Teanamu's Artisan Teas

Tucked away in Westbourne Park, near Portabello Road, is a gorgeous and modest-sized converted coach house belonging to Teanamu.

The newly opened Chaya Teahouse is perfect for (as cliche as it sounds) relaxing and just as importantly, drinking beautifully infused Chinese artisan teas. There is a ridiculous amount of white, red, black and green tea combinations all designed and made by creator, Pei Wang.

We ordered the Tea of The Week: Organic Snow Bud white tea and the Ba Bao 8 Treasures tea (which had a special 9th ingredient on the day!) The Snow Bud is stunning, refreshing and one to drink at a lower temperature in order to appreciate its flavour; and the 8 Treasures changed each time we topped up the water - from floral and nutty to fruity notes.

Top: 8 Treasures. Bottom: Organic Snow Bud

They looked so lovely in the teapots and the quick demonstration from Pei on how each tea should be poured, was great. I was completely ignorant to the fact that water temperature, distance its poured and technique of swilling as you pour all enhance the flavour of the leaves.

As we were invited to stay and relax Pei made up some extra teas to sample including a white tea with Jasmine and his "mistake tea" which was an accidental stumble across a combination of his Organic Golden Monkey (black tea) and Organic Emperor pu erh 2008 (red tea). Both of which were lovely.

"Mistake Tea" - Organic Golden Monkey &; Organic Emperor pu erh 2008

There is a small selection of food on the menu (all hand-made by Pei) but they are great snacks to eat along side the teas. We had the vegetarian char siu puffs (which are based on pork dim sum) and the berry nutty chocolate fudge as well as a scone with rose petal jam, which was unbelievably tasty!! We were also given some clementine almond cakes on the house.

Vegetarian Char Siu Puff

Berry nutty chocolate fudge & clementine almond cakes

Warm scone with rose petal jam and clotted cream

At the weekend Pei held the first Chaya Teahouse MedTEAtation in which a small group of people met up in the Koyoto Garden at Holland Park to perform the Chinese tea ritual...from what I understand the purpose is to forget about trivial everyday things (like Twitter/Facebook/phones) and concentrate solely on the tea; making it and sharing it with the other people in the group. I was unable to go along this time round, but plan to go to the next one on 19th June. (I think the MedTEAtation event happens once a month on a Sunday). To get an idea of what it'd be like check out Teanamu's Facebook photos.

If you're in the area or want to retreat for a bit of quiet time at the weekend, the Chaya Teahouse is open midday till 6 Saturdays and Sundays. It's definitely worth it!

The Mayor of Scaredy Cat Town

It's been open for a week and The Breakfast Club's Speakeasy cocktail bar, The Mayor of Scaredy Cat Town, behind the Smeg fridge, Spitalfields, is a MUST!

In a similar ethos to The Breakfast Club's 80s retro American kitch, this cocktail bar recreates that downtown Chicago/Boston bar with an air of underground exclusivity. This is partly to do with the promotion (if any) for its opening has been a simple website only giving contact details, a few hidden clues on Twitter and (mostly) word of mouth. Then there is the password 'Let The Bees See The Knees' to get 2 for 1 drinks; and of course the big question...'What's Behind The Smeg Fridge?' These little utterings can't help but inject you with a feeling of importance and guaranteed enjoyment that awaits!

So what is behind the Smeg Fridge?

The barmaid opens the fridge door to reveal a walkway down to the small low-lit bar.

There were roughly 30-40 seats, and the right level of buzz so that the music and chatter never needed to get too loud. Speaking of which, a constant selection of good tunes played, from James Brown to Roxy Music to Amy Winehouse (and a few gambles, like Hot Chocolate's 'Everyone's A Winner'), and a huge part of enjoying bars comes down to a decent soundtrack!

The menu (including a handful of food dishes and bar snacks) is designed for a manageable selection of cocktails with a black leather cover and a simple Mayor of Scaredy Cat Town logo on it.

We had a few cocktails each:

The Old Fashioned - with Woodford Reserve bourbon, orange zest and brown sugar

Rosie & Gin - with Bombay Sapphire Gin, pressed pineapple juice, rosemary and lime juice

Red Lady - with Bombay Sapphire Gin, Grand Marnier, lemon juice, raspberries and egg white

Tommy's Chilli - with Jose Cuervo Traditional Tequila, red chilli, lemongass, agave syrup and lime juice

Mexican Mule - with Jose Cuervo Tequila, ginger beer, lime and sugar

Linchberg-Leith Lemonade - with Baili Nicol Jarvie Scotch, Grand Marnier, lemon juice and Fentiman's Victorian lemonade

The Rosie & Gin was stunning. Definitely my favourite! Smooth and fruity with a hint of rosemary. The Old Fashioned was also mixed well...I guess you know it is when the barman says he needs at least five minutes to make it!

