I haven’t been out for a nice afternoon tea since Noah was born, so I was thrilled to receive Pan Pacific’s Invitation to the Imaginary Friends Afternoon Tea. The concept fascinated me, because the 10 items on the menu were inspired by some of the characters from Singaporean author Melanie Lee’s whimsical book, Imaginary Friends: 26 Fables for the Kid in Us
, and specially created by the Pan Pacific pastry chefs.
Noah was down with the flu on the day of the tea, so C and I went on a date instead, while my mum babysat Noah at home. It felt like such a treat being able to sample everything slowly, without having to stop Noah from destroying (and devouring) the pretty pastries!
Pretty Pastries (Photos courtesy of Pan Pacific Singapore)
If you’ve been following this blog for some time, you’ll know that I love books, so this was especially interesting for me. I obtained a browsing copy of the book during the tea, and quickly read the stories behind the characters which the pastries are inspired by. I was so amused by them that I bought a copy for myself, and a couple more as gifts. Such a smart move to sell the books there!
C and I love durians, so the Durian Puff with Spiked Meringue (Dan the Dowdy Durian Man), was our absolute favourite. The durian puree filling was bitter-sweet, just the way we like it, and my only grouse is that there were only two of them. If they were available for takeaway, I think we would have happily bought more to savour them at home.
Durian Puff with Spiked Meringue
The savoury tarts were a hit with us too. C really liked the Blue Cheese and Leek Tart (Lucy the Lively Leek), while I preferred the Octopus Mirin Quiche with Bonito Flakes (Olivia the Overachieving Octopus). We agreed that the blue cheese worked really well with the leek in the former, though I was sort of expecting the leek to be paired with potatoes, like in the story itself. The shortcrust pastry of both tarts was thin yet crumbly, allowing the fillings to shine, instead of overpowering them.
The seaweed scone was also delightful, and although the cream and strawberry jam were both good, we thought it went especially well with the lemon curd provided.
Clockwise from top: Seaweed Scone, Octopus Mirin Quiche with Bonito Flakes, and Blue Cheese and Leek Tart
Two of the items were a blend of savoury and sweet, and to be completely honest, we both didn’t quite enjoy the Grape and Leek Panna Cotta (Greta the Grouchy Grape and Lucy the Lively Leek), perhaps because we aren’t fans of Panna Cotta to begin with. I thought the Seaweed Swiss Roll (Olivia the Overachieving Octopus) was quite nice though.
Grape and Leek Panna Cotta, and Seaweed Swiss Roll
I’ve got a sweet tooth, so I really enjoyed the sweet desserts: Cheesecake with Turkish Delight (Freda the Friendly Froyo), Mandarin Orange Cupcake (Ming the Morose Mandarin), Chucky White Flour Cookies with Orange and Chocolate Chips (Chucky the Clever Calico Cat), and Tea-infused Chocolate Pralines (Timmy the Tenacious Teabag). I don’t usually like cheesecakes, but to my surprise, I found this one to be pretty yummy, and not overpoweringly cheesy.
Cheesecake with Turkish Delight, Mandarin Orange Cupcake, and Chucky White Flour Cookies with Orange and Chocolate Chips
Cheesecake with Turkish Delight
Mandarin Orange Cupcake, and Chucky White Flour Cookies with Orange and Chocolate Chips
Tea-infused Chocolate Pralines
We were too full to finish everything, so I decided to bring some home for Noah as well. He was so excited when I gave him the Mandarin Orange Cupcake, as well as a Chucky White Flour Cookie with Orange and Chocolate Chips, and kept asking, “For me? Is this for me?”
For me?
Happy boy
Yummy!
Pacific Marketplace’s new Imaginary Friends Afternoon Tea is very unique, and I would definitely recommend it if you are tired of the usual high tea fare. In addition, there will be book-reading sessions by the author Melanie Lee, on 6 and 20 December 2014, at 3pm. Do place your reservations in advance, in order to avoid disappointment.
Imaginary Friends Afternoon Tea Pan Pacific Singapore Pacific Marketplace 7 Raffles Boulevard, Marina Square Singapore 039595 Tel: +65 6826 8240 Available daily from 17 November to 31 December 2014, 3 to 5pm SGD 58 for 2 adults More information available on their website here
*We were invited for a complimentary tasting session of the Imaginary Friends Afternoon Tea by Pan Pacific Singapore. No monetary compensation was received for this post. All photos and opinions are our own, unless otherwise stated.
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