when i went to ion orchard twice before this, TWG was still under renovation despite the fact that most of the shops were already opened. i kinda anticipated its opening but when it finally did, i got comments like "extremely crowded. the other table is like just 4 inches away from us." i felt somewhat disappointed coz i really do wanna hv my afternoon tea in a peaceful manner. and when we arrived slightly after 2pm, it wasn't all that bad actually. we managed to secure a seat right beside the tea/pastry counter and there were still one or two empty tables around. albeit a little stuffy, everything negative's forgotten when we sat within such quaint and classy environment exuding old world charm. it just couldn't get any better than this. the place also reminds me alot of mariage frères, a tea salon in paris.

i think you'll somehow be intimidated by the hundreds, or rather thousands of varieties of tea on display, each bearing a four-digit serial number, neatly placed in huge yellow canisters on the wall. well, i was. there was no way to decide which tea to hv and since i was in the mood for something fruity, the wait staff recommended us the "fruitiest tea of them all", the timeless tea which is a blend of black tea, berries & exotic fruits. smells really really good! we also had an additional pot of geisha blossom tea ($10.50), a peach-infused green tea with calendula which was really nice too. i love fruit teas and some sugar or honey usually brings out the aroma nicely :)

took somemore pictures and ordered a lemon tart ($8.50).

the lemon tart was really really good! the lemon curd was smooth & silky with the right balance of sweet and tart. the crust was really crispy too. even the gf who don't usually like anything except chocolate desserts gave it thumbs up as well. pity the price which i think is quite steep for a lemon tart. usually lemon (and sometimes with meringue) tarts don't go beyond 5 bucks. and this is $8.50!

the celebration set ($28) comes with 3 macarons, 2 petit cakes, 3 finger sandwiches and a pot of tea. we were pleasantly suprised it came three-tiered too, very apt for afternoon tea. for the items, we chose napoleon tea, moroccan mint & rose macarons, macha financier, scone with really nice tea jelly & whipped cream, smoked salmon, cucumber & foie gras sandwiches. they were all good, and i particularly liked the moroccan mint macaron and foie gras sandwich, which was nicely toasted. they were much much better compared to chihuly lounge at ritz carlton.

cakes & pastries on display. i think this is the closest you can get to french patisseries, as in the real pastry shops in france. the display kinda reminds me of gerard mulot and laduree but not as sparse.

am definitely going back again :) love having teas in such quaint environment. after we left, we spotted marmalade pantry and i thought it paled in comparison in terms of decor & feel. being alfresco, there was no difference compared to when it was previously at palais renaissance.

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TWG TEA SALON & BOUTIQUE
ION Shopping Mall
2 Orchard Turn, #02 - 21
Singapore 238801
website : http://www.twgtea.com/

Labels : eat-outs