Shangri-La Rose Veranda High Tea

English tea sandwiches, popiah and Vietnamese spring roll, DIY Caesar salad, originally uploaded by Camemberu.

Took mother-in-law out for a spot of afternoon tea today. We chose the Rose Veranda, Shangri-La (from my high tea buffet list). It turned out to be a really nice treat.

Delightful scones with jam and cream, originally uploaded by Camemberu.

MIL loves her scones, and this place serves some really good ones. I can imagine languid afternoons spent here, with a book or a good friend, nibbling on treats like these.

The real reason to come here: quality teas and coffee , originally uploaded by Camemberu.

Choose from 101 quality blends of teas (yes, you can choose as many as you like), served on Wedgwood crockery. We loved the Bourbon Vanille and Creme de Coco. They even have Lapsang Souchong and Roibosh, as well as mutivitamin sporty infusions. Most of the fruit flavoured black teas are rather subtle but refreshing nonetheless.

If you're not a tea person, don't fret - coffee is also available. The Viennese coffee topped with a generous rosette of whipped cream was heavenly! A robust Continental blend, not acidic at all.

One slight caution about drinking all this liquid (a hot pot of tea serves up four cups) - your tummy can feel a bit sloshy if you drink more than one pot. And I hear the restrooms are located a fair distance away.

Warm and cold mains, originally uploaded by Camemberu.

The buffet spread may not look like a lot but looks can be deceiving. They use small serving platters crammed quite narrowly together. If you try to take a bite out of everything, I'd reckon you'd still be quite full. Personally I don't mind a smaller spread if they do each dish better. I'd rather have quality over quantity. However, it's still hits and misses here.

Crab claw, ikan belado, cauliflower with Hollandaise sauce, Thai green curry, red curry and naan, originally uploaded by Camemberu.

The hot Asian mains were fairly good. The Thai green curry chicken was the one of the best dishes in the whole buffet. Interestingly, they served "corn rice" (some fragrant rice steamed with corn kernels, not pictured here) instead of plain white rice

Salmon sashimi, unagi sushi and futomaki, originally uploaded by Camemberu.

A small side area upfront served Japanese starters. The salmon sashimi and unagi sushi were decent. They also had futomaki and small kappa-maki (cucumber) and oshinko maki (yellow pickle). Lots of pickles to choose from.

Assorted dim sum, originally uploaded by Camemberu.

You also get a small variety of dim sum, but as in most buffets, these were not spectacular by any means. There's a DIY mee rebus station too that I forgot to try.

Platter of cold appetisers/mains, originally uploaded by Camemberu.

I wasn't too impressed with the cold Western stuff though. Only liked the smoked salmon.

Chicken pie, salmon cake, potato skins and bacon & mushroom quiche, originally uploaded by Camemberu.

Some of the hot Western stuff was all right. Loved the crispy potato skins. MIL loved the chicken pie and quiche. But the ball-shaped salmon cake was a bit too fishy.

Salmon and spinach baked in filo pastry, served with mushroom sauce, originally uploaded by Camemberu.

There's a lot of salmon in this high tea! One small station was dedicated to serving this baked salmon and spinach in pastry. Served with a pureed mushroom sauce that would put most mushroom soups to shame, tastewise.

Strawberry and marshmellow dipped in chocolate, chocolate truffles (bittersweet dark and hazelnut cream) , originally uploaded by Camemberu.

The desserts were wonderful. We liked almost everything. If I ever come back, I would focus more on the sweet than the savoury, along with the teas and coffee.

Cakes, bread & butter pudding and desserts, originally uploaded by Camemberu.

Again, small sized platters but a reasonable variety. Lovely cakes and bread & butter pudding. Yummy scones are in the far left silver container.

Dessert, fruit, chocolate fondue station, originally uploaded by Camemberu.

You got your fruits, your chocolate fondue, your mini shooters, cookies, truffles and even eclairs.

Lovely atmosphere with comfy sofas, originally uploaded by Camemberu.

The difference with this high tea is that you get to relax in a lush, green, quiet environment. You can lie back on comfy sofas as you sip your tea. There aren't hordes of Singaporeans crowding the buffet. And service is impeccable. The lovely cheongsam-clad waitresses are discreet yet observant, swift in anticipating your needs and changing plates. They don't chase you away at closing time either. A classy joint.

The Rose Veranda believes in bringing back the elegant art of afternoon tea (click pic to see their philosophy). It has certainly managed to do so. By the way, the specialty teas served are also available for sale.

ROSE VERANDA
Shangri-La Singapore
Orange Grove Road
High Tea Buffet S$36++ per pax
12pm to 6pm Mondays to Fridays
12pm to 3pm; 3pm to 6pm weekends and public holidays (two seatings)
Call for reservations: 6213-4486