Mochimania

Mochi mixed with fruit, an (azuki bean paste) & matcha ice cream - for summer (today)


Pandan leaf mochi with a hot cup of matcha - for winter (yesterday)

Winter pret-a-por-tea

Form and substance:
matcha tea & mochi (yummy Japanese rice cake) at Minamoto Kitchoan

Two shades of green:
matcha and green icing chocolate cupcake at home

Two shades of yellow:
Lime cupcake and a pot of English Breakfast tea
from the Primrose Bakery

South African Souvenirs - Part 2 (South African style)

Plywood hairdresser signs for sale...
(although these ones are definitely cooler)

... and the real thing

Curious George exploring a candy shop in Pilgrim's rest
(click to enlarge picture detail)

Made in South Africa: the red capuccino
(Rooibos tea with frothy milk, delish!)

A beaded cloth for sale in Graskop

And some funky bags at Moyo's (Jo'burg)

Pret-a-por-tea

... a few green (yes, my favorite colour!) sugary treats directly from the "cakewalk":

Mint and Strawberry tart with a cup of Tie Guan Yin tea at Yauatcha


Vanilla Rooibos tea and Green tea & chocolate cupcake from the Hummingbird Bakery at home...


...accessorized with vintage "crinoline lady" china

Adieu Shipp's Tearooms

I had not returned to Shipp's Tearooms since that post about good value, informal tea houses a while ago, so last Thursday, finding myself in the vicinity of Borough Market and with a couple of hours to spare, I decided to treat myself to a cuppa and a cupcake. But once I got there I discovered they had ceased to trade because of problems with their lease. Nooooooo!!!

It is a great loss for the London tea circuit as I can't think of another establishment that is half as pretty and unique. The owners told me the idea for these tea rooms came out of a desire to put their extensive collection of antique tea sets and tea things in to good use. As they are now unable to continue trading, this entire collection of amazing hand painted tea sets, and all sorts of fine bone china and glass tableware must go. If you are into collecting teapots and tea cups, forget the Portobello market and head straight into this place. You won't be able to resist taking home a vintage tea cup or two.

For more information visit: www.shippstearooms.co.uk

China Picspam - Part 2 (Shanghai)

...continuing from my previous post:

Oriental Pearl TV Tower by night,
the ultimate postcard from futuristic Shanghai

The guy on the left just had to ruin my
picture perfect vision of Pudong with his ugly elbow... (sigh!)

Another "glimpse of the future" moment at
the Aqua Bar (Sun with Aqua, 6 on The Bund)

Yet more tea! Green tea & barley "bubble tea"
and iced coffee with "healthy" jelly at cafe R B T
(can you please open a London branch asap?)

Stacks of buildings

A walk through the street markets
in the "Old City"...

... leads us to the overly touristy &
wholly unoriginal Yu Gardens Bazaar...

... but at least the dumplings were pretty good!

China Picspam - Part 1 (Beijing)

Long time no write!

I have just returned from a fantastic trip to Beijing and Shanghai with a suitcase full of exotic teas (see last picture below), memories and pictures! Here are just a few of them while I recover from the jet lag and gather my thoughts for a proper post:

The Lama Temple (Yongchegong)

Rooftop detail at the Lama Temple

A foggy and rainy day at the Forbidden City

The yummy Xiaolongbao (or Siew Long Bun) is a Shanghai
specialty but can also be found in Beijing (we tried it at Din Tai Fung restaurant)

Brown rice milk tea at Chamate, a Taiwanese tea house chain,
with loads of milk & bubble teas on the menu

Glutinous rice with sesame filling from the Yunnan region at South Silk Road
(a restaurant in the Hou Hai area of Beijing)

The beautiful and compact Ri Tan Park

I could have spent all day sipping tea and watching the world
go by at the peaceful Stone Boat Cafe (Ri Tan Park)

Killer hike at the Great Wall: 10km of ups and downs from Jingshanling
to Simatai, both unspoilt locations


Tea madness! Clockwise from left:

Tie Guan Yin (Fujian), "Red Robe" Oolong,
Roast Tie Guan Yin (Hong Kong), "Osmanthus" Oolong,
the "usual suspect" Jasmine flavored tea,
Pu'er (Yunnan) and Dragon Well (nutty green tea)

Winter's almost here: it's tea time again!

One of my first posts since starting this blog was about the top tea spots in London and Paris. I was surprised to see that it generated not only great feedback (thanks Mom ; ) !) but also some google hits (thanks to whoever dropped by to visit!).

