Good fortune in your cup

Singapore, steeped in tea, is going to share its TWG Tea Salons with Thailand soon

You don't think of tiny Singapore and imagine tea plantations stacked up in terraces, but you sure can get some good tea there. A local firm called TWG imports organic blends from around the world for its chic boutiques and charming salons.

TWG has emerged from a firm that was established in Singapore in 1837, when the island was a bustling entrepot for the trade in spices and other foods in demand. The initials stand for "The Wellness Group" and the concept is luxury, as in its exquisite salons.

TWG's veteran tasters spread out across the globe every year to sample hundreds of teas at the source. They choose the best and bring it back, building a menu of what currently amounts to more than 1,000 blends, plus scones and other delicacies that are made to be consumed with tea.

TWG has in turn long exported its selections to its retail shops abroad, but it was only in 2008 that its first salon appeared. Singapore had four of them before more began springing up in Hong Kong, London and New York.

Every TWG Tea Salon is elegantly decorated but offers an intimate, relaxing ambience. Most are located in busy shopping malls, and yet the patrons feel relaxed and secluded.

For a teahouse, there's plenty of food and other beverages to choose from. You can drop by for just a nice cup of tea and some sweets, of course, but you can also have a full meal with wine or a cocktail - breakfast, brunch, lunch, afternoon tea or dinner.

Just the same, tea is woven into every aspect of the meal in creative and subtle ways - not at all awkwardly, as in tea-infused dishes in flavours that make you cringe.

The main-course dishes, at prices starting from S$20 (Bt500) include lamb, beef, fish and foie gras and are enhanced artfully with TWG's teas or served with tea-laced sauces.

Meat lovers will love the $28 medallion of sauteed juicy veal served with asparagus and apples and drizzled with a rich sauce built on Pink Garden Tea. Then there's Roast Apricot Cod for $26, with a delicate potato puree sprinkled with Matcha Tea and accompanied by a rich Apricot Tea-infused sauce.

The interesting breakfast sets starting at $20 range from salads, quiches and soups to savoury and sweet crepes.

The sommelier will recommend a tea to pair with your choice of playful chocolates, patisseries and ice cream. TWG says it has the world's first sales counter for tea-infused chocolates. Don't leave without trying the colourful and pleasantly sweet $2 macaroons.

So, yes, you can have a quick cuppa, but do yourself a favour and spend at least an hour at the salon, studying the menu, consulting the friendly tea sommeliers, sniffing the leaves and savouring the brew at leisure.

WE'RE NEXT

<< There are five TWG Tea Salons in Singapore and one each in Hong Kong, London and New York.

<< Bangkok gets a branch at Siam Paragon later this year.

<< Check out www.TWGTea.com.