Daily Archives: September 29, 2010

The Kuas at The Berkeley

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A quintessential experience for a visitor to England is to indulge in afternoon tea. Although the Berkeley’s Prêt-à-Portea is less traditional than most I quite like the fact it has its own spin on afternoon tea and everything is just so pretty!

The season’s designers were Erdem, Paul Smith, Yves Saint Laurent, Jason Wu, Anya Hindmarch, Christopher Kane Jean Paul Gaultier and Sonia Rykiel. Honestly the chefs at the Berkeley must have so much fun interpreting the latest fashions – and because they don’t have to serve the same thing for the entire year it would certainly keep their interests up.

So, what treats did we have today? Including the usual assorted sandwiches and layer of savoury treats including a crab handroll thingy and grilled prawns we had the stars of the afternoon tea:

  • Anya Hindmarch light apricot sponge summer “Halen” bag, wrapped in almond marzipan with playful bow
  • Paul Smith orange, papaya and pink lavender bavarois top with chocolate bowler hat
  • Season’s must-have dog biscuit adorned with chocolate brown studs and white leather glaze
  • Yves Saint Laurent soft romantic white chocolate mousse and raspberry custard finished with crunchy meringue scattered with mini strawberries
  • Sonia Rykiel nautical vanilla and raspberry jam layered mousse topped with humorous yellow hat
  • Belted Jason Wu poppy-seed cocktail dress biscuit embellished with ruffled purple icing
  • Erdem dark silky chocolate cake filled with passion fruit and delicate lace
  • Christopher Kane pale pink almond macaroon filled with chocolate and elderflower ganache topped with a pink checkerboard
  • Jean Paul Gaultier fluorescent cheese cake on almond and oat base accessorized with a bright yellow sugar twirl

Yep – the descriptions are almost as fun as the delicacies themselves!

Apart from going into a sugar coma I think my family really enjoyed the afternoon tea. The also enjoyed the banter we were having with the waiters and waitresses which culminated, once again, in us walking away with cute doggie bags. 😉

Day 3: Westminster Abbey, Harrods, and Sister Act

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Day 3 of the Kua Family Visit to London was a bit dreary and wet but at least we had planned mostly indoor activities for the day. Additionally, the drizzle cleared off by the time we emerged from our first stop at Westminster Abbey.

Westminster Abbey is the England’s coronation church. Many famous historical figures from the last couple of millennia are also buried underneath and its still a working church with regular services throughout the day. In fact, during our tour, each hour for a minute there is a pause for prayer.

The interior of the Abbey is quite a bit larger than one would imagine – no photos allowed inside however. You can do a free audio tour which is included in your entry fee or you can pay a few additional bucks for a special tour led by the one of the Abbey Vergers, and includes a visit to the Shrine of St Edward and a chance to sit in the choir area – both of which are not normally accessible.

Because the wet weather had cleared by the time we emerged a couple of hours later we had a nice stroll to our next top – Harrods. Purely a window shopping experience of course! Heh heh. Whenever we’re on holidays one thing that my Dad loves to do is visit a supermarket – in Harrods this consisted of the Food Hall which even I admit can be quite fascinating. Mum loved the Christmas Shop (a permanent shop fixture!) as it was bright and colourful and evoked memories of her childhood Christmas holidays.

After we’d had our fill of Harrods we headed over to my favourite afternoon tea place in the whole of London – the Caramel Room at The Berkeley. Awesome as always!

We walked off our afternoon tea by heading over to see Pat’s flat which Mum and Dad really liked before going to see Sister Act. Although everyone enjoyed the musical it was clear the heavy itinerary was getting to Dad, Mum and Stephen as they all fell asleep! Ha ha. Mum only briefly nodded off but I’m sure Stephen slept through the end of the first half … if not more. Poor things 🙂