Tiers of joy: Where to enjoy festive high tea this holiday season

We know we're a country that loves to eat, but apparently, we love eating so much that having Christmas lunch and dinner isn't enough — we're hungry for Christmas afternoon tea, too. It's the only explanation for why every hotel and its best friend seem to be offering festive teas featuring tier after dainty tier of sweet and savoury bites.

We are, quite frankly, delighted by this turn of events. It means the option of languorous afternoons catching up with friends over the holiday season… and scones. Wonderful, fresh-from-the-oven scones. See you there!

Eden Restaurant

Alicia Wong, founder of Japanese-style patisserie Nesuto, is dishing out an Afternoon Tea Soiree at Eden Restaurant from Dec 16 to Jan 15 ($58, with free flow of Common Man Coffee Roaster coffee and Dilmah Silver Jubilee tea).

Besides classic and raisin scones, Oriental lobster shooters, turkey breast sliders and gravlax finger sandwiches, diners can expect exquisite sweet treats from Nesuto like coconut panna cotta with rose jelly, brown butter gateau Amande financiers, yuzu raspberry cake, and brandy-soaked Christmas fruitcake.

Intercontinental Singapore

Intercontinental's Festive Afternoon Tea ($138 for two people) is a collaboration with popular French confiture brand Bonne Mamman, which means you can expect plenty of lovely preserves with your meal.

Highlights include the Christmas pistachio yule cake featuring Bonne Maman's Apricot Intense jam and a charming Lamington Gift Box with an almond financier paired with lime curd and blackberry preserves.

Also look forward to country pork terrine sandwiches, foie gras and mousseline with Parma ham, and roasted turkey and sundried tomato quiche. Happily, there are English buttermilk scones and rum-infused fruit scones with what else? A selection of Bonne Maman jams, of course.

Mandarin Oriental Singapore

Mandarin Oriental Singapore and French crystal purveyor Baccarat have come together this Christmas to elevate dining experiences at the hotel and commemorate the latter's 260th anniversary.

To that end, the Enchanted Festive Tea Soiree ($88) features a Baccarat Gem, a ruby octagon cake flavoured with rosemary cream, wild strawberry compote, eglantine coulis, and Earl Grey tea mousse.

Also on the line-up are foie gras logs with Christmas berries, Grand Marnier-spiked nougat de Sainte-Maure, and Dungeness crab gateau with xeres-infused watermelon.

Portman's Bar

The three-tiered afternoon teas at Portman's Bar are priced at $68, $88, and $118. Start with savoury bites like turkey cranberry crepes and mini roasted pumpkin and Boursin tarts before diving into lobster and potato salad on white bread and Black Angus beef shanks with chestnuts in a mini brioche bun.

The sweet tier comprises cutesy Santa hats made with ivory mousse, cherries and chocolate sponges, and a gift-shaped cake made with hazelnut and banana confit. You'll also experience the showstopping Bombe Alaska flambeed tableside with a fiery flourish of rum.

Raffles Singapore

On any regular day, The Grand Lobby at Raffles Singapore is a thing to behold — a throwback to a celebration of colonial grandeur. At Christmas, it's even more atmospheric, particularly if you're sitting down to a Festive Afternoon Tea (from $118).

The three-tier silver stands hold an array of finger sandwiches, sweet and savoury scones, and Christmas delights like a 72 per cent Ebene chocolate Caroline, festive fruitcake, mini mincemeat pies, and warm panettone puddings.

Wildseed Cafe at The Alkaff Mansion

Wildseed Cafe's gorgeous location at The Alkaff Mansion is hard to beat for that feeling of getting away from it all. Throughout December, come for the Christmas High Tea ($68 for 2 people) and nibble on treats like ham croquettes, mushroom tartlets, and mini seafood salad baskets. Sweet delights include pistachio madeleines, black forest tarts, and chestnut tea cakes.

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