While that post listed the more traditional afternoon tea spots, I have since compiled a list of my favorite London tea places which are a little "off the beaten track". By making afternoon tea a little bit more relaxed - no booking, no dressing up - but not less of a gastronomic treat, some of these places are doing a great job keeping tea culture alive and brewing.

I hope you find this list useful:


Tea, Paternoster Square (in the heart of London’s financial district)

You may have never thought of cream tea as a lunchtime treat but, judging by the number of customers munching on scones at midday, a lot of people have! This is a "Pain Quotidien" style café (ie. communal tables) with a varied tea menu and a nice choice of green teas, white teas and oolongs alongside the more traditional black teas. You pick your tea, mix and match with cucumber or egg sandwiches, scones and lovely cakes. Sit down and relax for at least 30 minutes or for however long your lunch break allows.

Perfect for: When work is stressing you out - or anytime really (they also do breakfasts)

Order: "Monkey Picked" Oolong tea, sandwich, ginger scones, fresh berries


Peyton and Byrne, Wellcome Collection

Some of you may have seen my enthusiastic post about this new branch of Peyton and Byrne. The great choice of cakes, sweet things and nice loose leaf teas make it an ideal spot for a civilized afternoon break - you can even throw in a bit of culture with a quick tour to the permanent collection or the temporary exhibitions (free of charge).

Perfect for: a rainy day

Order: mint cupcakes, scones, a pot of tea


Shipps tearooms

A cute tea house just next to the gastronomic quarters of Borough Market. For a cozy tete-a-tete with a huge tray of fresh sandwiches (they kindly offer to wrap any leftovers for takeaway) and delicious cakes. Lovely old fashioned touches such as embroidered table cloths and vintage tea china. The only downside were the less than perfect scones (they should be warmer and less dry) but otherwise, well worth the detour to south London.

Perfect for: a gourmet break before or after a cultural hour at the Tate Modern (a 15 minute walk away)

Order: tea for two (great value at GBP 15 each)


The Caramel Room (Prêt-à-Portea), Berkeley Hotel

A more formal tea outing, given the glitzy hotel location and need for booking, but one with a modern twist: at the start of every season the pastry chefs at the Caramel Room team up with different fashion designers to create runway inspired cakes resulting in the Missoni éclair, the YSL ginger boots, the Chloe chiffon, etc. - which are available for eating in (cute Paul Smith china is an added bonus) or take away. The overly fussy canapes are my only gripe: I would be happier with the simple pleasures of cucumber, salmon or roast beef sandwiches.

Perfect for: a sugar binge on a wintry afternoon. Booking recommended.

Order: the complete set (£34, ouch!), don’t forget to ask for a refill of your favourite cakes


The Crush Room, Royal Opera House

If you are attending a matinee at the ROH you can order high tea at the pit lobby or the Crush Room (cosier and more elegant than the Floral Hall). Your table will be ready and tea will be served during performance intervals: on the first you get the sandwiches, on the second you get home made scones and lovely cakes. When I get depressed about the grey weather in London the thought of either tea or the Royal ballet usually cheer me up... both at the same time = double treat!

Perfect for: Taking the kids to see the Royal's lavish production of the Nutcracker.

Order: set tea with or without champagne (the staff will look after your champagne bottle between intervals). Telephone pre-ordering essential.

Tea Tree: Part Two

Following on from this earlier post, here's part two of my "Bluffer’s Guide to Tea", with a look at miscellaneous teas:

White tea, so called because of the slight white sheen to its leaves (see pictured), is mainly sourced from China (the quality stuff is found in the Fujian province). It is the least bitter of all tea types because its leaves are barely fermented: this means that even if you go beyond the 5 minute brewing mark, it will not taste as sharp and zingy as over brewed teas normally do.

White tea is not as widely produced as its green cousin, but due to its reputation as a "healthy drink" it is now easily found in supermarkets and food stores, as well as the usual tea counters.

Red and non caffeinated teas

If, like me, you are not so keen on herbal teas like chamomile and peppermint but still want to have a cuppa at night time, then look out for these tea types:

Red tea (aka Rooibos, Redbush) -

Red tea comes from a wild plant, the South African red bush. It can be used as a 100% caffeine free alternative to black tea and tastes great with milk. It is a powerful diuretic and contains vitamin C.

If you are not familiar with Rooibos tea I would recommend starting with Mariage Freres's Marco Polo Rouge (pictured right) or Dragonfly's extensive range (the vanilla and English breakfast flavours are great).

