Tag: #afternoontea

Magical Afternoon Tea at Cake Boy, Battersea, London

Leave a comment

I love catching up with my friends and what a better way to do it than over a glamourous afternoon tea. I have recently visited ‘Cake Boy‘ in Battersea, London and I was really impressed.

Venue and location:

Cake Boy is located in a quiet, residential development on the award-winning Battersea Reach next to the river Thames in South West London. It can be easily reached by the public transport and Clapham Common station is only a short 10-minutes walk from the venue.

A3E47456-AF73-45F2-8E07-C5928FEDC8EA

Service and atmosphere:

The Afternoon Tea is served daily from 12 noon to 4pm. Cake Boy offers its guests a relaxing environment in beautiful surroundings. Guests have an opportunity to sit inside in a colourful lounge, in an outdoor seating area, or next to an open fire for those colder afternoons. Wherever you decide to sit, rest assured that you will have an unforgettable experience.

The menu: 

Cake Boy’s afternoon tea was created by its founder Eric Lanlard who has become a well-known global baking ambassador responsible for creating bespoke afternoon teas and sweet treats for the award winning P&O Cruises , Virgin Atlantic Airways and Marriott International .

Cake Boy offers 2 types of Afternoon Teas – Classic Cake Boy Champagne Afternoon Tea or a Classic Vegan Cake Boy champagne afternoon tea. We decided to experience a ‘Classic Champagne Afternoon Tea’. When we sat down, we were offered to choose from a selection of exclusive TWG teas. Next, we received an absolutely stunning set of beautiful sweet and savoury delicacies. Our waiter walked us through what was presented to us and, before he left, he sprayed some edible perfume. We started with a few finger sandwiches including:

  • Smoked salmon Zaatar croissant – Inspired by the Middle East this fragrant and buttery croissant is fill with smoke salmon topped with salmon caviar;
  • Ras el hanout chicken petit pain – A sweetly spiced Moroccan roasted chicken in a buckwheat sourdough bread;
  • Serrano ham pretzel – A light pretzel loaf with caramelised onion marmalade and sweet Serrano Ham, oven roasted tomato and baby basil buds.

C262F665-DD66-4A86-B87C-14FE0DE70F34

They were all tasty and beautifully presented. It was truly a feast for all senses! Once we finished our savoury treats, we moved to a selection of sweet cakes and pastries. I enjoyed them all but my favourite 3 were:

  • South American Rain Forest colonnade – A 72% towering Kayambe chocolade cylinder filled with Valrhona pistachio praline, passion fruit gel and a 66% dark chocolate mousse;
  • Red berry & lytchee pearls tart – A all butter shortcrust pastry filled with a red berry mousse topped with fresh forest fruits and juicy lytchee pearls;
  • Rum Baba verrine – A twist on this Parisian classic soaked in a lovely Madagascan vanilla syrup layered with crème patissière, Fresh berries in hibiscus nectar and an injection of dark west indies rum
  • Assorted macarons.

E57DE0A5-1A2F-44A8-AFB8-DB20C802C2D6

Overall experience:

What can I say? Wow! Wow! Wow! Cake Boy is definitely a hidden gem and anyone travelling to South West London should stop by for some refreshments. This boutique patisserie’s décor is vibrant and lively, service is exceptional and our treats not only looked wonderful but they were also all extremely tasty.

In addition to the fabulous afternoon tea we experienced, Cake Boy is also a perfect destination for breakfast or lunch. Alternatively, if you would like to improve your cookery skills then you should check out Cake Boy’s state of the art cookery school where all classes are taught by Master Patissier Eric Lanlard himself who is according to Vanity Fair magazine, one of the best pâtissiers in the world.

I will definitely visit again soon!

54767DB9-A77F-4926-B248-EE361CD4E391

Price:

£45 per person

Website:

For more information and to book visit:

https://cake-boy.com/afternoon-tea/

Address:

Unit 2 Kingfisher House

Juniper Dr, Battersea

London SW18 1TX

I hope that you enjoyed reading this review!

X

Pauline

Royal Afternoon Tea at Excelsior Hotel Ernst in Cologne, Germany

Leave a comment

As some of you might know, I have recently visited Cologne for a romantic weekend break with my husband. We decided to book an Afternoon Tea experience inspired by Pierre Hermé.

