Tea Time in Wonderland

Posts Tagged ‘gou-the / tea o’clock’

Gourmets and Sweet Things addicts had applauded the opening of a Pierre Herme counter @  Selfridge’s at the beginning of the year.

Still, they were hungry for more. This is so refined we did not want to share it with other shoppers or varied departments. We wanted it a bit secluded, a gift to ourselves, a treasure box for these sugary gems.

And o joy, a Pierre Herme boutique has opened just yesterday in Belgravia. The splendid cakes are not there yet – something we hope is in their plans, though. The macarons are a feat for the eyes -  like a necklace a pastel pearls… Even the names are like a poem: Arabesque, Eden, Mogador, Pietra…

The shelves are loaded with wonders too. Fruit jellies to die for with exotic combinations such as Constellation: ornage-strawberry-cardamom… Jams fit for a breakfast in heaven (Envie: violet-blackcurrant… Montobello: strawberry and pistachio)… Chocolates to go mad for – try the ganache with a passionfruit layer! Even flavoured to make oyu forget Earl Grey forever… my favourite is Yu – yuzu, apple, citrus. One tends to read the descriptions in a whisper, voice rough with anticipation, mouth watering already…

Noone can resist this place: choose a selection (I paid £7.30 for 6 macarons) and have a gorgeous picnic in Hyde Park!

Love @ fist bite:
- Olive oil-vanilla: surprising isn’t it? Sweet, the olive oil is the final note. Amazingly different.
- Peach-apricot-saffron: each falvour is so very distinct. this melts perfectly in your mouth…
- Apricot-pistachio: with a pistachio praline heart. Why did I take only one of those?

Are you hesitating with Laduree? Let me put it that way. I would get a Laduree box for a variety of people as thank yous. But a Pierre Herme macaron calls for selfishness. You either indulge yourself or share it with very precious friends…

Pierre Herme
13 Lowndes St
Belgravia
London Sw1

Pssst: turn the corner, in the nearby street is the so delicious chocolatier Rococo…

I’m back! Now, let’s see what’s new in the city…

- On Thursday, don’t miss this aquatic exhibition…

- …or enjoy a free curry!

- This way for a free musical @ Sadler’s Wells…

- A few dance steps @ the Tate Modern… (By the way, time Out has a 2 for 1 offer for the Exposed exhibition)

-… or an alternative village fete, maybe?

- Always a favourite: Notting Hill carnival!

- Feel nostalgic with this exhibition on Jimy Hendrix…

- I never tire of this yearly press pictures exhibition…

- Discover a few secret places in the National Theatre…

- Treat yourself to an afternoon tea with an Asian touch…

- So you think you know London?

- By the way, do you know the story of the Crystal Palace?

- Yes, pubs and opera can be in harmony, who would have thought so!

- Try to get a ticket for this fab underground dinner!

- Fed up with pop-up shops? Why not give this pop-up cinema a go? It used to be a petrol station.

- Get the kids to learn more abour bats!

- Be zen in a Japanese garden… (give this one a try too!)

You’ll find me… strolling through Chelsea Physics gardens… Testing this edible exhibition… Checking out the Natural History Museum’s 8m long knitted squid… Enjoying some retro glamour at the V&A late night… Where will YOU be?

Will the sun be back this week-end? Are you staying in London or flying to more exotic landscapes?

- Take the kids to a musical -  they get in free!

- Or bring them to Covent Garden: plenty of workshop and activities for the coming two weeks, giant sandpit, face pianitng, juggling…

- The Imperial War Museum welcomes a farm for the week-end…

- Fancy going to a drive-in?

- Or a vampire picnic?

- Treat yourself to a fab breakfast -  my favourite is the Modern Pantry’s…

- get yourself some very iconic stamps…

- Are you a Bruce Springsteen fan? This exhibition is for you.

- Jazz your week-end up! (and it’s free, even better)

- Remember Charing Cross’ story? The monument is now fully renovated…

- Ooooh, a brand new sushi place, very design… Looks gorgeous!

- Or this way for jerk chicken and salsa demos!

