[Invited Tasting] Conrad Centennial Lobby Lounge Weekend Afternoon Tea
I've always liked Conrad Hotel; it's understated, elegant and manages a quiet sophistication that exudes exclusivity. The food served at weddings banquets held at the Conrad are usually highly regarded, and rarely disappoint.
So, it was with much anticipation when I was invited for a tasting by the HGW folks for their new--ish launched Weekend Afternoon Tea at the Lobby Lounge. We partook from the same buffet as the public, so there wasn't an incognito revisit typically done as per S.O.P..
Despite the high regard I have of the dinners at their in-house Cantonese restaurant Golden Peony, the afternoon tea was disappointingly middling. The desserts made the bulk of the good stuff. As with the cheese. But the savouries were mostly mediocre, teetering on bad. I didn't think the $58 pricetag per adult pax was worthwhile at all. For easy reference, I'm setting them out in descending order of personal preference.
The Good
The cheese table, with a limited but nice selection thereof.
The Crepe and Waffle Live Cooking Stations proved a hit in churning out piping hot sweets.
My favourite of the cakes, the Chocolate Royal Hazelnut Crunch.
The array of Chocolate Truffles was a chocoholic's dream.
Trays of fruit-dice jello shooters and petite confectionery, of which my favourites was the Creme Brulee at the bottom.
More trays of delightful mini treats, and I particular loved that chendol shooter at the bottom.
The other one I really fancied was the Gula Melaka Creme Brulee.
The Ivory Mousse was moist and sweet.
The Cheesecake was pleasantly nuanced.
The Oysters were fairly fresh, and plump.
The Mini Wagyu Cheese Burger BLT was a bit of a hit and miss. The patty was pretty decent, but the rest of the components were uninspired.
The log of tasty but dry-ish Gammon Ham was sided by grilled root vegetables and apple sauce.
The Orange Truffle was topped with raspberries for a tart counter.
The Fruit Tartlet was buttery but quite run-of-the-mill.
The obligatory Fresh Fruits section of every buffet that almost never gets touched.
The Bad
The Quail's Egg Benedict with truffle hollandaise smelled a lot better than it tasted. This was unremarkable in that it'd dried out on the counter.
The Sushi was forgettable in a very mass market way.
The Plain Scones were pedestrian and dry.
The Spinach and Goat's Cheese Scones were, likewise, lacking in moisture.
The Salmon Scones with Pea Cream were, unsurprisingly, just as unexceptional as its traditional and hulk-green cousins.
The Lobster Quiche with Spinach was unfortunately riddled with parsley which overwhelmed.
The Slipper Lobster Salad with Melon and Salmon Caviar was drowned out by the sharp onions and mayo.
I could hardly make out anything other than dill and parsley in the Finger Sandwiches with Cucumber, Cream Cheese and Baby Prawns.
The Mini Buns with Grilled Vegetables and Goat's Cheese was dried out, and almost crunchy.
The Open Sandwiches with Crabmeat, Gherkins and Pickled Onions was a tad fishy
The Croissant with Smoked Chicken, Mayo and Butter Lettuce was more mayo than anything else. At least it somewhat masked how stringy the chicken was.
The Scallop Gratin in herbed crust held so much promise, but turned out a dry dull rubbery dud.
The Ugly
The Crispy Smoked Duck was desert-dry.
The Mussels Tempura had evidently been sitting out for a while. The batter was soggy, and the shellfish rubbery.
The Roast Beef Carpaccio with Mushrooms and balsamic dressing was rubbery and tough.
Ditto for the Roast Beef, dry and chewy.
Thanks to the HungryGoWhere folks for the invite, and Conrad Centennial peeps for the excellent service and graciously hosting us!
So, it was with much anticipation when I was invited for a tasting by the HGW folks for their new--ish launched Weekend Afternoon Tea at the Lobby Lounge. We partook from the same buffet as the public, so there wasn't an incognito revisit typically done as per S.O.P..
Despite the high regard I have of the dinners at their in-house Cantonese restaurant Golden Peony, the afternoon tea was disappointingly middling. The desserts made the bulk of the good stuff. As with the cheese. But the savouries were mostly mediocre, teetering on bad. I didn't think the $58 pricetag per adult pax was worthwhile at all. For easy reference, I'm setting them out in descending order of personal preference.
The Good
The cheese table, with a limited but nice selection thereof.
The Crepe and Waffle Live Cooking Stations proved a hit in churning out piping hot sweets.
My favourite of the cakes, the Chocolate Royal Hazelnut Crunch.
The array of Chocolate Truffles was a chocoholic's dream.
Trays of fruit-dice jello shooters and petite confectionery, of which my favourites was the Creme Brulee at the bottom.
More trays of delightful mini treats, and I particular loved that chendol shooter at the bottom.
The other one I really fancied was the Gula Melaka Creme Brulee.
The Ivory Mousse was moist and sweet.
The Cheesecake was pleasantly nuanced.
The Oysters were fairly fresh, and plump.
The Mini Wagyu Cheese Burger BLT was a bit of a hit and miss. The patty was pretty decent, but the rest of the components were uninspired.
The log of tasty but dry-ish Gammon Ham was sided by grilled root vegetables and apple sauce.
The Orange Truffle was topped with raspberries for a tart counter.
The Fruit Tartlet was buttery but quite run-of-the-mill.
The obligatory Fresh Fruits section of every buffet that almost never gets touched.
The Bad
The Quail's Egg Benedict with truffle hollandaise smelled a lot better than it tasted. This was unremarkable in that it'd dried out on the counter.
The Sushi was forgettable in a very mass market way.
The Plain Scones were pedestrian and dry.
The Spinach and Goat's Cheese Scones were, likewise, lacking in moisture.
The Salmon Scones with Pea Cream were, unsurprisingly, just as unexceptional as its traditional and hulk-green cousins.
The Lobster Quiche with Spinach was unfortunately riddled with parsley which overwhelmed.
The Slipper Lobster Salad with Melon and Salmon Caviar was drowned out by the sharp onions and mayo.
I could hardly make out anything other than dill and parsley in the Finger Sandwiches with Cucumber, Cream Cheese and Baby Prawns.
The Mini Buns with Grilled Vegetables and Goat's Cheese was dried out, and almost crunchy.
The Open Sandwiches with Crabmeat, Gherkins and Pickled Onions was a tad fishy
The Croissant with Smoked Chicken, Mayo and Butter Lettuce was more mayo than anything else. At least it somewhat masked how stringy the chicken was.
The Scallop Gratin in herbed crust held so much promise, but turned out a dry dull rubbery dud.
The Ugly
The Crispy Smoked Duck was desert-dry.
The Mussels Tempura had evidently been sitting out for a while. The batter was soggy, and the shellfish rubbery.
The Roast Beef Carpaccio with Mushrooms and balsamic dressing was rubbery and tough.
Ditto for the Roast Beef, dry and chewy.
Thanks to the HungryGoWhere folks for the invite, and Conrad Centennial peeps for the excellent service and graciously hosting us!
Lobby Lounge @ Conrad Centennial
2 Temasek
Boulevard
Conrad Centennial Singapore, Lobby Level
Tel: 6884 6884
Open Sundays to Thursdays from 7am to 12midnight;
Fridays to Saturdays 7am to 1am
Weekend Afternoon Tea from 2pm to 4pm; and 4pm to 6pm
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