If there was one F&B establishment that I would name which has the best marketing and branding team, TWG Tea would certainly be one of the hot picks. The Wellness Group Tea Company, abbreviated to TWG Tea is a Singapore-based luxury tea company with salons across the world. While I first chanced upon this brand of premium tea-leaves in the UK and subsequently in HK, it was only later did I realize that it originated from Singapore!

Singapore's pivotal role in the tea trade was instrumental for the company to decide upon the lion city as the organisation's headquarters. Quite frankly, the tea salon which is characterised by its luxurious layout and presentation had more often than not been intimidating - well a meal there certainly does not look cheap. While it predominantly sells tea, in tea-bags like your usual 'Lipton' English tea, TWG Tea also retails hand made tea-infused food, including savoury items, pastries and desserts. They also prepare accessories such as hampers, tea scented candles and teacups made of gold and platinum which would most certainly impress gift-receivers.

We were in the vicinity of Marina Bay Sands and while we wanted to rest our feet after an afternoon of walk-around, TWG Tea came to mind and after some 15 minutes of queue time, we finally got ourselves a table.

The menu entailed a very comprehensive range of premium and flavoured tea-leaves and would almost certainly satisfy tea-lovers. The only shame was that I am a true coffee fanatic and it would be terribly difficult to have me converted with a cup of mild caffeine from the premium tea.

While we struggled to decide our orders, we eventually settled for the following:

1837 Crepe with Jasmine Ice Cream (S$14 + S$3/-)The freshly made crepe was served with handmade berry marmalade made of raspberry, blueberry, cherry and blackcurrant infused with 1837 Black Tea. The ice cream was surprisingly creamy and melted almost instantaneously upon being served as it comes into contact with the freshly baked crepe. While we enjoyed the soft and warm crepe that was baked to perfection with just a slight tan and a slight chewiness, we felt that the fragrant Jasmine flavoured ice cream complemented the dessert well. We also enjoyed the overall combination of the dessert, which had a beautiful tang from the fresh berries and you could taste the richness of the marmalade.

Financiers with Matcha Tea, 2 pcs (S$9/++)We felt that the matcha financiers were rather overpriced. While it was well baked, with a nice crust on the edges, the almond flavour did not come across strong enough. It was probably masked by the matcha powder used in the making. While it made a decent rendition of financier, it certainly did not come cheap.The financiers were served with TWG Tea jelly and whipped cream. These two complemented the matcha flavoured financiers perfectly and the jelly had a subtle sweetness that kept us scooping more! The whipped cream however was light yet rich and the combination with the jelly was simply sublime. We highly recommend to order the other pastries such as madeleines or scones just so you could pamper your palate with this homemade jelly and whipped cream.

Floral tea (S$11/++)Well, as mentioned earlier in this post, I am terrible when it comes to appreciating tea but at S$11/+ per pot for two small cups, I am not sure if it was worth it. On a secondary note, we always preferred traditional English tea rather than floral or scented tea, so I would reserve my comments on this particular signature that was recommended.I honestly think the branding of TWG Tea is brilliant if not, perfect. They have a Caucasian in each and every of their outlet, even in their outlet in Hong Kong at IFC. It exhibits a really 'classy' image especially with the cutlery and interior design of the outlets.

Was the service impeccable? Hardly. We ordered an extra serving of two scoops of ice cream but they were not served and it slipped our minds as well. It was however charged to the bill. If I may be completely honest, TWG Tea would resume to be the place that I turn to if I needed to get some quick gifts for overseas friends but for me to return for a high-tea or proper meal, there would certainly be some inertia.

It's my first time back here after they revamped the whole place. I must say i like it very much. It's a nice refreshing change! 

Since i have a voucher with me for complimentary dinner, i decide to settle my dinner here. And so i ordered this cocktail called One & Only upon recommendation from the staff. For the food, i had the waygu mini burgers and cold cut platter.

Cocktail is very easy to drink! Fruity kind with enough alcohol taste. Please enjoy the waygu mini burger while it's hot. Really yummy and juicy. No complaints for the cold platter except for the salami. Too salty for my liking! 

And to complete the meal in such a cosy surrounding, i was a very satisfied customer and i will be back again =)

A perfect chicken wing should not be too oily not too burnt. To achieve the crispy slightly charred outer skin and a well-cooked meat inside requires tremendous skill in grilling and TKR chicken wing executes the chicken wings pretty well. Costing about $1.30 each, the chicken wings here were very juicy, especially when lime juice is squeezed all over it. Do try it when you are at Newton Food Centre.

I bet almost every Temasek Poly student would have heard of this smoothie shop at-least once! I really miss those poly days where I would walk over to the smoothie shop together with my bunch of friends. The shop is located within 5-10 minutes of walking distance from the polytechnic. My ultimate favourite flavour is their Durian smoothie! I love durian and this stall uses the real durian puree flesh and it is just pure heaven each time I have it. There are many other flavours as well and this time when I went back, it seems like their menu is bigger with so many new drinks! I bought back the Chendol smoothie as well, which I thought that it tasted better last time though. Anyway, I will definitely be back!

Meat, produce and even eggs are imported from Japan 4 times a week. The owner wishes to create a Japan in Singapore, so even the exquisite cutlery are imported from Japan.

Chef Shinji Morihara, whose 20 years of experience includes being head chef at Marriott (Japan and Shanghai), Four Seasons (Hong Kong) and the now defunct Inagiku, creates 3 different kaiseki courses for dinner, starting from $98. Lunch starts from $23.

The most expensive, Yume course ($288), has 7 dishes including a starter, a steamed dish, sashimi, grilled beef, soup, tempura and dessert. Initially we thought it was exorbitant but as the meal progressed, we had a growing sense of wonderment at one of the best meals we had this year.The Ex and I both agreed that the dish of the night was the shima aji (striped Jack) fish, mochi and chrysanthemum in a hot pot (pictured above). The fish was first fried to bring out its flavor in the soup (my mom fries her meat before making them to soups too). As a result, the soup was lip-smacking awesomeness. The natural sweetness of the fish soup exploded in the mouth.

The service was top-notch, the ambience refined, and the food spectacular but what I treasured most was the experience. I felt like I was living inside an instagram photo, very dreamy with soft focus around the food. One of the best meals I had this year. It is a little pricy but (I think) understandable because of the cost of ingredients, the rent, the setup, and the tedious preparation of the food. Even if you live in Johor or Batam, it is worth making the trip.

For full review and more photos, please visit http://rubbisheatrubbishgrow.wordpress.com/2013/09/20/ezoca-singapore/