Housed within the Flower Dome at Gardens by the Bay, Hortus—formerly known as Fennel Cafe—is a new Mediterranean restaurant by the Unlisted Collection which runs many exciting F&B concepts in Singapore including Burnt Ends, Basque Kitchen by Aitor, Meatsmith, The Market Grill and more.

Helmed by Chef/Owner Michael Wilson, Hortus is a new concept that specialises in Mediterranean cuisine and it is officially opening to the public on 6 October 2021.

Hortus is an all-day dining restaurant which serves lunch, afternoon tea and dinner. The prices range from S$8 – S$30 for a small plate, S$15 for salads, and S$28 – S$45 for a main course.

Some of the things that you can look forward to at Hortus:

• Mediterranean salads
• Mediterranean dips
• Home-baked breads
• Mediterranean mains
• Housemade cakes, tarts and pastries

Hortus will be taking over the space vacated by Fennel Cafe while another new concept will be replacing the former Pollen Restaurant and it is slated to open in the next few weeks.

Hortus
18 Marina Drive, #01-09 Level 2 Flower Dome
Singapore 018953
Wed – Sun: 10am – 9pm

Fennel Cafe is a garden-themed cafe at Flower Dome within Gardens By The Bay which offers panoramic views of Marina Bay and Singapore Flyer. It is easily one of the prettiest places to have afternoon tea in Singapore.

The Afternoon Tea Set is priced at S$45++/pax (deposit is required for reservations).

Here’s what you can expect from Fennel Cafe’s Afternoon Tea Menu.

Savoury

• Egg salad sandwich with tomato chutney
• Chicken liver parfait cherry
• Salmon rillettes and cucumber sandwich
• Gruyere cheese gougeres
• Buttered leek and cheddar quiche

Sweet

• Mandarin choux
• Peanut butter and jelly macaron
• Salted caramel and pine nut tart
• Mango cream doughnut
• Whole wheat shortbread with chocolate and marshmallow

Devonshire

• Homemade scones with clotted cream & berry jam

Coffee/Tea Selection

• English Breakfast, Earl Grey, Green Tea, Chamomile, Peppermint, Rooibos Vanilla
• Espresso, Macchiato, Long Black, Cappuccino, Latte, Flat White, Mocha

At S$45++/pax, we were perhaps expecting more from the afternoon tea set, but it wasn’t the most impressive spread. The sandwiches, scones and doughnuts were great, but everything else wasn’t that memorable.

It is also worth mentioning that Fennel Cafe offers free-flow coffee/tea for the Afternoon Tea set (one beverage per person to be served at a time).

Having said that, we would still return to Fennel Cafe for the afternoon tea for the ambience and the complimentary access to the Flower Dome. It’s a lovely place to enjoy a leisure afternoon tea and get away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Do take note of the following if you are planning to go to Fennel Cafe for the afternoon tea.

There is a free buggy service from Gardens by the Bay’s arrival plaza to the Flower Dome and the service runs every five minutes from 11.30 am onwards.

You can also get complimentary access to the Flower Dome without paying the entrance fee which saves you S$12/adult. Make sure to take a stroll in the Flower Dome after having your afternoon tea at Fennel Cafe.

Fennel Cafe
S$45++/pax
3pm – 5pm (last seating at 4pm)