London: Tea Time in Wonderland

I remember a time when the definition of British chocolate was Cadbury. In the last few years, the cacao universe has developped wonderfully and rivals easily with the continent’s. So much, that I can find a chocolate heaven in any neigbourhood my errands take me to.

In Belgravia, I will always make a special detour via Rococo – as much for their treats than for their tiny-but-cute Mediterranean garden.

So what will you melt for? The peony chocolate, which floral touch lingers on the tastebud. The blackcurrant-violet ganache, a great replacement for desert, both strong and sweet.  You will not resist collecting the whole bar range – it just asks to be tasted: orange-geranium, Arabic spices, basil-Persian lime… The wafers are quite something too, heaven in a bite. Try the ginger or cardamom ones with a vanilla ice-cream. How, and don’t forget the white chocolate with whole raspberries or strawberries. You’ll be spoilt for choice and will want to buy half the shop under the pretence of gift for friends and family (in fact hoping they will share). The toughest mother-in-law would adore you for those. My tip? Put as many mini-bars as you can in your handbag: the best survival kit for challenging days!

Rococo Chocolates – 3 shops in London and many stockists

Taste of London opened its doors yesterday for 4 days dedicated to your tastebuds.
THE place were most London foodie lovers will meet.

I resisted a long time before buying my ticket. £23.50 to get in. Once there, you still have to buy. Oh, and wait. You have to get the festical currency – the crown – which you will not be able to exchange back to crowns if you are left with any. I am left with the uncomfortable impression that they are doing quite a margin on bothe visitors and restaurants. The idea, financial issue apart, was quite clever. You will of course see and taste the new trends. Even better though is the selection of key restaurants presenting signature dishes – smaller portions meaning smaller prices. All this in Regent’s Park setting -  wonderful on a sunny day but do bring your wellies if it is a rainy one.

Why did I go? I’m French. Good food is like a magnet to me.
But mostly to listen to Paul A Young, one of the most famous British chocolatiers. A guy who can make you fall in love with Marmite truffles when you originally are more hate it than a love it. His boutiques (the latest opened in Soho this week and is ever so buzy with customers) are a temple filled with pepper, lavender, chai, lemongrass, passionfruit… treats.
His specialty? Daring. Rose petal masala or Stilton and porto – you’re always in for a delicious surprise.

Like Trish Deseine, this sweet creator is close to his public – a simple and friendly approach, an excellent sense of humour and a wonderful way of teaching. His book, Adventures with chocolate, is meant for everyone. Are you more Cadbury than Vailrhona? No worry. He gently introduces you to basics, will make you drool in seconds, can convince you that good cacao is, yes, good for you and will give you tips to make the recipe successful while not spending 3 hours on a desert. he can also take you on a culinary safari: add a little salt to chocolate or why not add it to your salad dressing?

Quite an artist, really. He loves to play with textures too. He presented on Thursday a lovely twist to his famous brownies (voted the best in London by Time Out). To modernise them, he proposed a lemon, white chocolate, goats cheese and rosemary icing. Wow. The chery on the cake? Dig a small well and add a spoonful of basalmic caramelised syrup.

Rush to taste his Pimm’s chocolates too (whether at the Taste of London stand or in one of his boutiques). the crunchiness opens on the lightest chocolate mousse, concentrated in top quality cacao yet fragrant with the summer aperitif. The perfect cocktail-sweet to keep in your handbag for tough days…

Know what I like best in London? The cheerful touch of crazyness, the freedom to be creative, different.
Example -  this guy who decided one day to commute by canoe-kayak. Fabulous. I have been searching for an equivalent since (as there is no canal on my way to the office).
Meanwhile, here is a cocktail of plans to enjoy the so British city this week-end:

* David Lynch fan? Twin Peaks is back, just for one night this Thursday.

* Free ice-cream at Dri Dri on Friday. Come on, you can’t say no to this.

* Stop at the Scoop – free theatre on Friday and this week-end.

* Calling all chocaholics – check out those yummy walks!

* Wake up the sumo in you -  it is all for a good cause.

* Get your ticket for Taste of London – quite expensive but you will not be able to resist the menus for long.

* Pretend you’re in Tokyo and have a karaoke party. This hotel dedicates rooms with cocktails and outfits.

* Musicals take over Trafalgar.

* Black Peper? Lavander? Marmite? Paul A Young just opened his new Soho shop.

* Smile with this dog show. Lookalike competition: which 4-pawed-cutie will look the closest to Queen Victorias’ dog? Which other will be the best Victorian fashioned?

