Restaurant Review: Tea at The Landing Point

Put 2 skinnyfat girls together and you'll usually wind up with a food crisis because they would eat so much despite not having planned for it. That was exactly what happened yesterday. Z and i headed to the CBD area with all intention to check out some cafes that we would usually miss out on the weekdays. The first was Black (i tried it at Triple One and it was BAD) and i dissuaded her from going in. Dimbulah is available at Robertson so it wasn't of pressing nature to visit. Then it struck my mind and i absolutely had to bring her there! Just across the street at Fullerton Bay Hotel was one of the best  Afternoon Tea that i have had in Singapore and it was The Landing Point.  

Once you step into the Hotel, you will be welcomed by the perfumed lilies. I love lilies and i think natural flower fragrance is the best way to freshen up the space. The spacious interior decorated with colonial and modern elements was welcoming more than overwhelming, though Z was quite confused by the mixed of oriental cabinets with colonial high backed arm chairs. From our vantage point above the 13-metre long bar, we could look out to the outdoor waterfront terrace (and of course the waters). Nice beginning to a wonderful afternoon.

Other than for Afternoon Tea, they are also open for breakfast, lunch and light refreshments throughout the day. I heard that the bar does some interesting bespoke cocktails of 3 different themes- The Clifford Collection (Contemporary); The Anderson Collection (Timeless vintage) and The Old Fashioned Cocktails (Customized 19th century drinks) You can enjoy a selection of typical bar food e.g. Wagyu Burgers (or not so typical) and other sandwiches and Asian delights.

S first brought me to the Landing Point early last year (knowing how much i love my Afternoon Tea) and i thoroughly enjoyed myself. I could still remember certain canapes and the explosion of taste in my mouth. I was raving about the food to Z. She had seen the pictures before and wanted to give it a try but i guess we both forgot about it. We sat back in the plush plum and aqua green couches which nicely enveloped our petite behinds and prepared us for the goodies to come.

Afternoon Tea is served daily and presents an array of delightful light bites! From the top tier to bottom (left to right)- Creme Brulee, Chocolate Tart, Cucumber sandwich, Brie on Biscuit, Parma Ham Mini Bagel, Truffled Egg Mayo, Smoked Salmon sandwich, Lobster horn, Mini Ham and Cheese Quiche, Duck confit in Crepe, Kueh Lapis, Canele, Tarte Citron and Chocolate Éclair. Any tea is incomplete without English Scones of course and they were served with Strawberry Jam and Clotted Cream (YAY!). A fine selection of fresh tea and infusions by TWG is available e.g. Eau Noir Tea, Honeyed White Tea, Tea Party Tea etc. 

Most Afternoon tea at hotels usually fail in one department, either the sweet or savory or worst, both. The Landing Point however excelled in most of their bites! The only thing we would find fault with was the use of certain supermarket quality breads for the sandwiches. I left my cucumber sandwich alone and ate the fillings of the other sandwiches. 

First up- Savories. The Parma Ham bagel was light and had a pillowy centre. Truffled egg Mayo was not bad, i mean it was simple to make. Smoked Salmon was so so as well. I'll now introduce you my favorites!

The Lobster horn- Fragrant sesame pastry roll with sesame oil mayo lobster filling. Chunky pieces of meat (not too sure if they were really lobster meat but it couldn't be crab or prawn), juicy and succulent. You can taste the sea in your mouth. The use of the sesame oil seems to suggest some Japanese influence but it's a great choice nonetheless.

Duck confit in crepe- moist, buttery and salty paste with shredded duck meat. Z thinks it's more like a pate but i beg to differ. It doesn't have the paste-like quality and dryness of a pate and was more like a blended confit paste. The crepe reminds me of the Chinese Peking Duck dish. Another "fusion" of sorts.

All the pastry tarts were faultless. Crisp, crunchy and buttery goodness. If only the ham and cheese quiche were bigger. The egg center is moist and flavorful, unlike many of the disappointing quiches available around. These were so yums we went for seconds (you can get refills! Ala Carte buffet style). This is O so awesome! 

Now on the sweets. They were all very thoughtfully made and the quality was superb. The Canele is the best in Singapore (as claimed by Z. Her second best would be Antoinette's). Anyway, this brought Z back to France, onto the cobbled stones along Champs-Élysées). Nicely burnt caramel crunch on the outside and a moist interior. Authentic ones would have a hint of rum in it. We weren't sure if that was present though.

The Creme brulee in chocolate tart was perfectly executed. There was a lingering chocolate taste from the crunchy base and a smooth and light egg center. Mine had the caramel sauce dripping all over my fingers while i ate. The Caramel Chocolate tart was also a surprise- sea salt flakes to complement the light chocolate filling with a kinder surprise caramel centre. YUMS.

I have to say their scones are one of the best, perhaps only second after Regent's. A raisin and a plain scone were served and both were buttery and dense with a moist center. I love both of them! Z prefers the plain one because it tastes more scone-ish (no raisins to distract her from the taste).

I love their clotted cream, i could have it on any bread. The jam was not too cloyingly sweet and went well with the clotted cream. Z made hers swirl before popping them into her mouth.

The Lemon tart is out of this world! The refreshing tangy curd helps to break the monotony and heaviness of the other bites and cleanses the palate. We could so eat more after a bite of this. Fantastic tart to curd ratio. Wobbly and liquid center with the right amount of flow. The curd simply melts into a lemon jus after sending it into your mouth. And that perfumed fragrance that embraces and lingers on was just so uplifting.

I had too much tart (and carbs) by then so i resorted to slurping the lemon filling from the pastry shell. How ingenious!

So here you go! The superb Afternoon Tea at the Landing Point. CBD folks who are tired of working or are looking for an excuse to chill, you can always "bring a client out for tea" at the Landing Point. We have seen some working types at tea time before. Enjoy!

Food: 5/5 See how i was raving about it? AWESOME.
Service: 4/5 Attentive but not particularly warm.
Ambience: 4/5 Comfortable but it was really quite cold. The tea became cold after a while.

We paid about $50 per pax. It's a little pricy but the food is too nice to be missed!

Wanna have a tai tai day out? This is the place for you. Some people watching too, I spotted Jade Seah the first time i was here. Highly recommended by the one and only ms-skinnyfat. :))

The Landing Point
The Fullerton Bay Hotel
80 Collyer Quay
Tel: + 65 6597 5277