London: Tea Time in Wonderland

Scooters, from another era? You would be amazed at the number in London, let alone that there are clubs regrouping fans. 300 of those met under the London Eye last Saturday. Passers-by really felt nostalgic and admired longingly the shiny chromes, the amazing numbers of lights and rearview mirrors, the adorable pastel colours… Oh, it felt like Italy for a little while!

Canary Wharf is much more suprising than you expect. Have a look around -  plenty of fountains and modern sculptures there -  then walk along the Thames towards Tower Bridge. Ever so soothing, far from the crazy rythm of Oxford street. This will sometimes follow the river, sometimes take you to parallel streets and you will be amazed by the buildings  that used to store spices and silk and have now been renovated into offices and flats. You knew there were there but never expected so many. As in Hammersmith, there will be plenty of pubs with a view on your way. And if tiredness strikes, just jump on a Boris bike – the streets are so quiet around here and it is definitely the best place to enjoy cycling.

Kensington Palace reopens to the public on March 26, next Monday. 2 years of impressive work, 12 millions pounds invested. And such magic, as if you were turning the pages of the most beautiful fairytale. Wooden partitions whisper secrets, rooms open on amazing art displays, drawers reveal treasures, the imposing stone stairs are decorated with delicate miniatures worthy of the most elegant chess game, play cards will give you clues to talk to characters in costumes who in turn will reveal funny anecdotes ou moving stories about momarques of the past.

Two exhibitions can be seen – one, tiny, is dedicated to Lady Di as a fashion icon. The other is more grandiose and reveals Victoria as the strongest woman, very imvolved in politics yet romantic and touching. On May 23rd, her birthday, will open another part of the floor, focusing on her own jubilee – she was the first to celebrate 60 years on the throne. It will be quite something to compare those festivities, the souvenirs and decorations of another time.

A must-see if you are coming to London for the first time. To be rediscovered, absolutely, if you thought you knew the place quite well -  a refreshing new angle. Little ones will be as seduced by it as you will.

Kensington Palace
Kensington Garden
London W84 PX

What sound represents spring the best to you? Birds chirping happily? I would say the ice-cream van returning to the neighbourhood. Right after school or on clue for dessert. This cheerful music that stays in you head the whole evening. Children rushing to their parents (well, the one with a wallet nearby), then to the ice-creams. Flake, sirup or both, that is the question! Kids laughing. Even if it is only 09 degrees outside. I once saw the ice-cream van serving treats as it started snowing. Spring is weather resistant my friends. Looking for ideas to put sunshine in the week-end? Scroll down!

That’s art, baby!
* Loved The King’s speech? It is now played on stage at  Wyndhams theatre. Don’t miss this!
* Try the Polaroid workshop at Rough Trade on Saturday.
* Have a look at Bernard Cohen’s futuristic art -  the level of detail is quite hypnotising.

Take the little ones along:
* Take them to the Crafty Fox Market -  there will be lovely workshops there. Lots of hints on the website.
* Passez-y! Roots & Shoots is a real piece of countriside hidden in the city – they are having an open day on Sunday, do go and discover it.

Yummy time ahead:
* On Thursday, get a free Austrian lunch on Soho Square.

Out of the ordinary:
* For 6 weeks, a free music festival settles in St Pancras. Might be worth making a detour!* Add a little touch of crazyness on Thursday and play musical bingo.
* Did you know there is a scooter club in London? 300 of those will drive through the city on Saturday, leaving from the London Eye.
* (Re)discover Wandworth. or see Spitafields a different way.
* Go treasure hunting on Saturday.
* See the city from a different angle with this tour by Occupy London.

No one ever tells mums-to-be how frustrating clothes-hunting is going to be. That is, if you are looking for combine comfort and elegance. Chains never seem to cover all the options you need. Or they will not have all the sizes. Let alone if you have come with a pushchair and your first child, you quickly realise the space has not been thought for this at all. It should be a happy time, it becomes an Olympic sport.

