Fosters - Devonshire Cream Tea Set

1st April 2011. Written by Xin Li.
April Fools’ Day.
Fosters Restaurant has a long history. Apparently, it dates back to 1960 with its original location at 25 Amber Mansion of the old Orchard. Later it moved to the Specialist Shopping Centre (demolished) then Palais Renaissance before settling down at Holland Village.

The Fosters specialized in English Farmhouse fare and tries to re-create a cosy English cottage setting with mock fireplace, English wing chairs where diners could relax and sip on tea or have Cottage Pie.

Having heard about its afternoon tea, I decided to try it as it was reasonably priced at $10.50++ compared to the hotel afternoon teas. Hence, I made my first trip to the famed Holland Village. It is in a rather chaotic state at the moment thanks to the construction of the Downtown Line. Fortunately, despite the construction works going on at Holland Village, the ambience at Fosters seemed unaffected.

Without much hesitation, I went straight for the Devonshire Cream Tea Set (10.50++ SGD). Together with my fellow diners, we had three kinds of tea, Earl Grey, English Breakfast Tea and Chamomile. If you are expecting TWG, Twinnings or some fanciful tea brands, you would be disappointed to know that Fosters used Dilmah for Earl Grey and English Breakfast and Teekanne (a German brand) for the Chamomile. Regardless, I enjoyed my cup of English Breakfast Tea with the sugar and milk provided.

The tea set came with some warm muffin-like scones. It was quite good with a nice crispy crust and fluffy interior. I enjoyed this more than Lobby Lounge’s. The butter was quite hard but the whipped cream and strawberry preserves were excellent companions for the scones.

Along with the scones were fruit cakes and finger sandwiches, all of which are satisfactory.

My tutor and senior were still hungry after tea so they decided to order the Grilled Field Mushrooms (7.00++ SGD) which was rather disappointing, it too salty and it carries an oily aftertaste.

We also had the Deep Fried Potato Skin (topped with bacon bits and spring onions served with sour cream, 7.00++ SGD), an appetizing dish pulled down by the excessive portions of sour cream. The skin was crispy but the sour cream simply overwhelmed the palate and dampened the potential of this dish.

Haven’t tried a Crepe Suzette (10.00++ SGD) outside before, we ordered it since it is in the menu. It was described as a thin home-made crepe, flambéed with orange liquor sauce and served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I love how the sour citrus flavors come together with the sweet and chilled vanilla ice cream.

Overall the afternoon tea was satisfactory. The service was okay but needs to be more responsive). The price is slightly steep for items other than the afternoon tea. They also offer set lunches (16.50-18.50++ SGD) and set dinners (27-39.00++ SGD).

Fosters
277 Holland Ave
Holland Village
Singapore 278994

Tel: 6466-8939
Fax: 6464-8215