Indulging in an Afternoon Tea at The Arch Hotel

Jess, aged 15, writes: Being British, our family loves a good afternoon tea. This is why I was so excited to try an afternoon tea in the Arch Hotel, Marble Arch, in celebration of dad's birthday. It's not do often we get to eat unlimited food in a gorgeous setting, so we all had an amazing time.

[caption id="attachment_4048" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] The Arch Hotel[/caption]

After entering the hotel, we were directed to the Salon de Champagne, where we were given our own private booth. This was very exciting, as there was a curtain which we could draw. This meant that the four of us were effectively sitting in private - something that felt extremely luxurious. On top of this, our plush seats were extremely comfortable, there was a beautiful chandelier above us, and our floral crockery looked amazing.

[caption id="attachment_4049" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Our booth was really luxurious![/caption]

Our main server was named Rebeca and she was really kind and friendly, but also extremely helpful. Our family is not able to eat certain foods, but she was really good at making adjustments and making sure we knew what we were eating. We were presented with a menu of different types of tea, which I loved. I adore tea, and it took me a long time to decide on what to drink. I eventually decided on a silver needle white tea, and afterwards a green tea with jasmine pearls. The variety was so wide, and it was all delicious.

[caption id="attachment_4040" align="aligncenter" width="900"] The tea menu was long and extensive[/caption]

Soon, the food arrived. Our stand was simply magnificent - piled high with sandwiches, biscuits, cakes, and scones. We had not eaten a big lunch in preparation for the occasion, and soon got to work stuffing our faces. The sandwiches were divine, and much more impressive than I was expecting. These were English cheddar with apple chutney, mozzarella and avocado with sun blushed tomato on sourdough toast, smoked salmon and cream cheese on a blini, egg and cress, and cucumber and cream cheese. Particular favourites of mine were the sourdough with mozzarella, and the apple chutney. We devoured these quickly, and were allowed replacements soon after.

[caption id="attachment_4042" align="aligncenter" width="900"] The food was all so delicious, especially the sandwiches![/caption]

Next was the second tier, filled with all sorts on cakes. There was coffee cake, millionaire's shortbread, teacakes, Battenberg cake, and a strawberry tart. Had we not had dietary requirements (no gelatine), there would have been trifle and cheesecake, but we were more than happy with our selection. It was fantastic, particularly the tart and the Battenberg cake, and nothing was too rich or overpowering.

[caption id="attachment_4047" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Robert piled his scone high with cream[/caption]

Our final tier was the scones, but by this point I was so full that I could only manage one! Piled high with jam and clotted cream, it was a perfect end to the tea.

Overall, we had such an amazing time at the tea. We stayed there for over two hours, and by the time we time we left we were unbelievably full. It was such an incredible experience which I would love to relive.

A Royal Afternoon Tea at The Arch hotel, near Marble Arch, London, costs £25 a head. We were given a special media rate to sample the tea, but the hotel had no input into this review.

More food in London with Family Travel Times

A chocolate walking tour - my dream

Trying our Hip Chips - crisps and dips for lunch

 

Chocolate Galore at the Hotel Chocolat Restaurant

Jess writes: It's no secret that mum and I both love chocolate, so I was really looking forward to our visit to Hotel Chocolat's Rabot 1745 Restaurant in Central London. Mum had decided to treat us, and I was really excited to see how Hotel Chocolat would incorporate chocolate into their food. This is what we thought:

[caption id="attachment_3741" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Rabot 1745 from the outside[/caption]

As soon as we sat at our table, mum and I were given a small dish of cacao nibs to try, which were rich and delicious. This was an unusual touch, and meant that I was looking forward to what happened next. I was also thrilled when our server asked us for a refill (we obviously said yes).

[caption id="attachment_3742" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] We loved the cacao beans![/caption]

Mum and I shared a starter: "Sourdough with three cacao accompaniments: chocolate balsamic, cacao pesto, nib butter - £6". We were interested to see how these tasted, and they were all delicious. We unfortunately didn't have enough bread to lap up all of the sauce, but I was very impressed by how clearly you could taste the cacao, and how well it worked with everything.

[caption id="attachment_3743" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] There were cacao nibs in all three of these dips: pesto, butter, and balsamic vinegar![/caption]

Next came the main courses: I picked "Mac and cheese in cacao nib pastry, smoky cacao nib and almond roast cauliflower - £14". This looked very small on the plate, and I was surprised by how rich it was. I enjoyed the mac and cheese, although it wasn't particularly special. For such a fancy restaurant, it could have been more interesting. Mum tried the "Baked sweet potato gratin with cacao buttered black beans, poached eggs and melting cheese - £15", and she enjoyed it, though she was confused why the cacao was added. I agreed with her - it didn't stand out in either of the dishes, and didn't add anything to the experience.

