The last time I went to Greenbelt with my friends was on December 14, 2012 when we had dinner at Fish and Co. While walking to the car parking area and saying our goodbyes, we saw several newly opened restaurants that offer superlative plates and exclusive culinary experiences. One of my targets then was TWG Tea.
I knew TWG Tea (The Wellness Group) two years ago way back in Singapore but never had the chance to dine in because no one would take pictures of me and I didn’t have anyone to go with. The fine epicurean products seemed too good to be true, and the most I wanted was to have a piece of TWG’s macaron. ๐ ๆๆไบ, ๆ่งๅพๆๅพๅฏๆใ
With my visit to TWG Tea Salon & Boutique’s branches in The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands and ION Orchard, my thirst to take a sip of this luxury tea grew. Fortunately, I don’t have to buy an airplane ticket toย Singapore, Australia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Fiji, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Maldives, New Zealand, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, Turks & Caicos, Ukraine, UK, US or Vietnam where TWG has retail outlets and exquisite tea rooms for it now has two branches in the Philippines. One is in Greenbelt and the other is in Resorts World Manila. 
TWG Tea is known to harvest and sell only the finest teas in the world. Time is ripe and it’s with my greatest pleasure to finally enter this tea shop of elegance and beauty as a diner.
Review of TWG Tea Salon and Boutique (Greenbelt 5, Makati)
Ambiance: โ โ โ โ โ
TWG Tea is nothing short of a wonderland of unique tea pots in different sizes, shapes and colors and over 450 types of tea blends spiced with a touch of sensuality packed in elegant tins. These can be seen through the glass-mirror exterior, but there was more we discovered when we got inside.
TWG in Greenbelt is both a tea store, where you can buy over-the-counter pastries, tea leaves in colorful boxes and souvenirs, and a dining place where limited tables and chairs are placed. There’s another special counter where customers can inquire about the teas on the long menu, with a large collection of shelved teas again positioned like aged wine bottles in the background.
Every section was graced with grandeur, with dashes of gold throughout the salon. Designs on the walls were hand-crafted. It was like a small palace with bronze fittings, Italian marble floors, crystal lamps and antique mirrors.
To me, the TWG salon was also in part a mini museum where we viewed accessory collections from a myriad of hand-blown glass, porcelain, stoneware, cast iron teapots, fine bone china teacups, saucers, creamers and sugar bowls, to smaller things such as tea filters and tea scoops.
Service: โ โ โ โ โ
TWG Tea gives customers a hands-down priceless experience from start to end. The receptionist assigned for crowd control listed our name and number for reservation and told us that she’ll send an SMS when there are free seats set for us.
Tough luck! An hour had passed before we received her message confirming for the accommodation, but that’s okay – we thought we definitely had to make the most out of her stay.
Indeed, we received a royalty treatment from their hospitable and approachable staff. No one felt hurried or pushed out of the store and like a regular coffee shop for hang out, TWG Tea is one exquisite place to enjoy tea and intimate chats with desirable meals and desserts.
Food: โ โ โ โ โ
We spared about 15 minutes to decide for our order, browsing through their extensive menu. Ultimately, we just asked the eloquent waiter for his best recommendation.
Food offered in TWG Tea hit the spot perfectly between breakfast and lunch, and lunch and dinner. Wow was the first word that came to mind when the three-tiered Fortune Tea Set (PHp 650) arrived at our table. I mean, yes, we’ve seen variations of macarons, muffin and sandwiches from places such as the UCC Cafรฉ, the French Baker, Delifrance, etc. But TWG Tea’s presentation tops them all!
For the tea included in the set, we can opt to be served with iced tea and hot tea. Iced tea was an inferior choice over hot tea, as the amount of serving and the variants for iced tea are fewer. For the hot tea, we could only choose those valued at PHp 195 on the menu. Despite the limitation, featured tea blends and names were still so many in number that we found it difficult to order.
Silver Moon Tea is their bestseller of all times, as it’s the world’s favorite. We had the last order of the said tea for the day. It’s a combo of vanilla and green tea accented with grand berries. The fragrance was eminent but the taste was similar only to typical teas you can sample at Chinese and Japanese restaurants. We finished about six cups of tea (three refills per person) over almost two hours of conversation.
The first delicate savory we had were the chocolate and blueberry muffins. They were the best muffins I ever had, perfectly baked with moisture and served with TWG Tea jelly and whipped cream.
Next were three of TWG Teaโs signature tea-infused macarons which were meticulously handcrafted in a delicious manner. We liked the Earl Grey Fortune and Chocolate macaron the most, followed by the Napoleon Tea and Caramel then the Camelot Tea and Praline. Each had a distinct taste and I rate it as 3-4 times better than those I bought from Tous Les Jours before. (TWG Tea’s macarons are individually priced at PHp 50, 56% pricier than the TLJ’s. Gasp!)
