WINTER GARDEN AT THE LANDMARK HOTEL

I've always wanted to visit The Landmark Hotel after admiring some beautiful images of the stunning architecture, so what better time and excuse to visit than to celebrate our second girls reunion this year. Now that the three of us have settled in different parts of England (Newcastle, Birmingham, London), London seems to be the most strategic location to meet up - which definitely gets a thumbs up from me (!)
 
 Awarded 2 AA Rosettes, the Winter Garden is an all-day brasserie that is situated in the heart of the soaring eight-storey glass roof atrium. I do love places with high ceilings and natural light, and the palm trees gave the feel of being back on a tropical beach resort - now if only the temperature outside would warm up a bit ...

Upon being seated, we were welcomed with chilled glasses of bellinis and warm bread with butter.

For my starter, I went for the warm terrine of slow cooked pork and black pudding. The pork was really soft and tender, and I liked the black pudding which gave a bit of texture. The smoked salmon ballotine was very vibrant and a lovely starter as well.

I ordered the roasted breast of maize fed chicken as my main which was served on a bed of tomato fondue, puy lentils, roasted cauliflower and broccoli. I found some bits of the meat a bit dry, but otherwise the vegetables and combination of flavours were quite nice. I also had a cheeky taste of Sarah's and Chloe's dishes. The pan seared fillet of seabass had a crisp skin and the slow cooked barbecue beef was deliciously succulent and flavoursome with a creamy mash.

I was quite happy with my choice of dessert, which was a light sponge of white chocolate and lime cream topped with refreshing blood orange sorbet. I am generally quite partial towards chocolate, but unfortunately the warm chocolate fondant was a bit dry and average, and could have done with a slightly more refined presentation ...

And because we were also celebrating Chloe's birthday, they brought out a sweet little cupcake with a candle after our desserts. A birthday is after all never quite complete without (more!) cake ...

On the whole, we all had a wonderful evening with lovely food, and the staff were really professional and attentive as well. If you've been tempted to experience this for yourself, then I would also recommend booking via this Bookatable Star Deals link, which includes a complimentary champagne cocktail with your 3-course meal - who doesn't love a bargain!

I enjoyed my experience there, and would love to return again in the future, maybe to try out the afternoon tea, because one can never have too many afternoon teas ...

The Cheekster, signing out x

CHAMPAGNE AFTERNOON TEA AT AMARANTO, FOUR SEASONS

Amaranto is a modern Italian restaurant in the Four Seasons London at Park Lane, and coincidentally just opposite the Intercontinental where I had the pleasure of enjoying another afternoon tea a couple of weeks back.
The afternoon tea was served in the Amaranto Lounge which had more of an oriental feel to it rather than Italian, with its marbled black surfaces and scarlet red interiors. It was a shame about the weather as I was hoping to be able to enjoy the outdoor garden which would have been lovely on a sunny day - the lounge clearly proved to be a warmer and drier option on yet another wet British summers day.

They have four different menu options and I was actually interested to try the Picnic Afternoon Tea (despite the non-picnic weather outside), but I was then informed by the waiter that the Free-flowing Bookatable Deal was only valid for the Traditional Afternoon Tea Menu. Slightly odd as all four menus were displayed on the website, but I didn't ask further...

Anyway, any sort of afternoon tea makes me happy, especially when it involves free-flowing bubbles. Our champagne flutes were promptly topped up with Bollinger champagne - an excellent way to brighten up a rainy day and wash away the Monday blues.
Well, I didn't exactly have the usual Monday blues since it was my day off work, but champagne still makes any day seem perkier...

Our three tiered stand was placed on a small side table next to us, carrying a plate of sandwiches and the sweets. The scones were to be brought out later when we were done with the sandwiches so that they would not go cold sitting on the table - a much preferred method as opposed to some places that bring out everything simultaneously.

The selection of sandwiches consisted of the following:

Organic egg, Montgomery cheddar with mustard cress on malted bread

Cucumber, cream cheese and wasabi on walnut bread

East End smoked salmon and prawn cocktail on brown bread

Honey roast ham with cloves and English mustard on white bread

Roast organic chicken with sage and onion stuffing, mustard mayonnaise on white bread

A nice variety of tasty traditional fillings and bread - we particularly liked the white bread with cranberries.

When we were done with the sandwiches, we requested for the scones to be brought out. The traditional and raisin scones were warm and buttery, and the fact that they were smaller made them taste better to me - I have this thing with miniature food and desserts... 

They were served with a trio of condiments - strawberry jam, lemon curd and thick clotted cream. 

