Writers Bar: Glam Hatters Afternoon Tea at Raffles Makati

Aside from brunch, my other favorite meal would probably be afternoon tea time. And no, this English practice isn't just a sosyal version of our local merienda. Prior to the rise of tea in Britain, the English only have breakfast and dinner, so the afternoon tea time had actually been their light, late lunch counterpart. And for someone like me who tries hard to skip dinner, what better way to do so than fill up with afternoon tea time goodies.
Glam Hatters Afternoon Tea at Writers Bar Raffles Makati

Located at the ground floor, Writers Bar is the library-styled lobby cafe of Raffles Makati. It takes inspiration from the original Writers Bar in Raffles Singapore, but puts a modern twist to it. Walls lined with bookshelves, ultra-comfortable couch seating, big picture windows, a high ceiling, and chic accents here and there... Indeed, the Writers Bar at Raffles Makati is a perfect location to enjoy afternoon treats while sipping tea!

Writers Bar Raffles Makati
Writers Bar at Raffles Hotel Makati
Writers Bar at Raffles Hotel
Glam Hatters Afternoon Tea at Writers Bar

Before this visit, I've only enjoyed afternoon tea time at da.u.de and TWG Tea Salon & Boutique. However, Writers Bar has a new take on it. Not only can one enjoy a filling yet laid-back afternoon snack and tea session with a friend, but every Monday, one (plus a companion) can even don the most fascinating of fascinators and whimsical hats!

Glam Hatters Raffles Makati The Purple Doll

And of course, I wouldn't miss trying out some of them fascinators and fancy hats hand-made from indigenous materials by Hat Momma, the favorite hat-maker of socialite Tessa Prieto-Valdes. If you're curious, wearing these hats definitely brought out the inner senyorita in me, who can't wait to get this Glam Hatters Afternoon Tea started.

Glam Hatters Afternoon Tea

Other tea places offering afternoon tea time will just give you your tea and all your snacks (usually on a tiered tray) at the same time. Writers Bar does it differently. Instead, you get to enjoy your Glam Hatters Afternoon Tea session course by course.

Glam Hatters Afternoon Tea at Raffles Makati
Glam Hatters Afternoon Tea - P1,150++ (good for two)
Available every Monday from 2:30 to 5:30PM
Equipped with our choice of fancy hats, my friend Stacy and I were first given a Harney and Sons Tea menu to choose our teas from. After taking our picks, we were then served with the first wave of Glam Hatters Afternoon Tea snacks.

Finger Sandwiches for Glam Hatters Afternoon Tea
Finger Sandwiches Beef Tenderloin with Dijonnaise Dressing, Smoked Salmon with Horseradish Cream and Capers, Smoked Ham with Gherkins and Onions, Classic Cucumber with Basil Pesto,
Egg Salad on Sun-dried Tomato Roll
While taking our first few sips of tea came this platter of 5 kinds of Finger Sandwiches with 2 servings each. Every single one of them was good in their own right, and went pretty well with our choice of teas. However, it's the Beef Tenderloin, Smoked Salmon and Egg Salad sandwiches we really enjoyed. If only we can get another helping...

Duo of Scones with Clotted Cream and Locally Made Preserves
Duo of Scones with Clotted Cream and Locally Made Preserves
Next, we were treated to 2 pieces each of the Classic Plain and Dried Currant scones. As a scones lover, it was nice to find these scones slightly crunchy on the outside, and soft and moist on the inside. They could be a little less dense though, but I can't deny I enjoyed pairing them with the clotted cream and berry preserve.

Afternoon Tea Time at Writers Bar
3-Tier Selection of French Pastries
After starting off with the heavier and the more savory afternoon snacks, it was time to finally enjoy the sweeter side of the Glam Hatters Afternoon Tea snacks spectrum with this tiers of seasonal tartlets, pâte à choux, mini-cakes and macarons.

Seasonal Tartlets Lemon Meringue, Blueberry-Black Raspberry Tart, and Cranberry-Raspberry Tart
Lemon Meringue, Blueberry-Black Raspberry Tart, and Cranberry-Raspberry Tart
The first tier of sweets had mini tarts which came in 3 different flavors. Among these 3, I found myself enjoying the Cranberry-Raspberry Tart more than the others. However, it's not to say the Lemon Meringue and Blueberry-Black Raspberry Tart aren't any good. They were actually very enjoyable too and paired really well with our teas. But since they're labeled seasonal, flavors may change depending on available ingredients.

