The Tanglin Club's Tea-time Cheesecake, Musical Chairs and Two Chefs

Chocolate Banana Cake and Black Forest cake at the Tnaglin Club. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

I have had lunch twice in the last two months with my long-standing friend, close friend, Caroline. Both of us have relatives who are members. 

On the most recent occasion when we both visited the Tanglin, when The Tavern restaurant closed at the end of lunch time, we had to move. Where next?

It was tempting to go into the lounge for coffee. Dentists warn that you should not snack all day, but give your teeth a break from food so your saliva can clear up. If you can clean your teeth after a meal to prevent the build-up of plaque, so much the better. 

Caroline had a business meeting and had to disappear onto the outdoors front terrace because the use of mobile phones and laptops is forbidden in several areas of the club, including the lobby. 

Tanglin Club lobby. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Despite, my memory of the dentist's warning, I decided to go to the lounge. But the lounge tables were all full. 

The Rest Room Flowers

So I took fancy photo in the lovely Ladies toilet. Americans say restroom, and if you want to rest, it does have a chaise longue (French for long chair) in the mirror and power room area. The Ladies has flowers by the mirrors in the entry room.

Angela by flowers in the Tanglin Club Ladies toilets. Selfie. Copyright Angela Lansbury.

The Lobby Flowers

Then I took a photo of myself with the lobby flowers. I considered going to the library and sitting at the online screen. However, I decided to sit in the lobby where I could watch my friend to see when she finished her online meeting.

How quickly an hour can pass. From three o'clock to four o'clock.  Time for tea. Tea for two.

We returned to the tea lounge where we had a choice of vacant tables. The window area overlooking the pool has an away from the world table in corner. Another table, even more secluded, for private whispered conversations, or noisy laughter where you won't annoy others, is in an alcove, hidden behind a big barrier wall, beyond the attractive, glassed, walk-in wine bottle shop with bottle and barrels.

Air Con

We tried the seats at both window tables. Both suffered from the same problem. A howling gale from the air conditioning overhead. We were chilled in one minute. I had worn a scarf to protect myself in case anywhere in the club was chilly. But the combination of window and air con was too much for me. And for Caroline. 

Musical Chairs

So we went back to the public area, to a table in front of the deli area serving cake. The advantage is that you can hail the waiter or manager to give an order. Despite the walked through area the other side which can be distracting. However, having passers-by gives the faint possibility that somebody you know might pass.

Nobody we knew passed. The attention getting people who passed were two chefs with their grand and distinctive tall, pleated white hats. 

Chefs in the tea lounge at the Tanglin Club, Singapore. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Two Chefs

What were the chefs delivering? I did not see. But later I learned that when we ordered a pint of pink watermelon juice, it was not made in the lounge but by the chefs in the Tavern kitchen.

We had had the same at lunch. I thought I would try starfruit for a change. But that was unavailable.  Back to watermelon juice.

What to eat - scones or cheesecake?

The scones are cheaper than the cakes. But no cream or strawberry jam. 

Takeaway Teatime Treats

On a previous occasion when my husband visited the club to take photos of historic presidents for his book on the history of Singapore's then Singapore-Malaya railway, I asked him to bring home a scone. We added our own whipped cream from a can and Bonne Maman jam from a jam jar.

You need to heat the scones and add butter so that the butter melts. Salted butter is best. But my husband buys all purpose unsalted butter so it can be used in both sweet and savoury recipes and so he knows how much salt to add since he has control over added salt.

We opted for American cheesecake.

That strawberry on top looks like a refreshing fruit. No. It's a cleverly disguised piece of praline, or something similar.

I had previously preferred the Starbucks crumbly New York Cheesecake. But Caroline loved the creamy cheesecake. And the crunchy biscuit base. Her enthusiasm was infectious. Yes, I agreed. I was pretty good.

Useful Websites

https://www.tanglinclub.org.sg/dining/terrace-bistro-bar.html

Watford Museum, conveniently beside the station

Watford Museum must be the most easy to find museum in London, right beside the station, just beyond the café.