Old Fashioned and Rosie & Gin

Mexican Mule, Red Lady and Tommy's Chilli

TIP: Don't get too carried away as the alcohol kicks in after cocktail #2!!

The Commissary, Holborn Studios

The Commissary Bar & Restaurant is joined onto Holborn Studios on Eagle Wharf Road alongside Regent's canal. When the weather is behaving it's a great place to head for lunch and sit outside on the dock.

The interior is modern and artistic, with a big theme on cameras and film - due to being part of Holborn Studios. To paint a picture for you, on the way to the toilets there's a beautiful vintage projector and there a little images of clapperboards held by mini tripods for the table numbers.

They serve breakfast and lunch but on our visit we sampled the cheese board between three of us and the chunks of gorgonzola, stilton and cheddar were so generous that, for a brief moment, we thought we wouldn't be able to finish it all.

We did......

The accompanying pickle and celery sticks were perfect alongside these three heavyweight flavours.

The rest of the menu looks tasty and I did spy a couple of massive burgers going to another table to be devoured. The lunch menu changes daily but they have a sample menu which should give an indication of the style of sharable dishes on offer.

Because there are various different projects and shoots happening at the studios it's likely you'll spot some celebrities (or if you're lucky, some vaguely recognizable people). While sitting out on the dock, The Arctic Monkeys were sat a few tables away enjoying a quiet break from (I presume) a photo shoot. I'm afraid I didn't have the nerve to ask for a photo so instead of the Arctic Monkeys, you can have this one.

(He was attached to a plant inside the restaurant)

and a little video from their 4th album Suck It And See...

Bargain Bite: Udon Goodness at Koya

Here's this month's Bargain Bite!

Koya, Frith Street, Soho

This little Japanese udon noodle restaurant has been rather popular over the past year or so and here's a few reasons why:

1) No Bookings - so if you're impulsive and can't decide where you want to eat until the last minute, there's no need to worry about booking in advance. Though some people don't like to queue, there's something simple and appealing about the idea of rocking up somewhere on the off chance of getting a table.

2) Fantastic Udon - obviously they specialise in udon noodles so you'd expect the dishes to be good. But they're better than good. They're wibbly, chewy, light and healthy good.

3) Other Dishes - there are plenty of other options other than udon noodles if you happen to be (or be with) someone who's not a fan of the chunky elasticity of them.

4) Satisfying - come on, either hot, cold, in broth or sauce, you know how satisfying it is to eat those slippery strings of wheat noodle!

Cold udon with tofu and cold sauce.

Cold udon with mackerel and poached egg

Bompass & Parr's Chocolate Waterfall

The last time I ventured to a pop-up event put on by Bompass & Parr was a couple of years ago at their Alcoholic Architecture walk-in gin and tonic cocktail, in which you had to 'breathe responsibly' as you inhaled vaporized G&T in close proximity with a handful of other people all wearing white protective suits. It was a great idea to induce excitement from a low visibility effect a bit like Antony Gormley's 'Blind Light' installation, (except it was in the basement of a tiny building on Ganton Street). There was also some great indie-disco classics playing I seem to remember...

Antony Gormley's 'Blind Light' at Hayward's Gallery, 2007.

Image courtesy of www.josweb.co.uk.

And this easter weekend the two food architects put on another spectacle relating to one of my favourite pleasures in life...chocolate!

Not only was it timed nicely with easter, but it was also to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the first movie Charlie and The Chocolate Factory. I somehow forgot to don a purple blazer and top hat, a la Gene Wilder, but this didn't stop me from enjoying the quick fix chocolate hideaway at Whitley shopping centre. It seems like they went for the psychedelic boat ride in terms of decoration, neon lights and soundscape, which worked really well to create a confusing and disorientating atmosphere. It wasn't very busy when I went along but I can imagine if there was a group of people it would have felt even better. One room was similar to the walk in G&T cocktail with a walkway full of mint chocolate mist that you had to walk through to get to a rickety bridge which sat across the flowing chocolate from the 7ft chocolate waterfall.

A big difference between this and the film was that you got to fill up a glass bottle from the waterfall and take it home to drink - unlike poor Augustus Gloop who got sucked away for drinking the stuff. You also got the choice of adding a flavour to the 'elixir' chocolate including juniper berry, fennel, frankincense and orange!

