Category: Restaurants

Lovely afternoon Tea at Amba Hotel Marble Arch, London

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As promised, please find another review of my Afternoon Tea experience listed below. Last week, I visited Amba Hotel Marble Arch in London.

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Venue and location:

Amba Hotel Marble Arch is located just off Oxford Street-a buzzy shopping district in central London. It is easily accessible by public transport and the nearest tube station-Marble Arch is around 3 minutes away. After a shopping trip with one of my friends (Sylwia) we decided to unwind during a relaxing afternoon tea.

Times:

Afternoon tea is served at the Grill restaurant, between 2pm and 5pm daily.

Service:

We were served by a few different staff members who were all professional and friendly. They all looked very chic and classy. One of the staff members-Kelvin made our experience extra special by being very attentive and welcoming. His customer service skills were simply excellent.

Atmosphere:

We reached Amba Hotel Marble Arch at around 2:15 p.m. The atmosphere and staff were both pleasant. On our arrival, we were acknowledged by a friendly receptionist who then asked one of the waitresses to take us to our table. There was a soft, relaxing music playing in the background which was enjoyable and soothing after our shopping trip.

The menu:

Our waitress took us to a table and asked us if we would like to start our Afternoon Tea experience with a glass of champagne. A few minutes later, we received a chilled glass of bubbly each and then we started considering what to pick from an excessive tea menu. We both decided to have a pot of green tea.

Our tea arrived in no time and was followed by a beautifully presented stand of the sweet and savoury treats. We started with a range of finger sandwiches including some salmon, egg and cucumber savoury bites. We then moved to a selection of delicious cakes, pastries and macaroons. Subsequently, we had a delightful, homemade scone each which was accompanied by some homemade strawberry preserve and some Devonshire clotted cream. All cakes were simply wonderful.

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Dress code:

The dress code at The Grill restaurant in Amba Hotel Marble Arch is smart casual. I decided to wear one of my colour block dresses with a pair of Kurt Geiger kitten hills.

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Overall experience:

What a great way to start our afternoon! The Grill restaurant at Amba Hotel Marble Arch offers a welcoming atmosphere in a beautiful surroundings. I would love to visit again try some lunch, dinner next.

You should definitely go there next time you are shopping on Oxford Street as it will help you to relax before you hit the shops again.

Price: £35 per person for an Afternoon Tea with a glass of Champagne

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Website: http://www.amba-hotel.com/hotels/united_kingdom/london/marble_arch/restaurants_and_bars/afternoon_tea.html

Address: Bryanston Street, London W1H 7EH

I hope that you enjoyed reading this review!

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Pauline

Asian-inspired Afternoon Tea at Buddha-Bar Restaurant, London, Knightsbridge

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As promised last week, I will be sharing with you reviews of my Afternoon Tea experiences throughout the summer. Today, I would like to tell you about my Afternoon Tea at the Buddha-Bar.

Venue and location:

Buddha-Bar is located in the prominent, upmarket area of London Knightsbridge. It is easily accessible by public transport and the nearest tube station is Knightsbridge  which is just 2 minutes away.

Buddha-Bar was the winner of Best Restaurant Bar in 2014, 2015 & 2016 at the London Club and Bar Awards. I have visited it once before for cocktails so when I found out that the Buddha Bar was serving Afternoon Tea, I decided to book it and check it out. I was accompanied by my fiancé-James.

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Service:

We were served by Annie who was professional and friendly. When we sat down, she explained what was included in our Afternoon Tea experience and asked us whether we would like to start with a glass of champagne.

Atmosphere:

The atmosphere and staff were both welcoming. On our arrival, we were acknowledged straight away by a friendly receptionist. All staff that we had contact with were helpful and had a positive body language.

As soon as you enter, you are surrounded by impressive interiors and you feel like you have just arrived in an oasis of calmness. I was impressed by the floor to ceiling crystallized dragons and  the signature Buddha artwork located on the ground floor which was absolutely stunning.

The menu:

Once we sat down at the table, we were welcomed by our waitress-Annie. We had a glass of champagne each and then we received an excessive tea menu. I decided to have a pot of Jasmin tea while James had some Chamomile tea. Our Buddha-Bar afternoon tea included a selection of sweet and savoury Asian inspired, mouth-watering treats. To start with we received 4 savoury treats which were all full of aromatic flavours:

  • Duck hoisin steam bun sandwich – definitely my number-one savory dish.
  • Tuna tartar on toasted fennel bread.
  • Vietnamese vegetables summer rolls.
  • Crispy wonton cod and prawns.