Mugi cha -

This is a refreshing tea-like drink made of Barley, with a taste that reminds me of a popular Brazilian ice tea drink: the "mate". The Japanese tend to drink Mugi cha cold, sweetened with a little sugar syrup. It is very easy to find in Japanese food stores and in summer you can sample it at Toraya in Paris (see below) and Abeno in London.



Soba cha (pictured left) - is brewed out of dried buckwheat grains, which are alleged to promote good blood circulation. Its flavour is reminiscent of the Japanese Genmaicha (see link in the first paragraph). Soba cha is hard to track down in Europe: in Paris Toraya sell it at 12 euros per pack (or 4,40 euros a cup). In London you can taste it at Zuma and its sister restaurant Roka, or you can buy it ready bottled from Japanese food stores.


If you know of any London shops selling dried Soba cha please let me know.

Happy brewing!

Tea Tree: Part One

Last month I promised my next food and drink post would be less caloric and here's one that's not only completely zero cal, but also brimming with anti-oxidants:

Photo: a lotus flower blossoming out of a "green tea bouquet".

You are constantly being bombarded with articles praising the health related benefits of tea, in particular green and white teas.

You’ve been to Mariage Freres in Paris, to Yauatcha and the recently opened TeaSmith in London and left scratching your head over their extensive tea menus (sense of duty prevented you from choosing something as plain as Assam), featuring teas which range from green to white, from blue (yes, blue...) to red and black. But what's with the colour coding?

It all boils down (excuse the pun) to the fermentation of tea leaves: green and white teas are the least fermented, blue and black the most. As for red, it is not even "tea" strictly speaking: it comes from an entirely different plant, the red bush.


Thirsty for more tea knowledge? Then here's part 1 of my "Bluffer’s Guide to Tea". Starting with a look at green teas:

Green tea facts:

The tea leaves are dried but not fermented so they have a more refreshing taste than regular, black teas.

Sourced mainly from Japan and China, with each of these countries employing different methods for drying the tea leaves.

Reputed for being packed with anti-oxidants and vitamins (such as B and C).

Chinese Green teas:

There are, frankly, a gazillion different types - too many to list - of Chinese green teas. China is, after all, the birthplace of tea (NB: the Latin name for the tea tree is "Thea Sinensis" where Sinensis = Chinese). It is also the world's biggest producer of the stuff.

Chinese green teas come from a variety of producers and from different regions (see a map here). One interesting fact is that the Chinese tend to add flowery flavours to their teas: Jasmine is the most omnipresent variety (and mandatory in Chinese restaurants!), but other flavours like rose, lotus and orange blossom are not uncommon.

Also well known is the Oolong (pictured left), a semi-fermented Chinese green tea which tastes a little bit like the "roasted" Japanese Hojicha (see below). Perhaps for this reason, Oolong is itself quite popular in Japan where it is usually drank cold, as ice tea.




Japanese Green Teas:

The main varieties of Japanese green teas are:

Sencha - basic, no-nonsense green tea (i.e. the one you normally get in Japanese restaurants)

Matcha (pictured right)- this is ultra concentrated, powdered green tea which is vigorously whisked into hot water until it froths up. Very bitter (may prove challenging for beginners) but very healthy because of its 100% tea content.

If you get used to Matcha you will soon find it marvelous with desserts, as it balances out the sweet in them. It can also be blended with cold milk for a refreshing summer drink or used as a cooking ingredient.
Picture source


Genmaicha (pictured left) - green tea with roasted rice and corn puffs, very flavorsome and refreshing. It tastes a bit like popcorn but in a good way, if you can believe me!

Gyokuro - very fine and rare green tea, with a subtle fruity flavour. Ultra high in antioxidants. It is reputed as one of the world's most refined (and therefore most expensive) teas.



Hojicha (pictured right) - made of roasted green tea leaves which, when brewed, become a lovely reddish colour. Hojicha is almost caffeine free. I would recommend it for coffee lovers trying to get into the green tea trend because of its strong roast scent.







Where to buy:

Each of the tea places mentioned in the second paragraph have a "tea counter" selling quality loose leaf teas.

Certain UK supermarkets sell a nice range of premium Chinese green teas from the Dragonfly brand.

Japanese teas like Sencha, Genmaicha and Hojicha are sold in most Japanese food stores around the globe. The premium stuff like Gyokuro can be sourced from Toraya or Mariage Freres.