I love afternoon tea. It combines three of my favourite things – yummy desserts, a nice pot of tea, and catching up with good friends.

I’ve always heard about the afternoon tea at Chihuly Lounge, Ritz-Carlton Millenia, but for some reason, I never had the chance to try it. When I finally went there recently for an afternoon indulgence, I must say that they did not disappoint – if anything, exceeded expectations.

I really like Chihuly Lounge. I like that the place has a high ceiling – allowing light to flood the lounge – and it feels spacious and comfortable. I like that the lounge has good chill-out music, it is a lovely place to sit and watch the world go by. I like that the staff are attentive, knowledgeable and friendly. And of course, I love the cakes, pastries, and sandwiches, that are oh-so-delicious.

Unlike the usual hotel afternoon tea, Chihuly Lounge offers a decadent eight-course afternoon tea set menu ($39++/pax, from 2.30pm to 5pm). After you have settled down, the staff will bring out a pretty tea mocktail, which is served with a selection of crackers with XO chilli sambal. Then, you will proceed to choose a pot of tea — from a wide selection on the menu — or freshly-brewed coffee. Before the main event, you get to enjoy the carving station trolley which gives you the choice of beef wellington or salmon coulibiac (note: this changes on a weekly basis).

And finally, the tea set stand consists of smoked chicken and chestnut salad in laugen roll; avocado and cream cheese in whole meal finger and cucumber; parma ham on olive baguette; Scottish smoked salmon in almond buns; plain and raisin scones; pistachio macarons; lemon cheese cake with meringue; chocolate praline tarts; and strawberry puffs.

If you still have room, you must try the raspberry sorbet which comes in a very pretty ice cream cone.

Last, but not least, there is the dessert trolley with tea cakes, cookies, kueh lapis, and pralines.

You get to enjoy the whole experience for just $39++/person. For a five-star afternoon tea, I would definitely recommend Chihuly Lounge at Ritz-Carlton Millenia.

Chihuly Lounge
7 Raffles Avenue
Lobby Ritz-Carlton Millenia
Tel: +65 6434 5283
Weekday afternoon tea: 2.30pm – 5pm
Note: This was an invited media tasting.

“I think I am in love,” I told my dining companion when I saw the amazing éclairs from Chihuly Lounge at The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore.

Chihuly Lounge is currently having a Summer Weekend Afternoon Tea (2 June to 26 August 2012), and in addition to the assortment of canapes, finger sandwiches, and scones; executive pastry chef Terence Pang has specially created 12 different éclairs for this occasion.

From the popular chocolate éclair, to the cute gummy bear éclair, to the irresistible passion fruit & mango éclair – I love them all!

Starting clockwise from 12 o’clock: caramel éclair, chocolate éclair, vanilla éclair, cookies & cream éclair, cassis violet éclair, black sesame éclair, passion fruit & mango éclair, café éclair, gula melaka éclair, mac-lair (macadamia & chocolate), yam éclair, and cotton candy éclair.

Here’s a quick sum-up of the wonderful creations. Out of the twelve éclairs, my favourites were the passion fruit & mango, and chocolate éclair.

The passion fruit & mango éclair was like a burst of summer; I loved how the two flavours mingled in the mouth. The chocolate éclair also won our hearts. It had the right intensity, and was easily one of the best éclairs that I’ve had.

The vanilla éclair (pictured above), on the other hand, was a let-down. With the shiny gold leave surface, it was one of the prettiest éclairs, but we felt that the vanilla cream was a little over-burned.

For someone who is not a fan of yam, I thought that Chihuly Lounge’s rendition is pretty decent. But my dining companion felt that the use of yam in an éclair was rather weird. We also enjoyed the caramel, cookies & cream, cassis violet eclairs. The only ones that we didn’t really fancy were black sesame (the coating was too sweet), and café éclair (which had a rather weak coffee flavour).

Available from 2:30 to 5 p.m., Chihuly Lounge’s Summer Weekend Afternoon Tea is priced at $48 per adult (inclusive of freshly brewed and decaffeinated coffee and a selection of teas).

Chihuly Lounge
7 Raffles Avenue
Lobby Ritz-Carlton Millenia
Tel: +65 6434 5283
Daily: 8am – 1am

Note: This was an invited media tasting.