London: Tea Time in Wonderland

This week-end will be a nice party with a long-time-no-see-but-never-forgot-you friend.
And so, there will be a shower of anecdotes from the good old times, a flow of pints in atmospheric pubs, walks till the end of the night. With or without umbrella, take your bets.
In a nutshell: make new memories.

For inspiration, we’ll choose a few of those:

* On Thursday, take your little artists to Covent Garden – they will have the opportunity to build an art structure with Louis Vuitton.

* Burlesque class anyone? I have always wanted to try…

* A gourmet pop-up on Southbank will serve very poetic food – rush there.

* Or would you rather go for a barbecue van?

* Dancing time at the Tate Modern.

* How about a free jazz concert in the V&A garden to start the week-end?

* Beware, naked cyclists on the go on Saturday. Litterally.

* Keep your eyes open -  yarnbombing is on the programme!

* Dare. Try this fish-therapy, you have been dying to.

* Discover London secret gardens and squares -  a beautiful opportunity to push usually closed gates.

* Brunch time! Our favourite is Dishoom, for its exotic touch.

* Street art tour? Yes, but on a bike.

* Londonus Dinosaurus.

* Circus and Cabaret united? Click this way to know more about this festival.

* Red, white or rosé? Fill your own bottle!

Bingo! This week-end is forcasted sunny AND will last an extra day. Around me, there are constant talks of Pimm’s jugs.hammocks, barbecue-parties, of the pleasure of walking barefoot in the grass…

* Is there a spirit in the Old Operating Theatre?

* Couldn’t get a ticket to the Chelsea Flower Show? Cheat, enjoy it differently with dedicated cocktails and afternoon teas.

* Put on your dancing shoes at Spitafields. You can even learn to tango there.

* The V&A late opening is dedicated to Yoji Yamamoto. Fashionistas should rush there.

* Always wanted to own a real theatre costume? Now is your chance: this pop-up sells them at affordable prices.

* Stik is back!

* Or would you prefer miniature street art?

* Foodies, the party’s in Hampton Court this week-end.

* Fancy a picnic but don’t want to prepare anything? Try this. enter the code MAY15 for an extra 15% off the price.

* Come and admire the fab sport cars at Covent Garden before they race away to the Gumball 3000 rally. Gentlemen, we promise this is not a ruse to let the girls fo even more shopping…

* Take some height at the Sky Bar.

* To keep those little pirates busy, click this way.

* Yummy! There is a new Hummingbird Bakery branch in Spitafields. Street art & cupcakes, now thta’s good news. Follow the crumbs and you’ll find me.

* Top Shop hides a pop-up with limited edition clothes. It is hiding behing the florist shop…

* Discover London the yummy way with Tastour. I have just registered for their famous Indian food walk in September.

* Visit a Huguenot House.

* Sip a bubble tea.

* Pssst! Next Wednesday, go and see some opera on Trafalgar Square.

This pop-up shop seems to have fallen from the sky right down on the piazza – like Dorothy’s in Oz country:

I find it impossible to resist the smart and relaxed style of Tommy Hilfilger‘s collections. You step in, still wearing impeccable but rigid work clothes. One look at the so comfy looking clothes and you just want to jump right into them.

The shop proposes a new edition called Preppy, glagging lovely summer hues. Even dogs get a little classier in here! The new trend is well summed up by the wallet We never carry cash but if you find it difficult to find the right balance as the gentleman below (blazer but no socks in the boat shoes and yes, you still can look great if you roll up the bottom of your trouser to better play croquet), just get the latest we’ll tell you all about it book.

This beahc house is staying in Covent Garden until Sunday, after which it will pack up its suitcases for Milan. So hurry, get yourself a new wardrobe orr just come and pinch a few deco ideas:

Tommy Hilfiger‘s Preppy Pop-Up House
East Piazza, Covent Garden
London
Until May 15, 2011

Just opened today! The boutique is pure Ladurée style, pastel hues, wooden arabesques, very 18th century. The idea of course, is that no matter to which address you stop by for a treat in the world, you will find the same atmosphere.

So what’s new in the macaron empire? Not much -  the menu and cake selection is common to the other tea rooms. The new twist are the terraces – one on the ground floor, another on the first with a great view on the piazza. Inside, choose between the Napoleon-era room (we love it), the other remnding of conversation rooms. Small rooms they may be but what a cute doll house effect!