Unfortunately it isn't open every day of the week. I always phone a museum or anywhere I am visiting to check. They might close unexpectedly, because of an event, or open unexpectedly, because of an exhibition or holiday.

I like to look at the outside of a museum or other public building even when it is closed. As a photographer, I have a chance to read all the notices outside, choose my angles for exterior photos, even decide which time of day would be best for a photograph of the outside. If your outside photo is not good enough for you, you can take a better one when you go back.

What did I find out? First the opening times. 10 until five. That probably means that you need to arrive by four, to allow time to see it and in case they are sticklers for time and won't let you enter after 4 or 4.30.

It's open Thursday, Friday and Saturday. So open three days, but not the whole weekend. Closed Sunday.

Next information - kiddie activities. Thursday morning  in the summer holidays. And a passport you can get stamped at more than one museum.

Heritage Watch.  Things I would never imagine you would need to prevent. My first thought would be police are patrolling to prevent theft. I must admit that graffiti and arson had never crossed my mind. Depending on the site, all sorts of activities could damage it. People using metal detectors. Unauthorised excavation.

And now for more fun. The little gallery tearoom. Fourth Saturday of every month, excluding July and December. 10.30-4 pm. You see what I mean about needing to phone.

The station you want is Watford High Street, not Watford Junction. 

After the museum, you can walk up the High Street to Intu shopping mall. On the upper level there's a little train. When I last looked it cost about £2 for a ride. But even if you are not riding, it's very jolly and amusing to watch it tootling along.

Here's there train at Christmas time, very jolly.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Wych Cross Nurseries, Garden Centre, Tea Room and Red Bus

A great stop for tea driving south of London towards Eastbourne.  Immediately left of the traffic light. Park and walk through the huge shop. Warning, if you're after the tea room and toilets and looking at or buying roses, it's a walk outside and downhill through the wonderful outdoor displays.

When you see the big red (London) bus parked, the tea room is just beyond and the toilets are to your right before the tea room.

Time for a picture stop to take the red bus. Toilets, small, just the one for ladies - luckily I'm the only one so no queue.

I see roses, Bush roses. Any standard roses? Another customer points. The rose bush area is huge with the scented standard roses selling out fast at the far end lower down.

I found four fragrant roses, red, white, yellow or pink, hard to find in garden centres around London. I've been looking for weeks.

I find an assistant. The price was £41. Hm. I think.

It's rather large to go in the boot of a car. The assistant suggests putting it in the front passenger seat. But that's where I sit and I'm on a trip from London, not local. Do they deliver. No.

"Do you need a stake?" asks the assistant. That's another £2.50?

I think: "I must have had a stake on the old rose which died."

"You need to dig a square hole and remove the soil which was around the roots of your dead rose. Fill it with ..." Ah - another cost - but we have some stuff we bought for planting a vine.

I asked hopefully, "Any chance of getting one in an end of season sale?"

"Highly unlikely.  No chance of getting any of these in an end of season sale as they are selling out fast," the assistant told me.

Decisions, decisions. I need sustenance. It's time for tea.

The tea room serves a good, filling fruit cake and an espresso coffee with cream on top and milk on the side in a little jug. I like to finish with milk because I believe it whitens my teeth as well as possibly counteracting osteoporosis, and sustaining you more than coffee.
Large Espresso was £2.00. Cake was £3.

We share a table with a friendly lady who seeing me drinking the milk kindly offers to share her leftover tea with me. I decline but thank her and wave goodbye. Gallop uphill to the car.

Two days later, back home I find the Wych Cross Nurseries and Garden Centre website. You can order bush roses. But not the large standard roses which I presume are heavy to send and therefore bulky, breakable and expensive.

Wych Cross Garden Centre
Forest Row
East Sussex
RH18 5JW
Email: roses@wychcross.co.uk
tel:01342 822705.
www.Wychcross.co.uk

Angela Lansbury B A Hons Author, photographer, speaker, English tutor.