BRUNCH AT ONE CANADA SQUARE

Anything sweet always catches my eye, and I got a little excited when I saw that One Canada Square was doing a special Ice Cream for Breakfast Day menu.

They were also doing their Bottomless Brunch Menu that day which obviously tempted the both of us to go for the two course option, hence enabling us to save space for dessert later on.

I don't usually drink much during the day, but it was a weekend after all...and I just could not resist having the raspberry bellinis.

For starters, we ordered the smoked salmon and the soft shell crab 'Benedict'. The smoked salmon was a nice, light option, although the blini were quite flat and not quite fluffy enough.

We both really liked the soft shell crab 'Benedict' which was light and crisp, and the egg had a lovely runny centre.

| Oak smoked salmon served with caperberries, horseradish cream and potato blini |

| Soft shell crab 'Benedict', jalapeno hollandaise |

I ordered the steak tartare as my main, the portion slightly smaller than I was expecting, but nicely presented with lovely vibrant colours. I liked the texture of the meat which thankfully was not minced up too much or overly seasoned. 

WK had the Dorset crab linguini which was also quite tasty.

| Steak tartare, hen's yolk, French fries |

| Dorset crab linguini, chilli oil |

The dessert selection from the brunch menu looked pretty decent, but I already had my eye on the Ice Cream for Breakfast Day menu...
We were surprisingly the first table to order from their Ice Cream menu - I would never pass on the chance to have ice cream at any time of the day...

Pan fried peanut butter and jam sandwich served with maple cured bacon ice cream. I loved every single ingredient listed in the description, so I knew that I was definitely going to enjoy this. The bread was nice and crisp, and sandwiched between them were scrumptious layers of peanut butter and jam. And that bacon ice cream was just calling out to me...

The hot ricotta cakes were stacked up with pieces of bacon strips in between, and topped off with creamy blueberry ripple ice cream.

The food overall was tasty and good value for money as well, especially if you opt for the bottomless brunch. Service was also efficient, and they made sure that my bellini was always replenished...
There is also live piano music on Friday nights, and Saturday brunch and evenings, which is always a nice touch.
A place to consider if you're looking for brunch options, and I would recommend making a reservation as they do get booked up, especially on weekends.

The Cheekster, signing out x

 

HIGH SOCIETY TEA AT HOTEL CAFE ROYAL

Sunday afternoon tea two weekends in a row...my 'February detox' isn't quite going as according to planned...

But wait, I don't do detoxes...

So here I was indulging in yet another Sunday afternoon tea, this time in the iconic Oscar Wilde Bar at Hotel Café Royal - formerly the iconic Grill Room which has been exquisitely restored to its authentic Louis XVI detailing. 

Originally established in 1865, it is now the place to enjoy Afternoon tea during the day and Champagne, sparkling wine and a light menu in the evening, complemented by a further programme of live entertainment.

 Nestled between the elegance of Mayfair and the creativity of Soho, this is the space where great minds came together to change the world. It is in this very room that Oscar Wilde fell in love with Lord Alfred Douglas, Aubrey Beardsley debated with Whistler, David Bowie retired Ziggy Stardust and Mick Jagger, the Beatles and Elizabeth Taylor danced the night away. 

There's a bit of history to start you off on a beautiful Sunday.

Dropping off our coats at the entrance, we were then shown to our table at the back of the grand room, embellished in extravagant gold detailing, vast mirrors and renaissance painted ceilings.

We were first served a glass of Veuve Clicquot champagne whilst we perused the selection of teas.

I went for the Oscar, an authentic and historic Lapsang Souchong, whilst Lili chose the Celestine, a soft black China tea with sweet Madagascan vanilla pod and pretty cornflowers - both from the Exclusive Blends selection.

We were then told that we were going to be served everything from the High Society tea menu, which was music to my ears... 

Oh, and did I mention that there was also a pianist playing lovely music on the stunning grand piano...

The amuse bouche was a 'Low Sidecar Muffin', filled with a luscious swirl of truffle cream cheese and a plastic pipette on the side which contained apple juice.

Soft and fluffy with a smooth, creamy centre - a great start to what was yet to come.

Then came our three-tiered stand of tea sandwiches. Starting from the top was the wild boar crackling, pickled apple and mustard bun, and a light and crunchy pastry filled with chorizo.

On the second tier was the Mary Rose prawn cocktail, which was Lili's favourite, and the goat's cheese puff and sweet wine jelly.

And the final tier were a couple of sandwiches - London Cure smoked salmon and quail's egg, and "cucumber and cream cheese".

A much more interesting selection as opposed to the usual white and brown bread sandwiches.

As a palate cleanser, we were served some refreshing iced fruit tea and a cute piece of fluffy marshmallow. I have never had a palate cleanser during afternoon tea, but I loved it.

There were two types of scones, traditional golden raisin and plain scones, with dishes containing clotted cream and lemon curd and strawberry and gold preserve.

Warm, fluffy, buttery scones...Sundays were made for this.

And last but not least was a beautiful and vibrant tray of sweet pastries: "Profile 66", "Opera 1865", Seasonal flower pot, Absinthe Green Fairy macaron, Pear Regent, and cream filled choux.

