TWG Tea Company @ Ion Orchard

This is one of my favorite hangouts at all times. They have outlets at Ion Orchard, Takashimaya, and Marina Bay Sands.  One could easily spot the classy white-gold setting of the elegant tea bar that serves a very wide selection of teas from all over the globe and great food. 

  I love TWG Tea Company for many reasons:
- its elegant, beautiful and sophisticated ambience (complete with great music)
- the impeccable service of its knowledgeable staff
- the myriad selection of exotic teas from many different countries
- the beautiful and classy tableware
- the tasty food and delicious pastries
- good for personal enjoyment as well as a perfect gift haven

One of the outlets situated at MBS is the prettiest - boosting a restaurant surrounded by a moat, as though the TWG cafe itself is on the water.  Once we reach, the friendly and polite wait staff would usher us to a table, and then hand us the menu.

One could choose to order just a pot of tea and ala carte main courses or pastries. If not, we could choose their afternoon tea sets that consists of a drink and pastry of choice for only SGD$19.00. They have a glass encasement for you to select your pastries.

TWG uses its own tableware such as plates, teapots and cups all labelled with the TWG logos proudly. Hot teas are served in huge teapots encased in gold or silver teapot covers - giving the diners a feeling of royalty. Believe me, the teapots and covers are pricey, hence do handle with care.


Whenever I am unsure of what teas to choose, I could either go to the front to sniff the different tea leaves, or ask for recommendations from their knowledgeable staff. One of the days I chose to deviate from the  usual hot tea, and tried their "Pink Beauty" - a fusion of watermelon juice and green tea; very delicious.

Lunch at this place is never disappointing. During one of the visits, two friends and I ordered main courses and everyone sand praises for the quality of food.

Starting from the top is my Roasted Guinea Fowl - rich in taste and the meat was succulent. Friend A had the Seared Salmon that came with a square of rice - another tasty dish that even she, as a gourmet cabin crew, was impressed with. Friend B tried the Cajun Chicken and she, being someone who has high expectation of food, commented that the chicken was tender and the Cajun flavor was "just nice" and not too heavy.

During another visit, it was a purely tea-time affair. It was the first time a male buddy of mine tried having high tea, and so I suggested we order different items to share so he could try more varieties.

We started with hot teas and a portion of their very-tasty fruit tart. Their fruit tart is one of the best I have had so far - pastry with the right texture (not too hard or flaky) with juicy fruits sitting atop - which was why I recommended this to my buddy.

Then the smoked salmon sandwich - another scrumptious delicacy. I was a little disappointed though, because a year ago when I had dinner there, their salmon sandwich used french toast for the bread, which made the overall taste very unique and we loved it of course. The combination of salty smoked salmon with the light, egg taste of the french toast was a heavenly combination. The waiter informed us that they no longer serve sandwiches made using french toast. 

No biggie- the current smoked salmon sandwich is just as tasty.

My buddy and I also shared a "Fortune Tea Set" comprising of an assortment of macaroons, one muffin, one scone and ham-cheese sandwich. It was a very enjoyable dining experience for me once again, and my buddy loved the recommendations too. Each of us paid just SGD$45.00 for a fun afternoon of good food.

TWG's macaroons are to die for. The pastry itself is light and crispy, and it is not toothache-sweet, as most of the macaroons are. I love them; and sometimes buy them as gifts too.

On other occasions, TWG is also my favorite haunt for desserts or high tea. These three photos were taken on my very first visit with Friend C and Friend D.

I had the tea and scones afternoon-tea set; their scones were huge and  not hard the way some scones are. The accompaniment of cream and marmalade are simply perfect.

It was Friend C who had recommended the place. She had discovered it, and knowing that i love fine joints as such, decided to bring me there for a nice treat. For this afternoon, she had the afternoon-tea set as well, and chose creme brulee cake as her pastry of choice. I thought it was a tad too sweet for me, upon sampling her cake.

Friend D ordered a slice of cherry greentea cheesecake. The cheese taste was not too strong, and we loved how the greentea-cherry mix was both exotic and flavorful. It was another great selection.

For those who love a good place for divine food and teas, you have to go to the much raved-about TWG for sure.