Address: 5 Fraser St, Level 25, Andaz Singapore, Singapore 189354
Cuisine: French / High tea
Nearest MRT: Bugis Station (Downtown / East West line)

We won’t stick around bemoaning the loss of holidays and travel during the pandemic. Teleport yourself to the French Riviera with Alley on 25’s newest St. Tropez Summer Afternoon Tea, available from 3 to 5pm daily. This was our second time trying out the high tea at Andaz, and we were excited to try out the new menu. Since it was the first day (Aug 10) when dining out was possible again, only for vaccinated people up to groups of 5, the cafe was relatively empty when we visited in the afternoon. Save for 3 groups of people dining in, the staff were seen loafing around or waiting for customers.

For savouries, treat yourself to a selection of dishes such as the Pissaladière, and tuck into a hearty bowl of Bouillabaisse, crafted with locally-farmed red snapper that’s been infused with aromatics through an eight-hour simmering process. The TWG Riviera Tea Blend, speckled with hints of lavender and rose, sets the scene for the sweets to come. Once you’re ready, devour desserts like the Tropézienne, a brioche-based delight layered with buttercream, pastry cream and heavy cream, studded with sugar gems and a dose of orange blossom.

The food was served in the signature Alley on 25 picnic basket. The waiter kindly asked us if we wanted photos of the food before he laid down the dishes on the table. Of course I gladly obliged.

This is the plate of savouries. We started with the marinated tiger prawn, fougasse and aioli which would also be suitable as an ingredient in aglio olio with prawns. The prawns had a firm texture and the taste of the garlic oil was distinct. Next is the pissaladierre, anchovy, black olives, which was simply amazing as the taste of the caramelised onions melted in our mouth and even for someone who doesn’t fancy olives, I ate the whole slice without much fuss. The ratatouille, feta cheese, focaccia was simple and decadent. Growing up, my mum used to cook ratatouille with pasta so I am used to its taste. It is a healthy dish as it is packed with vegetables such as tomato, aubergine, onion, zucchini, onion and bell pepper. The last of the savouries is the 18-month aged Kintoa ham, fig bread, rosemary honey. This is an exquisite ham developped by Basque farmers though an ancient process of curing it with salt over a long period of time. I love the cured ham, just like my Iberico ham or parma ham and the sweet taste of the fig on the bread was paired wonderfully with the Kintoa ham. Give me a few more slices of ham and that would make me so delighted.

The Chef’s signature dish is the Bouillabaisse, with snapper, fennel and dill. This is definitely a signature French dish, especially common in the southern part of the country, which I had tried in Marseille. Aside from the variety of fish, it’s defined by a handful of key ingredients and flavours: floral saffron, sweet and anise-y fennel. In this dish, there was only one type of fish used, which is the snapper, but it was sufficient to absorb the flavours of the stew. It was a hearty soup that I finished it to the last drop. Bouillabaisse was originally a stew made by Marseille fishermen, using the bony rockfish which they were unable to sell to restaurants or markets. Today, it has evolved into a sophisticated dish that can be sold upwards of 25 euros.

After enjoying our savoury dishes, we moved on to the sweets, also known as “Les Gourmandises”. The vanilla scone, rhubarb jam and clotted cream was easily our favourite. The scone was baked to a crumbly perfection, not too dry and the clotted cream was delicious yet not so sinful. The jam was slightly watery, but having tried it, I think it tasted good with the scones and it was not cloyingly sweet.

The peach macarons had a crispy shell that was not too dense, the flavours of the peach were strong enough to give it the flavour, that had a familiar taste of Qoo Peach, or like the smell of spring in Japan. The lemon lavender tartlet was to my liking but not for my wife, as it was too sour. The frowned eyebrows on her face were evident that this tart was too citrusy. I love the taste of the lemons and the petit lavender flower used to garnish it. The lavender taste was not strong enough to permeate this dessert.

Earl grey tea definitely paired well with the desserts, and also the lemon lavender tartlet. They gave us a teapot of hot water to share, and two different teabags. The hot water could be refilled upon request. So we had one cup of earl grey and the other was Sencha.

To end off the afternoon tea, Vanilla soft serve with berries and Provence olive oil was served. To date, it was bizarre having ice cream with olive oil. While I enjoyed the summer berries with the ice cream, I felt that the olive oil was overwhelming. Even during my time spent in France, I had not tried such a concoction before.

Thanks to HSBC card promotion, I managed to get this high tea set using a 1-for-1 discount. Two of us enjoyed the tea set for the price of one. Overall, we still preferred the previous menu which featured more of the local items, together with the staples such as scones. I felt that the range of items for this St Tropez summer afternoon tea was quite limited. Nevertheless, if you are looking to spend some time with family or your partner, while reminiscing your time along the French Rivera, this tea time set would be perfect for you.

Phone number: 6408 1288

Price: $48++/pax