Pâte à Choux Gianduja Religiuse, Vanilla Banana Eclair and Orange Choux
Gianduja Religiuse, Vanilla Banana Eclair, and Orange Choux
On the second tier was a selection of pâte à choux or light puff pastries. We again had 2 each of 3 kinds -- Gianduja Religiuse, 2 layers of round puff pastry with hazelnut-infused chocolate cream filling; Vanilla Banana Eclair, oblong-shaped puff pastry with vanilla-banana cream filling and topping; Orange Choux, a piece of puff pastry with orange cream filling, which for some reason have pink-colored cream topping.

Flourless Milk Chocolate Guanaja Cake, Pistacho Orange Cake and Macarons
Flourless Milk Chocolate Guanaja Cake, Pistachio Orange Cake, and Macarons
After enjoying the 2 previous tiers, we finally got to the last and my most favorite tier. It had mini Flourless Milk Chocolate Guanaja Cakes with decadent and nutty guanaja chocolate cream and edible gold leaves. There's also the refreshing mini Pistachio Orange Cakes which are light and zesty with hints of nuttiness from the pistachios. And to complete the set, there are 2 pieces each of French macarons in Peppermint and Ube flavors. This tier is definitely a sweet ending to our afternoon tea session!

Harney & Sons Tea Roiboos Chai and White Vanilla Grapefruit
Roiboos Chai Tea and White Vanilla Grapefruit Tea
One can choose from unlimited coffee or tea, or even champagne (add P900) for beverage. But of course, this wouldn't be an afternoon tea session without actual teas, so we opted for the Roiboos Chai -- smooth and earthy blend of South African redbush herbs with sweet Indian clove, cardamom and cinnamon, and the White Vanilla Grapefruit -- light, smooth and citrus-y blend of white tea with vanilla and grapefruit.

The teas at Writers Bar are specially blended by Harney & Sons, and comes in a variety of flavors from black, white, green, oolong-blue and herbal teas.

Glam Hatters Afternoon Tea Menu at Writers Bar Raffles Makati

THE VERDICT

Our visit to Writers Bar for the Glam Hatters Afternoon Tea has really cemented my love for tea and afternoon snacking. The course by course serving helped us enjoy our tea and treats in a more laid-back and leisurely pace. The interior and overall ambiance also adds to the charm of having afternoon tea at Writers Bar. So if you're up for tea time with a friend, this might just be the perfect place for that long-awaited catch-up session!

Taste - 4/5
Ambiance - 5/5
Service - 4/5
Price - 3.5/5
Overall Value - 4/5


Writers Bar, Raffles Makati
G/F Raffles Makati, 1 Raffles Drive, Makati Ave.,
Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines
(02) 555-9840
Official Website
Facebook Page
Twitter

14 comments:

  1. i love tea time!!! sana may weekend sya :( Love the hats hihi!! your post makes me giddy.. dming choices!!! :)

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    1. Writers Bar has afternoon tea sets daily! :) Yun lang, walang glam hats since it's limited to Mondays. Yup, dami ngang snacks compared to other afternoon tea sets. Try it with D some time! I'll bring J din soon! :D

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  2. I love the fascinators on you, Sumi! :)

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  3. The place looks really comfortable and a perfect place to relax or think of your next post. I want to hang out here with the pastries here and my laptop with me. It's a writers bar after all.

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    1. True! Next time I'll be visiting Writers Bar, I actually want to blog right then and there while enjoying a cup of tea and some of their pastries. :)

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  4. You wore awesome hats like a Bristish with yummy foods and tea. The ambiance looks classy of course.

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  5. Lakas makasosyal ng afternoon tea time. I hope I can experience this maybe in Acacia Hotel, I think they have afternoon tea time also. :)

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    1. Most hotels have them nga. :) If you find yourself in Makati, give the Afternoon Tea time at Writers Bar a try! Okay siya! :D

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  6. Just looking at the photos reminded me at how stuffed we were and it was already night time when we finished haha!

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    1. Haha! Afternoon tea time extended to early dinner na! :D

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  7. beautiful food photos! mad hatters look soo nice!

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  8. The pastries are super pretty!!! And the scones are mouthwatering!

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  9. I'm drooling over their pastry selections!

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  10. Nice cozy place & delicious food!

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