TWG Tea Garden - Wonderful European Inspired Cafe

Actually I am just roaming around Marina Bay Sands after a morning at Gardens by the Bay, when I spot a lovely looking cafe with European inspired furnishings, think red wood panels, English Calligraphy, English crockery, with touches of Parisan flair, then interestingly added lots of crystal yellow lights, reminding me of those quaint Japanese cafes serving European inspired cuisine. Looking at the impressive front of the store stacked with TWG tea tins and boxes of different colours, I just step into the cafe, wanting to immerse in the atmosphere. A good thing that I go in before the high tea crowd comes in because the cafe soon gets full after a short while.

I’m actually surprised by how comprehensive the menu is, given the cafe setting. It has light bites for brunch, heavier mains, dainty high tea sets, desserts and of course, a variety of teas. The desserts are light and moist, while what truly impresses me is the caviar set. This is so luxurious and delicious that I say, “Definitely try this is you are in the mood to splurge.”

Sugar packed in this quaint porcelain jar actually.

The caviar set immediately got my attention with its TWG Tea caviar (20g) accompanied by chopped capers, chives & red onions, boiled egg yolk and boiled egg whites, served with a duet of Matcha blinis and crème fraîche sprinkled with Gyokuro Samurai tea leaves.

It tastes as good as it sounds. The caviar has a mild buttery saline taste that tastes so good on its own already. It’s a wow moment when I savour the caviar with the soft, super fluffy, warm Matcha blini. When paired together, the buttery saline becomes sweeter, completed with an additional toasty aroma and the contrast in texture between the caviar and blini. Crème fraîche adds the creaminess and slight tang to add the extra lux and smoothness to the texture. Go sparingly with the capers, since this, when add in a dot is excellent in perking up the taste, but overwhelming if too much is piled on. Finely chopped onions and boiled egg add the variety and extra oomph to the delicate taste of the caviar without overwhelming it.

I love this so much.

Rum Baba here, which is rum-soaked cake that is like no others. Additional twists, in the form of rum jelly adding so much to the texture and Vanilla Bourbon Tea Ice-Cream adding the refreshing astringent element, make this cake such a delight and surprise to savour. Chantilly cream adds the creaminess to balance the intoxicating and lovely sweet taste of rum. Powdered Rum tea sprinkled on top for the extra touch.

Nice and moist Strawberry Shortcake.

Smooth earl grey served in a unique, classy pot.

Thoughts: Ultimate Tea Party!

The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, 2 Bayfront Avenue, B2-65/68A

Marquee Nightclub - Hard Techno Futuristic Wonderland

I just found a new love, in the form of Hard Techno! Who could have known that I start to like Hard Techno when I’m a metalhead. And Marquee Singapore made it possible, with the impressive layout spawning over three floors, state-of-the-art lighting and screen, curated selection of DJs and a Ferris Wheel plus slides. I immediately go, “Wow!” the moment I step into this place with its super high ceiling, from where streams of violet blue lights stream from. And the giant screen at the front, extending from the bottom floor all the way to the top, showing hypnotic, robotic videos to add to the techno vibe.

Marquee is like a futuristic wonderland … for the grownups. And I love it!

It is quite an experience to sit in the Ferris Wheel and see the place from the highest point. The winding slide from third floor to first is so thrilling that I want to ride it again. The main highlight is of course dancing to the Hard Techno music. The hard pounding, strong bass beats really sets the rhythm to move one’s body to. I love dancing, but this is the time where I feel most intensely to move with the music. And did I mention that the dance floor is full of attractive people? Yes, indeed.

The DJ at the Hypersonic event totally nailed it in hyping up the crowd. The transitions, build-ups, anticipations and releases are timed perfectly to keep us engaged and our energy up through the night.

The drinks are good too.

Anyway, go in early for a shot at the Ferris Wheel and Slide without queuing. I have fun roaming the place before the crowd comes in 😉 

Thoughts: Fantastic Experience. I want so much to be back at here again!

10 Bayfront Avenue

#B1-67 The Shoppes Marina Bay Sands 

Majestic Bay Restaurant - Unique Dim Sum

This restaurant is no longer in operation

I was pretty critical of Majestic Bay Restaurant when I first visited it. The second time I visited this place, the service had gotten better, but since I ordered too much food on the second outing, I was feeling too stuffed to remember much about the food, except that the sweet Nutella bun is very filling. Guess third time is the charm, in which I can update more on this place.

Purple sweet potato dumpling with duck meat is definitely a dim sum of novelty. The sweet earthy flavours of purple sweet potato goes very well with the strong taste of duck meat that is submerged in sweet savoury sauce. My only issues with this dish are that the layer of sweet potato is too thick and there is too little duck meat. Can be very filling due to carbs from the sweet potato.

I love the crispy soft shell crabs in lemon butter sauce since I like eating soft shell crabs—nothing beats bitting through the crispy exterior to release a burst of umami encapsulated within the soft shell. And the lemon butter sauce adds an iota of zest and lots of creaminess to complement the flavours of the sea from the soft shell crabs.

Steamed butterfly pea flower prawn dumplings come in beautiful hue of deep blue that was extracted from butterfly pea flower. And besides the colour, what makes this prawn dumpling different from the usual haw gao is the generous addition of chopped vegetables, which is soaked with the meat juices and seasoning, yielding succulent, moist filling. I like the slight variation in taste due to the vegetables added.

Honey Pork Buns are pretty good, the soft fluffy bun is being filled with lots of sweet BBQ pork. But it is not exactly unique or outstanding as compared to other dim sum items. While Crispy Seafood Roll in Salad Sauce is one of the highlights of the repertoire of dim sum. First of all, I love the unique wrapping of this roll, it is like the filling is rolled with breadcrumbs before being deep-fried. This yields crunchy exterior that hides a treasure of prawn bits soaked in creamy salad sauce. The difference in texture between the exterior and filling lets one enjoy the wonderful marriage of two textures.

Mango puree with ice-cream in whole young coconut is definitely the dessert to try for tourists. Sweet mango goes pretty well with the creamy flesh of the young coconut. Yes, it is a must to scrap the flesh, which is full of nutty goodness and has a good bite, off the inside of the coconut because it is so good that it is worth the effort. If one is not into bitterness in this kind of dessert—I am one of them, then requests not to add in the pomelo bits. I find the taste of pomelo too sharp to be in harmony with the taste of the coconut.

I love going to Gardens by the Bay, and this restaurant proves to be a great dining option that makes my trip there a thoroughly enjoyable one, both for the eyes and the palates.

Nearest car park: Gardens by the Bay’s car park
Nearest MRT: Bayfront

18 Marina Gardens Drive
#01-10
Singapore
Contact No: 6604 6604