T.W.T. (Tea Warmers Treats), Medan Ipoh Bestari

Boutique cafes or cafes which boast contemporary ambiance with gourmet coffee is plaguing Ipoh. Though working for one of a brand leading coffee manufacturer in Malaysia, I do not consider myself a true aficionado of coffee. I admit I am already way behind the trend, trying only places which some of them are opened more than a year! Packed to the brim of post graduate study assignments and tuition classes after work, this new cafe called Tea Warmers Treat (TWT) seems to be a great place to rejuvenate this jagged soul of mine. Occupying the same corner lot which formerly houses the horrendous Spices of Penang, it is at the row of shops opposite Hokkaido Japanese Cuisine or its strategically located behind Li Yuan Dim Sum in Medan Ipoh Bestari.

Surprisingly to find it more than 2/3 full on weekday night, we were courteously welcomed by the team of a middle aged lady together with a young couple (which I believe one of them is her child). Menu served is pork free which do not have a huge variety of items but sufficient to prevent being spoilt for choices. I decided to go for some poultry. The presentation of the Teriyaki Chicken and Zaru Soba (RM18) is neat and decent. Grilled to near perfection leaving juicy flesh of the poulty and slightly charred skin, the whole deboned chicken drumstick is glazed with a sweetish yet savoury Teriyaki sauce which tantalize your tastebuds. I'm glad they did not overdo with the amount of sauce unlike how conventional cafes or restaurants would just pour everything at one go. If they sauce is flavourful and does the trick, a small amount sufficient to coat the surface will do the trick. Instead of conventional fries or salad, you get a portion of Soba noodles at the bottom for your carbohydrate fix. A good fusion attempt I would say.

I skipped the usual Cabonara and went for their pizza instead. This is the Smoked Duck Pizza (Somewhere RM20-ish) Slices of tender and aromatic smoked duck breast are accurately placed so that you get a slice of smoked duck for every slice of pizza, no more no less. Besides the conventional tomato sauce base and mozarella cheese topping, they actually used Mandarin Oranges on it. Personally speaking, I did not think it blended well with the smoked duck and the sweetish BBQ-like sauce drizzled on top. The pizza base is slightly on the hard size rather than additively crispy. I would rate this just slightly above average only.

The Cheesecake did not really appease to my tastebud as I find it to be light. Well, this is again my personal preference of a richer version. Those who prefer a light, airy and creamy feel might connect to this. On a seperate note, I would like to commend the lady boss for her honesty. Initially I wanted to pick a Chocolate Cheesecake instead. She recognised it was down to the last slice and apologized to me because the cake was 3 days old and she refuse to sell it to me. Thumbs up for their professionalism and integrity :)

Charmomile with honey and lemon (RM6 if I'm not mistaken). They have quite an extensive choices of premium floral teas which is around RM10-14 per pot (can be shared by 2 person). Coffee on the other hand is quite limited as expected because their name T.W.T. tells it all. They take pride in their tea options in their arsenal.

Very homely decor with just near perfect ambiance lighting. Ideal place for a date due to the soothing background music. Not very recommended for group parties because due to the small space, the echo from your voices is quite significant and somehow disturbing to other couples. I am saying this because the table beside me has two noisy children!

Feel free to drop by but try to avoid Mondays. There is ample parking especially after night falls due to nearby coffeeshops and offices are closed at night. They do have Chocolate Lava Cake and also Green Tea Lava Cake, macarons and other dessert of the day. Do feel free to pick from the display counter and enjoy sipping some nerve calming beverage. Till then, best wishes from yours truly :)