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.

When I first heard the name Dong Po Cafe, I was filled with excitement as it had been a long while since I last had 'Dong Po Pork', which is actually a Chinese delicacy whereby the pork belly is pan-fried and subsequently red-cooked to tenderness and melt-in-your-mouth perfection.

After some looking around on the GPS and when we eventually reached the Dong Po Colonial Cafe, I was in for a rude surprise to say the least. There was no 'Dong Po Pork' nor was it a Chinese restaurant, it was a cafe to experience the flavours and nostalgia of Singapore back in the '50s and 60s.

As we stepped into the neatly decorated cafe, we immediately found ourselves surrounded by toys and knick knacks from the hay days of our parents. After some look around, one could only appreciate the efforts undertaken by the owner of this cafe in trying to install elements of the past into a cafe of today. So, how exactly did the days of colonial Singapore look like?Underneath each of the tables, you could find collections dating back to the 1950-60s.As we warmed up to our seats, we suddenly realized that we would have to place our orders in person at the counter. Deep within, I was secretly hoping that they would serve 'Dong Po Pork' as a speciality dish but after perusing the menu at the counter, I settled for the fact that this was a cafe afterall.Apart from what was offered on display, there was the set menu which featured some of their signature items which we were going to try!

Set E - Scone served with Jam, Fresh Cream and Teh / Kopi - S$4.20/-Upon ordering the scone set, we were given the option to choose our preferred jam. All the jams served were homemade and after going through the usual orange marmalade, strawberry, etc, we decided on the lemon curd jam. Served on the side was some fresh cream to go along with the warm scone. Personally, I love the intricate attention paid to serving warm scones. As simple as it might be, you would be surprised with the number of cafes and eateries out there who for convenience sake, serve scones at room temperature.

The lemon curd was really good as the balance in sweetness and tang suited our palate and it tasted rich and viscous. While the jam was good, the scone barely made the mark as it was hard and tasted almost like biscuit with no real butter taste nor fragrance. It was sorely pedestrian to say the least but credit to the fresh cream and lemon curd for saving the day.

Set F - Bostock with Teh / Kopi - S$3.50/-The names on the menu did not make much sense to me, so I took the easy way out and asked for recommendations. As we were told that the 'Bostock' was a must-try, we gladly obliged and went for it. What exactly is a 'Bostock' anyway?

Some research revealed that it is a simple French delicacy in which an almond frangipane tops day-old brioche. Now that you get a gist of what that name entails, let the taste buds do the judging already!

While we liked that the almond taste was rather strong, especially with the almond flakes generously toasted and scattered across the sliced bread, the base dough did not quite come across as a brioche. The almond flakes were crisp and added a good layer of texture to the soft 'Bostock'. It was certainly a good rendition but not wow-impressive.

Kaya Butter Toast - S$1.90/-Of the different sets ordered, I actually liked the kaya butter toast most. The bread was sliced thinly and toasted perfectly with a nice crisp to the surface. Sandwiched between the toasts was a generous slab of butter and spread of coconut jam (kaya). Admittedly, the kaya did not have the eggy fragance like that expected of Killiney Kopitiam nor the strong coconut/pandan taste like that of Ya Kun, it was well-balanced in terms of taste and I liked that the sweetness was mild yet sufficient to please.

Almond Macaroon - S$1.90/-While this was called the almond macaroon, I am not quite sure if it matched our expectations in terms of taste. It was supposed to be a light baked confection with meringue-like cookies and when I first sank my teeth truth this pastry, I was expecting somewhat of a sweet cake with ground almonds.

I am quite clueless when it came to describing this pastry for it seemed like a tart with a nice almond crust to it. It was arguably close to what one might consider as meringue-cookie but I felt that it lacked any outstanding elements to be termed a signature confection. It was overall an 'okay' pastry.

Almond Finger - S$1.90/-I expected the almond finger to be largely similar to the macaroon and it did not surprise. The only distinct difference was that the crust to this almond finger had a slightly harder and crisp coating to it as compared to the meringue-like almond macaroon featured above.