- If you fancy a roof terrace and haven’t tried the Vista @ Trafalgar yet -  the entry is free on Sundays and Mondays (usually is a fiver but is said to be soooo worth it)

Pssst, heads up!
- Take the kids to the Lego challenge on August 17-18…
- The Savoy will reopen in October and is open for reservations -  could you resist a dinner or afternoon tea there?

Well, all roads really seem to lead to cupcakes. Even the most improbable ones.

My friend Celine, a street art specialist, took me to the Whitecross St festival. Artists had transformed the street, painted entire walls, decorated a roof with a monster,  arranged a giant washline between two roofs… Amidst this creativity show, stalls were proposing yummy food and my radar for sweets quickly settled on this:

Litterally: the cherry on the cake! Very chocolatey base with a real ganache on top, first class cacao.

It took me seconds to wite the address down. I just had to see more of this.

Step in Bea’s and you are immediately faced with a dilemna: how to choose from the counter loaded with cakes? The piles of cookies, the scumptious tarts… Or would you go for an afternoon tea? For only £9.90, you can have a signature cupcake, a marshmallow, a mini Valronha brownie and a brioche looking scone.

But it is the cupcake you will particularly fall for. Their weakness usually lies in the icing: too sugary, too chemical, too heavy, too sickening, too dry… It is easy to be disappointed. But here, no cream cheese, butter or sugar icing base. Oh  non, this is a real treat: a lemon or raspberry mousse, so very light and tasty! Now, this is a real hit and you’ll go back for more (just being professional, right, you really need to make sure the quality is equal for each flavour…)

Do try their red chai latte -  such a better alternative to the classical darjeeling. Perfect with the afternoon tea.

Only a handful of tables are available – do book if you do not want to take a chance. We were close to the kitchen and could watch the mini-meringues being prepared. Lovely!

Bea’s also proposes a great assortment of salads and sandwich during the week -  I do not think I can resist trying those much longer…

Bea’s of Bloomsbury
44 Theobald’s Road
London WC1X 8NW

Are you hunting down London’s best cupcakes? Then you need to try those:
- Ella’s
- The Primrose Bakery
- The Hummingbird bakery
- Lola’s

Eeny meeny miny mo…

- Have a cocktail @ the London zoo! The occasion to try a silent disco too…

- Grab a Boris’ bike and join the London mass cycle ride!

- Too hot? Stop for a pint @ the Beer festival!

- Remember being a teenager? Why not check out this retro games arcade @ Leicester Square for a trip in the past?

- Come and have an afternoon tea at the lovely Phoenix garden!

- Plan a posh picnic (so trendy this year! Even Carluccio’s does propose a picnic set) @ the National Theater for one of their outside representations…

- Love frozen yogurt? Yu-foria proposes two limited editions this week: mango/passionfruit @ their Soho shop anf pistachio @ the Covent Garden one. Mmmmmmh!

- even more outdoor cinema, @ Islington this time: a classic movie and a cocktail pleeeeeaaaase!

- We all know the tube can be sooooo boring. Click here to see where you could find fun art posters to make your trip a bit better!

- This way for pics of the Doors!

- DJ and free concerts @ the Little London Field festival…

- Fancy catching a movie? Time Out has listed the best snacks to go with your movie…

- Buckingham Palace is open to the public for the summer with a pics exhibition of the Queen’s past year…

- Design deckchairs are back in the royal parks, horray!

- How fab, free shows for kids!

- Don’t forget rto check out the Scoop! Free theater on Thursdays to Sundays…

- Celebrate Asian culture with the London Mela: food court, fusion music and bollywood moves!

Pssst, plan ahead! Get up early on the 10th and 11th to win some free theater tickets… Join the freeze flash mob @ Big Ben next Wednesday…

Come and join me… @ the Trafalgar maze on Friday -  60ies themed! And @ the Thames underwater Victorian fair on Saturday…

The what?

The Whoopie cakes. Announced by the Times, the Telegraph, Sainsbury’s magazine and God knows how many more as the new wave vowed to replace the cupcake. Ah, I feel I have your attention now…

This treat comes from the Pennyvennia and New England Amish community. The original idea was one of practicality -  what to do with the leftover batter? Well, let’s bake sone kind of cookie shape. Less cooked, more chewable, they were then filled with a sugary cream and used as a sweet sandwich. Size varies on the baker, from 5 to 10cm easily. It is said that husbands and kids, when finding those in their packlunch would happily say Whoopie! The name stuck.

