[Review] Fairmont Singapore Celebrates SG60 with Yip Yew Chong-Inspired Afternoon Tea

Fairmont Singapore is marking the nation’s 60th birthday with a special collaboration with local artist Yip Yew Chong, best known for his evocative murals in Chinatown, Tiong Bahru, and Kampong Glam.

From 2 July to 30 September 2025, ANTI:DOTE will present an afternoon tea experience inspired by Yip’s artworks, blending food, art, and culture in celebration of Singapore’s rich multicultural heritage.

We attended the session on a Sunday noon and found it both fun and therapeutic. Yip was present to do a live painting demonstration and it was a surreal experience to watch him in his zone while sipping tea and enjoying our light bites.

On the food front, Yip’s distinctive storytelling through art set the creative foundation for the menu, with flavours designed to reflect Singapore’s diverse communities.

Fans of his murals will find the experience especially engaging, as his work comes alive not just visually, but on the plate.

The high tea menu features a mix of savoury and sweet treats that represent Singapore’s multi-racial influences. It is extremely difficult to condense all of Singapore’s multi-cultural food offerings into a few small bites, but this is what the ambitious high tea offering seeks to do and with a respectable measure of success.

Highlights include Smoked Duck with hoisin sauce recalling Chinese roast meats, Chicken Satay with ketupat inspired by Malay street food, Barramundi Fish Curry with okra chips and trout roe drawing from Indian flavours, and a Peranakan-style Lobster with laksa jelly and caviar. Eurasian heritage is represented in a refined one-bite version of Chicken Stew with potato and cabbage.

Biting into each of the items bring forth, nostalgic favours and fond memories of Singapore’s diverse food heritage.

Savoury bites:

Chinese – Smoked Duck, Spring Onion, Cucumber, Hoshin Sauce

Malay – Chicken Satay, Ketupat, Peanut Sauce

Indian – Barramundi Fish Curry, Okra Chip, Trout Roe

Peranakan – Boston Lobster, Laksa Jelly, Caviar

Eurasian – Chicken Stew, Potato, Cabbage

On the sweet tier, nostalgic desserts are reimagined with playful adaptations.

Orh Nee (yam paste) is served as a yam crèmeux with gula melaka and coconut sponge, while Kueh Salat features pandan custard and blue pea glutinous rice. Other highlights include a rice milk coconut mousse Putu Piring, a trio of flavours in the Traffic Light Cake, and even a creative spin on the classic kopi and teh pairing in dessert form.

I am usually not a fan of dessert items, but I managed to finish all of the sweet bites, curious to learn what each of the dainty items present to the palate.

Sweet bites:

Pani Puri – Alphonso Mango Sago, Yoghurt Cream

Orh Nee – Yam Crèmeux, Gula Melaka, Coconut Genoise Sponge

Egg Toast – Exotic Coulis, Caramalised Brioche, Chantilly Cream

Traffic Light Cake – Yuzu Almond Sponge, Raspberry Coulis, Muscat Gel

Kueh Salat – Pandan Custard, Blue Pea Glutinous Rice

Putu Piring – Rice Milk Coconut Mousse, Peanut Praline

Kopi & Tea – Coffee Praline, Earl Grey Ganache

Completing the experience are cocktails and mocktails created by ANTI:DOTE’s new head mixologist Edu Zamora, including the refreshing Cendol Sunrise.

Each guest gets to choose two drinks from the high tea menu, which also includes a curated selection of premium TWG teas, coffee and champagne, on top of the mocktail and cocktail.

“I have always invited people to ‘walk into my art’ to experience the sights, sounds and smells of Singapore. In this collaboration, people can also taste it, literally.” Shared Yip about the collaboration with Fairmont Singapore.

The Yip Yew Chong-Inspired Afternoon Tea at Fairmont Singapore offers not only a culinary treat but also a sensory journey through the everyday moments and cultural flavours that shape Singapore’s identity, making it a fitting way to celebrate SG60.

Go try it before it is over!

Yip Yew Chong-Inspired Afternoon Tea at Fairmont Singapore

Venue: ANTI:DOTE, Fairmont Singapore

Dates: 2 July – 30 September 2025

Daily sessions: 12pm – 2pm, 3pm – 5pm

Prices: From $68++ per adult, $34++ per child (6–12 years old)