The Parking Gods Were Not Appeased

Please click the photo above to play the daily videoAnother sunny start — the kind that makes you pause at the window and briefly consider whether you've accidentally moved somewhere Mediterranean. KL has been putting on a show this week, and I'm not about to complain.

The sun, however, came with a strategic decision. Rather than join the morning exodus and sit in traffic watching the clock tick away alongside my patience, I hung about the house a while longer. There's a certain wisdom in letting the jam clear — a cup of coffee, a slow start, the quiet satisfaction of knowing that somewhere out there, thousands of people are sitting bumper to bumper while you're still in your kitchen. Timing, in this city, is everything.

The smugness lasted precisely until I reached the hospital car park. Whatever time I'd saved on the road, the parking gods reclaimed with interest. Round and round, floor after floor, the eternal spiral of a man and his car searching for a space that may or may not exist. There's a special kind of purgatory in hospital parking — you know you're needed inside, you know there's work to be done, but first you must complete this ritual of circling and hoping and quietly swearing. Eventually, a space materialised. Whether through luck or sheer persistence, I choose not to examine too closely.

Once inside, the day found its footing. Rounds were smooth, each one connecting neatly to the next, the sort of morning where the work feels purposeful without being punishing. By noon I was running a CME session for the nurses — continuing medical education, the kind of structured teaching that keeps everyone sharp. It went well. There's something grounding about stepping into a teaching role, distilling what you know into something someone else can use. The questions were good, which is always the real measure.

The evening shifted gears entirely. Dinner at Mid Valley — one of those outings where the mall serves as both restaurant and after-dinner stroll, the two activities bleeding into each other without any clear boundary. The meal was good, unhurried, the kind of midweek dinner that feels like a small reward for a week that's been behaving itself.

Afterwards, tea at TWG. The Rwanda Express, which sounds like it should involve a sleeper carriage and a Graham Greene novel but is in fact a rather excellent single-origin brew. There's a ritual to TWG that I've come to appreciate — the presentation, the quiet theatre of it, the way it forces you to slow down whether you intended to or not. Tonight, I intended to.

A quick walk through the mall rounded things off. Nothing purposeful, just movement for its own sake, the gentle drift of two people with nowhere particular to be. The legs appreciated it. The rest of me, however, was making its case for home.

And now, home. Tired in the honest way — the kind that comes from a full day rather than a difficult one. The week is more than half done, and rest is no longer optional. Tomorrow can wait. Tonight, the pillow wins.

TWG Revisited

After almost a year, we returned for a spot of tea at Twining TWG at Pavilion. The place has certainly became more popular compared to the last time we were there, and there was actually a queue to get in - for sure as it was Saturday evening then. luckily we didn't have to wait for too long.

So, off we went onto a table of four. And we waited for almost ten minutes before we were attended to, despite indicating that we wanted to know a bit more about the tea on the menu. Unfortunately, the staff that came around later was a foreign worker who spoke bad English and basic Malay. I couldn't believe it that a restaurant of such caliber had staff who struggled to communicate. And sure enough, he got the order mixed up …..

We were not in the mood to argue and just took up what was offered - and he forgotten that we ordered for two pots as he brought only the one. We were quite surprised that we had enough teacups. Then came the tricky part when the tea was finished in the pot. Apparently the tea was brewed off the pot, so refilling with hot water would not do. So, just remember that there would be no refilling when your pots were done. You need to order another pot.

The food was not bad, as we just ordered light dinner. I had wagyu burger, which was well cooked - with a tea infused sauce of some sort. I had some cocktail - lychee with tea - which was a big mistake. It tasted …. disgusting!

So, even though the quality of the food and beverages were still up there, TWG would need to pay more attention to their service. Because after all, not everyone went there solely for the food. They would like to enjoy the ambiance as well ….. suffice to say that the visit did not go as I hoped for.

TWG Tea Boutique, Pavilion

After berbuka and prayers last evening, I took the boys out for a drive. We planned to see some lights in Kampung Baru, but it turned out that traffic was really bad. We ended up stopping at Pavilion instead for some drinks.

As we came out of the car park, we saw this intimidating new restaurant there. Well, not rally a restaurant, but more of a boutique cafe, something similar to the Starhill Tea Salon, called TWG. We saw a branch before during our stay at Marina Bay Sands Singapore earlier this year, and we got curious.

An eye-opener!

But we had a slight issue. The boys were already in their pajamas, and this being an upmarket cafe, they might throw us out. Idlan and Irfan were having none of that, and insisted to go in to have a look, bearing in mind, Irfan especially was a tea drinker. The wait did not mind, more so after Idlan went to the counter and started ordering some chocolate bars.

We were sat down in the middle of the restaurant and had a look at the menu. There was at least 200 blend of tea on offer ...... some being just simple iteration is the next, but the list was impressive none the less. Picking time.

Yes, they sell teapots tooAnd some gifts tooIdlan ordered some Assam tea - by some exotic named blend of course. A second flush brew for extra kick! Irfan went for chamomile, but mixed with some exotic herbal concoction. Being a coffee drinker, I decided to go with some iced beverage, coffee mixed with watermelon juice. Not bad.

Irfan's brew, chamomile. Very fragrant.Anita's a bit strongerWagyu burger. Well done!Irfan had some quicheYup! Grounded tea powder sprinkled on them fries!For food, I had a burger, while the children shared some quiche. The fries which came with my burger had ground tea powder sprinkled on them. And the food was actually rather nice. I would definitely be coming back for snacks.

The restaurant was situated in the second floor of Pavilion, turning to the right wing on entering them all from the Bukit Bintang entrance. More details here.