In the neighbourhood and fancy a treat? Don’t be reasonnable. Order a floral Oolong (they do a violet or a ornage blossom one). Then go decadent and have a rich pistachio-griotte Saint Honoré cake. the textures are wonderfully complex -  airy flavoured chantilly, profiteroles, biscuit base hiding a layer of pistachio cream and a heart of cherry compote. Scones will have to wait!

The shop opens till 23.00 Monday-Saturdays, 22.30 on Sundays. Why not go for a post-theatre-macaron?

Ladurée
Covent Garden piazza
London

In my handbag, I have just added some heart-shapes sunglasses. At the first sign of grey sky this week, my colleagues sighed: well, that’s it, summer is over… I much prefer a pinky vision of life.

* And why not start with a rainbow of sweetness? The new Ladurée shop is opening in Covent Garden today. You know where to find me!

* Did you know the Waldorf Hilton serves the most luxurious cocktails?

* Friday will celebrate Museums at night.  There is plenty going on but our favourite is the (free) Renaissance evening at the National Gallery: themed tours, music with candelight and kids can com in their favourite costume to listen to a storyteller. Churchill War Rooms offer a 1940ies party (£15.95) with makeovers, the chance to pause with accessories in front of the original 10 downing street door… Quite atmospheric.

* Don’t you love the atmophere in village fetes? This one will have bales of hay, a farmers’ market, a beer tente, traditonal dances…

* Another traditional touch: Morris Dancers take London over for a day!

* Relax on Trafalgar Square for the Asian Vaisakhi festival – this should be a lovely musical afternoon.

* The amazing Marawa will make you discover the fun world of hula-hooping. We have met and she is the most sparkling girl!

* Not a minute to loose – summer means lido-time!

* You won’t remain of stone at Tom Stogdon’s exhibition.

* Cheers to natural wines.

Just mention Ladurée et eyes will sparkle.

So Parisian chic, isn’t it?  The name is synonym of elegant afternoon treats even in London with two amazing boutiques, one in Harrod’s, another in Piccadilly. Macarons are all the trend, and their limited edition boxes make them jewel like.

Being a sweet tooth is the best quality you could wish for and you are never too close to a rose religieuse or a Ispahan cake. And so Ladurée will be opening in Covent Garden in May. Can’t wait. Inspired by an individual house, the new location will convey an 18th century atmosphere and play with luxury and cocoon touches. Pastel hues, marble, mahogany will add to the refinement.

The ground floor will present the delicacies in a mirrored bookcase, colours reflecting endlessly for a cheerful effect…

The first floor will propose four different atmospheres: romantic, atist studio with trompe l’oeil engravings, invitation to travel and a welcoming wooden bar:

The opening times are most friendly for macaron-holics as the boutique will open till 23.00 Mondays to Saturdays  and till 22.30 on Sundays. No way you can miss your sugar fix!

The exact opening date is yet to be confirmed, work is being finalised on site, but it is only a question of weeks. You can bet the place will be full from the very first day.

And if you’re coming to London for work but have no time for shopping, rejoyce: a desert carosse will alos open soon at Heathrow.

Laduree website

Stop! A sign thief appeared in London this week.

This one is robbing happily close to the opera House, at the corner of Bow St and Floral St.

The fun artist who puts a smiles on pedestians’ faces is Abraham Clet (thanks Anna!). If you see any more let us know!

Get a baby-sitter, the Ice-Creamists are back in town.

Ther is no place for childhood memories of summer treats here. In this  glossy black deco with a hint of sexy fushia, it is all about glamour, stilettos and red lipstick.

Have a look at the flavours when stepping in… and forget them. Order a cool ice cocktail -  the new trend which is sure to replace martinis on the party scene. Smooth, silky textures for over 18s.

Play the pro card and focus on those mentioning a blow torch, this is sure to bring a wow effect. The Ice-Creamists sure know how to play with fire while keeping their cool: absinthe is set alight before being poured on your concontion, meringue caramelised just before you as for the Molotoffee (creme de banane, dulce de leche, toffee, meringue).

No matter how you feel when sitting down, you’re sure to leave in the most cheerful mood, ready to dance the night away. and what loveliest gloss than a sweet sorbet?

The Ice-Creamists
15 Maiden lane
Covent Garden
London WC2E 7NG

Between £10 and £15 per cocktail. a bit expensive but THE place to start your evening before going to the hype little addresses in Soho and Shoreditch.

Macarons, until very recently, remained a very French pleasure. But those little round treats are advancing on the London scene: you will see them here and there, discreet and sweet confetris of happiness.