Little by little, it becomes popular outside the Amish community. Someone decides to use Marshmallow fluff as a filling. Never heard of it either? Think marshmallow cream. You cna find it @ Harrod’s, Harvey Nichol’s, Partridge’s… or just do your own: 4-5 marshmallows in a bowl, 5 seconds in a microwave. really nice on hot chocolate in winter.

So what does a whoopie cake look like? Hum, nothing much, really. It;s not the cutest thing ever, for sure. I do not see why cupcakes would worry. My second thought was the secret MUST be in the taste. Think again. I have tried quite a few in the US and London, but still find them too bland on the outside, too chewy, and almost sickening for the filling.

But do give it a try out of curiousity. The best I have found so far is Hummingbird‘s, flavoured with cinnamon:

Looking for something trendier? Sainsbury’s got it sorted for you with those recipes… Much better already!

But let’s be lazy. Head for Harrod’s instead. Now those are cute as a cupcake, aren’t they? However the taste did let me down. However they so sell pretty well and by the end of the afternoon, the shelf usually is empty.

M&S is to sell some as well this summer. Harvey Nichols had a few the other day as well.

Have you seen them? Tasted them? Have you fallen for them? let me know if you have a great address you’d like to share!

Oh well, I have tried and tried but my thoughts keeps strolling from my work files but they do keep straying towards the week-end…

- Fancy a free haircut on Friday? Check this way…

- The Natural History Museum will stay open late. Jazz? Glass of wine on the Darwin center terrasse? Night walk in the wildlife garden?

- Party @ the V&A Summer Camp. Bombay Sapphire will have a design cardboard bar with stylised cardboard glasses (but real cocktails). A great way to enjoy their late evening.

- You can even go on to the Serpentine pavillion and sleepover… Midnight feast, films and even breakfast in the morning…

- I really must try to find a free Saturday morning and do this guided tour of the Somerset House!

- The extraordinary Chilly Gonzales will be @ the field day on Saturday…

- Latin fever @ the Carnaval del pueblo!

- Even more music with the Croydon festival…

- A classic, but have you done it yet? Buckingham Palace is open for the summer….

- Have a spooky evening…

- Saturday, head for Brick Lane: free cocktails, demo of Urban Art and even a tattoo session! You might also decide to stay around and go bowling in this fab diner… Perfect for Sunday’s festival: bowling but British, music and dancing!

- It’s open air cinema season! A whole programme @ the Somerset House… Act crazy for Mamma Mia and choose funky colours… The Wapping Project proposes a barbecue with your movie…

- You already knew routemasters could ne recycled as veggie restaurants (the root-master is my favourite). Well, one of those goes around, proposing German food!

- Oooooh, as soon as I’m on holiday, I am going to book myself one of those fab afternoon teas… Now, chocolate or pink? (vegan and gluten free versions are proposed)

-What about the kids? Little ones will love the teddies picnic @ Covent Garden on Saturday… Teenagers will much prefer to go to the underage festival!

- Give! Exchange!

Pssst, heads up for next week! There will be a maze @ Trafalgar (with dragons and Chinese cooking on Tuesday). And Selfridge’s is to open their Xmas shop too…

Hey, anyone has a great address for a roof terrasse for cocktails?

4 acres of garden, sheltered by warm terracota brick walls…

You have just stepped into the oldest botanical garden in London. Founded in 1673 by the Society of Apothicaries, it was meany both as medicinal and educational for the novices. The choice was meticulous -  the area was already know for its orchards and its microclimate. You will find the lagest olive tree in  Britain here!

Quite important for the time was the proximity of the Thames. Roads were unsafe and the river provided the quickest way to travel.  Hundreds of smalls boats would have travelled up and down but if you were rich, you would have had your own barge.

Little by little, exganges of seeds and plants were arranged with other famous botanical gardens. Quite a collection here,  I tell you! Although this is now open to visitors, it still remains of scientific importance, helping researchers to collect plants for remedies (even members of the public can leave their own list) and participating in programs with great names such as the Eden Project or the Natural History Museum.

