Introduction
So far this year, as we reacquaint ourselves to the Asia-Pacific region, we have nibbled our way through a Chinese New Year-themed high tea in Kuala Lumpur, compared two of the best kuih shops in Penang, escaped the pandemonium of Hanoi by taking high tea in the clouds, slurped bowls of che admist the glowing lanterns in Hoi An, feasted on consecutive days of exquisitely-crafted cherry blossom high teas and hunted down the best wagashi in Tokyo. And in this latest volume of our dessert travel adventures, we round up the best 5 must-try traditional dessert spots of all the spots we visited over two recent trips to Singapore.
Singapore’s best fusion high tea
Dessert destination: Pan Pacific Hotel, 7 Raffles Boulevard, Singapore.
Budget: Approx USD $60.
Short and sweet story: Similar to London’s Pan Pacific Hotel exquisite Chinese high tea, the Singapore branch offers high tea with a slight infusion of local flavours. On weekdays, the high tea is served as a three-tiered tower. On weekends, in addition to the three-tiered tower, there is also a buffet station that cooks up asam laksa, char keow teow, fruit rojak and durian crepes. On our weekday visit, savouries included a wagyu beef sandwich, salted egg yolk yam puff in the shape of a swan, and pork lobak rolls. The desserts were crafted in the French style, but injected with a touch of Singaporean flavours, such cendol, coconut, mango pomelo and pulut hitam. This high tea is especially ideally situated either pre or post a Marina Bay shopping trip.
Singapore’s best traditional local flavours high tea
Dessert destination: Capitol Kempinski Hotel, 15 Stamford Road, Singapore.
Budget: Approx USD $60.
Short and sweet story: Whole-heartedly showcasing the greatest hits of the city state’s culinary traditions, Capitol Kempinski’s “Singapore Heritage High Tea” is probably the best local-style dessert high tea on offer in Singapore. Split into three sections, the first course arrived in a large teak box, and featured six savoury bites, the highlights of which were a Hainanese chicken rice morself, a toasted pork mini sandwich, and kaya toast with foie gras. The second course highlighted Singapore’s street food tradition, and included kueh pie tee, ondeh ondeh cake and a bur bur cha cha pannacotta. Arriving on a tray, the third course served up more fusion-style desserts, including a very memorable soy bean milk tart with osmanthus and grass jelly and a silky durian choux puff. In total, there were 16 bites, so we left very very full and very very happy, indeed. Highly recommend.
Singapore’s best CBD Chinese bakery
Dessert destination: Tong Heng Chinese Bakery, 285 South Bridge Road, Singapore.
Budget: $.
Must-eat: Skip the famed egg tart and go for the traditional Chinese pastries.
Short and sweet story: NYC and Australia both have a solid offering of Chinese/HK-style bakeries (see here for previous guides), but for the most part, they focus on egg tarts and soft brioche bread creations. In our eyes, what makes Tong Heng stand out is its offering of slightly more traditional Chinese pastries – e.g. wife cake, lotus biscuits, salted egg yolk cookies, green bean flaky biscuits. Most people visit Tong Heng for the egg tarts, but you really ough not to miss the other desserts the bakery offers.
Singapore’s best kuih lapis
Dessert destination: Bengawan Solo, various locations, Singapore.
Budget: Approx USD $35 for the small cake tin.
Must-eat: Kuih lapis.
Short and sweet story: When it comes to kuih generally, Malaysia is to place to be. But when it comes to kuih lapis, we challenge you to tell us of a better kuih lapis than Singapore’s Bengawan Solo. Yes, it is expensive, but infused with a nuanced splash of spices, it has the most consistently layered cross-section and the most incredibly buttery soft texture. We also love Bengawan Solo’s kuih sago — the flavours are textbook perfect, but the layers don’t pull apart properly.
Singapore’s most late night dessert bar
Dessert destination: 2am Dessert Bar, 21A Lor Liput, Holland Village, Singapore.
Budget: Approx USD $20 per dessert course.
Best for: Post-dinner dessert cravings.
Short and sweet story: 2AM Dessert Bar has been on our dessert wishlist forever, but we haven’t had a chance to visit due to it being somewhat out of the way from the usual places we frequent when we visit Singapore. On a recent visit however, we finally made it!…and we were left somewhat underwhelmed. If you are new to the concept of dessert degustation, 2AM is a good starter dessert spot. For us however, 2AM’s desserts were not particularly creative. Of the several desserts ordered, the only one that is etched in our memory is the “Strawberry Caprese,” a serenade of lychee, strawberry and a wisp of lavender. 2AM is still worth a visit if you a need a better dessert than the soporific desserts at many restaurants, but…we have been to better dessert bars.
Dessert adventure checklist
☑ Dessert destination: Singapore.
☑ Budget: $$.
☑ Sweet irresistibles: Traditional Singaporean high teas and other desserts.
☑ Travel notes:
How long? Similar to NYC, 3-4days is a good starting point for the first time visitor to Singapore.
When to visit? Some months are rainier than others, but otherwise, the temperature doesn’t shift significantly from 25-35 degrees Celsius and high humidity.
How to get there? As with most Asian countries, connectivity between city and airport is seamless, straightforward and quick – by taxi or public transport.
Where to stay? Our most recent favourite hotels are the Clan Hotel and the more boutique, Amoy Hotel. They are adjacent to each other, conveniently located to the downtown tourist spots and business district, and great food spots nearby.
