Tuesday, 2 December 2014

'Imaginary friends' afternoon tea

Tea time is a sure luxury for the hectic mama schedule we hold. I was glad to recently have some time with Mummy friends even though it was with kids tagged along for me. Thanks to Dotz and Celine, I had the chance to savour an Imaginary Friends Afternoon Tea at Pan Pacific

I was very wow-ed when I stepped into the hotel's lobby. It had been beautifully revamped since 2012, I think. This facelift gave it a very refreshing and homely feel. Definitely a nice place to retreat and have some tea with friends. I love the ambiance and stillness at its restaurant, Pacific Marketplace. 

This Imaginary Friends afternoon tea I had with my real friends was inspired by a local lifestyle writer, Melanie Lee. She authored a whimsical book - Imaginary Friends, 26 fables for the kid in us consisting a collection of 26 modern fables based on the letters of the alphabet A to Z. It takes a grown-up to appreciate the tales in it. This time round, the kids don't get it.

Out of the characters in this book, the creative people at Pan Pacific have brought to life 10 charming pastries for savour. The yummies that made its way to the pastry tier were:
  • Blue Cheese and leek tart (Lucy the lively leek)
  • Cheese cake with Turkish delight(Freda the friendly froyo)
  • Chucky white flour cookies with orange and chocolate chips(Chucky the clever calico cat)
  • Durian puff with spiked meringue(Dan the dowdy durian man)
  • Grape and leek panna cotta(Greta the grouchy grape and Lucy the lively leek)
  • Mandarin orange cupcake (Ming the morose mandarin)
  • Octopus Mirin quiche with bonito flakes (Olivia the overachieving octopus)
  • Seaweed scones (Olivia the overachieving octopus)
  • Seaweed swiss roll (Olivia the overachieving octopus)
  • Tea-infused chocolate praline (Timmy the tenacious teabag)

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Lovely pastries

My personal favourites were Grape and leek panna cotta, octopus mirin quiche and tea-infused chocolate praline. Not that I didn't like the rest, but I was too full that I had to stop stuffing. Self control is better than no control. Js were most hooked on those chocolate pralines, which were fragrantly and tastily good.

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Chocolates, her love!

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Characters on the Pralines!

Featured on those pralines, from top left to right are Lucy the lively lee and Elly the egotistical eraser. From bottom left to right are Zelda the zealous zither and Herman the hopeless hippo. Get the book and you'll know who and what they are. Other than our local bookstore MPH, you may also get the book over the counter at Pacific Marketplace. All proceeds go to a charitable cause. December is the month of giving!

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Mandarin orange cupcake and chucky white flour cookies

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Cheese cake with Turkish delight

A little something about the character. The durian puff with spiked meringue was inspired by Dan the Dowdy durian man. Based on its tale and a little excerpt from the book, it read "I just want someone to love me for who I am on the inside." The woes of a durian's thorny brush with dating. 

Definitely a fun and hilarious book to enjoy over tea, if you prefer some solitude.

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Durian puff with spiked meringue

If not, book your mummy time out to engage in some adult conversations with your girlies. You never know what a good session of tea does to you soul, especially from that burnt out parenting schedule. I know, once you chat up, it's almost tough to break up to head the different ways back.

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Thank you ladies for reviving my soul.

Mummies need that break too. Book your friend in for tea soon!

Date: Daily from 17 Nov to 31 Dec 2014
Time: 3 to 5pm
Price: $58++ for two adults (Inclusive of tea and coffee)
Venue: Pacific Marketplace (Level 1), Pan Pacific Singapore, 7 Raffles Boulevard, Singapore 039595.
Book reading session with Melanie: 06 and 20 Dec 2014, 3pm.
Advanced reservations are necessary, do call 68268240 or email celebrate.sin@panpacific.com

Disclaimer: We were invited to this wonderful tea session. No monetary compensation was given. All opinions and photos are solely our own. 

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