Likewise, we felt that it was an 'okay' pastry and what I particularly liked about it was that it was not too sweet but the almond taste could have been a touch stronger.

Chocolate Truffle Slice Cake - S$2.20/-While I looked beyond the almond pastries to get my confection fix, we were recommended the chocolate truffle slice. It was made and served in a very 'old school, classic' fashion. I however struggled to find any particularly impressive elements about the cake.

The sponge was good and so was the chocolate cream but it lacked depth to make it a must-try.

3 Hole Cookie - $1.90/-This large cookie caught our attention due to the interesting colours involved. It actually comprised three different types of jam and involved two large cookies being put together like a 'sandwich'. While the cookie was enjoyable on its own with a nice tinge of butter fragrance and crumbling lightly to each bite, we thought that it was an interesting twist to showcase the homemade jams, which clearly enhanced the overall presentation and taste.Even though we had to place our orders in person and payment upfront, the various confections were nicely plated and served to us. We had a milk tea and plain black coffee but like most of the confections tried, it was largely pedestrian. Overall, the service was good as the staffs at the counter was patient in making recommendations to us but we felt that quality of the food could be improved to make it outstanding.

It seemed that the only drawing point for me at least, was the nostalgic decoration which attempts to bring forth a memorable dining experience.

While searching for a place to satisfy my friend’s tze char cravings and looking for a somewhat central location, we decided to settle here with their infamous Chao Ta Bee Hoon. Imagine my quizzical look when I was told that burnt food was actually famous, my first thought was that this was probably an accidental dish. A small coffee shop few streets down from Swee Choon, it’s easy to miss them especially with the many turns and road works happening in the area.

Chao Ta (Burnt) Beehoon ($18, Large)This is probably a staple on every table there, and the main star for our trip there. If you hate towgays like me, this would have been a good one as they’d separated the towgays from the beehoon, saving you the trouble of picking it out! Well, I wasn’t sure what to expect for chao ta beehoon (or burnt beehoon for direct translation), but it sure looked like the portion was too small to cost $xx.

Pan-fried to a golden crispy brown, it was hard on top, tasting like the burnt layer (锅巴) that you can usually find at the base of claypot rice. It was slightly chewy and tends to get stuck while chewing, so being the lazy me, this wasn’t exactly my preferred style of beehoon, and we thought it was just good without the burnt layer on top. I liked how it was very well cooked, soft and fine strands that weren’t too oily so that you wouldn’t get jelat of it. I’m not a fan of beehoon, but I loved how this had the homecooked flavor to it. Though not having the burnt layer would have been ideal for me, it’s probably preferred by some, and otherwise, why would you go all the way there for some ordinary beehoon? (;

Butter Squid ($12, Small)This was an addictive one for me! I usually shun away from butter but this was too fragrant to resist. Good for sharing just like calamari, it was deep fried before stir-frying in the butter sauce. Rich and fragrant, it basically goes with anything, though some might find it jelat after a while since it’s slightly stronger on its taste. I found the squid a little overcooked, hence it got too hard. Overall a decent one, making me crave for more butter dishes the next day!

Stir-Fried Kai Lan ($12, Large)Simple greens to satisfy my friend’s random odd cravings for kalian, I like the selection of young kalian here. Having the crunch to it, yet not too raw, it was cooked just nice for my liking, though the sauce was a little too heavy to go with the dish.

Seafood Beancurd ($14)Downing some piping hot and tender soft beancurd to warm our hungry stomachs, we're a little biased towards this. It came while we were extremely hungry and felt very satisfying with the soft tofu settling down in our stomachs. We had it again when we weren't so hungry and found it quite a normal piece, though silken soft and done well with the freshness of seafood coming through, adding flavour to the otherwise plain tofu. Simple pleasures in life, I guess?

Prawn Paste Chicken ($10, Small)Eating this is always a chore (though shiok!) with the crispy fried chicken. A thoughtful gesture of serving it in cubes, it was easy to eat glam-ly, without having the bones in the way. I thought it lacked the flavour of prawn paste, hence the aroma didn’t quite come through very strongly when it was first served. It tasted just like any other fried chicken, with a very subtle hint of prawn paste, and a tad too tough.

