I used to be massive fan of Afternoon Tea in my twenties. Back then I felt like that was the ultimate indulgence - spending time in between lunch and dinner munching on sandwiches and having tea. Now that a decade has passed, my passion for this particular food occasion has waned a bit, but I still think it is one of the more underrated joys in life. Thus I felt blessed when I got an invite to try out Pacific Emporium's refreshed local-inspired Afternoon Tea, which happens on weekdays and weekends from 1-3pm or 3-5pm. These creations were crafted under the guidance of newly appointed Executive Pastry Chef Edina Si. A Le Cordon Bleu alumna, she has worked alongside renowned chefs before returning to helm the pastry kitchens of Singapore’s top hotels. Her expertise was unmistakable in the Afternoon Tea creations.
There was a table showcasing Chef Edina Si's creations just outside the Pacific Emporium, which look and smells great. There are whole cakes, mini cakes and custom wedding/event cakes as well.
Here's the Weekday Afternoon Tea Menu. For $58++ per person, there is a welcome drink, two teas/coffees, a 3-tier Afternoon Tea set for 2, a main course each and scones. That is actually quite value-for-money if you think about F&B prices these days where an iced coffee can cost up to $9 at a normal cafe! As you can see, both the sweet and savouries are classic Western items with a local or Peranakan interpretation, which I love. Singaporeans are really innovative when it comes to blending technique and ingredients, which shows a real mastery in understanding both the East and West cuisines.
The set comes with Lobster Pie Tee, which further justifies the price. And for an additional $10+ during weekends, diners will get UNLIMITED lobster pie tee from the DIY station, as well as unlimited servings of the 3-tier items from the buffet (except the caviar with saffron egg mousseline) as well as freeflow mains from the live stations. If I was a big eater, that would be an incredible deal. For me though I prefer the weekday 3-tier set because I can spend more time at the beautiful floating pod enjoying the food and company.
Here are the 3 tiers up close with the Nyonya Bloom welcome drink, which was a refreshing concoction of peach, passionfruit, pandan and gula melaka that made it a very familiar yet appetising drink that whetted my appetite for what's to come.
The Lobster Pie Tee (my dining companion's main course choice) had 3 generously stuffed pie tees. The lobster was fresh and succulent, complimented with a bit of lightly spicy Nyonya kerabu with shredded Chinese turnips. I appreciated that the non-lobster fillings were light enough for the lobster's natural flavour to shine through.
My choice of mains was the Penang Prawn Noodle Soup which had all the usual suspects. This small bowl packed a punch with a very prawny broth (not spicy) that was surprisingly light on the salt. There is definitely no MSG either. This made the salty bits of roasted pork the perfect ingredient to go with the noodles and I couldn't help but finish everything!
On the Afternoon Tea items, we started with the Scallop and XO Butter Tea Sandwich which was delicate, delectable and delicious! It was maybe top 4 out of the 11 items (6 savoury, 5 sweet). 4/5
The Spicy-sweet Prawn and Mango Toast was also fun to eat with a big meaty chunk of prawn contrasted with the tropical mango jam below. 3.5/5. Here are my ratings for the other savoury items:
Sturgeon Caviar with Calamansi and Saffron Egg Mousseline - it did not really stand out. 3/5
Otah-otah with ‘Five Spice’ Meringue - the sweet 5-spice macaron surprisingly worked super well with the slightly spicy and intense otah-otah. This should be consumed last. 4/5
Quail Parfait and ‘Gula Melaka’ Tart - again very surprised with the light and umami quail parfait on a perfectly textured tart. 4/5
Tamarind-infused Beef Pastrami on Rye - did not really like the beef pastrami which was a bit too beefy and dry on already dry bread. 2/5
On the sweets, the exquisite-ness of each item impressed me a lot. For example, the Citrus Osmanthus Mousse where the shiny osmanthus jelly is encased in that soft golden oval of mousse. The entire thing was very light and soft with a delicate fragrance. 3.5/5
My ratings for the other items:
Peranakan Tile - This is actually a soursop and coconut cake stamped with a Peranakan tile motif. I like this subtle call out to an integral part of our culture, and the cake itself works too with the slightly tangy soursop in harmony with the creamy coconut. 4/5
Teh Halia Cheesecake - The ginger in this was boiled for an hour to tease out the unique ginger flavour that's mixed with the tea. Each element was discernible and tea and cake works well every time. 4/5
Black Sesame Mochi Tart - We had this second last but it was our most looked-forward to item. It did not disappoint (all the tarts so far were outstanding). The nutty black sesame flavour engulfed my tastebuds the moment I put it in my mouth but kicker was the textural symphony of the soft chewy mochi surprise in the middle of the crunchy tart. Super delicious. 4.5/5
Chilli Chocolate Éclair - In contrast, this was a let down because the eclair felt a bit soggy and stale and was unable to hold up to the strong flavours of the spicy chocolate. Probably the weakest item amongst the sweets. 2/5
After the tier was finished we were asked for our choice of the second drink, and still-warm classic and date scones were also served with whipped cream cheese (SO GOOD), fig jam and clotted cream (of course). I was bursting by then but still managed 1.5 scones because it just went so well with the cream cheese and jam, as well as my TWG tea. 4/5
I had the pleasure to try 3 of Chef Edina Si's cake creations as we were gifted a box of them and each tasted better than the last.
Other than the classic Single Origin 72% Chocolate Cake, which was super chocolate-y and a bit too sweet for me (3/5), we also tried the Rum Raisin Manjari Gateau which I did not expect to be so rummy, but there was such a generous soaking of the dark rum in the golden sultanas within such that you can taste the flavour of it despite being surrounded by chocolate mousse. 3.5/5
My favourite had to be the Blue Pea Lychee Calamansi Cake, which does not just look pretty, but had a great combination of tang from the calamansi to counterbalance the sweet sponge cake and fruity lychee bits. This seems to be the perfect cake for Mother's Day!
Speaking of Mother's Day, other than the cakes above, Pacific Emporium is also hosting their Mother's Day Afternoon Tea for weekdays and weekends until 11 May. Here is the weekday menu at $68++ and as usual add $10 for the weekend free flow edition.
Pacific Emporium continues to reinvent itself by refreshing their local-inspired Afternoon Tea to provide a blend of local ingredients masterfully concocted into Western creations. This is one of the top places I would recommend for a leisurely yet satisfying Afternoon Tea that goes beyond the usual to excite your palate!
🙅 Thank you, next
🤷 Worth trying if feeling indulgent ✔️
💁 Bookmark this
🤷 Worth trying if feeling indulgent ✔️
💁 Bookmark this
Pacific Emporium
Pan Pacific Singapore, 7 Raffles Blvd, Singapore 039595
Weekdays and Sat/Sun 1-3pm or 4-6pm
Reserve on Tablecheck
Thanks to Pacific Emporium for the invite!
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