Marie Antoinette High Tea

Lime curd meringue tart with Marie's portrait, macaroon with fresh blueberries, beetroot and cherry cupcake and the upside down portrait of Marie.

It's exams period at the uni(versity not uni as in the sea urchin... I wish!!!) and I am getting stressed out. So, if this entry sounds kinda choppy and short, I apologize in advance. If you remember the Guylian episode, I learnt from it by not expecting too much from the Marie Antoinette high tea. The result? I was happy with the outcome.

Mask for the theme, water and the chandon rose with J on the background

J was already waiting for me when I got there and right away the waiter gave us both water without being asked. The same when my other friend arrived. That... is good service. Then we got our chandon rose. I love a good bubble, especially after not having any alcohol for since I broke my foot...

The whole shebang: quite overwhelming!

The two tiered plates came next and we were speechless at how many food there were. I was pre-warned after I saw it on love my food and sugar's blog and checking it out on google, but still that was a lot of sweets on the top plate!

Slow roast beef with cream cheese stuffed baby belle pepper, the savory platter, deviled egg on heart toasted brioche and kiwi and orange croissant with mascarpone

Avocado and shrimp tartar and deviled egg on heart toasted brioche

I ate all of the savories and my favorite was the kiwi and orange croissant with mascarpone. The sweets though, I truly struggled! I liked the lime curd merengue tart, and cheated with the blueberry macaroon and chocolate cream with exotic fruit caramel and candied walnuts. I only ate a bite each... I managed to eat the scones which were warm and savory, served with their version of clotted cream and strawberry jam.

Scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam: a high tea isn't one without some scones...

I chalk this up as a successful Sydney International Food Festival 2010 =)

The Westin Sydney Hotel

No. 1 Martin Place

Sydney, NSW 2000

Click here for the complete menu

Afternoon Tea@ Cova

Cova's entrance

Considering Singapore was a former British colony it is of little wonder that afternoon tea is highly popular here. From afternoon tea break at the office to the splendid afternoon tea sets that are scattered all over the island. That afternoon, P and I just wanted some dessert after our lunch at Casa Verde and the first thing that came to mind was Cova. So we took a cab and headed towards Paragon.

Apparently we weren't the only one with that idea, so we had to wait for a bit before getting seated. The maitre d saw me taking a picture and asked me not to take a picture, but since I just had to blog this I sneaked in a few shots inside anyway. Food blogs or even pictures posted on facebook these days are a part of word of mouth review that restaurant should let people take pictures and post them online. If you read my posting on the dim sum at Cherry Garden, you would see that the reason I discovered it in the first place was a food blog! Free advertising for them, right?

Anyway, we decided to have some tea and shared a slice of the strawberry mousse cake as we were quite full from lunch. P got herself a pot of Earl Grey tea and I went with Imperial Scent o' Morocco. While we waited for our tea and cake to arrive, I surveyed the coast and took some pictures. I love how the setting in Cova is very regal and proper but not English like. The chandeliers, the brass mirrors on the dark wooden walls, low intensity lighting were very charming. I also like the neatness of the linen clothed tables and the comfortability of the chair. P and I were definitely loving the chair as they were much comfortable than where we were seated earlier.

The seats, the mirror and the bar reflected on the mirror

A little about Cova: it is Italian franchise, established in 1817 by a former soldier of Napoleon, Antonio Cova. For more on the history click here. I am always a firm believer that if a restaurant can survive that long, it is because they have good quality. When the cake arrived, I can confirm that indeed the quality is high. Not only the taste was good, the presentation too was nice. Another friend told me that the food here is also good, but so far I have yet to try their meals. Remembering how the restaurant is set up, with a majestic display of all the cakes and sweets you can think of on one side I associate Cova with cakes and dessert.

Strawberry Mousse Cake

Our tea came steaming hot in silver pots. Be careful not to burn your fingers. The tea scent was strong, my Imperial Scent o' Morocco smelled like mint tea, very calming and relaxing. The two of us sat there for quite a while just hanging out enjoying our tea and strawberry mousse cake. The mousse cake was soft and flavorful, and for those of you who prefer your strawberry mousse cake sweeter, they put whipped cream on the side.

A pot of Imperial Scent o' Morocco

A cup of Imperial Scent o' Morocco

Another thing that I like about Cova is that they don't hurry you to finish your meal or give you the bill before you even ask for it. I suppose their being in Paragon, one of the poshest mall in Singapore, does have something to do with it, but its just nice to be able to linger and decide when you want to make a move. The only thing that I would want them to change is, be more camera friendly. Trust me, they should let people take pictures. Digital pictures posted on the web is the 21st century version of word of mouth.

Caffe Cova
Paragon #01-20A
290 Orchard Road
+65 6836 0925