I have fallen for them and love to take a selections when going on a stroll. A simple treat that only requests a sunny bench then the flavour to match the atmosphere…

My last gourmet discovery is in Covent Garden, next door to Hope & Greenwood. Bougie is a lovely tea room / pâtisserie whose shop window will make you melt… Macarons, lemon or white chocolate tartlets, pastries… I wonder how many passers by dribbled when gazing at it?

To have a nice cup of tea and a slice of cake with your friends in the neighborhood, options were pretty limited. The cafés in the piazza are 1/overwhelmed in tourists in summer 2/pretty cold during wintery days. Le Pain Quotidien, though nice, is a bit too chain like for me. The Primrose Bakery, an ideal haunt, is tiny and only offers 3 tables, usually full. How nice to now have a proper option to go and have a chat!

So, why here rather than Ladurée or Pierre Hermé for a macaron? Well, each have their specificity.

At Ladurée’s, I am easily distracted by the gorgeous boxes. I select it carefully, matching the biscuits colour with those of the pacjaging, mentionning it is a gift, just of the pleasure of having it enribonned. The macarons are just one part of the ritual…

At Pierre Hermé’s, I gasp at the audacious alliances. Apricot-pistachio, strawberry-wasabi… So light and tasty! However, they do not have a lounge where I could cocoon on a rainy afternoon.
At Bougie’s… I adore the caramel with salted butter ones which remind me of a childhood treat… Smooth, well cooked ganache that takes you over. I dream away with the orange blossom, perfect exotic touch, which aroma is exactely like the flower in bloom. The rose one evoque a wonderful comfit and are much, much better than Ladurée’s. And the pistachio, ah! A generous ganache, the real thing, as if you were eating the nut itself. Love at first bite.

The chef reinterpreted the French Cake Opera in a macaron version (chocolate-coffee) even offering an oriental one (coffee-orange blossom). Another of his creations sounds like a poem, the Covent Garden: chocolate-Earl Grey-cherry. Sounds divine, doesn’t it?

The secret of it all? First class products, of course. And a real passion. Rather than prepare an industrial batch that would be sold along the whole week. Jean Herve Nedelec prefers to bake them in smaller lots and offer them fresh on a daily basis. He will tell you about the alchemy of flavours, the poetry of cooking, how to recreate a childhood moment through a flavour… I can imagine him in his kitchen, in the basement, creating the dream macaron of the day. Irs creation, he explains, is very sensitive to the changes in the atmospheric pressure: quite a challenge in England, then! The recipe must be rebalanced every day and of course, there s no book to help you out: only the magic  and experience of the Maitre Macaron can fix it.

A precious address when you are around, not only for its sweet touch but for the warm welcome. I even came bakc with two young kids -  the ultimate test -  and the smile did not falter for a second. Everyone in the team took great care of us, explaining in detail the list of treats in the menu, checking on us regulary. All in a very natural, friendly way (and I even left with a tip on a coffee festival coming up!)

Bougie
3 Russel St
Covent Garden
London WC2B 5JD

Macaron: £1.50 to eat in / £1.35 to take away
Pssst: they even propose French charcuterie and cheese plates, ideal for lunch time!

Of Indian treat, we mainly select Tikka Masala, Korma. Byriani and Vindaloo for the bravest… Nice enough at the week-end, as a take away or after an evening at the pub with friends. Good but never extraodinary.

If you are dreaming of new adventures, of exotic traditions, of textures and tastes renewed, follow me!

The scen opens on an elegant restaurant -  all in simple but effective touches: crispy white tablecloths, flowers on the tables, glistening glasses. It adapts easily to the mood – romance, dinner with friends, business lunch. We loved the open view on the kitchen, the glimpses of copper dishes of silvery brooches for the meat.

In such a cocoon atmosphere, cocktails are the first invite to the travel ahead. Mango juice, lime, coconut rum promise a magical alchemy. We are still amazed at the Laurel Leaf Smash with its combination of laurel leaf, curry, fig, blackberry, lime and touch of gin. How creative! Not a randowm mix at all, each ingredient has been carefully dosed to be distinguished, the laurel tempering the sometimes aggressive laurel note. This may not be a bar, but it still enters my list of celebration headquarters!

Forget any starters you have had before. As always – the simpler, the better! I am going to steal this idea of serving fresh vegetables to be sliced and dipped into a fragrant mix of seven spices. Chilli, fennel, cumin… the most surprising is the mago powder, a sweet subtile touch. A very refreshing, very addictive starts that cleanses your palate and enhances your senses…

Tenez, voici le Bhalla Papdi Chaat (£10), un plat favori des Indiens au dîner. Un mélange de textures fabuleux, des notes douces, d’autres fraîches, l’onctueux du yaourt et du pois chiche avec le croquant d’un biscuit, des grains de grenade qui éclatent en bouche….

