I have a confession to make: I’m a tai-tai wannabe. And there’s no better way to commence my tai-tai-in-training session by lazing the afternoon away while sipping tea (a requisite of a true tai-tai?) amid the well-heeled crowd in this beautiful ”to see and be seen” glass enclosure.
Want tea? Then be prepared to spend more than a few mins poring through the extensive menu showcasing an amazing variety of tea: darjeeling, decaffinated, single estates etc. Whatever you want, it’s likely to be on the menu. The Red of African ($10.50++) was recommended and it had a unique fragrance, the essence of which is beyond my ability to capture in words. Give me tea over coffee any day! (And the teapot is so shiny that you can see my reflection!)
The Raspberry Tart ($8.50++) looked so pretty sitting in the pastry counter that it’s impossible to ignore it. I’m usually not a tart person (no pun intended) but this scored big time with me. Forget thick and buttery crust; it’s thin and not too rich with the natural sweetness and tanginess of fresh raspberries. I’m officially a convert.
Finally! Macarons ($2++) that aren’t sickeningly sweet. Admittedly, I’m no macaron connoisseur but I hereby declare these delicate tea-infused French cookies to be the BEST I’ve ever tried. Clockwise from the black: Napoleon Tea & Caramel; Camelot Tea & Praline (the combination of tea and chocolate works wonders!); Bain de Rose Tea; and Grand Wedding Tea, Passion Fruit & Coconut.
My reluctance to leave was evident when the last drop of the tea had been poured but sadly, it’s time to return to reality. I just can’t wait till my next “training session”!
hello there, thanks for dropping by with a feedback earlier on … i’ve been reading your blog for just a week now and got hooked to the delicious string of constantly updated food entries, hope to be able to join u and other food bloggers for a meet up one day ^_^
cheers!
hmmmm i wish i’d stopped there when i was last in singapore! we passed by but had breakfast at marmalade instead…i’ve had macarons from pierre herme and laduree and found them all really sickeningly sweet (and i love sweet!) so next time i’ll have to give these ones a go.
I laughed out loud in real life when I read about how these macarons aren’t sickeningly sweet, italicized!
adel: Will definitely keep you in mind when there’s another food bloggers’ outing!
Michelle: Marmalade Pantry is also another tai-tai place but I find that TWG is even more “atas” (high class) haha. Do give it a try when you are in Singapore again! =) Anyway, wow, Pierre Herme macarons are sickeningly sweet? I thought he’s THE king of macarons.. Guess I just gotta try it when I go to Europe!
Ethan: Well, always glad to make you laugh haha.
Went to twg after reading your review. Yup love the macarons! My tai-tai-wannabe friends agreed the macarons are better than most places in town too!
Yup those macarons are really awesome! It’s gonna be my benchmark now haha.
Neither a tea connoiseur nor macarons fan but the raspberry tart sure looks authentic. Wanted to pop in but it just so happened that there was a photo-shoot the day I was at ION. Thanks for the tantalising pics!!
whoa yea. been dying to try TWG but our affinity with the place seems to be delaying our visit! yea. looks so wonderful from the outside.
oh yes i can understand the “sickeningly sweet” as well. been searching for that near-perfect macaron. =X thank you for the wonderful pics! i’m craving for it now. =X
cheers!
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Hope you try TWG’s macarons soon! I don’t know whether it can be qualified as “near-perfect” for you but it was certainly for me haha.