Tiong Bahru Bakery @ JEM - Well-loved Tiong Bahru Bakery Opens First Branch in the West

Tiong Bahru Bakery (TBB) has been steadily growing and expanding since its founding in Tiong Bahru. Recently, they opened their 17th outlet and are making their debut in the West by spreading a new branch in JEM at Jurong East.

The warmly decorated 60-seater space is conveniently located next to the mall's taxi stand and is a short walk from Jurong East MRT station. It operates from 7.30am to 10pm daily, making it fit for a drop-in any time of the day - whether you are looking for an early breakfast, a hearty brunch, or a dessert spot after dinner.

It continues offering its classic bakes, pastries and desserts alongside freshly brewed coffee, tea and juices to complete the meal.

Brie & Roasted Mushroom Croissant 4.5/5

We quickly demolished the savoury Brie & Roasted Mushroom Croissant ($12.60). The flaky croissant was filled with rocket leaves, earthy sautéed mushrooms, onions and generously portioned brie. I particularly appreciated how the base of the croissant remained delightfully crisp.

Tartine Set 4.2/5

The Tartine Set is a returning favourite, and fans would be happy to hear that this is now officially available at all outlets. Comprising slices of TBB's signature sourdough served with Le Beurre Bordier butter, La Trinquelinette jam, and a beverage of choice. It makes for the perfect choice as a substantial snack or light meal.

Chocolate Kouign Amann 4/5

Apart from the original Kouign Amann ($5.50), check out the Chocolate Kouign Amann ($6.70) studded with bits of chocolate within the swirls.

Quiche Lorraine with Salad 3.8/5

We tried another item from the savoury menu, the Quiche Lorraine with Salad ($13.70). I appreciated how the palm-sized quiche was nicely served warm, but I didn't find it as value for money compared to the other items. The taste was average, and the quiche was eggy, with bits of bacon within.

Hot Chocolate 4/5

There's an extensive choice of beverages, from coffees to teas, bottled juices, kombucha and non-caffeinated options. The Hot Chocolate ($6.80) was nice and not too sweet.

Hojicha Latte 3.8/5

Similarly done less sweet, the Hojicha Latte ($8.50) leaned a lot more milky than I would prefer.

Exotic Cheesecake 3.8/5

The Exotic Cheesecake ($9.50) was much lighter in its cheese notes than I expected. It had a coconut sponge paired with lime and vanilla cream cheese mousse, a mango, passion fruit and yuzu filling, topped with coconut and lime chantilly on a coconut crumble.

Chocolate Tart 4.2/5

Try TBB's Chocolate Tart ($8.70) if you are here for a sweet treat. Although it has chocolate from top to bottom, it's layered nicely with drops of caramel to finish.

Photos and words by Jo. A girl who loves her Mala (麻辣) at Da La (大辣), discovering hidden food gems and a good cup of matcha latte. Note: This is an invited tasting.


Tiong Bahru Bakery
JEM
50 Jurong Gateway Road
#01-34/35
Singapore 608549
Tel: +65 6877 4812
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Nearest MRT: Jurong East (EW, NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 730am - 10pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Jurong East MRT station. Take Exit C. Walk to destination. Journey time about 3 minutes. [Map]

Ginger.Lily @ Hilton Singapore Orchard - Newly Refreshed Afternoon Tea Experience with Nikkei-inspired Delights

Embark on a four-part journey of Savoury, Sweet, Thirst and Take Me Home with Ginger.Lily's newly refreshed Nikkei-inspired Afternoon Tea menu. Thoughtfully curated by Director of Culinary Vijay and Executive Pastry Chef Cindy, they seek to bring diners to experience a fusion of Japanese and Peruvian flavours and ingredients.

A minimum of 2 diners per table is required, at $58++ per person for food only or $78++ per person for an additional glass of champagne. Included in the set is a choice of 2 hot teas per diner from an extensive range of 10 premium tea varieties.

If you prefer delicately flavoured teas like me, I would recommend Ginger.Lily's house blend, The Ginger.Lily. It is a specially put-together blend of tea leaves paired with goji berries and perfumed with mild florals and exotic fruits.

Welcome Drink

We were first served with a Welcome Drink of tangy-sweet pink guava and yuzu.

