London: Tea Time in Wonderland

I recently discussed the concept with colleagues. This was completely unknown to them, the idea felt kinf of obscure. They visualised a kind of crypt, dimmed lights, a gothic theme maybe?

This trend is fascinating. Forget formal restaurants. People like you and me, passionate about cooking decide to take it a step further. A restaurant is a big risk, a huge responsability and they’d rather have the fun of it while still having a financial security. Do it wheneever they feel like it, whenever they’re inspired. But also share the experience with the fans rather than being locked in the kitchen all the time, slaving over dishes. They’re breaking away from the cold business side of it, injecting fun back into it.

Curiosity already took me to the Hidden tearoom for the most wonderful afternoon tea. I still can taste the cheddar biscuits… I spent three hours chatting happily with strangers.

I’m taking Celine along with me this time to test the most famous London one: the Underground restaurant. MsMarmite Lover loves to juggle with ideas and recipes so check dates and themes on the website. Be quick! She’s full in not time.

Tonight’s based on the Realm of Senses. I must admit I always feel a bit shy before ringing the bell. An evening with strangers could be boringly long. I have always been proved wrong: the only fact that you’re there proves we all have a sense of curiousity, adventure, a love for London and good food and that is enough for hours of conversation on end. You’ll find a great mix of people. around our table, we chatted over travels, blogs, books, cinema, cookin, we laughed and compared and commented and shared.

What was on the menu? Ceviche to start with with seashore background noises. I am used to the Tahition way of using raw fish – in a sweet coconut milk sauce. This is surprisingly refreshing, vary fragrant with yuzu and ginger. As for the music? I’m afraid we were chatting way too much in our enthusiasms to notice it…

Follows a selection of Indian dishes – coconut dahlt, indian salad with cucumbers and pomegranate (could have eaten bowls of this), creamy curry with aubergines and a delicious but intriguing vegetable that kept us wondering for a while (a tinda, an exotic kind of squash), fragrant rice… We are to eat with our fingers as you would in India. laughs explode – we’re obviously not that gifted… It is true that you savour the food more, think about it more, notice the colours. With a fork, it’s easy to separate easily abit of rice with that sauce or that one. Eating with your fingers forces you to mix more ingredients together, some you would not have mixed usually. It’s a success. we’re hooked. And the greatness of it all? You can have seconds!

Guests now hold their breath – here comes the smell experience. A huge slice of durian, which smell is almost pleasant and lemony but which will be faithful to its reputation. We all happily try, plunginh our fork in the white flesh and are unanimous: vade retro satanas! Interesting though as we all wanted to try, never would have bought the fruit (huge and expensive – £30 for one!) but really were curious about it. another thing to tick on “to do before I die list”. Also comes a huge Stinking Bishop. very mature, actually running and escaping on our table. The smell is strong but any cheese lover woul fall for it. The taste is cremy, a bit nutty and… well, it didn’t last long on our table. Nice touche to have served it with almonds too!

The desert is welcomed enthusiastically. We are blindfolded for this dish. Not easy to find your ramequin, oops, that was the table, the neignour’s hand, ah, here it is! Always easy to find a taste when you’ve seen it written down before. Here you have to think. Rich chocolate for sure… A different layer on top – I’m a creme fraiche addict, and recognise it immediately, creme fraiche ice-cream, elegant and fresh on the heavier chocolate cream. But the base? Ah, a complete mystery. It’s caramel like, and crunchy, and popping? A clever mix of peacn nuts and popping candy… Not knowing how much is left you really make the pleasure last…

This is more than just dinner, it’s an evening, an entertainment, a fun taste adventure. All thanks to the amazing MsMarmiteLover who reminds me of th fairies in Disney’s version of Sleeping Beauty: cheeks pink with pleasure, sparkling with happiness and joie de vivre, almost flying from one table to another, interested in everything and everyone, happy to sit down and chat and share with you. She’s so contagious! Add to this that she has lived 7 years in France and speaks perfect froggie. I can only take pride in that.

An occasion to be renewed as often as possible!

MsMarmiteLover’s blog: http://marmitelover.blogspot.com/
This way for tickets!

Whenever my stomach start grumbling, I inevitably go back to Wardour St. Such a choice in that street! Will it be… Yauatcha‘s dimsums? Flavoured rice @ Busaba Eathai? Finger-licking humus @ Hummus Bros? Cupcakes @ Hummingbird‘s newest branch?

…or will I just rush to Princu’s, a fabulous Milanese bakery?

