Text by Amy Brecount White • Photography Courtesy of Raffles Hotels
Raffles Singapore’s thematic trips through world cuisines
Like many worldwide afternoon-tea venues, the famed Raffles hotel in Singapore had to be creative to appeal to their 2020 customers, who were living under pandemic restrictions and unable to travel. They hoped to help their tea lovers continue that cherished pleasure of having a classic teatime while also achieving a “bit of exploration and discovery,” says the hotel’s marketing and communications manager LeRoy Chan.
Raffles and their chief pastry chef, Tai Chien Lin, “the mastermind behind all the pastries offered on property,” as Chan describes him, came up with a fun and popular idea: create thematic afternoon teas that moved around the world even when their guests couldn’t. Their innovation was so well received that they offered international tea services ranging from countries as different as Peru and South Korea through the spring of this year, both for in-house and takeaway consumption. Such a gastronomic variety seems especially fitting for an island that traces most of its inhabitants to three primary countries—China, Malaysia, and India. Singapore is also known for celebrating its multi-cultural roots, particularly in its much-touted culinary offerings, as both street hawker stands and fine dining venues have earned Michelin stars there.
Each Raffles afternoon tea includes two tiers of desserts and one of finger sandwiches. One dessert, rest assured, will always feature chocolate. For their Peruvian tea offering in 2022, pastry chef Tai crafted a scrumptious chocolate torta (cake). “Peruvian chocolate is globally known for its rich quality and deep history,” he says. “We featured chocolate from the Alto El Sol plantation, located in the heart of the Peruvian nature park and protected by a lush environment—a dark chocolate with a distinctive tartness and red fruits, leaving a long-lasting aftertaste.”
On the sweet side, Tai also included picarones (traditional Peruvian doughnuts made with squash and sweet potato with a crispy exterior) and a caramel-like pudding called suspiro de limeña. For the savory beginning, Tai’s pan con chicharrón, a classic Peruvian sandwich, combined pork, sweet potato, and pink onion relish that resembled silky ribbons. His grilled chicken sandwich was topped with a spicy, delectable green jalapeño sauce.
“Peru has been recognised as one of the world’s best culinary destinations,” says Tai, who was inspired by the country’s vibrant culture and diverse flavor profiles. To prepare for the tea, his team “spent a great amount of time researching and understanding the flavours of Peru.”
Their recent Seoul tea offering included a beef bulgogi roll, a gilgeori (salty-and-sweet egg) sandwich, a spicy Korean fried chicken slider, along with traditional sweet treats.
Fear not, Raffles Singapore still offers its classic afternoon tea (S$88 per person) in their elegant Grand Lobby with a three-tiered silver stand, which includes scones, homemade rose petal jam, and clotted cream, in addition to savory bites and other sweet treats. To drink, guests can choose from traditional favorites, like Earl Grey and herbal varieties. (When having tea for himself, Tai enjoys pairing white or green tea with sweet pastries.) If you’re feeling more adventurous, try the golden Himalayan tea, which is light, refreshing, and well-suited to the hot and humid climate of Singapore, or the Maori blue tea from New Zealand. For special occasions, you can order Champagne.
Be sure to make reservations in advance for afternoon tea because you’ll likely be asked what your business is at the hotel by their traditional greeter, a bearded man wearing a white Sikh turban, before being allowed to pass through the hotel’s grand entrance. Raffles’ insistent entrance staffing is likely a result of the luxury hotel’s increased popularity after the fictional characters Nick and Rachel from the novel and movie Crazy Rich Asians stayed there. Crowds of roaming Instagrammers and TikTokers would certainly threaten the calm and elegant ambience for which the Grand Lobby strives. However, the people-watching during afternoon tea remains superb.
Once your purpose is clear, friendly staff will settle you into a cozy upholstered chair while a nearby harpist plays. You will likely spy other tourists along with well-heeled Raffles guests strolling through the lobby laden down with so many shopping-bagged purchases that they require the assistance of several trailing bellmen. No worries; the butler (all hotel guests are afforded such service) will undoubtedly help them sort it out.
Any visit to Raffles Singapore comes with a resonant dose of history. Opened in 1887 as a hotel, the site was originally built in the 1830s as a colonial beach house and has been renovated several times over. The hotel was named after Sir Stamford Raffles, a colonial founder of Singapore whose moniker has been attached to everything from street names to an indoor mall.
In 1942 during World War II, Japanese invaders seized the island country from the British colonizers by biking over a bridge from Malaysia while the Brits had their big guns facing oceanward. That silver fork at your place setting was likely one of those that hotel staff buried in the Palm Court before the occupiers closed in. The hotel guests are said to have been dancing one final waltz as they arrived onsite.
In addition to its elegant afternoon tea, Raffles is also known for its signature drink, the Singapore Sling, which dates to colonial 1915 when ladies were not allowed to consume alcohol in public. Then, the Long Bar’s Hainanese bartender, Ngiam Tong Boon, ingeniously created a pink cocktail that looked like feminine fruit juice but actually contained gin and other liqueurs. Not surprisingly, it’s remained popular.
While Raffles ended their thematic international tea offerings earlier this year, you can still relish seasonal specialties, like their holiday tea, featuring cranberry scones and other Yule-themed delicacies, and their Sakura (translated as “a flowering cherry tree”) tea, a Japanese-themed spring tea. Tai’s delicious creations include a salmon sushi roll with avocado and beef sando with katsu bechamel and sakura strawberry Mont Blanc, which will carry you away to other lands and adventures as you sip.
To learn more about the afternoon-tea offerings or to book a table at Raffles Singapore (1 Beach Road, Singapore 189673), visit raffles.com/singapore, call +65 6412 1816, or email singapore@raffles.com.
Amy Brecount White, a freelance writer based in Virginia, seeks vibrant tea experiences across the country and world.
