London: Tea Time in Wonderland

Winter? What winter?

This Sunday, the place to be will be Chinatown. The crowd will rush to get a glimpse of the colourful parade, the hundreds red lantern flying in the breeze, the dragons visit each restaurant and shop to bring luck. Kids will throw firecrackers on the floor, make paper dragon dance around… A good reason to feel cheerful! Don’t want to join the crowd on trafalgar Square? A few different ideas this way.

That’s art, baby!
* An exquisite dress made of spider silk? At the V&A, of course!

Out of the ordinary:
* On Thursday, let’s talk spooky London. Or raise your glass to Australia.
* Friday, rush to the V&A for a dose of samba, Brazil & table football.
* Strictly come dancing? This way!
* Selfridges? Words, words, words. But do stop to listen to stories there this week-end.
* A narrowboat getting a second life as a bookshop, what a lovely idea!
* Or how a few minutes of music can change a life.

Take the little ones along:
* On Sunday, this extraordinary puppet show will put a tiger on stage (even better, it’s free).
* Follow the steps of the 101 Damatians.
* 50 London ideas with kids.

Play with words, shake syllabes, paint sentences, cross out letters or sprinkle a few more – how inspiring is this new pop-up shop at Selfridges! You could also just turn a few pages, personnalise a Tatty Devine necklace with your own name, listen to stories or poetry…

Selfridges
Wonder Room
400 Oxford Street
London W1A 1A

Every year on January 25, is celebrated the birthday of the Scottish poet Robert Burns. Why such a fascination for the artist? By writing in the local dialect and not only in English, by collecting tales and songs of his beloved folklore, he made – still makes – the country heart beat stronger. To this day, his poem Scots Wha Hae is considered a second national hymn.

In London too, the parties will be on. Kilts may not always be there but you can be sure haggis and whisky will be on the table.

If you love refined dishes, rush to the Rib Room. Nestled in the Jumeirah Carlton Tower Hotel, this stylish restaurant is too little known. I was lucky to discover the special menu for Burns Night and was wowed by it. Scotland at his very best.

First - traditions. It is important to bring a toast (or a collection of them). And so we raised our glass with this beautiful drink of Slàinte (cheers in Gaelic). The secret of this very floral nectar? A clever mix of Hendrick’s gin, vermouth and heather honey. It is a real pleasure to leave it linger on the tongue to better appreciate its sweet, complex texture.

And then the feast begins. So much care has been brought to the starter that I turned my plate again and again to see all the details. Slightly pickled ribbons of carrots, beautiful rolls made of beetroot, sweet salad with herbs, crouton made of such a thin slice of seeded bread it looked like delicate lace, and serving of creamy Crowdie cheese sprinkled with roasted walnuts for a crunchy effect…

Follow sea flavours -  pan-fried scallops matched with almost sugary baby onion. The croquette is a real surprise. Using the ingredients of a Cullen Skink  (potato and haddock) in the most exquisite bite -  crisp on the outside, opening on unctuous heart concentrating the tastes where the smoked side of the fish dominates.

Worth noting -  the extraordinary work of Louise Gordon, the sommelier. For here, the wine, spirit and cigar list (the restaurant will soon open its own terrace for the guests to appreciate the latter even more) is on Ipad. What a fabulous idea -  such fluidity in the search, so much information compiled from the picture of the product to detail about the grapes, the region, maps if wished. And so you get curious, looking further and further. You can fully grasp the amount of work this represented, creating mouthwatering descriptions for each selection in store, compiling a whole file each time.

Louise had selected two gems to match the menu. Attitude is a creation by the Pascal Jolivet brand -  frank, modern, it dances in the mouth, blooming on green apple, kiwi, lime. A perfect alliance with creaminess and fish. For the more complex meat to come will be served a New-Zealand Wild Rock Gravel Pit Red . Merlot and Malbec bring a gorgeous explosion of red fruit, plum and violet and marvelous round tannins.

But wait, haggis is now brought on a silver tray, the king of the evening. Our friend Donald will recite the ode to this dish. To be frank, being French, I only understand 1 word out of 5 but still the text flows, lyrical, brings out pride and definitely makes quite an impression. Clapping could not be helped and was well deserved!

The haggis, once sliced, is associated with a fabulous dish of venison, tender and pink, strong seducing character. On the side, a casserole of parsnip, apple and chestnut remind of autumn and forest walks. The spiced mince, which texture has been enhanced with oats, is the best I have tasted so far (and the Wolseley’s is quite something too) -  just make sure you let it absorb some of the juices too for extra happiness…

Keep some space for dessert! A great occasion to (re)discover the cranachan -  silky whipped cream with fresh raspberries and scooped in the most inviting way. Chocolate lovers will not resist the cloud-like chocolate and Drambuie mousse, absolutely divine and generous in alcohol! The Dundee soufflé cake  is quite a signature dish, a caress with very moist raisins.

Unless you prefer homemade Tunnocks, a more gourmet version of the kids’ treat? High quality chocolate, vanilla touch in the mallow and the most tender cake base. Really, they should sell boxes of those. Just saying.

