Hi-Tea @ NUSS Bukit Timah Guild House

We were looking for a place that is affordable and peaceful to have hi-tea and we decided to go to NUSS Bukit Timah Guild House when we found out it offers $16 hi-tea for two from 2pm to 5pm.

Today, Liang Wei (Bottom Left), Qi Chao (Bottom Right), Sze Huan (Top Right)and I went for the Hi-Tea.

Upper Quad Bar and Lounge, The Alfresco and The Dunearn seemed to be related to one another not only because they are situated under the same roof, I think they share the same kitchens as well.

The place was quite nice, colonial architecture is something I fancy and it is located just next to Botanical Gardens and most importantly not too crowded, nice place indeed.

To clarify things here, the Dunearn first floor of the NUSS Bukit Timah is open to the public but it has a dress code of smart casual means pants, jeans plus collared shirts. As for the Upper Quad Bar and Lounge (where we wanted to go for hi-tea at first, is not open to public because it is on the second storey, that said, the Second Storey is a Members-Only Area.

However, that doesn’t mean you cannot enjoy the food, you just cannot enjoy the interiors. You can opt for The Alfresco, which also serve the same menu, just outside the Guild House (if you don’t have the correct attire or you are a non-member). The Alfresco is a pretty relaxing place for me, if you are not too bothered by the mosquitoes. Liang Wei was the prime victim of the mosquito onslaught (luckily they stopped the siege after some time)

Service was alright for me, some hits and misses, there is this meal waiter who tries his best to explain the menu to us and I appreciate that a lot.

Now, contrary to the Hi-Tea promotion information given on the website, I would like to notify you that the tea, coffee, cappuccino are not free-flow as stated (for $16, free flow is like woah) You get to choose a drink of your choice which includes Mocha (Iced/Hot), Honey Lemon, Latte (Hot/Cold), Flavoured Teas and the Classic Teas like Earl Grey. The tea they used is Twinnings Tea, I was told on the phone that the coffee they used is BonCafe.

When the Hi-Tea set took quite a while to arrive and we were told beforehand, however it didn’t disappoint me. The presentation was decent.

We had two scones, one for each person, served with Jam, Clotted Cream and some cubes of Butter. I like it that it was served warm and quite nice too together with the accompanying condiments.

Then we had the Macaroons, which are very soft. Liang Wei seemed to prefer that it was slightly more firm. It was sweet with a cream that reminds me of coffee plus cookie and cream flavour. Not bad.

The Chocolate Ganache was decent, not for people who love lighter cakes though.

The American Cheesecake was average.

Panna Cotta with Blueberry Compote was okay for me. Liang Wei felt that it was slightly heavy, would prefer it lighter.

At the end of it, I still enjoyed the hi-tea set. my choice of drink is the Honey Lemon, more honey than lemon but a simple and refreshing drink. The coffees that Liang Wei and Qi Chao had didn’t fare well. Qi Chao didn’t finish his Ice-Blended Coffee drink.

We spent quite a long time at The Alfresco chatting. To be honest, it is quite a nice place to have chat at the Alfresco. Not too warm as there was an electronic fan nearby and a fountain next to us. If you are still hungry, you could order light bites for $6 each too.

For the value, $16 + GST + Service Charge came down to $9.41 for each person, I felt that it is quite good for value for a tea-set for with drinks included + an environment that is not too crowded. Another point to take note, they don’t accept cash payments here, only Nets and Credit Cards.

Last point, if you are planning to go to the Bukit Timah Guild House without perspiring all over, drive.

Website:
NUSS Bukit Timah Guild House

Address:
1F Cluny Road
NUSS Bukit Timah Guild House

Contact:
6586 3265