Long before my 1st visit to Purple Cane Tea Restaurant @ The Gardens years ago, I’d been going to their outlet @ Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall. I prefer the one in the Chinese Assembly Hall simply because of the historical significance of the building. It’s always nicer to dine in a heritage building than within a modern mall. In July 2007, Chinese Assembly Hall was gazette as one of the 50 National Heritages by the National Heritage Department, under the National Heritage Department Act 2005.

However, Purple Cane Tea Restaurant @ The Gardens is much more convenient to get to for me and I dread the traffic congestion in the city so it’s more practical to go to their Gardens outlet. A tea lover like me will definitely love tea cuisine and the choices of fine tea there.

A few selections of herbal soups are available every day. One has to check with the waiter as to which soups on the menu are available. All the soups are served in tea pots, very quaint but sometimes the tea pot spout can be a bit leaky. Choose from lotus root chicken tea soup, sweet corn chicken tea soup, tea and wine chicken soup, chrysanthemum tea soup with arrowroot, burdock chicken tea soup, Chinese yam tea soup, black bean and white radish tea soup & watercress chicken tea soup. The teas are either Ding Dong Oolong or Pu’Er tea.

So far I have tried the Burdock Chicken Tea Soup & Tea and Wine Chicken Soup. I like both of them and still can’t decide which one I like more. The soups are double-boiled in purple clay pots resulting in a mellow and palatable taste.

The Long Jing Green Tea Rice is delicious even on its own.

Pan fried egg with anchovies has been cooked with Tie Guan Yin tea. Crispy and savoury, simple but so delicious.

The kangkung has been stir fried with Lychee Black Tea. Too much sambal in this one, too spicy and overwhelmed every other taste.

Braised chicken with sweet chili has been cooked with Lychee Black Tea and Oolong Tea. The buns are so crispy and the chicken very tender.

Any seafood deep fried with oat is delicious and this is no exception as there is no oily aftertaste and the squid is not dry.

Lychee black tea has been used in this dish. I love all kinds of mushrooms and this one is lovely with the sauce.

Nothing particularly exceptional about this dish.

Love this dessert as it isn’t too sweet and it’s like creme caramel, so smooth and like custard.