Though a decent tze char place with the dishes we’ve tried, it didn’t quite manage to impress me with its signature. With those dishes we’ve tried, we probably wouldn’t go down specially for it as you can get those at any other tze char stalls.

While on the search for the best tiramisu in Singapore, we've been told by many to try L'Atelier for a piece of that perfect concoction. Located at Central Clarke Quay, it was tucked in a quiet corner in the basement, spotting a quiet small space when we reached a tad too early for our desserts fix!Greeted by a strong coffee aroma, we were almost distracted from our mission to hunt down the perfect piece of tiramisu. While being spoilt for choice on the flavours of tiramisu variants available, we were glad to find a sampler version, a thoughtful gesture for those who're fickle like us, wanting a bit of everything!

Sampler ($15)With four flavours cautiously packed into small little containers, you get a taste of lychee, matcha, dark cherry and 2 classics. We thought this was good enough for sharing and if you'd just want a little to sample before deciding on which piece to order for the usual size!

Classico
Of course, we had to have an idea of how its 'usual' tasted like first. First mouthful, we thought there was a little overdose of cocoa powder sprinkled on the top layer, leaving it very dry and a tad overwhelming with the cream. Digging in deeper, however, we found the sponge fingers too moist , with the bottom layer soaked throughout. We loved the strong kick of espresso though, and thought the flavour was just right.

Lychee
We thought this sounded the lightest of all and was expecting a refreshing fruity touch amidst the sinful indulgent mascarpone cheese cream. First mouthful left us pretty shocked, with a strong cinnamon taste from the powder on top, then a subtle lychee taste coming through. It sounds as mismatched as what we'd tasted, and even after several mouthfuls, we still couldn't reconcile the both. Though there were lychee bits in the combination, the taste of lychee had a tinge of artificiality, like those you'd find in lychee essences. I'm typically a fan of lychee-based products but this was a disappointment.

Matcha
We loved the strong taste of matcha, and the good quality of matcha powder used. It was rich and flavorful but perhaps due to the overdose of powder on top as per the other samplers, it then got a little bitter with the aftertaste kicking in.

Dark Cherry
My first association with dark cherry - Black Forest cake. We were expecting a tad more alcoholic
content with soaked cherries in it, but this was more of cherry compote used in giving the cherry taste to it. It was a little too sweet for my liking and somewhat like softer version of chocolate cake rather than tiramisu. An alcoholic version of it would have been better for us, though this was still a decent piece.

Classico ($6.80)If based simply on the samplers, we probably wouldn't order another piece since it all tasted pretty average to us. But we were glad we decided to try out the individual slices, getting a piece of our most preferred Classico from the verdict of our sampler version.

Very much different from the sampler, we thought this had a well-balanced level of moistness throughout. The cocoa powder and chocolate shavings on top weren't overwhelming and we loved the strong espresso coming through. The ladyfingers weren't, however, fully soaked so it didn't give the overly moist and 'nua' texture, yet packing a full flavour of strong coffee in it! We thought this was nicely executed with an impressionable flavour left on us. What would have been perfect would have been a stronger alcohol taste to it, to top off the perfect tiramisu experience!

Pandan ($7.20)This was one of the latest additions to their tiramisu selection, and there's even an ongoing promotion going on, bundling a coconut drink with this for $10. We were pretty full given that this was our pre-dinner desserts, hence ordering only ala carte to try it out.

It lives up to its name indeed, tasting just like pandan cake, with a strong fragrance of coconut coming from the shavings on top. The textures blended pretty well, with smooth cream cheese on top yet not overwhelming. Sandwiched in the middle, however, was the sponge layer that seemed artificially green with its bright rich colour. There was also brown crunchy surprises hidden beneath, tasting somewhat like hazelnuts, adding an interesting layer of texture to it! I found it a little too sweet for my liking, perhaps especially since I was craving for a strong dose of coffee just like that of the Classic version. Though we think it's probably not worth that price tag for a taste so similar to our homely pandan cakes, those looking for a creamier version of pandan cakes might want to give it a shot!A small cosy space accommodating only about 3 tables, it's best to visit before the usual desserts time or to have it for takeaway. This has indeed managed to meet our expectations of a good slice of tiramisu, and we'll probably be back for more soon! As for the other flavours, we weren't exactly impressed and would probably stick to our preferred classico piece.