Location:

Pierre Hermé’s Afternoon Tea is exclusively available at Excelsior Hotel Ernst. The hotel is situated in the historic Old Town center of Cologne.

IMG_2687

Times:

Afternoon Tea is served daily from 3 p.m. until 6 p.m. It is very popular so you should reserve your table in advance.

Atmosphere:

We were staying at the Excelsior Hotel Ernst and as we wanted to do some sightseeing during the day we booked it for 5 p.m. The Afternoon Tea is served in the Piano Bar as well as a lounge area overlooking the cathedral. We were welcomed by a smiley Tea Master who kindly took us to our table.

The atmosphere was charming and offered us a romantic setting to our Afternoon Tea experience. I loved its chic and elegant décor. There was relaxing music playing in the background. Our Tea Master was friendly and exceptionally attentive.

The menu:

Once we were seated, we were given a tea menu and we started assessing our Afternoon Tea options. We started our Afternoon Tea with a glass of Duval Leroy Brut Champagne and ordered some Green Tea and Jasmin Pearls teas afterwards.

A few minutes after we finished sipping our delicious Champagne our stand of sweet and savoury treats arrived.

IMG_2896

I loved how they were all presented.

IMG_2895

Our treats included:

  • Warm selection of plain homemade scones, served with some clotted cream and homemade preserves.
  • A selection of small sandwiches with smoked salmon, cucumber, cream cheese and ham.
  • English crumpets and small brownies.
  • Signature Pierre Hermé’s world famous macarons.

Dress code:

The dress code at Excelsior Hotel Ernst is smart.

IMG_2964

I decided to wear one of my black dresses from Wallis and paired it with some Dior heels.

IMG_2961

Overall experience:

I loved every minute of our Afternoon Tea experience at Excelsior Hotel Ernst. Pierre Hermé’s world famous macarons were a pleasure both to my eyes and palate and all other treats were delicious. If you fancy a relaxing afternoon in a beautiful surroundings then you should definitely try it.

IMG_2958

Price:

There are 2 versions of Pierre Hermé’s inspired Afternoon Tea available:

  • €34.00 per person including a pot of tea and a selection of Afternoon Tea classics.
  • €44.00 per person “Royal Afternoon Tea” including a pot of tea, a selection of Afternoon Tea classics and a glass of Duval Leroy Brut Champagne.

Website:

For more information and to book visit:

https://www.excelsiorhotelernst.com/

Address:

Excelsior Hotel Ernst
Domplatz/Trankgasse 1–5
50667 Cologne, Germany

X

Pauline

Disappointing Mad Hatter’s Afternoon Tea at The Sanderson Hotel

Leave a comment

This week, I would like to tell you about my recent Alice in Wonderland Mad Hatter’s Afternoon Tea experience. I was invited to attend it at the beginning of my hen night celebrations last month. I was accompanied by my 7 of my best friends.

img_9133

Venue and location:

Mad Hatter’s Afternoon Tea takes place in the luxury, 5* Sanderson’s hotel. It is just situated between Oxford Street and Tottenham Court Road stations.

Times:

Afternoon Tea is served from 12:30 pm until 4 pm.

Atmosphere:

We were seated in the corner of the restaurant. It was extremely busy, noisy and the service was extremely sluggish so my first impressions weren’t great… I love eating out and I’ve been to hundreds of restaurants before so I was quite surprised by that. We weren’t able to hear any music and to add to our misery their Air-con wasn’t working so it was absolutely boiling inside…

The menu:

Our Mad Hatter’s Afternoon Tea menu was hidden inside a vintage ‘Alice in Wonderland’ book.

img_9132

As it was a special occasion, we started our experience with a glass of pink Champagne which was lovely and then ordered a few pots of Sanderson-exclusive teas. I decided to have some iced-tea instead as it was boiling inside and unfortunately I had to wait for it to arrive for almost 45 min as our waiter simply forgot about it. When I reminded him about my order he cheekily asked me: ‘Did you order it?’ To which I answered: ‘Yes, from you…’

Moving on, a while after these initial dissatisfactions, we finally received our stand of sweet and savoury treats. They were definitely the highlight of our experience. They were all presented beautifully and they were all very tasty. I am sure that a lot of thought was put into creating these beautiful selection of luxuries.