The Rib Room as we saw earlier are quite skilled in cocktails too. Their mixologist can even juggle with fire:

This Flaming Bobby Burns has the most fascinating amber colour. It brings out caramel, the complexity of Vermouth and the spice of Benedictine. A few orange essential oil drops from the zest and your cheeks will pink up nicely, trust me.

Don’t leave yet, you have to sip on some whisky too and they offer a formidable range indeed. My heart always melts for Lagavulin -  robust, round, smoked, it makes me think of chimney fires.

Do ask about their chocolate truffles: the banana one has nothing to envy of the best chocolatiers in town. Glossy ganache, exotic notes, this is the perfect conclusion.

Verdict: well, a sudden thought in the midst of the dinner probably sums it best – So good it could be French !
The menu for 5 dishes (cocktail, Crowdie, scallops, haggis & venison, trio of desserts, coffee and Tunnock) costs £50 per person. Wine & whiskies are on top.

Can’t come for Burns Night -  well the excellence is a daily must here. And look at the lunch menu – £25 for three dishes whithin walking distance of Harvey Nichols is the best deal ever in this area…

The Rib Room
Jumeirah Carlton Tower
On Cadogan Place
London SW1X 9PY

This iconic hotel, which names remains full of magic, has lost nothing of its sparkle. Sitting in the most elegant lounge, listening to the pianist’s magic touch, you can picture stars sipping on champagne… Choose the  15.00 afternoon tea on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturday which is preceded by a tour of The Waldorf: you will discover, among other things, beautiful stained windows, the famous Palm Room which inspired the grand salon of the Titanic and learn the basement used to have its own Masonic templse and still hides many passage ways… Look at the pictures – the treats are as delicious as they look.

The Waldorf
Aldwych
London WC2B 4DD
Afternoon tea £23.50
Afternoon tea with champagne £34.50

Sweet dreams are guaranteed at One Aldwych. A gourmet breakfast too!

As for dinner, children have their own menu to choose from with more adapted portions – scrambled egges with ham & cheese (whether mixed or on the side), eggs and soldiers, English muffins with bacon, warm vanilla scented milk, gorgeous Valrhona hot chocolate… You will not hear a word form them, they will be too immersed in their own private feast.

Steaming cup of coffee in hand, newspaper in the other, you can take your time to wake up -  no rush here. The windows frame amazing bouquets – delicate sunny orchids on that day. Choose from on of the set menus (English Breakfast, healthy option…) or like me, select everything à la carte. The muesli is absolutely perfect – moist, generous in a wide variety of nuts, seeds, fresh fruit. Order two at once. No you will not want to share. The eggs royales are an absolute must-have – slightly toasted muffin, tasty smoked salmon, eggs with a golden yolk, a slightly lemony sauce, very unctuous – I still dream about it. It is all in the elegance, the presentation, down to the honey comb touch…

I can easily picture inviting a work team here, having a good brainstorming: the atmosphere is so quiet, soothing, the food inspiring. Feel like coming with friends? Indigo proposes at week-ends, from nooon, a sensasional brunch. Or you could enjoy one of thei Moet movies – recent films projected in their own private, cosy cinema. the price also includes dinner, a glass of champagne and popcorn, quite a celebration indeed. And a good excuse to come back…

One Aldwych
London
WC2B 4BZ

Teatime in Wonderland was a (very spoilt) guest of One Aldwych

A tiny art gallerie has opened in Covent Garden. They have fascinating representations of cities, black & white and suddenly a rainbow of tints, as if the colours were the ones telling the story. Have a look at the Delicate Mayhem Gallery, 3 Russel Street next time you are around. Nice to see some art in that neighbourghood!

That’s art, baby:
* Facebook inspires street art.
* Rainbow of colours with David Hockney.
* 21st century art: 3D printing.

So British:
* Become a cricket fan.

Sing it:
* Keep a coin for the juke box.

Take the little ones along:
* Street art: follow Stik around.
* Sunday, robotic camera workshop.
* In honour of the musical Mathilda, Roald dahl fans will not resist the stupendous afternoon tea.

Yummy time ahead:
* Hate detoxing? Oh but it can be quite fun at The Botanist et au Chiswell Street Dining Room.  Until February 12, you can sip  on Lemon Aid (white tea sirup and apricot infused gin), de Green Business (vodka, cucumber, basil, spirulina) et Hazy Days (gin, green apple liqueur, fresh ginger, goji berries). We promise those are filled with good things for you!

Out of the ordinary:
* This Thursday evening small is beautiful and fun at the Wellcome Collection.
* Still on Thursday, stop at the Imperial War Museum for a free movie.
* Nostalgic touch -  see a silent movie at the Barbican.
* Note the London tips of the fantastic Luiz Hara.
* Galop at the O2.
* You might think it is Halloween with this coffin exhibition.
* Discover Three Mills Island.
* The Take-away shop proposes to share… anything from anedotes to skills vis London histories and craft. I tip my hat to that.