2 Stamford Road, Level 1, Fairmont Hotel, Singapore 189550.
Tel: 6431 5315
Been wanting to hit this hightea lounge up for a long time, so I must thank my wonderful foodie group for their patience in waiting till my wedding was over, before we finally headed for this interesting, Instagram-famous chest-of-drawers hightea at Anti:dote Lounge @ Fairmont Hotel.
Anti:dote Lounge is elegant and posh in decor, primarily a cocktail bar for lounging, but now it has its daytime use as well. Loved the comfortable settings as well as impressive chandeliers among dim lighting and polished countertops.
The afternoon hightea is available every weekday from 3.00pm -5.00pm, but they have 2 seatings on weekends (Fri-Sun) as well as Eve of Public Holidays and Public Holidays, being 12noon -2.00pm for First Seating or 3.00pm - 5.00pm for Second Seating.
Price per adult is around SGD$45.00++ and there are 2 sets to choose from (the difference mainly being the starters; the chest of drawers contain the same items) - The Anti:dote Tea with organic egg, sea urchin, salmon roe and caviar, or The Oriental Tea with selection of steamed and fried Hong Kong dimsum.
We started with pots of TWG Tea (various flavors available) served in pretty pink teapot sets. Choice of tea or coffee is included in the buffet - for tea, subject to one round of refill. One may add SGD$15.00 for a glass of Champagne. I had a Silver Moon Tea.
The Organic Egg with sea urchin, salmon roe and caviar was breathtaking in appearance, served in black egg shells and looked like a mini golden pool. However, whilst the sea urchin was buttery, salmon roe popped deliciously, and caviar added a umami note, the egg itself was bland, tasteless, dry and hard (a congealed cross between hard-boiled and soft-boiled).
The Dimsum of Chinese Carrot Cake, Scallop Siew Mai (minced pork dumpling) and Taro Dough Fritter with Prawns fared much better, in terms of taste and variety.
Finally, our much-awaited chests of white, 3-rung drawers were served - heavily filled with an assortment of sweet and savoury tea items. These came in servings of 2 and 3.
On the top tier were all the sweets, such as:
(i) Chocolate Coated Strawberry - looking so irresistible when the coat of chocolate resembled a tuxedo suit - makes you want to take it off. Loved this!
(ii) Green Apple Tartlet - loved the buttery crust with sour-sweet green apple fillings and the tiny crunchy malt ball atop
(iii) Dark Chocolate Cake with Shortbread and Nougat Chip - decadent, moist and crunchy in combination
(iv) Strawberry Cream Cone - crunchy on the outside, creamy on inside
(v) Black Sesame Macaron - with a subtle chocolate coating, not too sweet, but delicious
(vi) Traditional Paris Brest - rich with white chocolate - sweet, creamy, like eclair but shaped like bagels
(vii) Lemon Sable with Grapefruit Parfait - light bittersweet zest on crumbly lemon base
(viii) Mini Strawberry Cake with Vanilla Chihoust - fluffy, rich in strawberry goodness, and pretty
(ix) Pistachio Layer Cake with Smoked Tea Cream - luscious, rich, nutty and I loved the smoked tea cream
(x) Chocolate Praline - what's not to love about a dark chocolate praline cube?
Concealed in the first rung were all the tiny savoury items, such as:
(i) Boston Maine Lobster with Pickled Cucumber, served on Dill Brioche - sweet, springy lobster chunks with flavors enhanced by pickled cucumber - I enjoyed this as well.
(ii) Wild Mushroom Duxelle Vol Au Vent - puffy, flaky pastries sapid with earthly mushroom goodness
(iii) Smoked Salmon, Lemon Cream Cheese and Ikura Roe - served on a hard, rye-like base. I loved this- and absolutely adored the cuteness (don't they resemble mini sushi rolls?)
(iv) Iberico Ham on Seasonal Truffle Tart - fluffy, flaky flavored pastry with ham
(v) Duck Confit on Foie Gras Terrine - if this ain't rich, I don't know what is. I totally dug this tiny pastry because it is made up of two of my favoritest French food items.
When we pulled out the middle rung, there were:
(i) Warm Chia Seeds Scones - loved the light sweetness and healthy chia seeds adding bite to the scones
(ii) Warm Parmesan Cheese Scones - in adorable square shapes unlike the usual scones - these savoury items worked for me too.
Finally, what's in the bottom-most layer?
(i) Sugared Butter Shortbread Cookies - melted in my mouths deliciously just as my heart melted along with this childhood love.
(ii) Homemade Raspberry Jam
(iii) Devonshire Clotted Cream
(iv) Homemade Lemon Curd - all these were made for the already-tasty scones. What a spread!
It was then I realized the stunning "lego blocks" cakes were not part of the hightea set. Kind of wished it were.
Overall, I enjoyed my hightea experience here very much - what's not to love when there's tantalising, unique food items served in innovative ways, sophisticated ambience, excellent service and amazing company to dine with?
For reviews on other Hotel Highteas, check it out here:
(i) M Hotel's Club Lounge (click
here)
(ii) Drop the T @ W Hotel, Sentosa (click
here)
(iii) Courtyard @ The Fullerton Hotel (click
here)
(iv) Lobby Court @ Swissotel Stamford (click
here)
(v) Le Chocolate @ Club Hotel (click
here)
(vi) Tuxedo Cafe @ Carlton City Hotel (click
here)
(vii) Carousel @ Parkroyal Plaza on Scotts (click
here)
(viii) 10 Scotts @ Grand Hyatt (click
here)
(ix) Chihuly Lounge @ Ritz Carlton (click
here)
(x) Tea Lounge @ Regent Hotel (click
here)
(xi) Rose Veranda @ Shangi-la (click
here)
(xii) The Landing Point @ Fullerton Bay Hotel (click
here)
(xiii) Cafe L'espresso @ Goodwood Park Hotel (click
here)
(xiv) Lobby Lounge @ Intercontinental Hotel (click
here)
(xv) One Ninety @ Four Seasons Hotel (click
here)
