London: Tea Time in Wonderland

Rainbow pearls in a jewel box, a floral and slightly powdered fragrance, morning poetry to soften a rought world… Guerlain thought those météorites (French for meteors) like a light prism, each shadow completing the other, as you would for the most beautiful painting.

Guerlain météorites

(Thanks, Anais, for sharing this magic)

A little love at the heart of the urban jungle. See, street art can be so easy, a little sticker and you can bring a smile to a total stranger. Now what will you do of this sunny week-end? Nothing planned yet? Scroll down, we have a few ideas for London.

That’s art baby:

* Love Damien Hirst but do not want to pay the Tate Modern fee to see his retrospective? See his latest paintings at the White Cube for free instead.

* Christopher Boffoli’s miniature world is sure to leave you with a smile on.

* Photography gets out of focus at the Saatchi.

* Wow. At the Science Museum you can lead a digital 132 pieces Philharmonia Orchestra…

Yummy time ahead:

* A delicious walk for gourmet Londoners this way.

* Too hot? Stop at Chin Chin Labs to try ice creams made with liquid nitrogen. Amazing to see et ever so delicious.

Out of the ordinary:

* Geocaching fan? There is quite a hunt on Thursday in Greenwich.

* On Friday, dinner is served at the V&A for their late evening theme.

* Not to be missed -  the world famous Chelsea Flower Show of course. Don’t forget to walk around the neighbourhood, the shops make a special effort to bloom with creativity.

* Find a bargain at Soho’s flea market on Sunday.

* Can’t find a good book to read? Bibliotherapy will find the dream one for you…

An artificial island that turned into a little piece of dream. The gentle Paris, you could call it. It could have been all concrete and grey -  what can you do with 890 metres long for 11 metres large? A countryside-like promenade with a wide variety of trees, lilac and wild flowers here, branches leaning towards the water, curves wooden benches. It also hides a copy of the statue of Liberty, more reasonable in size, of course, saluting the passing boats proudly. Start at the Grenelle bridge and walk towards the Bir-Hakeim bridge for a peaceful view of the Eiffel Tower so much more beautiful than the tourists’ one…

Fed up with tasteless triangle sandwiches? Strolling around King’s Cross? Why not enjoy lunch on the first floor of the station, with its beautiful view on the arch, all in curves and geometric shapes, elegant and mysterious. There you will find Benito’s hat: bright colours, extra fresh products, exotic drinks. So what is on the menu? Delicious tacos and burritos. First choose your favourite meat  – all marinated, tender. Then select your fillings – we loved the melt-in-the-mouth refried beans, the lemony rice, the velvety guacamole and the perfect final touch of sour cream. All this comes with nicely seasoned tacos too. Everything is prepared in front of you and your appetite just seems to increase by the second. But be warned – the burritos is gorgeous, the tastes really matching each other – but the portions is really, really generous and I could not finish it. There is a smaller version, the burrita, if you just want to indulge and are not that hungry. Bonus points for the tamarind sodatoo, tangy, sweet, sparkly and so very original.

Benito’s Hat
King’s Cross Station
Mezzanine level
London N1 9AP
More addresses on the website

Seeing exhibitions at the Quai Branly museum  has a price but did you know you can access the wild garden free?  On a sunny day, it it so enjoyable to rest there, oberve the birds and butterflies dancing from one branch to another, sit under the roses, see the metallic lace of the Eiffel Tower in the distance… Pause. Breathe in. Smile.

Quai Branly museum
37, quai Branly
75007 Paris

Did you know the roofs of the iconic Fortnum & Mason shelter elegant hives, painted in the shop colours? I have discovered a beautiful range of British honeys on the ground floor: Shropshire, Salisbury, Wales, Scotland… From a golden liquid nectar to a creamy ivory, you will have an irresistible urge to grab a spoon and indulge. they do have a wonderful book on honey and preserves with delicious recipes and mouth watering illustrations. Very inspirational.

Want to know more about those bees? There are some tasting sessions in store.

Fortnum & Mason honey and preserve book
Fortnum & Mason
181 Piccadilly
London
United Kingdom
W1A 1ER

Jubilee souvenirs are too often kitsch or way too expensive for what they are. I much prefer Marks & Spencer‘s adorable tin boxes for the occasion, hiding succulent petticoat tailed shortbreads under adorable illustrations. A £5 each, you might as well get the three versions straight away…

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La présentation compare les véhicules, bien sûr, mais également les règles de carburant, les assurances, les packs basiques ou confort, les meilleurs rapports qualité/prix. Les offres se déclinent en pack basique, confort, premier et un tableau vous présente clairement les avantages de chaque choix, de même, une page vous aide à choisir l’assurance qu’il vous faut en vous guidant sur les bonnes questions à se poser. Jetez donc un coup d’oeil au site et cliquez sur: http://www.locationdevoiture.fr/Location-voiture-londres.html

Le site simple et efficace d’utilisation qu’il suffit de quelques clics entre la demande et la réservation finale. Le petit plus ? Plus de 14000 avis de consommateurs sur les loueurs, relatant des anecdotes (telle que les pneus neige obligatoires en hiver en Allemagne), la qualité du service pour mieux vous aider dans votre choix. Des carnets de route ont également été intégrés pour vous aider dans votre voyage ainsi que des conseils par destination. L’annulation est quant à elle gratuite jusqu’à 24 heures avant la location, toujours un bonus rassurant.