You will, like most passers-by, stop in your tracks and look through the windo at the bakers at work, or loaded with brownies, pannatones…

Just jump in! The choice there is incredible… Entire trays of fruit tarts, delicious cheesecake, olive foccacias, huge portions of Italian salads, scrumptious ricotta and spinach rolls… For a fairt price too. You can have lunch there for less than £10 and without the usual restaurant 12.5% service charge.

So delicious, you’ll just have to come back the following day to try some more.

Don’t forget to take some of their fragrant bread home with you (made with organic flour)!

Princi
135 Wardour St
Soho
London
W!F 0UF

Snow, icy rain, a ray of sunshine? Just get a hazelnut hot chocolate at the nearest Starbucks and off you go!

- Play the culture card with the latest Van Gogh exhibition…

- Knit yourself a scraf while enjoying a lovely cup of tea…

- dream of a long gone Covent Garden…

- try an afternoon tea – new style…

- Hunt for art deco @ the decorative antique fair…

- Take a garden fan to the potato fair!

- Get your 70ies outfit for the projection of Mamma Mia on a giant screen @ the O2…

- Toast the famous Scottish poet Burns…

- sprinkle with some alternative art…

You’ll find me @ the Underground restaurant Friday evening for curious experiences… What are your plans?

Oh, feeling so lazy these days. But come on, plenty to do!

- Admire extraodinary ice sculptures @ Canary Wharf Friday and Saturday…

- Enjoy the V&A newly openedMedieval and Renaissance galleries. You think you’ll just walk through them and end up staying an hour!

- Redecorate your house thanks to the London art Fair…

- Learn about 200 years of North-American rituals and traditions @ the British Museum…

- See something new @ the Saatchi Gallery: Richard Wilson’s new structural art work, 20:50…

- Turn slow movement into art…

- Take the kids to the mime festival…

- try the new pie and mash restaurant in Covent Garden…

- Find a colourful way back home, at nightfall, through Jubilee Park…

- and sleep @ the Natural History Museum! £45 for 5 children 8-11 and 3 adults. A night visit, torch litof the galleries, a film projections, talks about insects… Ideal for adventurers!

You’ll find me instead… cocooning in front of a roaring chimney fire with a mug of cocoa in Cheshire. How about you?

My friend Benoit is going back to Paris shortly. He hasn’t experienced an afternoon tea yet! It’s hard to find one at the last minute, a quality one usually needs to be booked 2 months in advance. We thought we’d take a chance and step in the Athenaum – a five star hotel, rewarded this year by the Tea Guild Award of Excellence. This sounds promising and the tearoom does not look overwhelmed with customers.

I’m not sure we have any table left…

We point at one behind the young woman. Two free seats. Confused, she asks us to sit down.

We ask for the afternoon tea menu. The waitress brings one  for two – so much easier to choose… but this only shows alcohol and cocktails. We call her back, she exchanges it for the correct one. For some reason, it is not possible to have one per person.

We select the Mistletoe afternoon tea – £34, usual price for such a standing.

Tea arrives, served in silver teapots, lovely China cups, refined flavours.

Here comes the Golden Fizz cocktail. The side of the flute is sticky as if it hadn’t been cleaned properly. Mmmmh.

A larger table is available, we are asked whether we would like to move. We’re delighted. However it proves to be close to the entrance with icy air coming in when the hall door is opened. A cup of tea gets cold within two minutes. We adapt.

The waitress brings a plate of sandwiches: roast Turkey and Seasonal Berry Chutney; Honey Roast Ham with Red Onion Marmalade; Free Range Egg and Cress; Scottish Smoked Salmon and Cucumber with Cream Cheese. I am asked to choose. I’m surprised – the whole set has always been included in the upmarket afternoon teas I have tested before. I ask one of each. I’m even more perplex when I notice a whole plate being offered to a nearby customer without asking him to select anything. These are nice enough, each finger sandwich having a different kind of bread.

15 mn pass. Ah, here is a tower of treats. First level: an elegant scoop of clotted cream. Second level: two servings of jam, a strawberry and a blueberry one. The menu stated “mixed berry and vanilla jam”. Mmmm? Which other berries? Which vanilla or is it incredibly discreet? How come the top of the jam is so solid it comes away with the spoon? How long has it been sitting in this bowl? Third level: three tiny scones -  cranberries and spices, well baked, tender and fragant, the highlight of the tea.

