You know, this may seem a little strange, but for once in my life I'd really like to just plonk all the pictures I took during Afternoon Tea at The Rose Veranda in Shangri-La Hotel- and leave them there.
No Words.
Just Pictures.
But here's the thing.
I only took picture of the very empty, and very pretty tea cup.
I didn't take picture of the tea pot.
I didn't take picture of the tea.
Maybe I was too busy drinking.
Maybe I was too busy eating.
And maybe I was too busy peering through the curved prongs of the carved banister down to the hotel's main lobby below.
It's an interesting place, this Rose Veranda.
At first glance it might not seem like a very big deal- many a hotel have their F&B areas also on the second and third floors- but you'll soon realize what a difference soft carpeting, comfortable armchairs and sun-filled spaces make.
It is for this very reason that one must carefully make their selection of tea.
Which, by the way, there is much they offer.
Inexperienced me had assumed that there would be selections only in the range of three or four, but, no, not only did they have Black Tea, Oolong Tea, White Tea, and Green, they had Floral Imprinted, Single Estate, and the Blends.
I was so tempted to try a tea called Rwandan Orthodox Tea from the Black Tea selection- it was supposed to have a caramelly aftertaste and a soft floral aroma, but then there was also the (malty) Kenyan Broken Pekoe, and the Nuwara Eliya from the Lovers Leap Estate.
In the end I decided to have a signature: The Shangri-La Tea.
It's not every day one gets to have a Ceylon tea blended with the flavors of Natural Vanilla and Pomegranate.
Neither is it every day that one gets to have freshly baked scones with strawberry marmalade, clotted cream and lemon curd.
I love scones.
To me there's no feel of a classic afternoon tea if there're no scones on the menu.
But here's the thing about scones.
They're great for the three-tier and all that, but not so wise for a buffet.
Because scones are one of the things that fill you up rather fast, especially if you're like me who prefers her scones with clotted cream over jam.
It didn't matter to us this afternoon.
We were kind of hungry, and so, in between the petit savouries and the scones, we were more or less finished with the strawberry marmalade and the scone and the cream by the time the previously ordered entrees came.
By the way, it became a kind of game trying to figure out which savoury was which (the staff had removed the menu to give us more space) but with the sensory of taste and the sensory of eye, we somehow managed to realize just what it was we were eating.
Right on top was what I think was a sushi-like looking thing but was actually Roasted Butternut Squash with Organic Quinoa, Gougere and Parmigiano Reggiano. Then again, it might have been the Tangerine Prawn Tobiko Roulade, Petit Pois Mousseline with Edible Flowers.
I don't know which is which.
It wouldn't surprise me if that little orange thingy on top were the Tangerine Prawn and the Edible Flower, and that the puff-looking thing to the right were the Roasted Butternut Squash instead.
It just might well be.
Fortunately the other two petits were easier to recognize.
On the left was the Whipped Foie Gras Tart with Mango Apricot Chutney and Passion Fruit Marigold.
And then below, the Siracha Chicken and Mentaiko Egg Sandwich.
Don't ask me why the sandwich appears green.
It just was.
We liked the sandwich.
Particularly for the Mentaiko and the Siracha, which, to my surprise, wasn't as hot and spicy as I thought it might have been.
It was the tart that fascinated me.
I mean, I'm more familiar with foie gras as foie gras on its own that I don't think of it as pairable with fruit chutney of mango, much less apricot, or even passion fruit, but the combination of savory and sweet was just too good.
Perhaps that's what these little bites are about.
A surprise.
A little glimpse of life to not compartmentalize and assume and think that such brown whips can only be chocolate or hazelnut.
They can be foie gras too.
We were similarly impressed, and surprised, when the entrees arrived at our table.
Not because the Chicken Breast didn't look like a chicken breast.
Not because the Tenderloin didn't look like a cut of beef.
But because there were adorable little surprises here and there.
I knew I'd ordered a Free Range Chicken Breast with Truffle Foie Gras Butter, Burnt Onion Soubise and Pinot Noir Reduction.
Which I got.
What I didn't expect, however, was the big stem of a green vegetable on top of it, nor the little bits of what seemed to be edible garnish at the side.
I wish I'd paid closer attention to what the orange swirl or the khaki brown dollop were- definitely not the butter, that I was sure of- and now that I'm trying to recollect, I realize I've no idea.
It might have been some sort of mandarin orange thingy.
Or it might have been egg.
With Shang, you can never tell.
My friend's Pan Roasted Sous Vide Prime Steer Tenderloin brought with it its own pleasant surprise.
One might have wondered just what 'texture of mushroom' was, but we didn't put much thought into it, and when it came, we were surprised to find a huge chonk of a battered, deep fried mushroom done tempura style.
That vegetable was so good, I tell you.
We almost didn't have enough.
Another thing we also almost didn't have enough of were the butters, and we'd actually tried asking for another portion of both the Truffle Foie Gras Butter (mine) and the Wasabi Shoyu Butter (my friend's) but then the staff came back saying that there'd be extra charges so we left it alone...
No matter, that's how it is, and we headed off to the dessert bar not long after.
I wish I had pictures to show just how the dessert bar was like, but let's just say that there were cakes, there were cookies, there were little chocolates, there were macarons and there were sweets.
The setup wasn't very elaborate- not anything with a 3D style that we sometimes see at patisseries or confectionary bakeries.
On the other hand, it was very simple.
if it was a cake, it was a cake.
If it was a cookie, it was a cookie.
Nothing more, nothing less.
There seemed to be a lot of chocolate.
So yep, I got myself a plate- and how strong and sweet they turned out to be.
My favorite, perhaps, was the carrot cake.
Like Red Velvet, it's one of the cakes I've always wanted to have, but seldom get (because I'm the only one who likes it and more often than not, I can't finish).
But then there was also the very rich-looking Oreo cake with (what I think is) peanut butter creme, and the chocolate coated pretzels, and trust me, both of which were just as good.
It was fun nibbling on the pretzels, tasting the sweet chocolate through the saltiness of the hard biscuit.
Likewise I was so impressed by the degree of sweetness on the thicker than thick creme layered on top of the Oreo brownie that I decided to take it slow and ate through the entire brownie very, very slowly.
Still, it was too rich.
And, sad to say, because I was very interested in this plate of cookies- I think it was gula melaka, or was it pandan- the cakes I wasn't able to finish.
I needed to save space for the Palate Cleanser, which was, if I'm not wrong, either mango or mandarin orange or lemon or something citrusy.
But there was a macaron, and the thin little biscuit underneath that cheerful looking palate cleanser gave a fun, gorgeous crunch I didn't know I needed.
Next time I'll go to the dessert bar earlier, spread the sweet out together with the savoury, and balance it all properly so that I'll have room for what I already have, and what I want to have.
Next time too (if the menu stays) I think I might try the Zucchini and Goat Cheese Tart too.
I like goat cheese.
And if it's got minted pea puree and citrus, I think the flavors will be balanced pretty good.