Tea Chapter @ Neil Road

Like wine appreciation, there is an art behind tea appreciation. I accompanied Maureen sometime back to visit Tea Chapter which is located among the row of shop houses along Neil Road. The ground floor is their merchandise area selling a good varieties of tea as well as tea appreciation wares while the upper floors are tea chambers while friends can gather for some tea and snacks.

Chinese tea is generally categorised into black tea (黑茶), oolong tea (乌龙茶), green tea (绿茶), yellow tea (黄茶), white tea (白茶) and floral tea (花茶).

Basically there are also 2 type of tea set which is used to brew different type of teas because of the temperature. The Yixing clay teapot or commonly know as purple sand (紫砂) is used for brewing black tea (黑茶) or oolong tea (乌龙茶) that needs higher temperature (85C-100C).

Silver Tea Leaf (百毫银针)

Imperial Huangjin Gui(御用黄金桂)

Da Hong Pao (大红袍)

Subject to the different climate and soil conditions, oxidation and roasting process, a variety of tea leaves with its signature taste, fragrance and aroma are thus made. We got to try 3 types of tea namely Silver Tea Leaf (百毫银针), Imperial Huangjin Gui (御用黄金桂) and Da Hong Pao (大红袍).

Very interestingly, each tea leaf has a legendary story behind it. Take for example the Da Hong Pao  (大红袍), it was about a top scholar who protected the tea tree with his red robe in a stormy night. He was back to the temple to express his thanks to the abbot who took care of him when he fell sick on his way to the imperial exam. The abbot brewed a cup of tea for him to drink and he soon recovered. Eventually took his exam and became top scholar that year.

Besides the art of tea brewing, we were also learnt about postures and the ways of hold the tea cup between male and female. Above pictures are the way how the male should be holding the tea cup.

And above is how the female holds the tea cup.

As you can read, I am not well versed in the art and culture of tea appreciation. If you are interested in tea appreciation, you can drop by tea chapter to learn from their masters. Tea Chapter is also a quiet and cozy place to meet and catch up with friends over a cup of tea and some snacks.


Tea Chapter
9-11 Neil Road
Singapore 088808
Tel: +65 62261175/1917
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TeaChapter
Website: http://www.tea-chapter.com.sg/
Nearest MRT: Outram (EW Line, CC Line, NE Line), Tanjong Pagar (EW Line)

Opening Hours:
Teahouse
Sun-Thu: 11am - 1030pm
Fri-Sat, Eve of PH & PH: 11am - 11pm
Retail
Mon-Sun: 1030am - 1030pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Outram MRT station. Take Exit H. Walk to Kreta Ayer Road. Turn right onto Kreta Ayer Road and walk to the end. Cross the road and turn left onto Neil Road. Journey time about 20 minutes.

2) Alight at Tanjong Pagar MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to Orchid Hotel. At Orchid Hotel turn right onto Tanjong Pagar Road. Cross the road to the opposite side of Tanjong Pagar Road. Walk along Tanjong Pagar Road to Duxton Hill. From Duxton Hill turn right onto Duxton Road. At the end of Duxton Road turn left onto Neil Road. Journey time about 23 mins.

Pizza4U @ Clementi Street 11 (Sunset Way)

Pizza4u at Sunset Way is a humble little family restaurant that serves pretty awesome thin crust Italian Pizza. Hidden away from the main street and the F&B catchment at Sunset Way, this little restaurant has a cozy and homely ambience. It is also a  certified halal restaurant.

You can even catch your TV program while enjoying a meal at Pizza4u. Just like having a meal in the comfort of your own home.

Crispy Chicken Bites and Breaded Onion Rings 3.8/5

The pizza will take a while to cook so while waiting you can try some of the delectable sides. The Crispy Chicken Bites ($4.50 for 6pcs) was crisp outside and juicy inside. The Breaded Onion Rings ($4.50) was also an enjoyable snack while waiting for the mains.

Baked Eggs 3.8/5

The Baked Eggs ($7/$10) was an interesting dish. I have not seen it elsewhere. Comes with a choice of 1 or 2 eggs baked to perfection together with cheese, mayo, chicken ham, mushroom and spinach served with toasted bread slice. Digging into the dish was like opening a treasure chest with surprise discovery.

Simply Cheese 4.2/5

The pizza dough at Pizza4u is freshly handed rolled upon order and baked directly in the stone oven. First up was the Simply Cheese ($15.60 regular) classic pizza. If you order 2, it costs $22 only. The simply cheese pizza is made up of special homemade chunky tomato sauce, Parmesan, Mozzarella and mixed herbs. A simple yet delectable pizza that came with my favourite cheesy aroma and flavours.

Seafood Special 3.8/5

Next, we tried the Seafood Special ($17.50 regular) gourmet pizza came with tuna flakes, squid, crabstick, onion, capsicum, fressh mushroom, olive and mozzarella. A generous topping of seafood with a nice balanced of flavours. Some of us felt that the squid was not fresh but the slice I had was ok.

Mr Frosty 3.8/5

The name Mr Frosty ($17.50 regular) sounds interesting isn't it? The pizza was topped with chicken ham, turkey bacon, pineapple, mushroom, mozzarella and chicken floss. It tasted like having a Hawaiian pizza topped with chicken floss. The pineapples gave the pizza a fruity flavour which was very refreshing and enjoyable.

Smoked Duck with Egg 4.5/5

The Smoked Duck with Egg ($17.60) gourmet pizza is a new creation by the owner's daughter and he told us it was his favourite. Well, he has another supporter in me too. It was also my favourite among the 4 we have tired. The Smoked Duck with Egg was topped with a special sauce, smoked duck, japanese cucimber, olive, spinach, egg and mozzarella cheese. An interesting well balanced and flavoured pizza baked to perfection.

Chicken Wings 3/5

Besides the signature pizzas at Pizza4u, the family restaurant offers quite an extensive side dishes too. Besides the pizzas, we also tried the Chicken Wings ($5 for 3pcs). It was not too oily and fried to nice exterior crisp. However I thought it was a bit bland in taste.

Cheesy Baked Potato Wedges 4/5

The Cheesy Baked Potato Wedges ($4) was another beautiful snack baked with olive oil and top with cheese and mixed herbs. A recommendable side dish for sharing or having it alone while waiting for the pizza to be ready.

Baked Black Pepper Chicken Pasta 3.5/5

If you felt that you can't finish the pizza alone, Pizza4u has introduced some pasta dishes on their menu too. We got to try the Baked Black Pepper Chicken Pasta ($7) which was reasonable priced. It came with fusilli, chicken pieces, mozzarella, onion and carrots in black pepper sauce. Nicely flavoured but maybe due to the huge serving, a further minute or two will be just right for pasta's doneness.


Pizza4u
Blk 109 Clementi Street 11
(Sunset Way)
#01-43
Singapore 120109
Tel: +65 67778998
Facebook:
Website: http://www.pizza4u.sg/index.htm
Nearest MRT: Clementi (EW Line)

Opening Hours:
Sun-Fri: 11am - 10pm
Sat & Eve PH: 11am - 1030pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Clementi MRT station. Take Exit B. Walk to bus stop at station (Stop ID 17179). Take bus number 184. Alight 4 stops later. Walk towards block 109 facing multi-storey carpark. Journey time about 10 minutes.

2) Alight at Clementi MRT station. Take Exit B. Walk to bus stop at station (Stop ID 17179). Take bus number 154. Alight 5 stops later. Walk towards block 109 facing multi-storey carpark. Journey time about 12 minutes.