Savouries, Sweets & Drinks
Altogether, Shangri-La's afternoon tea set has 13 varieties – 8 savouries and 5 sweets, presented on an elegant 5-tier platter. To pair it up, you can choose a cup of tea (with/without milk) or coffee (cappuccino/ latte/ black coffee etc.).
Savouries
We're quite happy with the Lamb Pot Pie. Underneath that creamy mashed potato layer lies a flavourful ensemble of cooked minced lamb, veggies and herbs. It's tangy, but not overly so, but has subtle sweet and spicy kicks.
As for the Chicken Slider, it was all right. The chicken patty was a little dry, but the bun was fresh, fluffy and crispy.
On this plate, we have the Tuna & Leek Puff, Tomato Arancini and Prawn Cake.
The Tuna & Leek Puff delivered the promised elements – a lightly seasoned mix of tuna and leeks, placed on top of a hella crispy puff pastry. We enjoyed the Prawn Cake too, especially with the sweet papaya salad that complements the overall taste.
The cutlet shaped item is the Tomato Arancini. It wasn't cheesy as we'd have liked, but the tomato risotto filling was quite flavourful.
The Smoked Salmon Bagel had some absolutely smoky, excellent quality salmon in it, as well as some cheese, while the bread itself was chewy, airy and fresh.
However, we weren't the biggest fans of the other two on this plate. The Ham & Cheese Pinwheel had just a teeny tiny piece of ham and little to no cheese, so the whole thing tasted like bread rather than anything else. As for the Grilled Vegetable Crostini, the bread was too soggy.
Sweets
The scones were offered with custard and jam. There were 3 scones on our plate – 2 plain and 1 with raisins. Soft, moist, but a tad dense from the outside, they still crumbled off to pieces so wonderfully.
This plate is a good way to satiate your sweet tooth. With its well-layered up, fruity goodness, the Passion fruit & Mango Macaron Spears was our favourite. The Coffee Chocolate Crémeux comes next. It had some heavenly chocolaty, fudgy, cakey base, and a blob of coffee crémeux on top, which perfectly complements each other to create the sweet spot between coffee and chocolate.
The other two get our resounding approval too. They make some great sweet accompaniments to your cuppa.
Drinks
I tried a cappuccino which tasted a little bitter than we'd have preferred. The milk seemed a little overheated, so it didn't have a creamy texture. And this is some good ol' classic cuppa. You can pour in some milk too if you like.
Ambience & Service
We went on a weekday, so it's not crowded, which is ideal in a time like this.
Sapphyr's interior is the perfect blend of grandeur and casual. Pleasant, cosy and incredibly comfortable, it helps you to unwind, even without the help of freshly brewed cuppa, or food.
And the view from here, is of course, spectacular.
You can always expect some warm, welcoming service from the Shangri-La staff, and it wasn't any different this time. Plus, they always followed social distancing protocols and made sure to wear masks at all times. Furthermore, we also noticed how they quickly clean the tables, chairs and pillows, after every use.
Reservations are highly recommended for afternoon tea. It helps with your safety, and the hotel's in this pandemic time.
Conclusion
It was a fine afternoon tea experience. The variety is impressive and so is their flavour profiles. Coupled with the breathtaking view, tasteful ambience and slow music that fills the room, this certainly makes way for a calm, peaceful and relaxing evening.