* Find happiness (and/or a good bargain) at Wimbledon’s car boot sale, the best around according to Time Out.

* Tea in a park? Yes, call it med-tea-tation.

* 10 ideas for Southbank.

* Party time on Marylebone: farmers’ market, foodie stalls, animations, salsa, concerts… Café Luc will be there too, serving mussels in a saffron sauce. Oh, and their fab cocktails too, of course.

* Ignore cinema chains. Independant ones have so much more charm.

* What if it rains? Have a virtual walk.

Pssst:
* On June 20th, sing a little opera.
* On June 21, meet Tracey Emin at Selfridges: she will be opening a pop-up concept store there.

Inspired by Tastour, I’m thinking of a themed week-end. La vie en rose!
Rosé wine. Fentimans’ rose lemonade. A bouquet of peonies. A raspberry and litchee trifle. Cranberry scones and cristalised rose petals.
What’s your program? Looking for ideas? Here are a few:

* Renew your shelves by swapping books.

* Photograph London at dawn.

* Have a sweet tooth. There will be an incredible gingerbread house, with a popcorn chimney and chocolate furniture at The Brunswick. I have heard that clouds will be made of meringue and that cupcakes grow in the garden… Kids can have a bite, listen to accordion or tales. The fabulous Lily Vanilli will also give gingerbread men masterclasses. Not to be missed!

* Art does recyle. A very colourful project in Spitafields.

* Royal beasts take over the Tower of London.

* The Old Truman Brewery will be home to quite amazing pieces of art.

* Al Fresco cinema? Sure, but on the city rooftops!

* The zoo will open late every Friday in June and July. With silent discos and cabaret, you will roar of pleasure.

* Regent Street will turn Spanish on Sunday: giant paellas, drums, dancing horses…

* Temperatures should go up to 22 degrees. That definitely calls for a cool pint in a beer garden.

* We’ve been begging her to – Lily Vanilli is opening her café on Columbia Road. Stop there for a treat before getting those bunches of flowers.

* Pssst: Banksy’s back at the Andipa Gallery.

What a dream, it does feel like summer ! T-shirts and beach dresses are out. You’d better eat those Easter chocolates quick or they’ll melt before the hunt has begun…

Put that suncream in your bag and pick a few ideas:

* Are flashmobs dead? Not at all! Meet tomorrow (Thursday, April 21) at Pierre Garroudi‘s gallery at 16.00. Him and his 20 models wearing bright red creations will take London streets as an amzing catwalk stage. Arrival planned at Trafalgar Square between 17.00 and 18.00.

* Southbank opens on Friday a huge festival, inspired by the 1951 and meant to celebrate the British culture. Over the next 4 months there will be a beach atmosphere, Indian street food, a fun fair and each week-end will provide animations on different themes…

* Every year, the British Museum and Kew Gardens work together on a themed garden. Australia is the new guest of honour.

* St Georges Day may not bring an extra day off but it is no reason not to celebrate!

* Blue sky and bright sun usually mean great thirst. Why not cheer the weather with a royal pub crawl? Alternativerly, get a beard and a toge, it’s all for a good cause and your pint will taste even better for it.

* Trafalgar Square is so trendy that even Jesus will stop there this week-end. No kidding.

* Do you live in east London? There’s plenty of chocolate your way.

* Until now, our favourite bubble tea place was the Candy Café. Will this new address in Soho win over?

* We had fallen in love with Gina Foster‘s hat creations. We are not the only ones – she seems to be pretty busy for the royal wedding…

* Don’t forget your camera on Sunday: Easter Bunnies will be skating through Hyde Park!

* Royal wedding cakes are all the craze. Go and see this free exhibition that recreates the most amazing ones, including a Buckingham Palace made of sugar.

* Discover the keys ceremony at the London Tower.

* Hendrick’s will mix new cocktails at Selfridges, served in teapots: gin-champagne-elderflower liqueur. Cheers, my dear!

* You can now enjoy Pimm’s on the London Eye.

What about you? London or countryside escape?

It is very rare when stepping in a pub and ordering one’s pint to look at it from a connoisseur’s point of view. No, you cheer, gulp it down, kind of forget about. chatting with friends, each new sip is due to a mechanical gesture, flavour just a background idea.

The Meantime Brewery are bringing the focus back on its colour, the kind of hop or maturation used, the story behind your drink. If you have one of theirs in hand, they want to remind you this is not a generic Heineken but a beer cared for, balanced with passion. Their website even indicates the ideal dish to enjou it with.

