By Lena Gidwani
TWG Tea
Date night luxury
Housed in Taikoo Hui, on the same level as the likes of Tiffany and Dior, TWG, which stands for The Wellness Group, is doing to loose-leaf tea what a haute couture fashion designer would to raw fabric. More than 800 single-estate fine harvest teas and exclusive blends are painstakingly handpicked. Stored in flamboyant artisan tins on wood-paneled sliding walls that surround hardwood tables, the brews are gently concocted on an old-fashioned tea counter by trained connoisseurs, accompanied by fine bone china and an 18-karat gold teapot.
If the attention to aesthetic detail is already making you swoon with desire, the tea-infused gastronomy will surely send you over the edge with lust. Fresh bread, baked daily with tea leaves, is served with the gourmand salad (RMB120): tender roast chicken accompanied by juicy tomatoes, cucumbers and a mesclun salad with ripe avocado and white sesame tossed in Blue Pavilion tea-infused vinaigrette. The lobster timbale (RMB200) is a deep sphere of marinated lobster and avocado sprinkled with coriander and chives, then drizzled with a to-die-for Love Me tea-infused vinaigrette. The trio of mini burgers (RMB180) is an indulgent selection of foie gras, chicken and beef paired with shallot confit and fresh apple chutney, and the crunchy herb-crusted salmon (RMB180) is exquisite and melts in your mouth with every chew.
Accompanying this, try the dulcet rose (RMB80), a pinkish mocktail of lychee juice and Bain de Roses tea; the prestige (RMB100), a tall flute of sparkling white wine with cinnamon notes from the Singapore Breakfast tea; and sweet desserts like creme brulee (RMB70). TWG Tea’s macaroons (RMB18), lined up behind glass counters like colorful jewels, whet the palate with flavors like Moroccan mint tea and Camelot tea and praline.
L213, F2, TaiKoo Hui, 383 Tianhe Lu, Tianhe District, Guangzhou
广州市天河区天河路383号太古汇2楼L213铺 (020) 3808 8233
