Category: UK

Where to indulge in Coffee, Tea and Cakes

Unless you are in an area that specialises in Tea Shops, its often hard to find good venues to relax with a coffee or tea and eat cake. Why go to the big chains like Starbucks, when you have alternatives.

London

If you really want to go up market and have Afternoon Tea somewhere grand, like The Athenaeum or  The Berkeley, then great, but if you are looking for something cheaper, then here are a few options.

Patisserie Valerie

New York

Actually the Starbucks I have been to in New York are a lot better than London. I had an amazing piece of Cognac and Pumpkin cheese cake in one on the Upper East Side, but for something more unique try:-

Paris

Pretty much the home of the pâtisserie, so you are spoilt for choice, however for an inexpensive option, try:-

or for a not so inexpensive option, visit Ladurée.

Off topic, but also worth mentioning is The Chocolate Consultancy – Parisian Chocolatiers Map showing  locations of some really good Chocolatiers in Paris.

 

 

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Quirinale – its got competition!

Quirinale although in a basement is light and quite lovely.  I am sure it turns up on a lot of MPs expense claims, as it is very much a politico hangout.

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The food is off a high standard. They have an excellent wine list and do a really good cheese course, that you select from the menu. It is served with a selection of biscuits, fruit and preserves.

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The Restaurant used to only open during the week, but from September it is opening on Saturday evenings as well. This will be interesting, as this place can not afford to let its standards slip – it used to be unquestionably the best upmarket Italian restaurant in the area, now however it has stiff competition from the nearby Osteria Dell’Angolo.

Marks out of 10

Food 6.8

Service 6.5

Ambience 6.5

 

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Benares – the return!

It is always interesting doing return visits.  My first visit to Atul Kochhars flag ship London Restaurant Benares was well over a year ago on a Friday evening.

We went for the tasting menu and were blown away by the glorious food and the subtle wine combinations. We’d been to the Cinnamon Club and our experience there with Indian Food Wine matching was scary – give the customer lots of really strong red wine, being the basic philosophy I think. Not so at Benares. Indeed the meal was close to perfect, let down only by the meat course which was fine, but not that different from the sort off food you can get at a good curry house. Ironically our dinning neighbours had the opposite reaction “finally something we recognise” they said. So I guess you can not please everyone!.

Marks of 10

Food 8

Service 8

Ambience 7

Now comes the second visit, it was like going to a different Restaurant. This time I went with friends who were experiencing the restaurant for the first time, it was for Sunday Lunch, on a weekend where Atul was not in the kitchen.  One of my companions had to send her Lamb back, and when it returned (much too quickly) it was still not as ordered. We also had to redirect the waiter to a nearby table that had been trying to get his attention for ages.

Marks out of 10

Food 4

Service 4

UPDATE October 2019 – No longer has a Michelin Star

 

 

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Tas – get to know the Group!

We have been going to several of the restaurants in the Tas group for a good few years now. They are ideal venues for vegetarians as well, as the menu covers a number of interesting non meat dishes.

The first one Tas The Cut is still the best, followed by the Tas  Borough High Street.  The one in The Cut  is very efficient and delivers good quality food. Ironically based on my experience you are more likely to spot a celebrity here, than at the Ivy –  the Old and Young Vic Theatres are in the same street. On our last visit  the actress Jenny Agutter was dining at the table next to ours.

Tas - The Cut
Tas – The Cut

The Tas group specialises in Anatolian cuisine, and also runs a couple of delicatessens.

EV - Delicatessen : Underneath the Arches
EV – Delicatessen : Underneath the Arches

They  have a larger venue call EV located under the arches near Southwark Tube station. This is great on a summer evening for drinks or for a cheap night out with a large group, as is Tas Pide,  which is right next to the Globe Theatre.

 

 

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Roast – gets a roasting!

My first visit to Roast was just a few days after it opened and I enjoyed the experience, it is a stunning venue, in a lovely building overlooking Borough Market.

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A later visit for Sunday lunch was disappointing, as the food was very ordinary, almost pub quality I would say.

I would not call this a “destination” restaurant, but rather one that you might just go to if you were in the area and wanted to escape the hustle and bustle of the market, personally though if I am in Borough Market I would go to the excellent Tapas Brindisa instead and get in the queue.

Marks out of 10

Food 4.8

Service 4.8

Ambience 6

 

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Pied à Terre – First Foot

Pied à Terre is somewhere you always want to come back to, although the cost keeps this place very much in the arena of a special occasion venue.

We have had so many great culinary experiences here over the years. It was also the place we discovered PX sherry.

Here is a short video showing the restaurant in action:-

The people behind Pied à Terre have now opened a second restaurant l’Autre Pied (the other foot).

Marks out of 10

Food – has been variable, can range from 7.5 to 8.8

Wine 8.9 (on our last visit the wine matches over shadowed the food)

Service 8.5

Ambience 7

UPDATE : October 2010. Pied a Terre has lost one of it’s stars in the 2012 Michelin Guide.

 

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