On notera aussi l’assistance téléphonique gratuite en France, toujours appréciable, ainsi qu’un numéro à joindre à partir de l’étranger plus facile que le numéro vert. Vous trouverez aussi une page dédiée à l’équipe avec photo de chacun, soulignant l’importance d’une bonne communication, de la prise en compte des retours positifs comme négatifs du client et l’importance de faciliter le voyage et de répondre aux éventuelles questions en suspens.. Les échos de la presse reflètent ce succès du site le Petit Futé, Le Monde, Le Figaro et bien d’autres le citent en exemple voire, l’utilisent en référence dans leur article. Fini le stress des réservations de vacances !

A book to devour, just in case rain would decide to stay a little longer. No story but a collection of tips and anecdotes by Lucia Van der Post, one of England’s most elegant women. It reads like a conversation, offering the experience of a whole life on fashion, beauty, how to pack a case or amaze your guest with a wonderful dinner, even how to juggle work and family. Nothing complex, just pure good sense – things you can’t seee for yourself, sometimes because tou are so busy trying to keep everything together. This will save you so much time, take you to a different twist of your routine, give you a different angle. Oh and there are plenty of fab addresses in there too. Fancy more ideas for your week-end in London? Scroll down!

That’s art, baby!
* Thursday, enjoy opera on Trafalgar Square.
* Quick! Only a few days left to enjoy Babel, the immersive theater experience!
* See the Queen (well, in painting) at the National Portrait Gallery.
* Have a look at the splendid designs and cartography at the London Transport Museum. Mind the map!
* Dream of beautiful ballgowns at the V&A.
* Beautiful pictures of the past at the British Postal Museum.

Yummy time ahead:
* Brunch at Salvation Jane for their Maple french toast w crisp bacon, grilled bananas and candied pecans… their corn fritters stacked w crispy bacon, fresh rocket, slow roast tomatoes, chilli jam and crème fraiche… their toasted banana bread w honey ricotta… and so much more!
* Try The wild food kitchen – a supper club using a forager. Brilliant!
* Taste/test The Bowler, a new street food van getting more successful by the day. Their hit? Fabulous meatballs (with even a Swedish and a Thai twist).

Take the little ones along:
* Get to know everything about the stars with free workshops at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich.

Out of the ordinary:
* Beyond Retro celebrate their 10th birthday with burlesque (Thursday) and Hollywood 193oies style (Friday).
* Discover Stik’s latest pieces… guided by the artist himself.
* Marvel at a floating garden.
* Sport fan? Indulge in a 3 in 1 option: London +  guided tour + jogging.
* Oh! A garden party, with a liberty garden shed, music, giant floral decorations (Sunday)…

At Chin Chin Labs, ice cream is as much an art than a scientific success, the perfect equation adding taste and liquid nitrogen. This is the first address in Europe to present them in such an innovative way. And those are done on the spot, right in front of you, within a minute, a frosted fog unrolling around the machine. Look around, the decoration is inspired by chemistry labs, popping candy in test tubes, sweet equations on the white board, sugar and home made sauces in bechers. The choice is simple but so tempting. Exquisite vanilla or decadent chocolate for classics and always a couple highly creative choices. Mine was a frozen mint julep – fresh mint, cucumber, elderflower and whiskey. This comes with a topping or a sauce (homemade) of your choice (try the caramelised peanuts with a touch of green tea – I would make a detour just for this). You are told, when handed your treat, that this has the texture of snow. For a minute, you will probably struggle, trying to remember the last time you tasted a flake, not quite succeeding. It becomes clear at the first spoonful. An ice-cream, you see, tends to melt as soon as it touches the warmth of your mouth leaving you with the creaminess and sugar. But this has a much better, much more velvety consistency, giving you more time to make it roll on the tongue, enjoy the flavours fully. So much more elegant, so very refined. Even better enjoyed sitting along the canal, a few steps from there.

On the menu this week? A very refreshing and exotic sorbet, bringing rambouton, rosewater and kaffir lime zest together.

Chin Chin Labs
49-50 Camden Lock place
London NW1 8AF