After downing a few glasses of champagne (I kind of lost count halfway through...), we moved on to the teas - Zeena ordered the fragrant Jasmine Silver Needle, whilst I went for my favourite Darjeeling Second Flush which had a rich and full-bodied aroma.
And of course we did also inform the waiter that we were happy for the champagne to keep flowing...

The chocolate and raspberry macaron was really rich and indulgent - macarons are one of my favourite desserts and this did not disappoint. The Pimm's choux was cute and interesting, and undoubtedly a delicious mouthful of creaminess.  The trifle was quite light and fruity, and the rhubarb and custard was encased within a sweet white chocolate shell and presented in the shape of a mini lolly. I had been eyeing that pistachio and strawberry tartlet for a while, so I was quite excited to finally devour it - it tasted as good as it looked, and it was my favourite one amongst the rest.

Time passed by so quickly as usual and we were absolutely stuffed at the end that we walked to a further tube station to help our tummies to settle - another one of those over-indulgent afternoons...not that I'm complaining.

The Afternoon Tea with free-flowing champagne is priced at £49 per person and is one of the many Bookatable Star Deals which you can book for yourself via this link. Or you may also click here to browse the other free-flowing deals that may tickle your fancy.

The Cheekster, signing out x

HAKKASAN HANWAY PLACE

After a day of pirouettes and grand jetés, we were definitely looking forward to our meal at Hakkasan. It has been a while since my first visit, which I remembered to be good, so I was excited to be back.
Tucked away in a quiet corner, Hakkasan Hanway Place is the original restaurant of Hakkasan that opened back in 2001, headed by Head Chef Tong Chee Hwee. 

This Michelin-starred gem may initially seem rather obscure, but as you enter and walk down the stairs you will soon realize that it does have a special kind of feel to it.
Designed by Christian Liaigre, the interior is dimly lit, each table illuminated by a single lightbulb. Wooden screens and lattices made from dark English oak give the place a bit of an exotic feel.
We were seated at our table, my back facing the impressive 16-metre bar stretched along the side, with a view of the open-plan kitchen at the other far end.

With the recent launch of Ling Ling this summer, a new experience from Hakkasan, we were able to get a taste of it with their limited edition menus and signature cocktail.

We both ordered the Taste of Hakkasan menu, where there were three options to choose from: Fish and seafood, Meat and seafood, or Vegetarian. We ordered one each of the fish and meat so that we had a nice selection to share between us. As part of the the offer, we were also served a Ling Ling Collins cocktail which contained Beefeater gin infused with Japanese and Chinese teas, mixed with cranberry, grapefruit, elderflower and lemon juice, and Chartreuse Green, served with a fresh shiso leaf. A fruity and summery cocktail which was really sweet and refreshing.

Ling Ling Collins cocktail

The starters soon arrived, and we each get a trio of dim sum delights: scallop shumai, har gau, and Chinese chive dumpling, with some chilli sauce and oil accompaniments on the side. I love dim sum, and all three of them really delicious with great textures and flavours. It was hard to choose a favourite, but I particularly enjoyed the scallop shumai topped with tobiko caviar.

The salad was light and fresh, with crispy aubergine tempura pieces, and a mix of shiitake, mixed cress and lily bulb. The jasmine tea smoke pork ribs were well-marinated and really tender - literally finger-licking good, as I watched Marcin dive in hungrily with his fingers. We were provided with a couple of finger bowls, so all was good.

Trio dim sum platter

Crispy aubergine and shiitake salad with mixed cress and lily bulb

Jasmine tea smoked organic pork ribs

We were further impressed by our mains. The prawns were succulent and juicy and served with a luscious creamy spicy curry-like paste. The mains were served with steamed Jamine rice which I spooned a generous amount of sauce over. The toasted almonds gave it a nice, crunchy texture.
The seabass was grilled to perfection, the flesh soft and smooth with a pleasant sweetness from the honey. The beautifully caramelized fish was topped with crispy deep fried mushrooms.

Spicy prawn with lily bulb and almond

Grilled Chilean seabass in honey

And to finish off, a colourful trio of macarons each - rose, pistachio and lemon, if I am not mistaken. Dainty little desserts which were so shiny and smooth - sheer joy in every mouthful. My favourite was the pistachio.

Selection of macaron

The meal was surprisingly more filling than we were expecting, beautifully presented and tasted just as delicious as they looked. Service was steady and efficient, and overall we had a relaxing and pleasurable dining experience.

For those of you tempted to visit Hakkasan for a similar experience, you will be pleased to know that this Bookatable Star Deal is available from 1st of June until 30th of August 2015 (Mon-Fri until 18:30 & from 22:30, Sun until 18:30 & from 22:00).  
Definitely one not to miss out on.

The Cheekster, signing out x