Tea Lounge @ Regent Hotel Singapore - Afternoon Tea In A Contemporary Colonial Garden

Tea Lounge at Regent Singapore has reopened and you will find yourself stepping into a contemporary colonial garden with lush tropical greens and warm sunlight piercing through the window binds. Having Afternoon Tea here is made even more tranquil than before. Along with the refurbishment, interactive elements are added to bring your food closer to your senses. Unlike the usual Three-tier Afternoon Tea set which comes with an assortment of savoury delights, scones and sweets, Gold culinary Olympian Pastry Chef Alex Chong and his team will be crafting and sculpting your sweets a la minute, prepared at the Chef's work table.

The Scones here are are the first to be savoured once the tier is served. Buttery, kind of spongy and yet with a crusty exterior. Traditional lemon curd is served as well. What I had was a lemony, creamy and buttery scone as I slathered the Devonshire clotted cream all over. It would have been perfect if its house-made strawberry preserve is a lot less sugary and more tart.

With the scone craving satisfied, we moved on to its seasonal Quiches. The quiche is also a hot favourite here. Within the thin and buttery crust is a creamy and eggy filling loaded with ham.

Moving to the top tier that is filled with petite savoury finger food. made extravagant with ingredients such as Perigold black truffle, Alaskan king crab and foie gras. Right in the middle is a open sandwich Roasted Wagyu Beef and Lancashire cheese on rye bread crowned with Perigold black truffle. One could easily engulf it at one go but it's worth savouring the richness and flavour in smaller bites.

The Alaskan king crab stands out with its green colour watercress crepes. The crab meat was firm and sweet. Though there isn't much taste contributed from the watercress crepes, I enjoyed its fluffy texture. Another small yet rich in flavour is the Duck Breast and Lavender infused Foie Gras Terrine on tart. It is almost like eating bone marrrow on crostini with complementary sweetness lent from Spanish black figs.

There are 4 options for the plated desserts and I chose the Dark Chocolate Forest. The Chef's work table gave me a reason to exercise a bit while waiting for the dessert to get ready. You get to see the chefs putting together the various desserts, especially for the Golden Apple, in which the Chef got to create a fairytale green apple out of sugar. While it is a good effort to engage the guests, it would have been more meaningful if the effect could be more theatrical. My adorable dessert may look monotonous but it is filled with textures and complementing flavours from caramel cream, banana chocolate gelato, pecan brownie, chocolate choux puff, banana coulis and a crunchy chocolate crumble.

Along with my dessert, i ordered a Pour Over Coffee. Highly recommended for coffee enthusiasts and coffee lovers alike. With a newly introduced tableside trolley service, the well versed staff will bring the coffee over and prepare it infront of you. I love the part where i got to breath in the aroma as the staff poured the hot water which has been brought up specifically to a few degrees shy from boiling point, over the freshly ground coffee. Teas here are also a lot more exciting than the usual TWG. Each category comes with a romantic background and infusions are blended with quality tea leaves, flowers and herbs.

I enjoy the intimacy that one gets at this newly refurbished space at Tea Lounge, with the custom made partitions, mixed of warm and natural lights surrounding it. The new plush lounge seating makes it even harder for me to leave at the end of the session.

The Weekday Three-tier Afternoon Tea is priced starting from $48 per person and available from Monday to Friday from 12pm to 5pm.

Words and photos 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.


Tea Lounge
Regent Hotel Singapore
Lobby
1 Cuscaden Road
Singapore 249715
Tel: +65 67253245
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Orchard MRT (NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Weekday Afternoon Tea: 12pm - 5pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Orchard MRT station. Take Exit E. Walk towards Wheelock Place via ION. Exit Wheelock Place and turn left towards Liat Tower. Continue onwards to Forum Shopping Mall. Walk further down to Orchard Parade Hotel. Turn left onto Tanglin Road. Continue walking down Tanglin Road. Turn left onto Tomlinson Road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 18 minutes. [Map]

Ming Yun Famous Fried Hokkien Prawn Noodle @ Geylang East Centre Food Centre - A Surprisingly Good Plate Of Fried Hokkien Mee

This is my first time visiting Geylang East Centre Food Centre and I chanced upon Ming Yun Famous Fried Hokkien Prawn Noodle which serves a decently good plate of fried hokkien mee. During my visit, the stall is run by an uncle alone who is probably is around 50-60 years old. Apparently the stall has been around for some time but has relocated several times. As far as I know, it used to be in Redhill, Bedok 85 and Tampines before settling down at its current location.

Fried Hokkien Mee 4.2/5

I ordered a pate of the Fried Hokkien Mee ($4/$5/$6) which comes with 3 peeled prawns, squid, egg, pork belly and pork lard. The first thing I noticed is the used of thin beehoon noodle instead of those thicker type used my most fried hokkien mee stalls.I actually like used of the thin beehoon which seems to be a better absorbent of the stock. In addition, the wok frying probably have given it a drier texture providing a contrast to the wetter yellow noodle.

I ordered the smallest plate at $4, For the pricing, I think the stall is quite generous with the ingredients (prawn, squid and pork belly). What I enjoyed most is the burst of unami from the crispy pork lards, capping the whole enjoyment. I read some reviews that they find the stock too sweet, I actually thought otherwise, which is rather balanced. However I have to agree about the chilli, it does not go well with the hokkien mee.

Surprisingly, the stall also sells mee siam on the menu. However, everyone in the queue ordered only the hokkien mee. I guess we have to trust the crowd and stick to the fried hokkien mee and give the mee siam a miss.


Ming Yun Famous Fried Hokkien Prawn Noodle
Geylang East Centre Food Centre
Blk 117 Aljunied Ave 2
#01-12
Singapore 380117
Nearest MRT: Aljunied (EW Line), Paya Lebar (CC Line, EW Line)

Opening Hours:
Thu-Sun: 6am - 2pm
(Closed Mon to Wed)

Direction:
1) Alight at Aljunied MRT station. Take Exit B. Turn left and walk towards Aljunied Road. Take the overhead bridge. Cross the road and walk to bus stop opposite Aljunied MRT station (Stop ID 81081). Take bus number 80. Alight 2 stops later. Cut through the housing estate and walk to destination. Journey time about 10 minutes. [Map]

 2) Alight at Aljunied MRT station. Take Exit B. Turn right and walk to Geylang East Ave 1. On Geylang East Ave 1, turn left and continue to the end of the road. Cross the road and continue on Aljunied Crescent. Walk down Aljunied Crescent and turn right onto Aljunied Ave 2. Walk to destination. Journey time about 15 minutes. [Map]

3) Alight at Paya Lebar MRT station. Take Exit C. Walk to bus stop at Paya Lebar MRT station (Stop ID 81119). Take bus number 134 or 155. Alight 2 stops later. Cross the road. Cut through the housing estate and walk to destination. Journey time about 10 minutes. [Map]