Mad Hatter’s Afternoon Tea at The Royal Horseguards Hotel

Last Wednesday I found myself at The Royal Horseguards Hotel, which is part of the Guoman Chain for a sneak preview of their Mad Hatters Afternoon Tea.

The evening started off  us being welcomed into The Cellar of the hotel which was filled with Mad Hatter treats. Pastry and sweets lined the tables and we were plied with many glasses of pink prosecco.

A tray of Mad hatter cakes and sweets

It was hard to contain my excitement when confronted with all the lovely cakes and sweets. I felt a little like Augustus Gloop scoffing my face with chocolate pastries and guzzling on prosecco.

“Drink me” layered bubble shot

Candy floss made by hotel’s pastry chef

Lovely Mad Hatter cakes

“Eat me” passion fizz cake

Madhatters Afternoon Tea ( Pocket watch “thyme” torte, Jam tarts with hearts)

After gorging on Mad hatter treats we were split into groups in order to go on a tour of the hotel. The Royal Horseguards is a 5 star luxury hotel which certainly exceeded my expectations, the hotel has so much character and many beautiful features.

First stop on our tour was a trip to the beautifully furnished Equus Bar, which I definitely think I will be heading back to again.

Equus bar

The Tower Suite – RHG

Next we were shown two types of rooms that are available in the hotel. The Tower Suite which is at the top end of what is available and a standard room. The Tower Suite  is on two levels and provides 180 degree views of the river. Beautifully furnished and available for 1500 pounds a night!

The Tower Suite living room

The Tower Suite Bedroom

The Tower Suite Bathroom

Standard Bedroom

Next stop on the tour was the The Gladstone Library room which was once part of One Whitehall Place and was originally built as the home of the National Liberal Club.

The Gladstone Library

Beautiful One Whitehall Place stairs

Next we got to check out the Terrace which I can imagine gets very busy in the summer season.

Royal Horseguards – Terrace

Cocktail making demonstration

Also part of the night involved us having a demonstration of some non-alcoholic berry cocktails. I have to try to make these a home!

Berry cocktails

One of the chefs also made use some lovely aubergine and tomato canapes which were delicious, I must have  eaten at least 10 of these.

Aubergine and Tomato

Aubergine and Tomato canapes

My favourite part of the night was when the cream scones came out for us to try, they tasted heavenly!

Freshly baked scones, Cornish clotted cream and homemade strawberry preserve

The last part of the evening consisted of an Easter egg hunt in the hotel’s cellar. We each had three minutes to find over 400 mini eggs that were hidden around the cellar.

My hoard of eggs

I didn’t win but I came home with a lovely bag of goodies and quite a few eggs.

The Royal Horseguard’s Mad Hatters Afternoon Tea will be available from the 31st March until 7 April and is sure to be a great Easter Treat!

For more info please visit: http://www.guoman.com/en/hotels/united_kingdom/london/the_royal_horseguards/hotel_offers/mad_hatters_afternoon_tea.html

Olympic Themed Ladies Night At Apres-London

This is ladies night and I feel alright…oh this is ladies night… Oh what a night! Okay I’ll stop singing now before your computer screen shatters, to tell you about my experience at  Apres-London  a boutique bar and lounge behind Oxford Street. Last week Lanky Girl was invited to their Olympic themed ladies night where we were treated to complimentary canapes and cocktails. I just have one word for this place awesome! It was like a very grown-up slumber party (there was a small group of good-looking guys there too hehe).

The ladies night was held in the basement lounge, which was dark, intimate and plush. A great place to host a party or take your date. Throughout the night we were lucky enough to be serenaded by a singer belting out an array of indie classics. My friend and I had such a fun night and the best thing, didn’t spend a penny! Apparently these ladies nights will be regularly occurring at Apres-London so I recommend that you join the Apres London Facebook page for updates.

For more information on the Apres-London  please visit http://apres-london.com/

Welcome to the Candyshop! Après Lounge and Cocktail Bar launches Five Spring Candy Cocktails

Apres Lounge and Cocktail Bar

“I’ll take you to the candy shop, Let the drink hit the spot…Woah!” Not quite 50 cent but you get my drift. Last week Lanky girl and Co found themselves in a cute little bar and lounge called Après which is situated around the back of Oxford Street. With the arrival of spring fast approaching, the mixologists at Après Lounge and Cocktail Bar have decided there’s no better way to welcome in such a refreshing time of year, than with a taste bud makeover.  Stirring things up they have branded the month of March ‘CandyShop’ and created Five Spring Candy Cocktails to celebrate.

On show were a ununsual mix of cocktails: Pear Drop, Parma Violet, Rum & Raisin, Rhubarb & Custard and Lemon & Liquorice.

On the night we got to taste the Parma Violet and Rhubarb and Custard Cocktails. I have to say that I wasn’t sure I would like any of it but the Rhubarb & Custard tasted delish! I wasn’t brave enough to try the Lemon and liquorice. I would go easy if you’re a bit of a lightweight as these cocktails are strong! Each cocktail was served with an array of sweets perfect for those of us who have a sweet tooth. The bar itself is intimate and cozy a perfect place to take a date or to go for a catch up with friends. I think I will be going back!

The CandyShop at Après Lounge and Cocktail Bar runs from 6^th March – 31^st March 2012

 Après Lounge and Cocktail Bar is open Monday – Saturday from 5.30pm –Late, Daily.

 Après Lounge and Cocktail Bar is located at 31 Duke street, London W1U 1LG.

 

The Drift – Bishopsgate – Review

Lanky Girl recently found herself at Liverpool Street’s newest bar The Drift. Located in Bishopsgate The Drift is in the new Heron Tower. Sophisticated and cool the crowd was made up of  city workers and glamorous girls looking to land a banker. I met up with two friends and we headed past the very busy downstairs bar and went upstairs to sit in the restaurant/bar area. The Drift is housed over two levels and is decked in glass with a large array of wines impressively displayed. From the bar you have clear views of Europe’s largest privately owned aquarium. For a Friday night I found the service to be mixed one snooty staff member nearly made me write the place off. However later we had two helpful waiting staff who took our orders and helped us push tables together to accommodate our party. Cocktail prices were around the 8 pounds mark which isn’t unusual for this part of town. The food menu was a mixture of nibbles and mains. I decided to go for the chicken club sandwich with potato and sweet potato wedges. My friends opted for Scampi and chips and a Steak. I guess I pulled the short straw my grilled chicken was cold and my ciabatta was rock hard, inedible! The saving grace for me was my wedges lovely, crispy and sweet! My two other friends really enjoyed their meal though. They said they thought for the standard they got it was a bargain. I would have to go again to really make my mind up about this place. For a bar that hasn’t been open very long it does seem to be very busy so I guess they are doing something right.

For more information visit http://thedriftbar.co.uk/

Lanky Girl’s Verdict – 6.5/10