Proper Cup of Tea

I love tea time! And the Soho Secret Tea Room was the perfect place for a traditional cuppa.

If you want to make an excellent cup of tea, I highly suggest picking up a loose leaf. The SSTR serves some delicious blends- I went with the Earl Grey. 

After letting the leaves steep for 4 minutes, the tea should be ready to drink.

Step 1: Add sugar to your cup. I like one tea spoon, or one sugar cube if you are being fancy.

2. Add a strainer for the leaves, unless you happen to know a mystic skilled in tea leaf reading.

3. Pour brewed tea through strainer. Careful not to miss like I did! My dreams of being a geisha are now fully dashed.

4. Add milk to the strength you desire and stir! Some suggest putting the milk in first, but I find I end up over-pouring. Generally I like strong teas- either black or just a touch of milk.

5. Now sip and enjoy!

Thanks to Leila for being my model and Soho Secret Tea Room for their delicious afternoon tea!

What is your favorite way to take tea?

London's Secret Tea Room in Soho

During my friend's stay we took a visit to the gorgeous Soho Secret Tea room. Though in the midst of the bustle of touristy Leicester Square, the Secret Tea Room offers a calm refuge to take a relaxing tea.

A thoroughly vintage theme runs throughout the room (and it is just a room with 8 or so tables) and early 20th century records spin, making your mind believe it's in a small teashop in the 1930s.

Even the customized cake stands have a fun kitchy flair. Check out the Chuck and Di cameo below: 

Field flowers in jam jars looked like they have been handpicked the same day. They rested on the mismatched antique lace tablecloths- which is exactly what covered the tables at my wedding party, so I had an immediate soft spot for this place.

But I know what is the real focal point of this story: the afternoon tea!

For only £14 you can treat yourself to a traditional tea with sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and jam, a cupcake, and a choice of pie/cake. Of course it also comes with a pot of delicious loose leaf tea, which I will discuss more of tomorrow.

As I look at this photo I am salivating at the thought of going back!

 Yum!

Now the Secret Tea Room is a secret, so I won't tell you how to get there, but this photo has several clues:

You might see something familiar from my birthday post.

So far I have yet to have a poor afternoon tea experience (last one here), but Soho's Secret Tea Room was definitely the cutest and I will be back!

Do you prefer your afternoon tea to be served in high class style or with a quaint vintage flair?

London Eats: My Week in Food

I am not dead. Well, yet. The non-stop fun-having with a visitor last week, plus the flu that seems to be making its way around London this week, I have been away from the computer. 

While there are some fun posts coming up over the next week, I thought I'd leave a little preview photo of food I have eaten in the last week with my friend Leila.

There was brunch in Putney, tea & macaroons in Chelsea, lunch in Cambridge, sushi on the Southbank, high tea in Soho, tapas in the Spitalfields, noodles in Chinatown, almost-General Tso's in Camden and a goodbye pub meal in Fulham before Leila headed back to Philadelphia.

My immune system might be extra-low today, but my heart (and stomach) is full.

Timeline of a Birthday Weekend in London

FRIDAY NIGHT-
Glam Factory at the National Portrait Gallery with friends followed by dinner at a Portuguese cafe Canela. Then off to Victoria for some beers with more friends.

Cakes and Carbs at Canela

SATURDAY-
Veg around at home watching the Importance of Being Earnest. Inspired, decide to ditch the plans for Italian to eat at Oscar Wilde's former haunt, Kettners.

Kettners, a British institution

Barely make the reservation, but still have enough time to soak in the historic ambiance. Indulge in some cheesecake while pretending Oscar is sipping some absinthe in the corner and Bing Crosby is crooning at the bar.

After dinner surprise with Priscilla Queen of the Desert tickets. Hilarious and almost as much fun as a real drag show in the beautiful (but way too hot- I think I went through menopause in the second act) Palace Theatre.

Remember going out to clubs all night for birthdays? This time wander the streets of Leicester Square to get Honeydew Bubble Tea and Passion Fruit popping boba from Bubbleology.

SUNDAY-
Wake up to a delicious birthday treat of Pumpkin Whoopie Pies from Hummingbird Bakery (from my Birthday list).

After opening presents, take a ridiculous bus journey (curse you TFL!) to see the first Renegade Craft Fair in the UK in Brick Lane.

Check out all the cute hip craft stands and find this gem:

Viva Las Vegas by Patrick Edgely

A print by Patrick Edgely with Viva Las Vegas on it. For people who got married in the Viva Las Vegas wedding chapel? YES, PLEASE! 

Shopping for crafts can make you hungry. Conveniently the Sunday Up Market on Brick Lane is downstairs, so pick up some dumplings.

Maybe the vintage start to the weekend is to blame, but the urge to get 'Chips' served in newsprint from a retro Fish & Chip shop strikes, so its good Poppies is on the way back from Brick Lane.

SUNDAY NIGHT-
Return home to west London exhausted. Cancel the plans for dinner and drinks in Fulham in favor of Mexican delivery from Tacuba and the Red Riding Hood dvd.

