Address: 5 Fraser St, Level 25, Singapore 189354 (located in Andaz Hotel)

Nearest MRT: Bugis (East-West line / Downtown line)

Time: 3-5pm

Andaz is a relatively new hotel at Bugis, where we had a staycation last year. This time round, we went for afternoon tea at Alley on 25, thanks to HSBC credit card 1-for-1 offer ($38++ per person before discount). Being located on the 25th floor of the hotel which is the same level as the reception, the restaurant offers nice views of the city skyline.

Conceived as the culinary hub of the hotel, Alley on 25 is Andaz Singapore’s all-day dining venue that aims to recreate the fluid, spontaneous experience of Singapore street dining – in the sky. Alley on 25 encompasses seven shop-house inspired venues including 2 bars and 5 restaurants – each specialising in 1 food preparation method.

This is the Andaz Afternoon tea set, which includes a mix of savoury and sweet food items, along with free flow beverages such as iced tea, homemade lemonade, TWG tea and coffee. The afternoon tea is a locally inspired, picnic themed afternoon tea perfect for enjoying a lazy afternoon while taking in the Singapore skyline. Unfortunately, we were not allocated a table near the window. Instead, they tried to cramp all the 2-seater tables together before they allowed others to sit near the window.

The staff were still preparing our tables when we arrived at 3pm when the afternoon tea was supposed to start. We were ushered to our table and asked to order the beverages first. I ordered sencha, which is Japanese green tea. It was served in a small flask with a strainer and a press. As I soaked the tea leaves for a long time in the flask before pressing it down, the second cup of tea turned out to be extremely bitter.

Shortly after, the waitress came with an exquisite looking wooden picnic basket. She placed it on a stand and opened it up to reveal several small tins which contained food. This looks very presentable and also an idea that we could adopt if we go for a picnic sometime soon.

Due to the small size of the table, the dishes cannot be spread out across the whole table. So the waitress divided into two stacks – one sweet and one savoury. The stacking up part was like how dim sum is being served on a table.

Feeling hungry, we started with the savoury dishes. First was the lobster croissant, with some lobster bits in mayonnaise sauce served in the middle of a croissant. We enjoy lobster in general and wished that this dish could have been bigger. Next was the smoked salmon tartine. I wish the bread was toasted.

The other savoury items included hummus, incredible cheese ball and crab cake. Most of the items were bite-sized and easy to pop it into the mouth. I really miss hummus after eating it for the first time in South Africa. Even though I have wanted to try making it on my own for a long time, I have not been able to do so. The cheese ball was not to my liking because it had a strong aftertaste. It still tasted like cheese but without the strong smell.

The kueh pie tee is a typical Peranakan dish, with a crispy shell on the outside and you put other ingredients inside. With a dainty half a piece of prawn on top, the kueh pie tee also stood out in terms of taste. We bit into its crispy goodness before eating the shredded turnip.

Moving on to the sweet items, we had Ispahan shooters and lemon chia seed tea cake. The ingredients itself already sounded so exotic, whereas the Ispahan shooter served in a shot glass is a typical dessert dish at buffets. Chia seeds have some health benefits and they complemented the taste of the tea cake, with a whiff of fragrant tea without being too bitter or strong.

We also had kueh lapis and scones. The scone was slightly dry and hard to swallow. You can eat it with butter or jam. The best scones that I had tasted were in London. This scone was average only. The kueh lapis was good and not too oily. Usually they use a lot of egg yolks to make a kueh lapis but this one did not have an overbearing egg taste.

Last but not least, we had the chocolate soft serve ice cream. It comes with a mini Pandan chiffon cake which is also featured in their promotion advertisement for the high tea. There is a choice of vanilla ice cream but both of us prefer chocolate. When you cut open the layers of pandan Chiffon gate, it shows the evenly distributed layers of sponge and the thin layer of kaya on the outside, sprinkled with some grated coconut.

We ended our afternoon tea on a high note. I had a second pot of tea -Moroccan mint. My verdict is that some of the food items in this afternoon tea set were forgettable, but others like the lobster meat were worth it. The items may seem small but after finishing everything, both of us were full. Would I be coming back to Alley on 25 again? Maybe not for the afternoon tea unless they change their menu, but I would not mind trying their dinner menu.