I travelled on The Sentosa Express Monorail across to Singapore's most famous island for High Tea at the Capella Hotel.
Universal Studios brings countless tourists to Sentosa Island. However the grounds of the Five Star Capella Hotel offer a haven from the hustle and bustle. The quiet and peaceful paradise is lush and gorgeous with a rainforest spread over thirty acres of land, looking out onto the South China Sea.
As the building is so classic and striking, it’s important to learn the history of the beautiful architecture of the Capella.
The British colonial heritage listed buildings of the Capella, have been restored with new hotel extensions and villas. It was built in the 1880s to originally accommodate the British Officers of the Royal Artillery, Coastal Defence Command on Sentosa Island.
The Officers Mess was where the officers and their families had meals and down time. The beautiful view of the Singapore Harbour was a practice for the officers and their families to welcome in the New Year with the loud horning from the ships on the water.
There is a legend of buried treasures remembered by all the officers who served on the island. It was said that in the last days before the British surrendered on the 15th February 1942, the British officers quickly buried their Regimental silver in the lawn in front of the Officers Mess. Part of the silvers was recovered in Port Dickson in Malaysia in 1950, but the whereabouts of the rest of the treasures is unknown. They possibly still lie under the lawn on the grounds.
After the war, the 1st Singapore Royal Regiment Artillery (1st SRRA) was set up in 1948 and the British officers in command continued to use these blocks as living quarters and mess. In 1956 the British Government authorised the disbandment of all their overseas coast artillery and by 1st November 1958, the 1st SRRA at Sentosa Island was disbanded.
The Afternoon Tea at the Capella was served in the Chef’s Table which most recently used to be their gift shop. They have now turned the space into a gorgeous kitchen, where you can see the staff cooking and preparing the High Tea.
The beverage was beautifully presented with a teapot and hourglass timer. We began with a refreshing cup of delicious Peach Oolong Cold tea. The tea brand, Rooenfeldt is from Germany. I had the Jasmine Pearl tea which had a soothing and calming flavour. I also tried the Cadbury Hot Chocolate, which was really nice too.
I’m a beetroot fan and loved the flavour combination of the Quinoa with Beetroot Cream wrapped in cucumber. It was really fluffy and light on the palette. The Duck liver was really fresh with the salty Yuzu liquid covering it. I would describe the Croque Monsieur as French toast with cheese and mushroom. I love mushrooms, so this was moreish!
The sweet portion of the Afternoon Tea was beautifully served in a lock up case/box.
The desserts were fresh, tasty and had really interesting and rich flavour combinations.
Deep Passionfruit with Mango Sauce was refreshing and served in a different way, on a stick!
Traditional Baked Dundee with Dried Fruits infused in Tea with Fresh Citrus Zest was a Scottish inspired dish. It reminded of fruit cake my Auntie used to bake!
The flavours of the Afternoon Tea were overall quite rich with interesting flavour combinations, but were extremely tasty and fresh. The Capella Afternoon Tea definitely lives up to its luxurious reputation. The surroundings were just gorgeous with a lovely tropical and holiday atmosphere! Overall it was a lovely Afternoon tea with great service and an experience I am so pleased I was able to have!
Capella Afternoon Tea Menu:
Savoury:
- Quinoa with Beetroot Cream
- Custard of Duck Liver with Yuzu Flavour
- Croque Monsieur
- Chicken Sausage Feuillete with Parmesan
Scones:
- Cranberry served with Honey, Jam and Cream
Sweet:
- Bordeaux Canelés Baked in Copper Mould
- Apricot Cardamom Chocolate Sacher
- Deep Passion Fruit ‘Pate De Fruit’ with Mango Sauce
- 70% Dark Chocolate Cheesecake
- Lemon Tartlet with White Chocolate
- Baked Traditional Dundee with Dried Fruits Infused in Tea with Fresh Citrus Zest
Dietary requirements available at time of booking.
