After getting a sneak preview of the Cloud Forest Afternoon Tea at a fabulous press event to celebrate Shangri-La’s 50th Anniversary, where I strongly resisted the urge to nibble on their beautiful display table setting, I certainly looked forward to my return on the weekend to finally indulge in the delights for myself.
As a special tribute to the 1971 opening of Shangri-La Group’s first hotel, Shangri-La Singapore, Shangri-La The Shard harks back to its Asian heritage with an authentic Singaporean immersion experience, the hotel’s lobby and public spaces beautifully transformed with lush, leafy arrangements and blossoming orchids to set a scene reminiscent of Singapore’s Botanic Gardens. Colourful motifs and patterns inspired by country’s Peranakan culture also feature throughout the hotel which was a pleasant and familiar sight to behold.
Served in TĪNG on level 35 of The Shard, our experience began with a welcome tea infused with honey, lemon, and mango, served on a wooden tray which emitted a dramatic and theatrical fog effect upon being presented before us at the table. From their extensive tea selection, we tried a couple of their Signature Teas, which included the Shangri-La Blend, a harmonious blend of Oolong & black tea, and the Gong Mei, a lighter infusion with honey nuances. We also enjoyed The Cloud Forest Cocktail which combines Roku gin with contemporary Asian spirits and flavours including baiju, mirin, kumquat liqueur, pomegranate molasses and pineapple, a refreshing tipple created by talented mixologists at GŎNG which takes inspiration from the iconic Singapore Sling, in honour of the occasion.
The savoury selection included a cucumber and cream cheese sandwich, with wasabi that gave it a subtle hint of spice, a crispy vegetable spring roll with a sweet chilli dip, a smoked salmon & yuzu nigiri, a mini pancake topped with duck, cucumber & plum sauce, and last but not least, a steamed bun with hoisin roast pork, served in a cute round bamboo steamer basket. We really enjoyed the variety of savoury options that we just couldn’t object to having seconds.
The light and buttery scones came in the classic varieties of plain and raisin, served with Cornish clotted cream, strawberry jam, and a delectable pandan & coconut “jam”, or what we would normally call “kaya” back home in Malaysia. Rich and creamy with an intense fragrance of pandan leaves which are often used in desserts in Southeast Asia, I didn’t hold back from piling on a generous dollop on my scone. It made me reminisce of my childhood where we would usually use it as a staple spread on bread for breakfast or as an afternoon snack.
After much visual admiration of the sweet pastries that looked almost too pretty to eat, we took our time to savour each individual patisserie, starting with the Shangri-La Sling Mousse, a creative recreation in pastry form based on the iconic Singapore Sling, followed by the Mandarin & vanilla macaron, the coconut & pineapple tart which was bursting with tropical flavours, and my favourite amongst them, a chocolate dessert presented in the shape of a pebble which contained fresh mango, one of my favourite fruits since I was a child!
With an equally dramatic backdrop of the city and Tower Bridge in the distance to match this glorious experience, the Cloud Forest Afternoon Tea is unquestionably one to book this summer.
The Cloud Forest Afternoon Tea is served daily from 12:00pm – 4:00pm, priced at £62.00 per person, or £72.00 per person with a glass of Veuve Clicquot Champagne, Yellow Label, Brut, NV or a Cloud Forest Sling cocktail.
- My Cloud Forest Afternoon Tea experience at TĪNG was complimentary – views and photos are my own.