If like me, you are a lover of wines but no nothing of ales and stouts, this approach can only seduce you. Your palate already is used to nuances, from sweet to bitter, it is just about taking the time to savour it…

They recently were at the Real Food Festival on Southbank. We completely fell for their limited edition, the Yakima Red, a red hop. Beautiful velvety colour, fruity taste, a touch of lemon, eaxtrordinarily refreshing.

Special award to their London Stout -  the first taste reminded of freshly roasted coffee. Amazing. Nice head that subsided a few minutes, slight bitterness typical of stouts. Why the name? By chatting with the team, I learm that the first beers were stout, dark, less sugary than today. England was widely recognised for their brewing talents and of course, London was the best place to import and export. Nice historical parallel.

I am a little less convinced by their chocolate version. Already fan of Young’s Double Chocolate Stout, I just couldn’t miss this. The alliance is there, filling the mouth lovingly. But to me this is more British chocolate and I am too hooked on the French one. Question of taste – do try it and let me know what you think!

Verdict? Although not so much of a beet person, I am very intrigued and just want to know more. About the fabrication, but also understand fully the different levels of flavour. A visit to their Greenwich brewery definitely will be going on my to-do list… Let alone discovering the rest of their range!

Where to drink it? Try:
- The Water Poet (Spitafields)
- The Old Brewery (Greenwich)

And keep an eye on their Facebook / Twitter pages!

I recently had a delectable time at Mrs Marmite Lover’s – her underground restaurant is certainly the most famous in London.

The Supperclub scene offers a wide range of choices. Some will focus on a unique menu, others on the artistic side of the evening. I have tried quite a few in the last couple of years but this one remained my favourite. The themes always amaze me – up to a farmers’ market!

On my first visit, we re-experienced our senses. I remember particularly eating Indian food with my fingers (I never found such an excellent dahl afterwards), the aromas of the stinking bishop cheese and the durian, the desert discovered blindfolded, which was folded by multiple spoon kicks on the table (and my neighbour’s hand) and was followed by a cascade of laughs.

This time, cacao was the guest of honour, from starter to desert. Yes! You can have a all-chocolate balanced diet! Of course, this is well known for Mexican dishes although I never had the occasion to taste this. The chipotle, spiced with chilli, was quite something, the cacao linking the ingredients together. Chocoholics could even grate some more on their dish. My favourite alliance definitely was the one with cheese, very refreshing. Why not try it at home? We had parmesan-pecorino-dark choc chips, little balls of goat’s cheese rolled in cacao… Makes you feel like experimenting even further!

The famous Trish Deseine, Irish by birth but adopted with delicious admiration by the French, also brought her ray of sunshine to the evening by preparing three deserts. Her excellent chocolate fondant cake – her signature dish -, delicate yuzu and caramel truffles… and a marvellous, exotic soup of white chocolate, coconut milk, lemongrass and a spoonful of passionfruit. The thai touch brings a taste for holidays and tropical sunshine. How sad to reach the bottom of your plate!

Dinner always ends with a relaxed chat with the host. Most of us cannot resist getting a look at the kitchen – laboratory of the marvellous concoctions of the day. The AGA fascinates the guest, many caress it in admiration. I particularly loved the “Mauvaise Maman” jars, and cannot wait to get one of those from this brand new range!

Soft lightning, French details here and there, the house has such a warm, welcoming feeling to it. It is, literally a “home” restaurant and not a business pop-up.

It takes one meeting to love the woman behind it all. Cheeks pink with pleasure, irresistible smile, elegant yet amusing fashion details, this super-heroine just exchanges her super-cape for a super-apron.

Her talent and culinary experiences naturally led to a book. Literally – a paper version of Mrs Marmite. One opens it just to have a quick look… and finds oneself completely absorbed by it. It all comes from her writing style – her frank, clear choice of words, her sense of humour, it is all there, as if you were listening to her, sitting in her kitchen chair. You jump right into her world, you can picture her walking through the house putting the plates on the table.

Yet, it isn’t just another collection of recipes. Underground restaurants are very much the trend, it looks so easy to manage yet, where to start? Page after page, you will discover her own adventure, the challenges, the perfect timing, the legal details ( a supperclub cannot legally sell alcohol but guests can bring their own bottle of wine, for example). Here and there, retro illustrations, as well as fabulous and very appetizing pictures (don’t miss the Flower ice bowl page 290): a very cheerful book that leaves you hungry or a pice of the action.