Flowerbeds alternate between elegants  squares or a little meadow crazyness. You’ll glimpse the triangular roofs of houses around the place behind a sunflower or a clematis…

The cafe is quite a place – the locals (golden wallet, smart clothes and all) do love to lunch here on a Sunday. You’ll get to see trays with 5 Cokes and a bottle of champagne! Do book in advance if you want a table. Most people do settle for the wooden benches of the lawn. The food’s great – worth a first class gastropub (duck confit with truffled mash! The mixed salads are a must -  creative and filling). Lavender scones are also found at tea-time… Many families do come with a picnic hamper and settle under the trees. Children love to run around, gathering fallen leaves.

Do take the kids to the big pond! Frogs and tadpoles hide under the lilies. Brown and blue dragonflies dance around, unsure where to stop, bees jump from a water flower to another… Even water snails make an appearance! A fascinating nature lesson for the whole family.

It feels like Beatrix Potter’s garden somehow. Surely Peter Rabbit will appear in the vegetable patch, between the tiger nasturniums and the blushing cherry tomatoes?

Chelsea Physics Gardens
66 Royal Hospital Road
Chelsea
London SW3 4HS

Fee: £8/adult, £5/child over 5 years of age
Alternatively, try the Friends of the garden card! £30 for the year, you and a friend can go free each time: it will take only two visits to get the most of your money.

Pssst: don’t forget to say hi to the Chelsea pensioners! You’ll even find an elephant there. Feeling hungry? Well Partridge’s just a stone away from the modern art gallery Saatchi, always worth a visit.

British are not know for their chocolatier, bur believe me my friends this one steps aside.

Instinct usually guides me to complex, poetic, floral alliances: jasmin… orange and geranium… basil… Moroccan mint… Here you’ll also find starwberry or fig marshmallows. Enought to get your radar mad! But classics are a little piece of heaven too.  Do fall for the chocolate and liquid salted caramel. Oh, I have to close my eyes even now.

Decoration is retro, comforting. A bunch of flowers made with colourful sugared almonds here, chocolate laybugs there. The packaging was inspired by an French engraving of 19th century chocolate mould an declined in different colours – butterflies cut out of it fly away on the walls.

As Petra from the Choc star van, Chantal Coady was led by her passion for chocolate. A punkish art sudent, she just jumped for adventure in 1983 – only with a few weeks experience at Harrod’s. Well, that’s a lesson: always follow oyur dreams, especially if they’re 70% cocoa made.

Do prefer the Knightsbridge boutique.  A window in the floor gives a view of the workshops going on. You can take chocolate lessons here, whether you’re a grown-up or a junior chocoholic.

This is one of my secret hideaways. There is a tiny garden behind -  a lovely court, only a handful of tables, white walls, mosaics and a few white roses… Blue sky above you, round mirrors reflecting details… So peaceful! Get rid of your watch and iphone, get a coffee and one of their marvelous truffles and just forget everything.

Rococo Chocolates
Belgravia/Knightsbridge
5 Motcomb Street
London

Vegans will find their heaven here too.
Cross the street and gasp at the huge meringues and splendid tarts from Ottolenghi.
Macaron-fans will be delighted to learn Pierre Herme will be opening his boutique a street away from here in September 2010. You’ll have to beat me there!

A whole week of sun, even a mini heat-wave… guys, it’s barbecue-time and Pimms: let’s celebrate!

- The pianos are back! pretend you’re Mozart, improvise, make everybody dance…

- Oooh, it’s time for the V&A late night, on architecture this time. And there will be jazz too…

- By the way, it’s the festival of architecture with plenty going on!

- Be zen this week-end with taichi and yoga workshops @ Greenwich park…

- The summer festival is back @ the National theatre and there will be plenty of free shows on the stage on Southbank…. check out the program!

- Great, the beach is still there!And the appearing rooms also are back at the Southbank centre – the kids love those…

- Make your bets for the dragon boat race!

- Have a taste of honey @ Barbican…

- Rediscover London with songs …

- Are you ready for Wimbledon? I’m not but this tennis themed afternoon tea looks just perfect to me….

- Take your little ones to see the Charlie and Lola exhibition…

How will you enjoy the sun? I’m escaping to Paris for the week-end, ohlala!