As soon as we finished them, our waitress cleaned our plates and a couple of minutes later we received a set of 4 sweet treats:

  • Pistachio macaroons
  • Chilli chocolate mousse
  • Passion fruit and mango tart
  • Green tea cheese cake

All our snacks were beautifully presented and I am sure that a lot of consideration was put into preparing them.

Dress code:

The dress code at the Buddha-Bar is smart casual. I decided to wear my Monsoon Summer fuchsia dress accompanied by some Carvela heels in the same colour and my beloved Pandora jewellery.

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Overall experience:

Buddha-Bar offers a great food, atmosphere in a beautiful surroundings. I would definitely visit Buddha-Bar again and I would love to try their lunch, dinner or one of their masterclasses next. You should definitely go there next time you are in Knightsbridge area when you want to unwind and relax.

Price: £53 for 2 people

Website: http://buddhabarlondon.com/

Address: 145 Knightsbridge, London SW1X 7PA, United Kingdom

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I hope that you enjoyed reading this review!

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Pauline

The BB Bakery Sightseeing Afternoon Tea

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It’s warm, it’s sunny and the season for catching-up over some tea has started 🙂 Over the next few weeks, I will share with you some reviews from my recent Afternoon Tea experiences.

This week, I would like to tell you about an amazing Afternoon Tea I had on the BB Routemaster Sightseeing Bus.

I moved to London 13 years ago but then again I love discovering new sights and wonders of this city. As soon as I heard about the opportunity of combining an Afternoon Tea with a sightseeing bus tour around the marvels of London I decided to give it a go.

The Route:

Together with my friend-Magda we booked the afternoon slot leaving from the Victoria Coach Station , Gate 0, at 5p.m.

Our vintage Routemaster bus drove around Central London and we were able to see some of the City’s greatest places of interest including:

The London Eye, Big Ben, The Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, St James’s Park, Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park, The Royal Albert Hall, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, Harrods and many more.

The Atmosphere:

The atmosphere on the bus was a warm and welcoming. Our hosts were two lovely French attendants-J.C. and Marie Antoinette. We were sited at the upper deck (table 9). Each table is secluded enough to feel intimate. We had a great view of some of the City’s most beautiful monuments and other tourist attractions.

At the beginning of the tour, our friendly server offered us a hot drink from a large selection of the teas and coffees. Our tea arrived in a wonderful BB Afternoon Tea Bus’s cup.

The menu:

Our High Tea was accompanied by a selection of mouth-watering, sweet and savoury delicacies including:

  • Macarons
  • Mini Cupcakes
  • Sweet Pastries
  • Scones
  • Sandwiches
  • Mini Quiche

They were arranged attractively on the stand. A highlight for me was a deliciously moist quiche and a small salmon canapé.

Duration:

The London sightseeing tour lasts approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes (depending on traffic). We were back and ready to re-join the hustle and bustle of Central London at 6:30 p.m. .

Price:

The BB Bakery Sightseeing Afternoon Tea is £45-48 per person. In my opinion it is worth every penny as it combines both sightseeing and a divine afternoon Tea experience. You can buy vouchers for this experience on:

http://shop.bbbakery.co.uk/

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Overall experience:

I loved every minute of our 90 minutes BB Bakery Sightseeing Afternoon Tea. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is visiting London and wishes to have a more exclusive sightseeing experience. I would love to try some more Afternoon Tea experiences from BB bakery.

I hope you enjoyed reading this review.

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Pauline

Our 4th year anniversary at Shaka Zulu in Camden, London

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We celebrated our 4th year anniversary with my fiancée-James yesterday.

As Duncan Hines once said: “Nearly everyone wants as least one outstanding meal a day.” We decided to have our ‘outstanding’ meal at Shaka Zulu as we visited this restaurant before and were really impressed with it.

Entrance to the restaurant looks intriguing:

From the moment you enter the restaurant, you feel like you come into a magical world of Africa. The décor is exceptional with wooden engravings and figures of African warriors. It would not be an overstatement to say that it feels like being somewhere far, far away from buzzy London.

Our table was booked for 6:15 and when we arrived a friendly receptionist asked us to sit down in a waiting area for a couple of minutes. We were picked up in no time by our waitress who took us to a table close to the bar opposite of their Champagne bar. We were seated and started looking at the menus and the cocktail lists. We decided to go for a set ‘Taste of Africa’ menu which included a champagne cocktail each.

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Starter

We both had prawns which were presented with a side of salad. They were really juicy and tasty. I would probably add a little bit of salad dressing to the side salad as it was quite unexciting.

