from the chef without rushing for time. I loved some of the fusion creations which were delightful to look at and delicious to eat at the same time
Address: 15 Stamford Rd, Singapore 178906
Pricing: SGD $52++ per person on weekdays and SGD $59++ per person on weekends and public holidays
Opening hours: 11 am to 9 pm
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