My favourite was probably the cute little seasonal flower pot and the petite choux buns. I truly love macarons, but although it had a nice crunch and sticky texture, the taste of Absinthe may not have quite been my cup of tea.

I have just realized that we weren't offered the selection of cakes from the counter. Apparently there was a lemon drizzle cake, cazzette nut and traditional fruit cake...

I may have been stuffed, but I would never turn down a good cake.

Overall, it was indeed a truly decadent afternoon tea experience, and I would definitely recommend a visit, whether it be for a special celebration, or if like me, you just fancy an occasional treat every now and then...

The Oscar Wilde Bar is open daily for afternoon tea from 12pm - reservations are recommended.

The Cheekster, signing out x

THE BACKBENCH #10, KOYA

Blimey, is it the TENTH BackBench at Koya already?! 

Well the tenth since they started, but only the ninth for me as I missed the one in November - I know, even I was appalled at myself...

So there I was at my regular seat for lunch on Monday, eagerly anticipating for the first course to be served. Instead of sake I went for the safe option of cold brew oolong, knowing what alcohol does to me at that time of the day...

We arrived slightly early and watched as Chef Junya was prepping the crab for one of the courses. 

| Mochi, Hare, Salsify & Dandelion Zoni |

Zōni or o-zōni is a Japanese soup containing mochi rice cakes, and is strongly associated with Japanese New Year celebration. It was also a tradition to eat rabbit/hare in the old days - a bit of a historical and cultural theme going on here. Even though we are almost at the end of January, it was still an interesting way to start off the first BackBench of 2015 - the soup was warm and comforting, the hare tender and the mochi had a pleasant chewy texture.
If only everyday was Japanese New Year. 

| Rhubarb Ohitashi |

Ohitashi is a traditional Japanese side dish, and a popular way to eat boiled greens. Ohitashi means soaked, whereby the vegetable, commonly spinach, is soaked in Dashi sauce. Chef Junya decided to give the dish a bit of a twist by utilizing rhubarb, an ingredient commonly used in desserts. I must say that I am not much of a fan of rhubarb, but the way it was prepared may have made me change my perception of it - it had a crisp and crunchy texture and really fresh flavours with a hint of sharpness. I can't quite remember what the paste was made of, but it tasted like miso...

| Kombu Cured Mackerel & Tokyo Turnip |

The kombu cured mackerel has always been one of my favourite dishes to order whenever I dine at Koya. The mackerel is unbelievably fresh (supplied by the one and only Matt @cornishgrill), and cured in kombu, an edible kelp commonly used to flavour Japanese soups, noodles and stocks (dashi).

This was served with some cubes of Japanese turnip, which are generally more moist than English turnips, and spicy mustard.

I would be happy to eat an entire kombu cured mackerel...

| Steamed Oyster, Celeriac & January King Cabbage |

We had fresh oyster at the last BackBench, and this time it was steamed. I have to say that I still prefer fresh oysters in general, but nonetheless it tasted good. And I even had an extra serving as Mr P kindly offered his to me - I wish that he would have done the same with all the other dishes.

| Brockman's Turnip Tempura |

Chef Junya used an English turnip for this dish, which has much deeper flavours as compared to the Japanese turnip used in the mackerel dish. The whole turnip was deep fried for approximately 20 minutes, resulting in a really crisp coating and a soft, but not too mushy texture on the inside. This was served with some salt and chilli powder.

| Crab & Jeruselam Artichoke |

I am usually excited for every BackBench, but the sight of crab on the menu just took it to the next level. The Brown crab was grilled over charcoal to produce more intense flavours. And as you may have seen in the very first photo at the top, the crab was being carefully shelled and picked - guess that takes the messy bit out of the way.
I don't think that Mr P would have appreciated me flinging bits of crab legs at him...

| Red Mullet Mandarin Miso Dengaku & Searadish |

 I was secretly hoping that I would get the tail which is my favourite part, and I did! 

Or maybe I was whispering under my breath a bit too loud that he overheard me...either way it worked out well for me.

The red mullet was cured with some salt and mandarin miso. The flesh was really fresh with a nice, flaky texture. And that skin...so full of flavour.

| Mallard & Wild Onion Nanban Udon | 

The udon dish is often the dish that I most look forward to as I clearly LOVE all things noodle-related. The broth as usual was really clean and warming, the mallard nicely seared and there were those cute wild onions again that Chef Junya foraged.

| Amazake Ice Cream | 

No sake-kasu ice cream this time, but instead we had amazake ice cream - a traditional sweet, non- (or low-) alcohol Japanese drink made from fermented rice.

| Seville Orange | 

And some candied Seville orange peel to finish, which went well with the ice cream. 

A great first BackBench of 2015, and still one of my favourite seats in London.
Thank you once again to Chef Junya and the Koya team, and see you at the next BackBench.

For my previous BackBench posts, click on the links below:

The BackBench #1
The BackBench #2
The BackBench #3
The BackBench #4
The BackBench #5 
The BackBench #6
The BackBench #7
The BackBench #9

The Cheekster, signing out x