Another 15mn. Again, I am asked to choose from a selection of cakes. To my knowledge there is no “or” in the menu. And the portions are small – understandable and usual for a selection, not if you are to select only one. I request one of each. Ok, but nothing transcending. A slice of chocolate yule log. A tasty mince pie. A star shaped shortbread, each branch dipped in white chocolate, sprinkled with dried tasteless strawberries. A snowflake cupcake: that size actually is referred to as a fairycake. A dollop of icing, not enough to cover the cake, a little coconut. Not much taste to it. I know where to find better ones! I actually can cook better ones!

That’s when our waitress suddenly disappears. We chat, we finish our tea. We grap our coat – it’s getting chillier as the temperatures drop outside. Most customers have left. Some arrive and ask for dinner.

40mn wait. I am now pretty fed up, ask a waiter for the rest of the afternoon tea. He brings an extra teapot and a plate of pastries. An ok stollen cake, a cupcake and a mince pie (already got those), mini chocolate Santas in foil paper – supermarket treats? – a hard marshmallow dipped in chocolate.

The Aberfeldy Single Malt Whisky Fruit Cake and the candy canes are nowhere to be seen. I’m pregnant, tired, annoyed and really cold. I ask for the teacake and crumpet which were supposed to arrive between the stollen and the chocolate santas. The waiter tries to bluff his way: oh, we usually bring them last. Sure. Entirely credible. Nice try.

Here they come. Only half a toasted teacake and a crumpet. Both lukewarm. The butter will not even melt on them! The crumpet is still cold inside…

I just want to be out of here. We arrived at 16h30, it is now 18h45. I ask for the bill, refusing to pay for the service. No one will bother asking why. No sign of a manager. Not even an excuse or a compensation. This is a joke of a 5* service.

The quality of the food is nowhere close to luxury. Neither is the service. Since when are the customers cold in such a place? Left aside to wait and check what should be on the menu? On what is this Tea Guild of Excellence based, exactely? We definitely haven’t had the same experience.

This was Benoit’s first experience of an afternoon tea. And of a palace.  He’s not likely to try it again.  What a dispappointing time!

You want to impress a lover, a mother in law? Stay away from this address. Prefer Yauatcha. It will not be a 5* but at least the service is correct, the treats exquisite, the wow effect really close to luxury and the portions bigger: one of their scones is bigger and tastier than the 3 presented here. Oh, and it costs £10 less.

A definite lack of elegance, taste and care towards the customer.

The Athenaeum
116 Piccadilly
Mayfair
London W1J 7BJ

Fed up with the Xmas spirits, the enless chase of the perfect gift, the false beards on Santas? Would much prefer to press fast forward to your ski holidays?

Well, I have the perfect break for you – climb up to the Rooftop Alpine Lodge. Chalet atmosphere, very cosy, wooden decoration, fur on the stools, bowl of nuts with a nutcracker on the side, open fire, logs… have a look outside – the mini-terrasse is covered in snow, the trees are silvered and there’s even a mini helicopter.

You forget everything instantly. Take your shoes off, indulge with a pair of thick socks – plenty available for free when you come in.

Order a mulled wine – peppery, lots of orange notes, the best I have had in years. But be warned: you’ll feel so comfy, hypnotised by the dancing flames of the fire that there are high chances you will either spend the whole afternoon there if not fall asleep!

Mulled wine is at £4 – other cocktails (including some caramel vodka) are available. Or order some charcuterie, tartiflette, fondue to share (for £2, count £18/£20/£20).

The rooftop Alpine Lodge
2a Tabernacle Street
London EC2A 4LU


Booking: 07000 847876
Open till the end of February 2010

Fed up with Xmas shopping? A few ideas to forget all about it…

- Well first, you need energy. Carluccio’s has a special -10% on their deli this Thursday. Best of all, you’re welcomed with mulled wine and canapes…

- T’is the season to be eating finger-licking good treats! Head for the chocolate festival on Southbank.

- Don’t forget the new exhibitions: question your identity @ the Wellcome Collection or test artistic technology @ the V&A.

- More of the street art fan? Head for the Flying Eyeball.

- of course there is the pop-up of the week-end: Elton John’s clothes and stage outfits on sale, profits going to his AIDS foundation. Not whithin your budget? Try Barnardo’s vintage shop on Carnaby street to pack a bargain!

- Rediscover England with fascinating landscape pictures @ the National Theatre…

- Take the kids to a panto: there will be a toy Aladdin one @ Covent Garden on Sunday…

-… or pet an ice polar bear on Trafalgar Square….