Nikkei-style Salmon 4/5

The trio of Nikkei Savouries started with an appetite lifter, the Nikkei-style Salmon. It had fresh cubes of salmon paired with crispy quinoa, cucumber strips and a generous pour of yuzu sauce.

Shishamo 4.2/5

Next, we had a fried piece of meaty Shishamo sandwiched between a lightly grilled mantou bun. It had a mild kick of heat from jalapenos and sriracha.

Sando 4.2/5

The last of this segment of savouries was the satisfying Sando, a well-fried chunky piece of Kurobuta pork laced with sweet tonkatsu sauce and black garlic aioli in bread.

Nikkei Nigiris 4/5

We were surprised to find out about this next part! Not only was it the first time for us to have sushi at an afternoon tea, but it was also carefully torched to finish by the chef at our tableside. The Nikkei Nigiris feature three pieces - the Foie-Gras, Maguro Chu-Toro and White Fish.

Nikkei Nigiris

While the sushi rice was a little more loose than we would prefer, we appreciated the freshness of each. The Maguro Chu-Toro was served with orange ponzu glaze and wasabi, while the White Fish had Shiromi chilli. My favourite was the melt-in-the-mouth Foie-Gras with a brush of ginger-flavoured teriyaki sauce.

Japanese Inspired Sweets 4.2/5

We moved into the Japanese-inspired sweets gorgeously presented in a layered turquoise drawer. Aside from the Red Tea Azuki Dorayaki and Scones, we were recommended to make our way through from the top to the bottom, progressing from the lighter to the more decadent flavours.

Matcha & Sudachi

Despite hoping for more intense matcha notes in the soft Matcha & Sudachi roll cake, it was a lovely, refreshing piece with tangy sudachi notes.

Japanese Mango Cheesecake, Muscat Anise Shortcake, Strawberry Miso Tart

Other featured sweets were the Japanese Mango Cheesecake, Muscat Anise Shortcake and Strawberry Miso Tart, which had an oozing filling of strawberry bits upon halving.

Mikan Cacao Pepper Choux, Sesame Finger Cookies, Hokkaido Potato Moelleux

The more assertive flavours are brought out in the unique Mikan Cacao Pepper Choux, nutty Sesame Finger Cookies and Hokkaido Potato Moelleux.

Scones 3.8/5

We ended off with an afternoon tea staple, scones. The Cranberry Scones and Vanilla Scones came in two pairs, accompanied by a side of strawberry apple jam, yuzu chocolate creme and clotted cream.

I found the scones a tad doughy, but I was particularly surprised to find myself enjoying the yuzu chocolate creme. I'm not usually a fan of a similar citrusy combination of chocolate and orange, but the yuzu here is distinctly bright and balanced off very well with the darker chocolate.

Nikkei Sour 4.5/5

I adored the new Nikkei Sour concocted in-house. It is part of a selection of Nikkei-inspired cocktails designed to pair with the refreshed afternoon tea pieces and their all-day dining. The Nikkei Sour is crafted using Matcha distillate and a Macchu Pisco base, boasting a light, fruity and citrusy profile.

Save a table for Ginger.Lily's afternoon tea at https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/sinorhi-hilton-singapore-orchard/dining/ginger-lily/. There are 2 seatings, with the first seating from 1pm to 3pm and second seating from 3.30pm to 5.30pm.

Photos and words by Jo. A girl who loves her Mala (麻辣) at Da La (大辣), discovering hidden food gems and a good cup of matcha latte. Note: This is an invited tasting.


Ginger.Lily
Hilton Singapore Orchard
Level 5
333 Orchard Road
Singapore 238867
Tel: +65 6831 6273
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Nearest MRT: Somerset (NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 8am to 1am

Direction:
1) Alight at Somerset MRT station. Take Exit B. Walk to ground level. Turn left onto Orchard Road. Walk down Orchard Road. Cross the road and walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]

Bar Intermezzo @ Orchard Hotel Singapore - High-Tea Semi Buffet With Free-Flow Dessert Bar

Bar Intermezzo at Orchard Hotel Singapore presents a High Tea Semi-Buffet with a free-flow dessert bar and a complimentary glass of Prosecco per person.

What I like about this semi-buffet is that there are three tiers of cold and hot savouries instead of the usual 1 or 2 tiers, which are enough to fill me up before I move on to the dessert bar. Freshly baked scones are also served with free-flow of coffee and tea.

