09 Sep 2007, ST
More tea houses are offering a wider range of unusual yummy food choices on their menus
By Huang Xueling
THE art of tea-drinking is enjoying a mini revival in Singapore. Over the last three years, about four tea houses have sprung up in town.
Wacha in Ann Siang Hill sells Japanese tea and Tea Party in Bukit Timah sells a wide variety of teas.
Tea Cosy in Plaza Singapura offers Western teas, while Cookie Museum in Esplanade Mall - formerly called V Tea Room - offers European-style beverages.
The best thing about them? They serve food that is as good as the teas.
Wacha, a cosy 18-seat tea house that opened last December, serves delicious home-style Japanese cuisine to go with its five kinds of green tea. Popular dishes include tea-flavoured rice ($12) and curry udon ($12).
Manager-chef Kayoko Arima had previously worked as an assistant in a cooking school under famed Japanese cooking teacher Doi Masaru.
What's surprising is that more than 90 per cent of Wacha's customers are Singaporeans, says Ms Arima.
'We tried advertising to the Japanese community but there are not many Japanese customers,' she says with a laugh.
In fact, Singapore's tea-drinkers are so sophisticated that many customers go there just for tea, she adds. The best-selling blend is sencha, or unground Japanese green tea leaves.
Meanwhile, Tea Party, a two-storey 54-seat tea house noted for its contemporary interior design, sells white tea, black tea, green tea and rooibos, a herbal tea that is very popular in South Africa.
Food-wise, it sells a delectable range of items like beef bolognese, mushroom prawn pasta, aglio olio and roast duck pizza. Price ranges from $7 to $12.
Co-owner Pauline Tan says she started the shop in 2004 with partner Edward Tong because they wanted to bring tea culture to Singapore.
'There are so many types of teas that people don't know about,' she says.
Half a year after opening, they began serving food as there was a demand for it.
She says: 'A lot of our regular customers told us that it was a waste to just come down for drinks. It'll be better if we could serve food as well, so we did.'
These days, she notices that customers have become more savvy and no longer need recommendations on which teas to go for.
She says: 'White tea, which is our speciality, is very popular right now because people have found out from the media that it has three times more antioxidants than green tea.'
There is also an increase in customers who want to drink tea the traditional way - served in the proper pots with all its tea leaves inside, she adds.
Ms Carrie Chen, owner of Tea Bone Zen Mind, a 13-year-old tea house in Seah Street, says she does not view this new breed of tea houses as a threat.
She says: 'Everyone's palate is different. Even the choice of location and equipment, and the aesthetics of the store make every tea experience completely different.'
She does not think tea-drinking is a fad either.
'As long as there are people who are really serious about their tea, I don't think the tea culture is going anywhere soon.'
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Wacha is at 14 Ann Siang Hill, tel: 6438-1553. Opens: Noon to 10pm daily except Sundays and certain public holidays.
Tea Party is at 805 Bukit Timah Road, 01-07, >tel: 6462-3563. Opens: Noon to midnight (Tue - Thu, Sun), noon to 1.30am (Fri and Sat). Closed on Mondays.
Tea Cosy is at 05-10 Plaza Singapura, tel: 6732-7356. Opens: 11am to 9pm daily.
Tea Bone Zen Mind is at 38A Seah Street, tel: 6333-5400. Opens: 11am to 7pm (Mon - Sat).
More tea houses are offering a wider range of unusual yummy food choices on their menus
By Huang Xueling
THE art of tea-drinking is enjoying a mini revival in Singapore. Over the last three years, about four tea houses have sprung up in town.
Wacha in Ann Siang Hill sells Japanese tea and Tea Party in Bukit Timah sells a wide variety of teas.
Tea Cosy in Plaza Singapura offers Western teas, while Cookie Museum in Esplanade Mall - formerly called V Tea Room - offers European-style beverages.
The best thing about them? They serve food that is as good as the teas.
Wacha, a cosy 18-seat tea house that opened last December, serves delicious home-style Japanese cuisine to go with its five kinds of green tea. Popular dishes include tea-flavoured rice ($12) and curry udon ($12).
Manager-chef Kayoko Arima had previously worked as an assistant in a cooking school under famed Japanese cooking teacher Doi Masaru.
What's surprising is that more than 90 per cent of Wacha's customers are Singaporeans, says Ms Arima.
'We tried advertising to the Japanese community but there are not many Japanese customers,' she says with a laugh.
In fact, Singapore's tea-drinkers are so sophisticated that many customers go there just for tea, she adds. The best-selling blend is sencha, or unground Japanese green tea leaves.
Meanwhile, Tea Party, a two-storey 54-seat tea house noted for its contemporary interior design, sells white tea, black tea, green tea and rooibos, a herbal tea that is very popular in South Africa.
Food-wise, it sells a delectable range of items like beef bolognese, mushroom prawn pasta, aglio olio and roast duck pizza. Price ranges from $7 to $12.
Co-owner Pauline Tan says she started the shop in 2004 with partner Edward Tong because they wanted to bring tea culture to Singapore.
'There are so many types of teas that people don't know about,' she says.
Half a year after opening, they began serving food as there was a demand for it.
She says: 'A lot of our regular customers told us that it was a waste to just come down for drinks. It'll be better if we could serve food as well, so we did.'
These days, she notices that customers have become more savvy and no longer need recommendations on which teas to go for.
She says: 'White tea, which is our speciality, is very popular right now because people have found out from the media that it has three times more antioxidants than green tea.'
There is also an increase in customers who want to drink tea the traditional way - served in the proper pots with all its tea leaves inside, she adds.
Ms Carrie Chen, owner of Tea Bone Zen Mind, a 13-year-old tea house in Seah Street, says she does not view this new breed of tea houses as a threat.
She says: 'Everyone's palate is different. Even the choice of location and equipment, and the aesthetics of the store make every tea experience completely different.'
She does not think tea-drinking is a fad either.
'As long as there are people who are really serious about their tea, I don't think the tea culture is going anywhere soon.'
--------------------------------
Wacha is at 14 Ann Siang Hill, tel: 6438-1553. Opens: Noon to 10pm daily except Sundays and certain public holidays.
Tea Party is at 805 Bukit Timah Road, 01-07, >tel: 6462-3563. Opens: Noon to midnight (Tue - Thu, Sun), noon to 1.30am (Fri and Sat). Closed on Mondays.
Tea Cosy is at 05-10 Plaza Singapura, tel: 6732-7356. Opens: 11am to 9pm daily.
Tea Bone Zen Mind is at 38A Seah Street, tel: 6333-5400. Opens: 11am to 7pm (Mon - Sat).
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