The Tea Party

You're looking for a quiet comfortable place to catch up with an old friend over tea. You don't quite want to pay for a bling high-tea at some posh hotel or Marmalade Pantry, neither do you want the frantic weekend bustle of Starbucks or Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf.

In such situations I usually go nestle in the womb of The Tea Party, tucked into the corner of Bukit Timah Road and Sixth Ave.

Owner Don Choo can talk you through his intricate collection of teas, from black to green to white, from fruity to flowerty to smoky. They've more recently added coffees and milkshakes to the menu as well, to reach out to the non-tea purists.

Get a pot or 2 of different varieties, order a scone with cream cheese or butter and jam, then natter away on one of their very comfortable suede couches.

If you're feeling more peckish, the duck pizza is to die for - just wash the greasy guilt away with more tea!

I've usually gone on Saturdays and it's always lovely and quiet - I reckon their bread and butter crowd is the priveleged kiddies from the posh schools all along Bukit Timah Road on weekdays.

This review is going to be a long one with mixed reactions.

In all fairness, The Tea Party is a place that serves up a good mix of food with its Fish and Chips, its unique Roast Duck Pizza, accompanied by its wide array of tea selection. Do ask for a recommendation for their tea, as they do have some very original recipes, from the fruity, to the aromatic. And, if you're a game lover, The Tea Party has a substantial variety of board games that keeps you entertained when you are sipping your nice warm cup of tea. The advantage it has over various other tea places? You get a nice cosy environment, a quiet little corner to chat with your friends or to get to know your date much better.

Now, beyond all that's been mentioned above, here's my little grouse with the place. At my first trip there, I had a good impression of the staff, and this could probably be because of the acquaintances that a person in my party had with the owner.

Moving on, I planned a second trip down, making a reservation for a party of 6 at 7:30pm. Note that this was done at 12:30pm. By 6pm, I received a call from the staff, informing me that they have to cancel my reservation as they have to host a private function. In response, they wished to offer me a $5 voucher if I were to head on down later, to be used at my next visit.

At this point in time, I was seriously at a loss. I have never experienced a reservation being canceled on me, and at 1 1/2 hours before my party of 6 was supposed to reach the place. If this piece of news was made known to me with more time, i.e. maybe before 3pm, I would have let the incident go and just told them it's fine, I'll make alternative arrangements.

Imagine, an hour and a half before the appointment, I had to make frantic calls to people, telling them to make their way to an alternative location. Not to mention I had to suggest an alternative location. It's understandable that the owner has the right to cancel any reservations as and when, but this is really unacceptable on a service level. And offering a $5 voucher, to be collectable only if I make my way down to their premises? An better alternative would have been to offer a discount %, or even mail the voucher to a specified address.

Though I do commend the whole feel and delivery of The Tea Party's food and drinks, I was quite dismayed at their service, giving them a 4 for that. Personally, I would give The Tea Party a miss based on this incident, but the choice is yours, in the event that you would like to bring your friends or guests over.

One of the nicer places I've been to in a long long time. Think of the Tea Party as a more up-market Settler's cafe. Their tea menu is so extensive that you need quite a bit of time to decide. The scones are simply yummylicious and they also serve other fingerfoods as well as pasta. They provide board games if you and your friends decide to have some boardroom (bad pun) action. The owners are friendly too. Great place to hang and chill out. I'd partay at this tea party anytime.