Crab Cake with Saffron Aioli, Unagi Kabayaki Quiche

Prawn Vol-au-Vents, Gammon Ham and Truffle Cheese, Hokkaido Scallop Crudo

The variety of savouries offered is wholesome and hearty, even though they may be dainty in size. In particular, I enjoyed the Crab Cake with Saffron Aioli and Gammon Ham and Truffle Cheese from the hot selection. The latter was delectable, with a rich and creamy mouthfeel from the melted cheese, a classic combination done right. Both were perfect with my glass of prosecco.

Truffle Egg Sandwich, Black Angus Beef Tartar, Gravlax Salmon Sandwich

From the cold selection, Black Angus Beef Tartar stood out with an interesting combination of chocolate tart and beef, enlivened with a slice of gooseberry. The bitter-sweet notes from the chocolate tart went really well with the meat. Gravlax Salmon Sandwich was equally scrumptious with a luscious slice of Gravlax salmon.

Durian Chocolates

Jivara Tart

Praline Chocolate (with Alcohol)

The dessert bar offers a variety of small sweet bites, and my favourites are the chocolate items such as Praline Chocolate (with Alcohol) that literally bursts with alcohol and Jivara Tart. The Durian Chocolate made with creamy durian mouse with dark chocolate was also surprisingly delightful.

There's also a Valrhona Chocolate Fondue. Not as rich as I would like it to be, but decent enough.

Yuzu Tart

Macarons

Other sweet selections include tangy Yuzu Tarts and a variety of Macarons.

Bar Intermezzo's High Tea Semi-Buffet is available on Saturdays and Sundays, 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM at $50 per pax (min. 2 pax to serve). For reservations: Tel 6739 6668 or Email intermezzobar.ohs@millenniumhotels.com

Photos and words by Si An. A girl who is allured by travelling, loves the feel of freedom, smell of the rain and the aroma of fine coffee and food. Note: This is an invited tasting.


Bar Intermezzo
Lobby
442 Orchard Road
Singapore 238879
Tel: +65 67396668
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Nearest MRT: Orchard MRT (NS, TE Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 10am - 11pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Orchard MRT station. Take Exit 4. Walk to Wheelock Place. Walk to traffic junction of Orchard Road and Angullia Park. Cross the road to Royal Thai Embassy. Turn left and continue down Orchard Road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 10 minutes. [Map]

L'Espresso @ Goodwood Park Hotel - English Afternoon Tea Buffet With Rosy Delights In Support Of Breast Cancer Awareness Month This October

In support of the annual Breast Cancer Awareness Month (BCAM) this October,  Goodwood Park Hotel proudly presents a line-up of rosy-themed treats as special highlights within the popular English Afternoon Tea Buffet with Local Favourites and Rosy Delights at L'Espresso. In addition, a $3 nett donation will be made to the Breast Cancer Foundation for every adult dining on this buffet from 1 to 31 October 2022.

Diners are invited to feast on an indulgent selection of petite sandwiches, pink finger sandwiches of cucumber & cream cheese, and egg & truffle aioli.

The mini croissants include favourite flavours like tuna salad and salmon & brie cheese with honey mustard.

The dainty savoury tarts feature interesting flavour combinations such as the stone crabmeat salad with pink grapefruit and mentaiko dressing, greenland shrimp with raspberry mango aioli and beetroot cream cheese with forest berries compote. The fruit zestiness added a refreshing twist to the seafood.

The fried food section includes the juicy baked Mexican-style chicken mid-joint wings, crispy cheese croquette, spam fries and popcorn chicken.

One of our favourites is the mini pork burger with seafood cutlet and mentaiko mayonnaise. The seafood cutlet was superbly tender, which paired well with the mentaiko sauce.

There are also meaty choices of an assortment of skewers and roast carvings. Not to be missed is the beef wellington which has an incredibly tender and succulent beef tenderloin wrapped in a crispy, buttery pastry shell.

For local favourites, mouth-watering dishes like Laksa, Dry Mee Siam, Png Kueh, Crispy Yam Cake and Singapore Chilli Crabmeat with Mantou are not to be missed.

To end the meal or enjoy in-between, savour a wide array of rosy-themed desserts such as the Pink Pomelo Cream Tart and Raspberry Cheesecake that will delight those with a sweet tooth.