This project provided just the right amount of wow factor and fun for anyone who's a fan of chocolate and/or the film...at least they didn't overdo it and go for an actual boat ride or things could have turned out badly!

Cakeline (a sort of dateline for cafés)

I've been going to a few cafés of late so thought I'd reveal their credentials to you in one go.

Café #1...Trendy, playful and ready to please. This nostalgic café is big on style.

The Breakfast Club. I've already posted about these guys and their delicious brunch offerings, however this time I sampled their pancakes (mainly because it was Pancake Day!). This café is fun-loving and knows how to satisfy a grumbly tummy with their American diner-style menu. You'll find their Soho, Hoxton and Angel branches all get pretty busy, but it's for a good reason.

English breakfast tea

Banana, Nutella and ice cream pancakes

Café #2: An arty type, this modest lover of vintage decor is the reliable type.

The Candid Café in Angel is a hidden gem. Behind Angel station off of City Road, this café is above the small Candid Arts venue. Full of intriguing paintings and vintage furniture, it's a lovely place to unwind, stop off with a friend, have a relaxed meeting or just sit and read a book for a while. They serve food all day and also have some lovely cakes on display (yes, I had one). Good and dependable this café certainly is.

Coffee and blueberry cheesecake

Café #3: Host to a busy lifestyle, this one's all about satisfying in a short-stop, no questions asked sort of way.

The Fleet River Bakery is tucked away behind Kingsway Road in Holborn and doesn't fail to attract a crowd. Selling Monmouth coffee and a lovely array of teas, along with some dangerously tasty cakes, (the peanut butter cheesecake in particular is a must!) There's freshly made salads, tarts and quiches if you're in the mood to take it one step further with lunch.

Eight butterflies green tea (cranberry, rose petals & chrysanthemum)

Bargain Bite - Pie Hopes

Yeah, yeah, ok. I admit it's an awful pun but a valid one if you'll allow me to continue...

I managed to kill two birds with one stone and combine this month's Bargain Bite with British Pie Week!

The Punch Tavern in Fleet Street is a pub mostly inhabited by city workers by the looks of it but if you're heading along for some food it is worth enduring it. For a Thursday night it wasn't too busy and by about 8:30 it was comfortably full of a more manageable mix of people.

This pub has won a number of awards and most recently won a 'People's Choice Award' for their chicken and fennel pies. (As well as a few more for different recipes in 2010) So it seemed a great place to head down to for British Pie Week. Usually the Punch Tavern offer a chosen dish on the menu for £5 on a weekly basis, and seeing as they're known for their pies plus it being a special week for the cases of saucy, chunky comfort food, it was surely a match made in heaven.

There was a different meat or veg pie option each day of the week. Friday is the day they offer the award winning chicken and fennel pie, but when I went along steak & ale pie was on the menu and I can never pass up this combination. So steak and ale pie it was.

The pie was served on a mound of mashed potato and accompanied by carrot, broccoli and cauliflower. The gravy was almost fruity but still savory enough to match the gravy in the pie. The pastry was shortcrust rather than the showy puff variety which made it all the more appealing. It encased the filling the whole way round, so you don't feel cheated like with ones in ramekins topped with a lid of puff pastry. You know, a bit like when a woman takes off her padded bra and the reality isn't quite what was expected? Yeah, that.

The pastry itself was lovely and crisp the whole way round, with no soggy bottom! The only thing that was a bit of a let down was that I initially presumed the pies were made on site, but they're actually brought in from suppliers. There was even a questionnaire to fill in about the quality of said pies and whether they were worth purchasing in supermarkets. I think they were made by Dee's Pies - so watch this space if they appear on the shelves.* Despite this, the pie was great all the same and the filling was packed with juicy and tender chunks (and I mean chunks) of meat. I was expecting the portions or size of the dish to be smaller as it was on offer, but it was very generous and rather filling (no pun intended this time), especially just for five quid.

* It's ok don't panic! Dee's pies are made in-house, fresh every day. (Thanks for the update, Dave). This makes it all the more impressive and worth visiting the Punch Tavern to try out the pies!

The pub on the whole had a relaxed atmosphere and quite grand Victorian decor. They do a range of events from a pub quiz to poker evening to wine tasting as well. A table next to us had a fold-out poker table and were casually playing in the corner with platters of food. Oh - and they show various sports events on their TVs as well, which is always an added bonus for a pub.

All in all the Punch Tavern is a really good pub with a hearty and tasty menu. Prices are reasonable, the staff are friendly and attentive and they do great classic British pies!