Thirdly, we had shared three plush smoked salmon sandwiches with gruyere cheese on one side of the bread, delicate green salad and house vinaigrette – the perfect vehicle to happiness.
Price for Value: โ โ โ โ โ
I credit the efforts of TWG Tea tasters who travel thousands of miles to various countries every year to sample and search teas and come up with exclusive blends from source gardens. The price was worth braving the inevitable customers that line up through the doorman, waiting that long, and paying for those elite guilty pleasures.
If you believe that tea time should be the most awaited and cherist moment of the day, TWG Tea Salon and Boutique has you covered.
TWG Tea Salon & Boutique
Level 1, Greenbelt 5
Legaspi Village, Makati City, Philippines
About Rochkirstin Santos-Sioco
Health and technology freak. Food and lifestyle blogger with a large appetite for food and travel.
I love TWG and your post is lovely too I have to schedule a date with my girls soon. ๐
Yay thanks for dropping by!
I really like drinking teas than any other drinks, but i admit, sometimes i feel too tired in making one. your photos are amazing by the way… the teapots and the cups looks nice.
Thanks, Mark. ๐ Maybe if you can just add a bit more encouragement to yourself and prepare chamomile tea, the end result would be beneficial since chamomile tea can be relaxing. Herbalism is fascinating! I can’t vouch the same for milk teas though hehe.
I haven’t visited TWG Tea Salon but if I do, this place will be sooo perfect for me since I love tea and tasty desserts! ๐
You should visit it soon and face its “monstrous” menu. Here’s for reference: TWG Tea Salon and Boutique (MunchPunch)
I love drinking tea especially Lipton and ice tea. It has a lot of health benefits. The ambiance and foods in that cafe is really great. I bet it is really wicked dining here.
You said the word and yup, it was WICKED! ๐
I love TWG tea. I tasted their tea numerous times and their tea is the best.
WOW numerous times, huh? There’s no doubt you like their teas that much!
Tried TWG’s tea macarons before, loved the Earl Grey and the one with mint, And that tea with a malt chocolate aroma’s a killer!
I would love to come back there and grab myself that earl grey and mint macarons! ๐
haven’t tried this before back in singapore pa sa MBS hehe. love their macarons haha! I am not sure if malaysia have this puro harrod’s nkikita ko hehe xx
Ohh I haven’t heard of Harrod’s. Singapore has a lot of these! I am reminded of the ones I see in 313 Somerset basement and those in Paragon Shopping Centre near the market place. Super cute macarons!
It looks like you had a tea party (spoken in Brit twang, :D). I love this place! I love the old world look with a feel of excess. I love tea so I’ll definitely drop by TWG Tea Salon soon. How do they make their tea? Is it brewed or steeped?
Would you like some tea and crumpet? Hahaha. I’m not sure how they make their tea. I totally have no idea. Tss. ๐
TWG looks like heaven for girls with so much shiny stuff and huge tea selections. I will try TWG if I get the chance.
Please do. You won’t regret it. ๐
super nice place. I heard about this from another blogger friend. I would love to visit this place too, soon.
You can visit their branch at Resorts World Manila, too! ๐
Ohh my! I would love to go to TWG Tea again! With interiors fit for a king and macarons as tasty as heaven, TWG is a place every tea lovers must try!
Iโd pay good money to have another dining experience in TWG Tea. ๐
I’m so envious of your experience. Hopefully, when I go abroad I’ll try their branch there but I must first visit their branch in Newport or in Greenbelt!
I would like to go back real soon! ๐
I’m not a tea drinker but seeing those delicious pastry want me to visit the place and dine in :)…
Yeah me too. I am not really into drinking these types of teas but only the milk teas offered in Serenitea, Chatime, Gong Cha and the rest. But one visit to TWG would help spell the difference and convince you to grab another cup.
Come and buy to our shop at TWG tea changi terminal 2 here in singapore… We offer the cheapest price…:)
Oh is that branch new? I didn’t see it before in Changi Terminal. I’d love to visit next time when I fly to Singapore. ๐
Ganda ng presentation ๐ gusto ma try yan and also their tea.
Miss ko na nga eh. I will order more entrees next time. ๐
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TWG tea is amazing! I’m not sure if I would buy it on a regular basis though since it’s so expensive. It would be great for a gift and for a treat once in a while. It’s almost double the price of CBTL take-home tea and around 8 times the price of regular tea in the supermarket.
Nice price comparisons ๐ I also won’t buy their teas on a regular basis but it’s just good to try once in a while (like twice a year for me) haha.
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