I would have liked to have heard about Blossom when I was expecting. Oh, a little heaven when it comes to clothes! The space is bathed in light by the glass roof, the passages are extra wide, the changing rooms offer a cushioned-fake-belly for you to see how the blouse will fit in a few months. they have the most amazing jeans collection too -so many shades of denim, different kind and width of elastic belts. This will be the key item in your wardrobe and women usually have to try quite a few shops before find the right one: save yourself time, they are all here at once. beautful flotting blouses and frou-frous, amazing lingerie (so rare! Why do brands usually focus on simplistic models when you have the most beautiful curves to show during those nine months?), the softest fabric that look so comfy you’d like to jump right in. The range also covers figure-hugging dresses and tops, from your daily routine ones to the business meetings  and trendy evenings must haves. Bonus points: not everything comes from a pregnancy range. Chloe and Missoni also appear -  if you are investing in a beautiful piece why just wear it for a few weeks only? Those have been chosen because they will fit before and after, when the baby is born and you are getting rid of those extra kilos and still want to look stylish.

What else? The custest baby accessories, organic creams and oils for the whole family, the adorable Levi’s collection for little ones, clever accessories for the buggy… The staff is extra-welcoming, smiling and very patient. You will leave with quite a few bags!

Blossom Mother and Child
164 Walton Street
London SW3 2JL

Dans le noir. You probably have heard lots about this restaurants. Yes, this is the one where you dine in complete darkness. It also exists in Paris, Barcelona, Moscow and New-York. The idea? Focusing on your othet senses. Once in the room you realise you had no idea what pitch blanck meant – there always is a tiny fluorescence, a ray of moonlight, no matter how faint. You suddenlty, instantly lose all notion of space and dimensions. Both slightly frightening and fascinating. You waiter is there to help. He is blind and so much more at ease than you do. He knows his ways and he knows how you feel and what you need to know and will guide you gently to your table. Roles have just been completely reversed and everyone should try this once at least. You are now sitting comfortably, trying to find where everything is in fron of you.Glass, napkin, cuttlery – oh well, it sounds you probably will make a mess using those! The most difficult was finding my glass -  first try, empty one. Second, it was my neighbour’s filled with water. It brings out a lot of laughs and everyone cheerfully comment on their experience

Tonight, the dinner is slightly different. We are here for a secret product launch, which sounds very enigmatic. Well thought though -  with no idea what the menu is nor seeing you plate, you leave stereotypes at the door. The first dish arrives, the waiter explains his moves, the position of the plate in front of you, checks everything is ok. Time to explore, first timidly, then with appetite. We try to recognise the shapes, the textures. Ah, this is potatoe, very sweet. This a lemony sauce, unctuous and fragrant. Broccolis, quite tender with a fabulous horseradish sauce. Then some kind of salomn en croute , melt-in-the mouth fish and leeks with lovely pastry. And in the last quarter…? Chicken? Tofu? Noone can place it. We all speculate.

In the darkness, conversations feel so much easier even with complete strangers. There is comfort in the absence of sight – you can relaxe, eat with your fingers without anyone judging or worrying about looking silly. You tend to confide more, focusing on voices that sound so soothing.

Oh, here is dessert. Everything has gone ever so smoothly! Now, the ice cream is easy to recognise, lots od dark cacao and cherries in that. In a cup is a fruity cream, apricot, peach maybe? Quite delectable and served with a crunchy caramel tile. Last, a jelly or flan? Milk based, flavoured with some alcohol infused fruit on top. The only problem here is you cannot see whether you could steal some more from your table neighbours…

We still have no clue what the secret  was. A spice? A cereal? A sugar substitute? Dinner was excellent -  no impression of being outside our comfort zone. What could it be? We step back into the light with a little regret. This was quite amusing and we would have quite liked to try a few more spoonfuls just for the fun of it!