Our savoury treats included:

  • Scottish smoked salmon, quail egg and caviar scotch egg;
  • Wiltshire ham and smoked Applewood croquet-monsieur;
  • Cornish crab and herb éclair;
  • Cucumber and cream cheese sandwich on fresh lime bread.

Our sweet treats included:

  • The blue caterpillar;
  • Wonderlands magic marshmallow mushrooms;
  • Curious carrot meringue;
  • The White Rabbit’s pocket watch macaroon;
  • Red velvet ladybird;
  • Banana bread-and-butterfly;
  • The Queen of Hearts Oreo cookie soldier;
  • Alice’s drink me potion;
  • Scones served with seasonal fruit preserves and Cornish clotted cream.

img_9135

Dress code:

The dress code at The Sanderson’s hotel is smart casual. I decided to wear my white Coast dress with some Dior sandals.

img_9124

Overall experience:

Mad Hatter’s Afternoon Tea in Sanderson Hotel offers you a great alternative to a traditional Afternoon Tea. All sweet and savoury treats were amazing and the only let down was the service we received. I would be happy to visit The Sanderson hotel in the future however I hope that they will put their waiting staff through some customer-service training as the service we all received during our visit was simply unacceptable for this beautiful 5* hotel.

Address: The Sanderson, 50 Berners Street, Fitzrovia, London W1

Website: www.sandersonlondon.com

Price: £65 per person excluding service.

X

Pauline

 

Amazing Science Afternoon Tea at The Drawing Rooms in The Ampersand hotel

Leave a comment

This week, I would like to tell you about the best Afternoon Tea experience I have had so far this year, at The Drawing Rooms in The Ampersand hotel. I was accompanied by my husband-James as it was the anniversary of our engagement.

image

Venue and location:

The Drawing Rooms restaurant is located in a 5 star contemporary hotel-The Ampersand hotel. It is just situated a couple of minutes’ walk from South Kensington Station and a stone’s throw away from famous museums such as: The Victoria and Albert museum, The Science museum and The Natural History museum.

Times:

Afternoon Tea is served from 2:30 pm until 5:30 pm.

Atmosphere:

We reached The Ampersand Hotel at 2:30. The Afternoon Tea is served in the Drawing Rooms restaurant and it can be found just off the hotel lobby, located on the ground floor. As soon as we arrived, we were welcomed by a smiley waitress who kindly told us that we can choose one of 2 available tables. We choose a table in the corner of the restaurant.

The restaurant is very charming, contemporary and offers a romantic setting to its dinners. I loved its chic and modern décor. There was relaxing music playing in the background. We were served by a few different waiters who were all friendly and exceptionally attentive.

The menu:

Once we were seated, we started assessing our Afternoon Tea options. I was impressed by The Drawing Rooms menu as it offered a range of Afternoon Teas to choose from: Classic, Vegetarian, Gluten Free or Science. As we were in the museum’s district we decided to try their Chef’s special ‘Science Afternoon Tea’.

We started our Afternoon Tea with a glass of Moët Ice Impérial Champagne and ordered some Peppermint and Jasmin teas afterwards.

A few minutes after we finished sipping our delicious Champagne our stand of sweet and savoury treats arrived. I loved how the Head Pastry Chef Mi Kyung Jeong presented all our snacks and they were all extremely tasty.

image

As part of your experience, we received some additional treats in the research laboratory’s test tubes. They helped us to create our bespoke scones as we were encouraged to experiment and add some chocolate bites while we were creating them.

There was also a wooden box with a couple of hidden treats which we were able to dig out using a brush so we felt like experienced archaeologists.

Our sweet treats included:

  • Warm selection of plain and white chocolate scones, served with Devonshire clotted cream and homemade strawberry preserve.
  • Pastries: blood orange and passion fruit jelly on Petri dish;
  • mint and chocolate planet mousse with space man;
  • Milky Way macaroon and crescent fondant fancy.

