On Easter Monday, I made a trip to trendy Carnaby St. This time however, I decided to bypass the latest gems that the shops had to offer (well, until after my visit). On arrival, I was transported to a tiny land, filled with furnishings of a garden vibe, only indoors. Thanks to Anonymous Artists Ltd and their marketing campaign for Monkey Shoulder whisky, it was time to begin the Easter egg hunt, or should I say whisky trail!

As I searched for an egg, I found myself rummaging through the various flower pots scented with strawberry and lemon grass fragrances, to name few. My next bet was to ruffle up the decoratively placed raw carrots, bell peppers, jars and leaves dispelled over the shelves. Ah! At last, I found what was a small yellow toned wooden egg and not a chocolate egg. With this at hand, I was set to exchange my treasure, with Monkey Shoulder whisky cocktails.

A variety of adventurous flavours were on offer, including Monkey Jam Sour, Rhubarb and Rose Julep, Banana and Sherry Fix, but I opted for a cocktail with a ginger and orange kick! Now here was what chocolate treats were in store, on this twist of Easter festivities. A selection of quirky handmade chocolates, ready to wash down with your beverage, consisted of; Coffee and Cardamom truffle, Ginger and Cayenne Pepper truffle, Masala Chai truffle, and hefty chunks of dark chocolate, of which I tried a mint version and an unforgettable flavour combining sea salt!

There was still more to explore whilst sipping away at my drink. A family of inventive wooden chairs took my fancy, as I sat down to be greeted by the sound of drums escaping from my bum! These musical seats incorporated a group of bells, symbols, the triangle and the trumpet. Other creative works showcased a wall sculpture of three monkeys, made up of grass and moss and a chandelier- esk collection of sphere shaped soil with herbs protruding from the top, dangling from the ceiling.

Back to more tasting now, since I was invited to drink Monkey Shoulder straight. Wow, what a taste! If you’re not in the mood to drink whisky by itself, there were various bottles of Apricot Brandy, Campari, Sherry and other alcoholic mixers, as suggestions to the vast concoctions available, for this versatile whisky. Lastly, a different tasting session, supplied from a strong aroma of chocolate and mint flower pots. I ate a leaf to verify the flavour. What an alternative menu for the Easter period.

Hello fellow Qypers!

I’m Fatima the new Community Assistant here at Qype. You’ll be reading a lot from me here on the blog and also on my Qype profile from now on, so feel free to comment, share and discuss!

With only a few more weeks to go until the end of winter many of us are in “hibernation mode”, preferring to shield ourselves from the winter chill.  Not only are we opting to stay indoors where possible, but as a nation of tea lovers we’re drinking this winter-warmer by the gallons!  Nothing is more comforting!

To ease ourselves out of hibernation, I’ve found a few places in London that will provide us with tea, warmth and a bit of fun away from the home.

Stoke Newington is home to The Tea Rooms, beautiful, pink and kitsch.  If you are looking for afternoon tea, homemade cakes and pretty china then this is the place to head down to. Once in a while they also offer creative workshops including cupcake decorating, crochet and knitting and biscuit decorating!

If that’s not your type of thing and you want to know a little bit more about your cup of tea and its journey, then head over to the tea bar at Tea Smith in the heart of Spitalfields.  Here you can sit at the bar and watch your choice of tea being ceremonially brewed.  Not only that but Tea Smith offer tasting events and master classes for all you budding tea connoisseurs.

If activities are more your cup of tea (that was clever!), then Drink, Shop & Do lets you do just that. This quirky Kings Cross cafe bar and design shop combines tea, cocktails, arts and crafts and everything is for sale!

Do you have a favourite tea drinking spot in London that you would like to recommend?  Write a review and share your experience!

Fatima

This morning, Team Qype was invited to partake in a gastronomic wander through the world’s first pop-up mall, Shoreditch’s Boxpark. Founded by the man behind Boxfresh, Roger Wade’s shipping-container vision took 5 years to come to fruition and will grace East London for the next 4 years.

First stop for Tamara and me (Davida) was Foxcroft & Ginger where we were greeted with a tea sampler of Vanilla Chai, Winter Spiced (a.k.a. Christmas in a glass) and Ayurvedic. Good old-fashioned loose-leaf English Breakfast Tea in a fancy cup helped to wash down the ultimate hangover-cure (Toulouse Sausage Sandwich with Carmelised Onion) and a strangely lovable French Toast with Ham, Cheddar, Béchamel and honey mustard dressing.

It would have been rude to leave without a rich and chocolaty mini-brownie taster. It was at this point that we began to worry about how we were going to make it through the next 3 hours. This much food at 9 different eateries? Eek!

Next up was the founder’s favourite Vietnamese, Hôp Namô owned by husband and wife team Linh and Colin. An artfully-arranged ensemble featuring a light and airy five-spice Freedom Pork baguette, refreshingly healthy king prawn rolls and fragrant pho. I’ll definitely be back for lunch this weekend.

Following a quick and dizzying peek at Cyber Candy Limited where we tried some controversial AETHER cola (it tastes like perfectly good cola but it’s clear like 7Up- surely that can’t be right?), it was time to raise the heat again with a trip to Mexway.

The fact that this place was founded by a Mexican native (Arturo Escalante) has to give this place a little more burrito credibility than other London hotspots. Not sure if the “fresh and healthy” ethos was being felt as we dived into another meat fest but the guacamole certainly hit a high note.

Frae Frozen Yoghurt has been on my to-try list for a few weeks now so I happily cooled down my raging stomach with a luscious green tea and white chocolate pot. An ice-creamy texture without the heaviness or calorific remorse, this was a well-timed interlude from the savoury overload.

Christopher Fung, managing Director of Crussh, offered an award-winning smoothie (Pomegranate Passion Pleasure with Mint) before we were whisked off to Pieminister for “The Big Cheese” – the only pie that hasn’t win an award because it’s just so darn new.

Eddie Holmes, managing director of Chop’d, generously allowed us to get stuck in behind the counter. I had, by now, given up any hope of being able to eat for at least 6 hours so it was a welcome relief to get creative by preparing and tossing my very own salad for dinner. It was surprisingly refreshing to know exactly what was going into my meal too. Double scoops of falafel and feta? Don’t mind if I do…

Last stop was Bukowski Charcoal Grill where co-founder Alberto Figueroa presented me with “a proper dirty burger” and crispy chunky chips. This place focuses on sourcing the finest quality locally-sourced ingredients. The bite I managed was mouthwatering and I was a big fan of the light bun which managed to avoid being the stuffy bread-fest that most burger joints offer.

And that’s Boxpark in a nutshell.

I’m off into my foodcoma now.