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Where Gourmets Meet
When I heard about V Dining launching their high tea menu, I couldn’t wait to check it out. I had recently been to V Dining for an incredible dinner on A Day In The Life When Night Duty Calls. During that period, World Gourmet Summit Best Moments, I believe I burst a seam or two. Hence when I discovered that the high tea spread, though lavish in choice, would come in relatively small portions, I heaved a sigh of relief. Hopefully no clothes would be harmed in the making of this blog-post.
On Saturday, I returned with two other gourmets, M2 who is 19 years old, and M5 who is six, for high tea with friends. I remembered how beautiful the city view was during my last dinner through the expansive glass windows. Now in the day, I appreciated the sunlit open kitchen where chefs carefully assembled their edible art.
V Dining High Tea Menu
Some Like It Savoury
As before, Chef Lee Jing Peng, the head chef of V Dining, warmly welcomed us. He presented the savoury dishes which were innovative takes on traditional Singaporean cuisine. M2 enjoyed Chef’s interpretation of chicken rice, a cute morsel with droplets of the classic triad of condiments.
I loved the aromatic clam salad so much, that I had M5’s portion as well.
The beef rendang came in steamed buns. Initially worried about carbohydrates, I declined on account of the buns. But my friends whom I was dining with highly recommended the rendang. I learnt that the West Sumatran dry beef was cooked in spice paste & coconut milk under tender, then stir-fried until the gravy caramelised. Eventually I threw caution to the wind and enjoyed this spicy dish. Happily, my seams held.
Sweet Surprise
After the triad of savoury dishes, we had six sweet desserts. These were prepared by the new party chef of V Dining, Chef Joe Leong.
The most exquisitely prepared was the macaron with black sesame ganache, coconut gel & black sesame sponge. My least favourite was the pandan kaya swiss roll but I think I’m biased. You see, my son, M4, makes kaya at home and I’m a loyal fan. Regardless, the rest of my friends enjoyed the rolls. Another popular dessert was Tropical Verrine. This was a combination of mango compote, coconut mousse & passionfruit cremeaux.
Overall, I thought the nine desserts were beautifully presented, with interesting textures and rich flavours.
Highlights Of High Tea At V Dining
Tea Forte For Two
Having indulged in several champagne-drenched meals, I couldn’t help but appreciate the sober tea-pairing. It was my first time trying Tea Forte, whose award-winning blends emphasise organic herbal elements.
I picked Earl Grey, described on the menu as “a symphony of robust Assam leaves with a light liquoring of cold-pressed Italian Bergamot citrus”. I thought the bold flavour went well with the savoury dishes. M2 had a soothing pot of English breakfast tea. Although neither was exotic, we both thoroughly enjoyed our remedies. After all, what’s high tea without good tea?
High Scores For The Scones
M5 loved the scones so much she had four in one go. In fact, she loved it so much she went up to compliment Chef Joe Leong himself. He was sweet enough to pose for a photograph with her after a quick chat, much to our delight.
As I was rushing off to work, I didn’t have a chance to tell him what was on my mind. But several times during tea, he had been introduced as Chef Sam Leong’s son. After tasting this presentation, I have to say, the new pastry chef of V Dining doesn’t need any other backstory about a famous father to add to his accolades. His work speaks for itself when put to the test. And in our books, he’s passed with flying colours.