Our savoury treats included:

  • chicken Caesar salad in parmesan basket;
  • cray fish, asparagus with some Mary rose sauce on focaccia bread;
  • bonbon of Portland crab;
  • goats cheese & sun-dried tomato quiche.

image

Dress code:

The dress code at The Drawing Rooms in The Ampersand hotel is smart casual. I decided to wear my silver dress with some Jones sandals.

Overall experience:

I loved every minute of our Science Afternoon Tea experience at The Drawing Rooms in The Ampersand hotel. It is an Afternoon Tea with a twist so if you are tired of traditional sandwiches, scones and pastries then you definitely need to experience it. It would be perfect for families with children as it encourages fun and you can talk about science and history to combine fun and education. The Science Afternoon Tea helped me to reconnect with my inner child and I would definitely try to take my nephews to experience it next time they are in London.

Price:

Science Afternoon Tea costs £32.50 per person or £45.50 with a glass of Moet Champagne. It was worth every penny!

Website:

https://www.ampersandhotel.com/eat-and-drink-at-the-ampersand-hotel/the-drawing-rooms

X

Pauline

JAPANESE AFTERNOON TEA at Silk restaurant at Courthouse Hotel, London

Leave a comment

This week, I would like to tell you about my Japanese Afternoon Tea experience at Number Twelve at Courthouse Hotel. I was accompanied by my fiancé-James.

Venue and location:

The Courthouse hotel is a 5 star luxury hotel located in a Grade II Listed Magistrates Court in Mayfair, Central London. It is just situated a couple of minutes’ walk from Oxford Street Station and a stone’s throw away from the famous Liberty London department store.

Japanese Afternoon Tea is served in the Silk Restaurant. It can be found just off the hotel lobby in a classic courtroom setting. It offers innovative Asian fusion cuisine and exotic menu and it features the original judge’s bench, dock and witness stand from its days as the Great Marlborough Street Magistrates Court.

Times:

Afternoon Tea is served from 3 pm until 5 pm Monday to Sunday.

Atmosphere:

We reached Silk Restaurant a little bit earlier so we decided to have a quick drink at the hotel’s Sky Terrace Bar located on the 6th floor.

IMG_8491

At around 2:45 p.m. we went downstairs to start our Japanese Afternoon Experience. We were acknowledged straight away and given a table next to the witness stand. The restaurant is very charming and offers a romantic setting to its dinners. There was also a relaxing music playing in the background. We were served by Ana Maria and Jozeph who were both extremely friendly and attentive.

The menu:

We started our Afternoon Tea with a glass of delicious, sweet plum Japanese wine. I am not much of a drinker but I really enjoyed it and will definitely try some other Japanese wines soon. Very shortly after that, we received a selection of sweet and savory treats prepared by Head Chef Rajesh Parmar and his talented team. We both really enjoyed them and emptied our plater very swiftly.

Our sweet treats included:

  • APRICOT & ALMOND CAKE
  • YUZU TART- Tart made from Japanese citrus

Our savory treats included:

  • DAIFUKU – Rice cake with Azuki beans filling
  • TAMAGO – Japanese style sweet omelette
  • INARI POCKET – Honey marinated tofu fillet with rice
  • STEAMED VEGETABLE GYOZA – Hearty and flavorful dumpling
  • CALIFORNIA MAKI – Inside out sushi roll with cucumber, and smoked salmon
  • VEGETABLE FUTOMAKI- Large sushi roll filled with vegetables

IMG_8501

Dress code:

The dress code at Courthouse Hotel is smart casual. I decided to wear my black and white Lipsy dress with some Aldo sandals.

Overall experience:

I really enjoyed our Japanese Afternoon Tea experience at Silk Restaurant at Courthouse Hotel. It is an Afternoon Tea with a twist so if you are tired of traditional sandwiches, scones and pastries then you definitely need to experience it. Silk Restaurant offers amazing cuisine in a magnificent settings so I would definitely advise you to visit it next time you are in central London.

Price:

Japanese Afternoon Tea costs £29.50 per person and for an additional £10.50 you can upgrade it to receive a glass of sweet Japanese Plum Wine or a glass of Champagne.

Website:

http://www.courthouse-hotel.com/restaurantsandbars-en.html

X

Pauline