Monday 26 June 2017

Afternoon tea at the Winter Garden in Landmark Hotel, London


We went there for afternoon tea and lunch (hubby opted for lunch) and we had a fabulous time!

The food was delicious, service impeccable, and the atmosphere very pleasant. There was a piano player in the gallery playing some wonderful tunes, which added to the relaxed ambience of the place. 

You can either have a normal Afternoon Tea or the chocolate afternoon tea. I opted for the former simply because I prefer plain to chocolate chip scones! The prices are quite reasonable for London.




The afternoon tea review:
The tea was a lovely blend. I had English Breakfast and it was perfect.

Sandwiches were scrumptious and the chef replaced coronation chicken with plain chicken sandwiches for me. The other sandwiches are egg mayo, cucumber and salmon .



The scones were simply of one of the best I ever had in London


The desserts were good but on the whole a bit too sweet but that's my personal taste, I guess. I think the rest of the food was a lot better than the desserts.





For lunch, you can order from the set menu or normal menu though the set menu is incredibly good value for money at £25 for two courses and £35 for three.






Winter Garden is a very elegant restaurant. The staff are so welcoming and accommodating. The chef is obviously great. I will definitely go again.
Reception

Winter Garden Style Edit



As it was a Gardenesque afternoon tea, I put on my tropical garden print Mango dress and paired it with Office wedges and a Gucci Bag.



Mango Dress; Bvlgari ring

Friday 16 June 2017

Day out at London's West End: M&Ms world

M&M's World, Leicester Sq, London



I am not an M&Ms fan but this is one of the most fun places in London. I mean gimmicks, toys, pretend buses and chocolate!! I bought M&Ms - no idea why but I felt I must buy them. They hypnotised me! It is such a fun shop with so much to look at. It is also probably one of the most Instagrammable shops in London!
 
 





The staff are very friendly and available to help.

I also bought their merchandise (really don't know why - the smell of chocolate in the air made me do it!) I now own an M&M blanket, a mug and a little backpack for baby!


It's a great place for kids.The bright colours and displays are so attractive for them (and adults!) but they will not leave without buying something!



 

 

Tuesday 13 June 2017

Mad Hatters Tea at Sanderson

Mad Hatters Tea at Sanderson


 



I have a very mixed review about this. I love trying out afternoon teas at various London venues so obviously I had to try Mad Hatter's tea! I will try and breakdown my experience to give you a good idea:

1. Staff: This is what drove me into having mixed feelings about the place. The reception staff for registering your booking are plain patronizing and rude. the serving staff have not had any training in how to serve customers at a hotel restaurant. Inattentive and rude and frankly its the staff that put you off the experience.

2. Sandwiches: Not particularly great execution there. They look pretty but don't taste much of anything. I tried both the normal and vegetarian option and both are well below average. You can order more at no cost but this point was not made clear by our waiting staff. In fact, we only knew about it because we overheard the table next to us talking of it!

Vegetarian option


3.  Décor: I cannot fault it. The décor and table settings were lovely. The mad hatter china teapots with their cardboard crowns, the tea "potions", and even the sugar cube boxes were all very charming.



4. Tea:   There are special Sanderson's special Alice in Wonderland themed tea blends in "drink me" vials which you could choose from and can actually try multiple teas. However, you can also go for coffee or hot chocolate if you are not a tea-drinker. You can even change drinks at no additional cost.

5. Cakes and scones: The stand of  cakes and scones is simply beautiful. Most of the cakes tasted heavenly. I really like the little playing cards chocolate biscuits with jam hearts and the pocket-watch shaped macaroons.







I was disappointed to have only two scones between two people (yes for two afternoon teas!) That was a bit ridiculous. I am not sure whether you can order more scones as the waitress snapped at me when I asked her!


The whole experience takes around 2-3 hr if not longer but would have been a lot more pleasant if the staff were more attentive and courteous. Furthermore, the portions are a bit small for a pricey afternoon tea (Landmark Hotel's tea is around the same price and the portions are very generous). However, if you can order seconds it's fine though that information was not given to us at any time.









 
Chloe bag; Lanvin neckerchief; Ferragamo shoes