The menu tells the gastonomic heritage of this mythical country. the chef, Anirudh Arora, son of an officer in the Idian army, traveled many regions as a child: Kashmir, Ladackh, Lucknow, Calcutta… The GT rd was a multicultural networh. each new stop broght new tastes, new ways of using herbs… Once grown up, the chef decided to trace it again, learning the recipes, the balances… Each dish is not only described but accompanied bya  few more personal sentences, a souvenir, a tradtition… A lovley way to get back to what a meal realy should be sharing.

This is by the way, the best way to experience it. To be frank I do not see how you could select only one dish out their succulent list. Trust the maître d’hôtel -  he is discreet but always there to explain, advise. We went for a selection of four starters, which were brought little by little, as they were prepared to keep the ideal temperature.

This is the Bhalla Papdi Chaat (£10), a favourite Indian dish for tea. A fabulous mix, crunchy pastry, the smoothness of chickpeas and yogurt, pomegranate seeds explosing in your mouth…

Here, courgette flowers (Kumro Phool Bahja, £13) and stuffed with a puree enhanced with curry and onion seeds. Melts in your mouth, fascinating. Do dip it in the spicy tomato chutney, gorgeous!

One of my favourites, crab and tiger prawns cahes wrapped in banana leaves (Paturee, £12) .  I cold dine on this on a daily basis. No need to add even a drop of lemon juice. This Calcutta dish is served to the most honoured guest.

My husband, pretty classique, pretty quiet, now only swears by the tandoor over, cylindrinc in shape -  ideal to slow cook and infuse a smoked flavour to it. A mini tandoor is brought to our table, ribbons of smoke escaping, maintainign her two brochettes warm (Murghi Nazakat, £18). Look at this colouful trio, each flavoured differently. One dill/pepper, the other mint-basil, the las chilly and poppy seeds. Red+chilly usually gets me in a panic, I grab the closest glass to me). Not here: the spiced are here to educate your tastebuds, not kill them.

An alternative could be the lamb cooked with ginger and caradamome then glazed with orange juice (Khass Nalli Gosht, £21). Tender but crunchy on top, what a dream! The dish is litterally worth a king.

Another idea to borrow, effective au personnal.

The Baigan Ka Bhurta (£9) is the first dish a mothet would teach inside: tomato and aubergine puree with garden peas. Finger licking good…

…ou de Dhal Makhani (£10), un plat de lentilles noirs mijotées toute une nuit au feu de bois, onctueux à souhait… Ou pourquoi pas d’un assortiment de galettes tandoori (Tokri, £8) pour mieux tremper dans la sauce?

Another surprise -  the wine. Coming from Bordeaux, I naturally select my region -  tannine, serious, wines to be seduced, oxygenated for them to give you the sun they have fed upon. I discover that india does produce wine -  I had never encountered any. How not to try it (Shiraz 2008, £6 for a glass)? And what a complex, extraordinary drink -  it opens up immediately, sings and dances then closes like a good book would. What a pity it is not sold in London.

Desert? Of course you cannot eat anymore. But just a look at the descriptions: festive creations for weddings, notes of pistachios, mango… We share a Anjeeri kulfi Falouda (£7.50) and have never tasted anything like this. Ice cream made out of condensated milk, on sweet vermicellis, flavoured with saffron, and hiding stewed figs. The black dots ate basil seed which seemed neutral in taste to me. next time, I will go for their saffron bread pudding

Don’t leave without trying a chai (£3) served in a traditional Kullhar, an earthenware cup. The Masala chai will nake you forget the big chains ones. It is… authentic. You cannot help but realise you only knew a chemical side of some spices. I prefer the cardamom version, lighter. Cherry on the cake, the treasure box is filled with sugars, small sugar cakes, honey. So chic.

I am struggling to find one negative point, out of objectivity. Rich, food is more satisfying, you savour it better, you need less than with a tikka. Bad news, you local curry house has lost a customer. It is impossible to consider going back to a basic level. We loved the very kind service to everyone, living a passion, advising wisely, sharing traditions along the way.

Tasting menus are proposed, a big selection for £59/personne, desert included. party ahead!

Mohti Mahal
A few minutes walk from Covent Garden
45 Great Queen Street
Covent Garden
London WC2B 5AA

Teatimeinwonderlandwas a guest of Moti Mahl