ENGLISH AFTERNOON TEA BUFFET WITH LOCAL FAVOURITES & ROSY DELIGHTS 1 October to 30 November 2022

- Two seatings on Mondays to Fridays (12pm to 2.30pm; 3pm to 5.30pm)
- Three seatings on Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays (11am to 1pm; 1.30pm to 3.30pm; 4pm to 6pm)

Mondays to Thursdays: $65++ per adult; $39.80++ per child
(inclusive of coffee or tea (one serving) and free-flow self-serve cold fruit tea)

Fridays to Sundays: $68++ per adult; $40.80++ per child
(inclusive of coffee or tea (one serving) and freeflow self-serve cold fruit tea)

Photos and words by Crystal. A girl who likes to eat, photograph, and write about food, and dreams about travelling around the world one day. Note: This is an invited tasting.


L'Espresso
Goodwood Park Hotel
22 Scotts Road
Singapore 228221
Tel: +65 67301746
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Nearest MRT: Orchard (NS Line, TE Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Fri: 12pm - 230pm, 3pm - 530pm
Sat-Sun & PH: 11am - 1pm, 130pm - 330pm, 4 - 6pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Orchard MRT station. Take Exit 1. Walk down Scotts Road to destination. Journey time about 12 minutes. [Map]

Atrium @ Pan Pacific Singapore - Launches The Brand New Panache Of Singapore Afternoon Tea

Located on the first floor of Pan Pacific Singapore, the Atrium Lounge is known for its iconic seating pods floating over a reflective pool. It recently launched the brand-new Panache of Singapore Afternoon Tea, available daily from 12pm to 6pm. One can look forward to an enhanced dining experience with refreshed presentation and added touches such as welcome cocktail and amuse bouche, as well as enchanting melodies played live on a magnificent grand piano.

The afternoon tea comprises an ode to the classic indulgence with a touch of Singaporean flavours. Highlights include the Durian Choux, Singaporean Chilli Crab Brioche Roll, Pandan Cheesecake, and Classic Scones paired with Chef Dannevien’s handmade Pineapple and Peppercorn jam.

The sweets selection features local favourites such as the Durian Choux, and Pandan Cheesecake on the first tier, as well as the Lychee Chestnut Gâteaux, Dulcey Chocolate Passion Tart, and White Chocolate Banana Gâteaux.

My favourite is the Durian Choux, filled with creamy and indulgent Mao Shan Wang durian and Gula Melaka for a hint of sweetness.

The White Chocolate Bana Gateaux features ivory whipped ganache layered with fluffy chocolate cake, complete with a crunchy praline feuilletine and soft banana confit that provide different dimensions of textures and flavours.

Savouries include the Singaporean Chilli Crab Brioche Roll, Homemade Virginia Ham Sandwich, Laksa Tart, Egg Pinwheel Roll, and Cucumber Sandwich.

Not to be missed is the Singaporean Chilli Crab Brioche Roll, with a fluffy soft brioche roll filled with crabmeat and savoury sweet chilli sauce. Another local favourite is the Laksa Tart, baked with laksa spices and topped with poached shrimp.

These decadent afternoon treats will not be complete without the finest beverage selection. Choose from an elaborate range of nearly 20 types of TWG Tea loose leaf, featuring locally inspired Singapore Breakfast and Weekend in Singapore and aromatic brews from Bacha Coffee. Take the teatime affair up a notch and sip on dreamy bubbly or toast to an Espresso Noisette and Brewberry Colada, handcrafted cocktail and non-alcoholic cocktail by Atrium's mixologists.

Panache of Singapore Afternoon Tea
- $52.00 per diner | includes a pot of TWG Tea or Bacha Coffee
- $62.00 per diner | includes a glass of Copenhagen Sparkling Tea or Brewberry Colada (non-alcoholic cocktail)
- $72.00 per diner | includes a glass of Champagne or Espresso Noisette (cocktail)

Words and photos by Crystal. A girl who likes to eat, photograph, and write about food, and dreams about travelling around the world one day. Note: This is an invited tasting.


Atrium @ Pan Pacific Singapore
Pan Pacific Hotel Singapore
Level 3
7 Raffles Boulevard
Singapore 039595
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Nearest MRT: Promenade (CC Line, DT Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 12pm - 6pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Promenade MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]