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Main

Again we decided to have the same main! We went for 35 Day Aged Rare Breed Beef Sirloin 10oz with Béarnaise Sauce. I had mine cooked medium to well done and my fiancée went for medium-rare. We ordered a couple of extra sides: some sugar Snaps with red onion and some sweet potato mash. Our steaks were presented with a side of some skinny fries and were cooked perfectly. Both sides went really well with our mains.

Dessert

Lastly, we ordered some desserts. I went for a vanilla panna cotta with champagne poached strawberries. This classic Italian dessert was a great end to my meal and I loved it. I am a massive fan of Italian cuisine and Shaka Zulu’s chef prepared it faultlessly.

My fiancée decided to have some home-made ice-creams which were really nice. You could taste a small bits of chocolate melting in your mouth… What can I say? They were divine.

Overall experience:

Once again, I really enjoyed my meal at Shaka Zulu. I would definitely recommend it as a venue for any special occasions where you want to have a great experience for the duration of your celebrations. Without doubt, I will visit again soon!

For more information visit: http://www.shaka-zulu.com/

 

Venue showcase at The Abbey Bar, London

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I attended a venue showcase at the Abbey Bar yesterday (Wednesday the 11th May 2016). It is a pleasant place to visit if you wish to relax around Brick Lane / Tower Hill area.

I arrived at the venue around 5:45p.m. and I was welcomed with the champagne and canapes reception. From end to end of my evening at the Abbey Bar I was able to try some of their buffet food which was served continuously. The venue has a happy hour every day from 5-8 p.m. so it is also great for after work drinks or catching up with friends.

I had a relaxing evening and the showcase event was a great opportunity to discuss what The Abbey Bar could offer for any future events-both personal and corporate. The highlights of the evening were:

  • Photo booth.

Once I finished sipping my prosecco it was time to try their Photo Booth. I tried some funny hats and took a couple of photos with my fiancée-James. We were given our photos to take home as a momento from the evening.

  • Wine tasting.

After trying our silly poses at their photo booth we decided to join their wine tasting and sample some of the premium wines that you can enjoy at the Abbey Bar. I loved a sweet rose wine from California, USA. It was called ‘Wicked Lady’ and I will definitely order it next time I am at The Abbey Bar.

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I will unquestionably be going back and I have already shortlisted The Abbey Bar as one of the potential venues for my Christmas party this year.

For more information please visit their website:

http://www.abbey-bar.co.uk

Abbey Bar

St. Clare House,

30-33 Minories,

London EC3N 1DD

T:020 7488 1918

Mastro Ciccia, Rome (close to piazza Navona)

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I recently traveled to Rome, Italy to celebrate my fiancée’s birthday. We had a great time and tried some traditional Italian cuisine whilst in there. The highlight of our culinary adventures was a visit to Mastro Ciccia restaurant that was recommended to us by one of the locals. We decided to go there after a full day of sightseeing and seeing some of most remarkable monuments ever.
So, how was it?
Mastro Ciccia is located just a stone’s throw from Piazza Navona. If you are in Rome for holidays or work and have some time you should definitely go there for a meal after having some drinks at one of the bars in Piazza.   Mastro Ciccia is a historic and chic Italian / European restaurant with extremely friendly and professional staff.
I wanted to have a traditional Italian meal so we decided to order some nice wine (bottle of Merlot Offizi) to have with our 4-course meal: antipasto, primo, secondo and dessert:
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Antipasto
For my antipasto I decided to have some fried eggs with truffle. It was honestly the best eggs I have ever eaten!  My fiancée was more adventurous and ordered some beef tartar on a bed of rocket served with a side of thinly sliced mushrooms. He didn’t really liked but that was mainly because he isn’t a big fan of any raw meat. I tried a bit of it and it was nicely seasoned so I enjoyed it and as a result I finished it! 
Primi
For the first course I decided to have some creamy spaghetti with truffles and my fiancée also had some fresh spaghetti but his was with rabbit ragout. Both of them were nice but I left some of mine as I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to have any of my second course and dessert. I do not normally have 4-course meal everyday for dinner!
Secondi
For the second course I chose to have a filet mignon with grilled potato wedges with herbs while my fiancée had a rack of lamb Roman with vegetables. Both of our mains were delicious.
Dessert
For our desserts we decided to have some traditional tiramisu and some profiteroles. I love all kinds of desserts and they were great.
Overall experience:
I loved it! All dishes were not elaborately presented but were extremely pleasant on the palette.Service was great, the restaurant served us some delicious, traditional food and it was located next to one of my favorite piazzas in Rome. You should definitely check it out!
Price:
The whole meal was € 178,50 including a service and wine.
Hope you find this review beneficial.
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