[caption id="attachment_3744" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Our mains were nice, but not amazingly special[/caption]

We were both too stuffed for a rich, chocolatey dessert, so instead chose "Three home-made sorbets - cacao pulp-soursop, guava, pineapple-lime - £7". These were lovely - the cacao one was unlike anything I'd tried before, and the pineapple-lime was mouth-watering. Had we been in the mood for chocolate, I'm sure they would have been even better.

[caption id="attachment_3745" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] The ice cream was delicious - a perfect way to round off our meal![/caption]

Overall, our trip to Rabot 1745 was very nice, but not super special. We both liked the novelty of the chocolate, the atmosphere was lovely, and the servers were great. The restaurant was pricier than usual, but the starter and main were definitely worth it, it was an exciting experience, and also a good conversation starter! We also thought the starter and desserts were amazing and reasonably priced, but we probably could have got a nicer main course somewhere else. I would love to return, but this time just for another plate of the sourdough with dips, a dessert, and a hot chocolate.

More chocolate!

A chocolate walking tour in London

Trying out HipChips - crisps & dips for lunch!

[caption id="attachment_3556" align="alignnone" width="1200"] A conveyor belt of crisps![/caption]

We love finding quirky places to eat and HipChips is no exception. Who knew that London needed a restaurant for crisps?

This new concept opened only last month and we were delighted to try it out.

Located in Old Compton Street, in the heart of Soho, London, it’s an interesting concept – that your meal should be made up of crisps and dips. But you know what? It works. And it’s got that different kind of vibe which makes it great fun for a different way of eating out (in that way, it reminded me of the Cereal Cafe, which is also great fun for adults, teens and tweens). Mind you, Jess was supremely irritated that it was called HipChips and not Hipcrisps.

There are different options when it comes to the food. We chose a mixture of the savoury and sweet dips, a good decision as it made it a bit more like a conventional meal (we had the savouries first and then the sweet). The crisps, by the way, are made on site and from a variety of different potatoes.

You can choose your own dips, with a choice of two for £4.50, three for £6.75 and six for £11.50. Yes, I know it sounds mad to pay that kind of money for crisps and dips, but actually it’s lunch – and the six dips were enough for us, meaning it wasn’t actually that expensive for a London-based snack. And that’s disregarding the fun value.

We all particularly liked the baba ganoush (aubergine) dip, while Brian scoffed his way through nearly the entire pot of veggie ceviche (basically a kind of salsa made up of tomato, lime, coriander, onion and chilli) and we also enjoyed the katsu curry. I had a taste of the smoky cheese fondue, and the Moroccan Yoghurt also sounded good.

The salted caramel sweet dip was absolutely delicious, but the chocolate praline mousse  (nutella, praline crème fraiche) which we thought would be our favourite, was a bit too rich – even for us! Both the kids really liked the strawberry cheesecake one and polished it off, although we didn’t quite finish the crème brulee.

Robert was not a big fan of the crisps themselves, although the rest of us were very happy with them. They are a bit like “posh” crisps and not like the thicker, machine formed ones you buy in average packs (my son is not particularly one for posh food and that may be true of other younger children too). The ones for the sweet dips have a cinnamon sugar coating, but this was quite subtle.  We all enjoyed our drinks – which were the German make Fritz and a combination of apple juice, cola and lemonade. There is also wine, beer and soft drinks on offer.

[caption id="attachment_3558" align="alignnone" width="1200"] We did pretty well![/caption]

All in all we enjoyed our unusual lunch and thought it was a great place for sharing. We also think it’s good fun for kids – and were impressed by how busy it was!

Read Jess's piece on five cool places to eat in London

Read about our chocolate walking tour

Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream: A Delicious Treat At Chin Chin Labs

[caption id="attachment_690" align="aligncenter" width="940"] Watching the making of the ice-cream is quite an experience[/caption]

I have wanted to visit Chin Chin Labs in Camden Lock for ages. After all, who wouldn't want to go to Europe's only Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream Parlour?

Consequently, I was very excited to visit the shop yesterday with mum and a friend, and couldn't wait to get stuck in to a mouth-watering tub of ice cream. First of all, we had to actually find the shop - Camden Town is a busy, bustling mecca of shops and stalls which is incredibly difficult to navigate! We walked through a market full of amazing clothes, went past a countless amount of vegan and health stores and marvelled at some hanging mobiles which looked spectacular in the wind. Camden is a brilliant shopping destination, as there are just so many shops and something for everyone.