While Amanda Seyfried may disappoint, pulled pork nachos never do and it is the perfect way to unwind after a great weekend.


Hope you had a good weekend too!

Celebrities, canapés & champagne at Bluebird Chelsea's Celebration of British food

Celebrities, canapés and champagne were served up at Chelsea's Bluebird Restaurant British regional menu preview. Londoners favorite summertime brunch hangout and now UK-famous due to repeated appearances on the guilty pleasure show Made in Chelsea,  it is "the place to be and be seen" (as the website tagline declares) on the ever fashionable King's Road.

This October the restaurant is debuting a new rotating regional menu, serving fare from a different region in Britain every month. On Wednesday I was part of the lucky group to try out a selection of the food will be gracing Bluebird tables over the next year.

As a feast of canapés were offered those in attendance, I offer you the photos of what we ate as a feast for your eyes:

Red Mullet Soup from the South West

This tasty creamy fish soup had a nice blend of flavors, though the chopped parsley on top a little over powering. Might be my American palate, as I find parsley to be a much overused garnish in a lot of British dishes.

Smoked Salmon Blini from London

The smoked salmon was served on a blini which complemented but let the fish shine.

Due to stuffing them in my face with glee technical difficulties I managed to not get a photo of my favourite menu item: The Potted Shrimp & Crab from the North. Just imagine a bite of melt-in-your-mouth creamy shellfish with a bit of cucumber that really drew out the flavour. I am salivating just thinking of it.

Welsh Rarebit from Wales

Truth: When I first moved to the UK I thought Welsh rarebit was probably a gristly cut of meat. Thankfully I was wrong!- it is Cheesy Toast and Bluebirds version was mouthwateringly good.

Summer fruit and Elderflower Jelly from The South

Dessert started with a fresh summer berry jelly (Jell-O to Americans). The elderflower keeps it from being too sickly sweet and brings it out of school lunches for a more adult treat.

Apple and Guinness fritters from Northern Ireland

When I first saw "apple fritters" on the menu my heart hoped for Amish apple fritters. Though they were not the same thing- Bluebirds version was an apple fried in a light dough and sprinkled with cinnamon & sugar- they were extremely tasty and deceptively light-tasting. It is impossible to say 'No' to anything served with a dollop of clotted cream.

Selection of British cheeses from around the country

To finish off the night was a good selection of cheeses from around the country, a little cheddar heavy, but it wouldn't be British without cheddar!

Piper Heidsieck Brut Champagne

Accompanying the menu was champagne. "Champagne Thursdays" happened at my house all through university, so I do think champagne is always a good idea. However, it would have been nice to have a British wine to match the regional theme and Bluebird's overwhelmingly local, sustainable menu. Even better- the only way to improve this delicious menu would be to serve it with a flight of regional ales.

The champagne and canapés have been covered- but where are the celebs, you ask? A LONjawn blind item: A certain favorite AbFab-er was spotted strolling with her long time husband in front of Bluebird by me on Wednesday. (side note: How excited are you for the new episodes?!)

So whether you have been featured in Hello! or just want to be wined & dined like those who are- Bluebird is definitely the place to be.

You can try the Red Mullet Soup I sampled until the end of October to get a taste of the South West at Bluebird, before they move on to a new region. For more info visit Bluebird Restaurant website or check them out on twitter @bluebirdchelsea

Have you been to Bluebird?

Drank, Shopped, and Did @ Drink, Shop & Do

With holidays, work and family obligations, life can get pretty hectic in these parts. A month went by before I could get together with some girlfriends, so on Tuesday we met up for some much needed friend time at King's Cross' Drink, Shop & Do.

Situated just near Kings Cross station, it is the perfect place to meet up with my commuter friends before they traveled back to the home counties for the evening. I have been trying to make it to this shop for more than a year now, so glad we finally made an excuse to go!

A vintage boutique, a craft shop, a restaurant, a tea room, and a school are just some of the services they offer. Normally, an idea like this would come out like a mess, but the ladies of D, S & D, put it all together with charm and style to create the perfect ladies night out atmosphere.

We sat in the Dome room in the back of the café, which can be rented out for private parties, and ordered a bottle of wine. I ordered a Lemon Drizzle, a delicious little lemon bar.

Everything, and I mean everything, in the restaurant and shop is for sale, from the vintage table & chairs we sat on to the plates we were eating off. I am wishing I had a bit more space in my flat to accommodate for some of the lovely mid-century chairs sitting in their café.

 

The DO part of Drink, Shop & Do comes in on their daily rotating list of activities: Scrabble Tuesdays, tutorials on pin-up hairstyles- to lectures on fashion illustration.

Tuesday nights are Knitting group nights, and you can reserve a space at the beginners table where they will teach you the basic knitting techniques. Their store offers all you would need to start your knitting adventure here.

Our Drink, Shop & Do experience was a success and we are definitely headed back here soon. I am thinking for their Dolly Parton- listining, clay-molding night!

Where are your favorite places for Girls Night Out?