My dad had a craving for afternoon tea and since it was raining, we decided to drive to Marks & Spencers. Afternoon Tea is pretty pricey in Singapore (unless you take the local version of teh + kueh) with most hotels offering tea sets for about SGD 45++ per person but to my surprise, the Marks & Spencer tea set is actually really affordable.
The cheapest set that I’ve found in Singapore (which also has the best scones) is at Fosters, located at Holland Village. It’s a bit out of the way, though, so if you’re in town (aka Orchard Road), Marks & Spencer is probably the cheapest place for afternoon tea.
An afternoon tea set for two will set you back SGD 30++ and consists of:
- Six sandwiches (tuna and egg salad)
- Two scones (with clotted cream and jam)
- Two mini lemon muffins and about four macarons
- Two pots of tea
For the price, I can’t complain. The food is from the food hall so if you’re the type that likes the food there, you’ll probably like it.
Why am I writing about this if you can buy everything at the food hall and make it at home for cheaper?
Because sometimes, you just want one set of afternoon tea, not a week’s worth. The food hall sells all the ingredients separately, but unless you’re making afternoon tea for a big group, it’s just not worth it.
Plus, having it at the cafe lets me try teas that I’m thinking of buying but am undecided about. I tried the Mulled Fruit Tea this time; it’s definitely Christmas-sy but it also reminded me why I only drink mulled wine once a year.
Overall: Marks and Spencer offers what is probably the cheapest afternoon tea set in Orchard road (SGD 15++ per person). At this price, I can’t really complain about the quality – especially since the scones come with clotted cream. Most places either give butter or normal cream so that alone makes the tea worth having, in my opinion.