It was an impromptu visit to the new dining area located on the basement level of Suntec City that we came across this dessert hideout. Located next to Bread Society Cafe and opposite Food Republic, we were surprisingly attracted by its somewhat presumptuous name, hand drawn desserts posters and menu.

We were eager to find out if it can live up to its name serving Singapore local traditional desserts!A very simple layout with self-ordering counter and food production in the same open concept area, so that you can scrutinise their production process closely. After ordering, we were given a 'Beeping UFO' where it would 'beep' for our attention where our orders are ready and then we could collect it from the counter. A soft seat we came forward to put our tired legs to rest!We were not surprised with the price range of the items on the menu at this comfy eatery tucked away in a corner at Suntec City and facing the glamorous Fountain of Wealth. Drawing comparisons with the local S$1.50 desserts that you can get at most hawker centres in Singapore, these desserts that were priced at a premium better be doing the price tag justice!

Signature Chendol 波羅蜜珍露 S$5.50The portion of their signature chendol was about double size of the desserts you get at local food centres. We particularly love the bouncy white pearls, crunchy sweet jackfruit slices and this rendition of jelly noodles with lesser green food colouring. But other than that the dessert was a disaster, the mushy mashy red bean was overcooked and it would have been better if the amount of gula melaka that drizzled onto the shaved ice can be as much as the one we had at Jin Jin Hot / Cold Dessert. Last but not least, the biggest flaw of this dish was the shaved ice served. Initially, we found the ice a bit rough to swallow, then we realised there were bigger ice rocks underneath which could easily cut your tongue. We tried to use our spoons to break loose the ice but they were hard like an 'iceberg'. They seriously need to make some changes to their shaved ice machine.

All Things Mango 芒果豆豆冰 S$5.80This bowl of ice had the same problem as above and I would not want to further elaborate upon the mistake. The mango ice looked tempting when it first came to our table, but then when I looked closer...the mangoes looked unripe and pale yellow in colour. This really had stopped me from starting to take up my spoon and dig in even though I have a high tolerance for sour food. Luckily, the sour mangoes were compensated with the sweet mango sauce and pomelo flesh and suited our palate better. However, we were contented with the generous amount of jellies and beans tucked underneath the ice.

Yam in a Husk 椰子芋泥 S$6.50After the shaved ice tragedy, we were still hoping to taste something that is nice, as claimed in its brand name. This dessert reminded me of the coconut pudding in a husk tried in Kota Kinabalu. Till date, I could still reminisce the taste and had been trying to find a dessert that bore some resemblance in terms of taste. Could this be it?

This was certainly one of the best desserts I had so far. The combination was just perfect with the limelight being the fresh yam paste and coconut milk, complemented by fresh gingkoes hidden inside the filling. We love that this dessert was served hot in a young coconut husk to bring forth the fragrance as well as the natural savouriness of both of the ingredients without adding much seasoning to liven up. The balance in flavour was just flawless. Beware that try not to mix the yam paste and coconut milk together as the flavour became indistinct and vague, we accidentally did that while trying to scoop out the crunchy flesh of the coconut. But do enjoy the three elements coming together beautifully and in harmony in one spoon and you will understand what I mean. It is definitely a dessert that made for the yam lovers!There is not much to talk about in terms of customer service since one would be expected to self collect, but the manager who took orders from us was polite. While there are so many decent local dessert places out there in Singapore, we find that All Things Nice struggles to differentiate from the crowd. The first thing they have to overcome before competing with others is the rocky ice they served as there are few desserts with shaved ice that are their signatures. After all, I guess we will just stick to the Yam in a Husk when we pass by this dessert corner again or when a sudden craving kicks in!

For full review, please visit http://www.makeyourcaloriescount.com/2013/10/sg-all-things-nice-suntec-city-but-not.html