Singapore: A nice cup of tea

The thought that ‘the nice kitchen shop’ in Chinatown might not be open on Sunday did not enter our minds as we strolled along the walls of the Sri Mariamman Temple. Bother.

Mrs M’s alternative destination was the Tea Chapter on Neil Road where a self-confessed novice tea master took us through the elaborate process of making the refreshing brew with doll-sized cups, saucers, tweezers and sticks. The initial pot of qímén hóngchá (Qimen red tea) had to brew for thirty seconds adding five seconds for subsequent refills. The mild fruity flavour and subtle smokiness of the tea that is the major ingredient of English breakfast tea has set Mrs M off on a bit of a tea experimentation phase.

The area behind the Buddha Tooth Temple was packed with people huddled over small tables manipulating garishly-coloured draughts pieces or leaning back to consider the next move in a game of Chinese Chess (Xiàngqí). This has set Mr M off on a bit of a Chinese Chess experimentation phase.