A few more steps… This was… Alpro. Well done. Of course, we usually tend to stop at the word soja. We are convinced we will taste it. We didn’t. We happily stand corrected. Each of the savoury sauce was prepared with their soja milk and cream – yet noone knew. The unknown dish that got us all wondering was… Wagyu beef! Desserts were based on the same ingredients, adding some of their creamy yogurts. They even have prepared profiteroles with those and they get endless mmmmhs. We are totally amazed. Cooking with soja has this “special diet”/”healthy” side and most of us -me first- do not consider it might also be quite gourmet. And since, I have added Alpro products to my shopping trolley. The kids are very fond of the chocolate puddings and flavoured milk and I keep having to restock on those. My favourite treat are the cherry yogurts -  gorgeous and guilt free as they help decreasing my cholesterol in the process.

There was more to discover too, Alpro are launching hazelnut and almond milks. Those are quite big on the French market but were more difficult to get here  for the general public. Nothing to do with cows nor soja: those are just nuts and pure spring water. And yet, they are infused with so much taste and prove very refreshing. There are a thousand ways to use them – I now make a hazelnut latte for breakfast. So much more interesting that I have now completely stopped adding sugar to it. I have tried using those in milkshakes and rice puddings with great success too -  they make each dish more refined let alone bring vitamins, calcium and fibers. I do prefer the hazelnut but the kids love the almond one with just a touch of violet cordial.

Verdict? Well, this made me go further than “what I thought I like and did not like”. I also like the “lighter feeling” it brings. It is as filling as the products you used before but without the “balloon effect”. Good for the tastebuds and good for you. Double bingo!

Get out of the too touristic Southbank. On a sunny day, walk along the Thames but around the Hammersmith Bridge. You will glimpse rowing boats racing by and will fin plenty of pubs with a view (like The Dove) along the way…

A little bit of spring, of blue skies, of sun – oh, how you long for the week-end… Get on a bike, escape, ride along the Thames, sit under a tree. From a dream to another, I somehow ended up on Beg Bicycles – a vintage and romantic style, very inspiring. This, my friend, calls for a picnic…

St Patrick’s special:
* See life in green on Saturday at the Water Poet: yummy Irish treats, lots of Guinness to celebrate St Patrick’s day and the match Ireland-England.

* The Roundhouse also has planned a fantastic afternoon of Irish music.

* Do it at least one in your life -  wear everything green you own then go and see the parade on Sunday. Then party on Trafalgar Square.

* Still on Sunday, why not listen to gaelic songs?

Yummy time ahead:
* Yo Sushi fan? Don’t forget their birthday this Thursday, at their Soho location. The plates will be 97p each, quite a deal!

* Sunday, stop at Gino and try their ice-creams. Inspired by the Japanese festival for cherry trees in bloom, they have created a green tea-white chocolate flavour. And a miso-caramel one. If you’d rather have something a little more classic, why not go for the peach-champagne?

* Plan your next pub crawls.

Take the little ones along:
* It’s spring at the Somerset House -  the yard will be blooming with 10000 sculpted daffodils.

* Take them to an opera they are sure to love – Alice in wonderland with absolutely wow costumes.

Out of the ordinary:
* Thursday evening, go and listen to the Philharmonia Orchestra for free.

* Friday evening, indulge in a regression evening. DJ and childhood game. Well, an adult version of them.

* Order a pizza and kayak your way to it.

* On Saturday, sing French songs on Trafalgar Square with 9 free concerts throughout the day.

* Street art lover? Did you know there is now a London app?

* Another London -  every Monday evening, you can visit the London library.

* Kings Cross station reopens on Monday -  beautiful curves. Don’t miss it!

Just a few minutes on the Upper Street website and you will be sighing with envy, as if you were in front of a Louboutin collection. Your dream pair of heels is right in front of you, on that screen. Even better, you have just designed them. Yourself. The process is so easy, you can choose every detail, every colour. Unique. Exceptional. Yours. Oh, and just perfect with that silk dress of yours…

The brand just celebrated their second birthday and fashionistas did not want to miss the party. Neither did I. We all wanted to admire the collection, the new touches available, the metallic colours, the snake skin in so many hues even bicolor ones, the strass… How could anyone resist so many treasures, a hundred maybe that evening and those only represent a small fraction of what you can create. Have a look at those, especially the last pair, electric blue and zebra heels, quite a success with everyone…

Upper Street