Yes, of course, recipes, cooking, seasoning tips are shared too. We love the little twists to classics such as flavoured butter. I often add hebs but never thought of eatable flower. What a beautiful visual effect! Drinks are in there too, including Butterbeer, a Harry Potter & the gang’s favourite. The last chapters propose themed dinners -  flowers, gothic, Elvis… What’s to expect? Your notebook will explode, your number of friends double, just go for it!

Mrs Marmite Lover:
The underground restaurant
The book: Supper Club

Trish Deseine

The Real food Festival regularly brings a highlight to Southbank. It may not be very big but the stalls gather all kind of savoury and sweet crafts that are worth discovering.
Themes vary, of course -  this week-end is chocolatey, Easter being so close. And yes, you can lick your lips in anticipation!

A few things to try:

- Niko B‘s creations: fig, lemon-ginger-pepper, burnt caramel-lemon, mint-raspberry, chai, tyme-lime…
- Cocoa Magic‘s lovely alliances: coconut-cherry, chilli-mint, cardamom-pistachio…
- Beautiful jewels, as if handpainted by Baruzzo…
- Mexican dishes with a chocolate twist…
- Café On‘s 20 different macaroons – they will also propose today macarons and ice-cream sandwiches!
- The amazing cheesecake collection by The Sweet Tooth Factory – they had a Toblerone one yesterday, yummy…
- Absolutely anything/everything from The Choc Star Van, from brownies to ice-cream. We’re big fans of Petra.
- Hotel Chocolat and William Curley (and so many more!) also present their collections.

Too hot for truffles and cakes? try this:

- We fell in love with Jaz & Jul’s pinachocalada – chocolate and pineapple: a match in heaven. They also do a range of flavoured iced chocolates.
- Choccy Woccy also proposes Snickers, Mars or Bounty milkshakes. And cocktails! Chili-mint-vodka-Bayley’s, rum-butterscotch schnapps-chocolate or vodka-coffee liquor-chocolate. Hips!
- Discover The Meantime Brewery‘s very refreshing beers. (Although for the chocolate one, walk a bit further on Southbank and prefer the Double Chocolate stout at the Founders Arms. Sunny terrace included!)

And if you are not totally saturated yet, go for a chocolate lunch at The Rabot Estate in Borough Market – savoury and sweet adventures to be had there!

Find your sunglasses! The week-end should see temperatures of 20 degrees AND a bright sunhine!
Yes, in London.

Head for your nearest park, walk along the Thames, find a rooftop or a beergarden!

- On Thursday, free cocooning and £4 cocktails – girls only.

- Revamp your wardrobe with Paul Smith without breaking the bank…

- Celebrate the Thai new year -  zen and exotic. A great opportunity to discover the Buddhist temple in Wimbledon.

- Southbank chocolate festival is back…

- Rediscover circus…  hip-hop version!

- Remember The Adventurists? Come and see movies of their trips and experiences. Of course, there will be the ever-so-perfect cocktails by Hendrick’s…

- Fill-up with caffeine…

- Love Italian cinema? This way for spaghettis-movies…

- Be curious about Tower Bridge…

- Walk to your nearest market…

- Stroll along the canal…

- Time Out just updated their list of cheap eats – ideal, we will need to test/taste them all!

- Get inspired by the elegance of Chinese arts…

- Get the kites out!

- Feel like a kid again with The Muppets…

- Prepare your summer agenda: Tom Jones, the Gipsy Kings and James Blunt will be in concert @ Kenwood House…

- Pssst: free Ben & Jerry’s ice cream on April 12 and 27…

- Planning a ride on the London Eye with the kids? The Easter Bunny has lost his favourite tea set – try and look for it in the landscape around the wheel and tweet the pics to @thelondoneye referencing #easterlondoneye. Who knows, you might win a family ticket!

Whistles and colourful confettis have been wiped away, glittery dresses brought to the drycleaner. Oh, only for a little while: in 2011, life is going to be beautiful!

- Well, let’s start with the Dulwich Gallery’s birthday party: music, yummy food, falcons, fireworks! Don’t miss their formidable Norman Rockwell’s retrospective, fynny and yet, touching.

- Quite a birthday celebration @ this Lido too…

- Talking of falcons, have you seen any on Trafalgar Square?

- Go on a treasure hunt…

- Be romantic @ Selfridge’s…

- Ready, steady… cook! (Jane, I don’t think they have Thermomixes… Something has to be done!)

- …or very extravagant with this Tube flashmob!

- A pinch of surrealism…

- Oh, forget those resolutions. Head for chocolate…

- See London from the other side…

- Hop, a detox cocktail to cheer everything up!

- Don’t stop till you get enough @ the Tate late evening…