- … or your toddlers to a Baby disco party on Saturday! Shake it, baby!

- Why not an interactive Treasur Hunt?

- a last festive note: the Tate Britain is setting up its artistic Xmas tree this Friday.

Did I forget anything? Leave me a note!

You’ll find me @ the Earth exhibition (then trying to choose from one of the gorgeous cakes at the Sketch Pop Up) and at the strange and amazing House of fairy tales

Fancy popping up @ the Sketch anytime but hate ever having to wait?

Try their new pop-up room in parallel of Earth, the new show of the Royal Academy of Art. Cute little boutique, elegant as the parlor is, aceent put on recycling, sustainable products, do and mend, turning unused objects into art, and the little crazyness touch we love so much in them. Of course your favourite treats will be there. You can even enjoy breakfast, lunch and tea-time.

A pity though – there is a canteen side to it: plastic cutlery, cardboard plate, not even a glass with your fruitjuice. Recyclable, for sure, nice touch but you lose the golden side of the place in a few steps. Same enthusiasm as ever looking at the jewel-cakes… but somehow they’re a little less savoury once you step away from the sparkly counter.

However, if you have a sweet tooth, this won’t stop you. What wouldn’t one do out of curiousity for a brioche-camenbert-green apple jelly? Or a pear tarlets with fruit infused in a cucurma syrup?

A little smarter, you can also choose to enjoy oysters on the external terrasse. Hot water bottle are on the side!

Pop-up Sketch cafe

In the building hosting Haunch of Venison, at the back of the main entrance for the Royal Academy of Art
6 Burlington Gardens
Royal Academy of Arts
London W1S 3ET
Until Jan 03, 2010

Paris is famous for turning pastries, cakes and sweets into an artistic competition. As for haute-couture, we have winter and summer seasons for our patisseries, you see. The chefs will create amazing combinations, as gorgeous looking as tasting. No fshionista would resist the trendiness of it.

A true Parisian would rush to the Sketch. This famous restaurant also has a funky tearoom. You probably will have to wait a little while for a table but the decoration and the fashion there is worth the wait. Actually, you probably will not even notice the wait, hypnotised as you are.

Mismatched cups, plates still create a colourful harmony. Pierre Gagnaire and his team have come up with dream-like deserts – gets quite tricky to choose and they’re only £5 (you can also buy them and take them back home)! There is tea of course but the choice of coffee also is excellent and this is such a change. The Jamaican blue Mountain will win your heart – £8 served in a tall cafetiere.

Love at first bite:

-  The best macarons in town. Forget Laduree (the service is not always that good and I often seem to know their new products better than the staff)

- Lunette : even just for its Guinness jelly, that goes so well with the tarness of the blackcurrant but also makes you feel like a stout rather than a refined tea. A welcome revolution in your 5 o’clock tea!

- Mendiant eclair : I switched from being a macaron addict to being an eclair addict. The French traiteur Fauchon has a collection of salted and sweet ones to die for. And this one is a little wonder. Your mouth will be full of soothing creamy caramel.You’ll even close your eyes. A thin layer of white chocolate on top, on which are balanced caramelised nuts.

Fancy a last Wonderland touch? The toilets…

Choose from…

Or will you prefere the egg version? Each cocoon proposes a different music theme. Classical, countryside like…

Not only a sweet pause – entertainement in itself!
The only negative note – the service is very kind but sometimes a bit slow.

Sketch
9 Conduit Street
London
W1S 2XG

Let’s meet @ Yauatcha for more treats!

It’s so easy and pleasant to lose yourself within London. Turning here to have a look at this building or there to contemplate a sculpture…

That’s exactely how I stumbled upon the 7 stars, right behing the Royal Court of Justice.

A quaint old fashioned pub, so atmospheric, a little eccentric, law themed posters on the walls, a shelf of books, a log fire… and amazing curiosities windows on the street side.

This one dates back to 1602, one of the rare buildings to have escaped the Great Fire (go to the Monument to learn more!). Weekdays, you’ll meet lawyers aplenty there… and maybe Tom Paine, le local pub cat.

Dishes are simple but delicious. No menu, have a look at the specials board instead. I love to stop there for lunch. Choices vary daily. saudages and mash, oyseters, soup, a cold meat or cheese board… Nice selection of ales and wines too. Prefer the week-end for a quieter time.

Seven stars
53-54 Carey Street
London
W2C2A 2JB4

Love historical pubs? Try the Mitre!