[caption id="attachment_691" align="aligncenter" width="940"] Chin Chin Labs is in Camden, North London[/caption]

We finally stumbled upon Chin Chin Labs, and spent ages deciding on which flavour to try. The shop has two regular flavours - Pondicherry Vanilla and Valrhona Chocolate - and two specials which change weekly. When we went, these were Tonka Pineapple and Fig Jam Doughnut (£3.95 each with a sauce/topping included). Something else that looked delicious was called the Brown-Wich, which is their vanilla ice cream sandwiched between two brownie cookies (£4.95). The store also makes coffee, hot chocolate, juice and sells toppings in bags, such as honeycomb and caramelised pretzels.

[caption id="attachment_692" align="aligncenter" width="940"] The ice-cream bases are prepared in liquid form and the nitrogen is added to freeze it straightaway[/caption]

Our ice creams were made right in front of our eyes, which was incredible! The shop is like a chemistry lab as the basic liquids are taken and liquid nitrogen added to freeze it quickly. There were clouds of steam billowing everywhere, and I felt as if I was in a science fiction film. The liquid was churned to an ice cream consistency with a mixer in seconds, and the experience was phenomenal. It's the kind of thing they do in very posh restaurants, but I don't get to go to many of those, so it was entirely new to me.

[caption id="attachment_693" align="aligncenter" width="940"] Doughnut ice cream with fig jam, and dairy free Tonka pineapple sorbet - both delicious![/caption]

Soon enough, the freshly made ice cream was scooped into a cup, ready to eat. I had chosen Fig Jam Doughnut flavour, so my ice cream tasted of doughnuts and was topped with a delicious fig mixture. Both my friend and mum chose grilled white chocolate to top their Tonka Pineapple and chocolate flavour ice creams, and we soon  got stuck in.

I honestly had some of the best ice cream of my life - the flavour was so unique and different and there were no ice crystals as it had been frozen really quickly. I would absolutely love to come back another week and try out some of the new flavours.

[caption id="attachment_694" align="aligncenter" width="940"] We scraped out all the ice-cream we could find![/caption]

Overall, Chin Chin Labs is an amazing place to visit and you should definitely give it a go if you are in the area. Seeing it being made right in front of us was just amazing, and the ice cream was fantastic. Yes, it is expensive, but the experience and quality of ice cream more than makes up for it. I will definitely be bringing more of my friends in the future!

Read more about food by me...

The Chocolate Festival: my heaven!

A Delicious Sally Lunn Bun

A Lovely Breakfast in London

Three Amazing Places to Eat in Bristol With Kids

A Delicious Breakfast in London By Jess

Last weekend, my family and I stayed overnight at the five star Marriott Park Lane Hotel near Marble Arch and Oxford Street (we stayed using Marriott Miles!), and got to try out breakfast at its new restaurant - Lanes of London.  This is what I thought...

The first impression we were given of Lanes of London was a great one; we were instantly greeted by smiling staff, and there were lots of platters containing delicious looking pastries in front of us. We were given a menu and quickly decided what we wanted to have: waffles with berries for me, smoked salmon and eggs for mum, pancakes with berries and porridge for Rob, smoked kipper with lemon butter for dad, toast, and a basket of pastries to share. Does that sound enough to you?!

We were very impressed by the fact that even though Rob cannot eat dairy, soya or eggs, the helpful staff offered alternatives to what he couldn't have. Mum had mentioned this in advance, but they couldn't have been more helpful and that was really impressive. Rob was very happy with his choices, especially the pancakes. He often loses out when we go out to eat.

Mum, dad and I all shared the "Lanes Of London Baker's Basket," and we were told that we were allowed to choose any four pastries, muffins, danishes or brioches on display. All of them looked amazing, but we finally decided on a rhubarb danish, apple turnover, pain au chocolat and brioche. They were all scrumptious, especially the apple turnover!

To be honest, all of the food was fantastic. Everything I tried tasted fabulous, including my waffles, which were covered with fresh and brilliant-tasting berries. The toast (made with sour dough bread) was delectable and it was served with perfect butter, and the juice was so nice that I had two glasses!

Overall, you should definitely visit the Lanes of London if you have the chance - it is in an incredibly convenient location (great for a London visit), the food is delicious, the staff are really nice and there is something for everyone. We really had a lovely time and felt thoroughly spoilt. This may sound like I'm writing a kind of advert, but I really don't mean to. It's just that we really did have no complaints!

Disclosure: We were offered breakfast at Lanes on a complimentary basis in order to write about it. However, all the thoughts and opinions are, of course, our own.

More by me: 

Three great child-friendly restaurants in Bristol 

The view from the Shard

A Delicious Breakfast in London By Jess

Last weekend, my family and I stayed overnight at the five star Marriott Park Lane Hotel near Marble Arch and Oxford Street (we stayed using Marriott Miles!), and got to try out breakfast at its new restaurant - Lanes of London.  This is what I thought...

Read more »