the collins room - the berkeley

lovely and stylish afternoon tea!

pastries are very fashionable and exquisite. i particularly loved the fact that they put in so much effort in designing them.

the signature caramel indulgence was absolutely heaven. i was so full after the whole course. and i was very hungry before i started. worth every penny!

usually have to be booked in advance. however, it is a must-try in london!

my flatmate (and fellow birthdate buddy) and i, had been researching places all over london for the past couple of months and with such a vast selection to dig through, we finally narrowed it down to one fabulous hotel located in knightsbridge - the berkeley's fashionista's afternoon tea.

prêt-à-portea is their latest and greatest creation. with an assortment of colours and themes inspired by the worlds finest fashion designers. if you're a fashionista then this would be right up your alley. 

after being seated on a luxurious caramel coloured leather chair, we were welcomed with of complimentary glass of laurent perrier bubbles and some brightly coloured green menus awaiting our our perusal. 

leading designers such as jimmy choo, alexandra mcqueen, valentino and my favourite man of fashion at the moment, moschino have all been used to create some mouthwatering cakes, elegant canapés and fancies for your tasting pleasure. 

a selection of tea sandwiches were bought to the table first, followed by a beautifully presented three tier cake plate. 

a vintage tea pot of opulent orange chilli tea was ordered and we were all set to go. all the china here is designed by paul smith, so quality has not been spared. 

we came up with a divided strategy to eat 1-2 savoury then change it up with something sweet. its all about life balances as they say :)

matthew williamson macaroon, moschino 'yellow m' handbag of blood orange and victorian sponge cake, creamy than creamier goats cheese and chutney together with dolce & gabbana's whimsical owl with blackcurrant flavours of the forest and milk chocolate sprinkles are just some of the wonderful creations the berkeley have come up with. 

everything is constantly replenished, so as to be expected, you will no doubt over eat and why not i say, it cant be helped when you are surrounded by such good looking pieces of food art.

another option is to bundle up the left overs in a cutesy fuchsia cardboard bag to take away with you. just another glamorous touch that the berkeley has to offer. 

top notch service, sophistication and pure elegance. a wonderful way to spend a birthday or any afternoon for that matter. don't forget to take a few snaps in the front foyer before you leave. their flowers are designed by mcqueen's and i believe, are some of the best arrangements around. just gorgeous!

amazing place in london. i love the food. can’t wait to come back here again. congratulations to the staff.

perfection !! from beginning to end! i can’t wait to go again although i have to admit that it is way to expensive but we all enjoyed every moment and the perfection of english service, food and tea!! such a nice place and kids friendly if ur kids are well mannered 😉

dear diary,

the best for the last! sadly i am leaving london tonight but it’s been an amazing 10 days trip meeting fantastic people, doing good work and mainly eating super food! this afternoon, we went to the berkeley where they have the pret- a- portea going on. it's their 10th anniversary and this afternoon tea is a delicate collection of cakes and fancies, inspired by the world’s finest designers. our afternoon tea started with an amazing plate of mini sandwiches and burgers, along with a steaming pot of tea. the sandwiches included chicken, duck, salmon, egg and mayo and a pesto one too. they were all beyond yummy. then came the highlight- our dessert stand! every dessert on that tray was a piece of art and i am only going to mention a few of them! burberry’s classic trench coat taking the form of a chocolate biscuit with creamy royal icing, jimmy choo’s glittery gala pointed- toe shoe in velvet praline cream cake with hazelnut with hazelnut croquant. other desserts were inspired by monolo blahnik, lanvin, moschino and the list goes on! you get the idea? perfect afternoon for someone who loves shopping and food! yes, it’s a pinch on your pocket but once in a while indulgence is necessary, right? so goodbye london, see you very soon again!

all the fuss about this restaurant is what got me hyped in the first place. someone's taste in food i trust recommended this place to me. this is a fancy place so put your fancy pants on and dress classy. the interiors are beautifully decorated with a modern touch to it. the service is quite good but for a fine dining restaurant i expect the waiters/waitress to write down my order not to memorise it. i'm going to be honest, although they didn't write the order down, everything i ordered was on the table but again for a fine dining restaurant i don't think this manner is acceptable. anyways, the staff is really hospitable and welcoming. the vibes are so professional and fancy.

appetisers
burrata: the burrata was tasty but not as lpm to be honest. it was tasty though, not bad at all! 4/5

beetroot salad: to me, i didn't like the salad much but it was good/acceptable 3/5

qinoa salad: the chef has made a unique touch to the classic salad. he has added of what seems like apple to it which added a much more sweeter and delicious element to the salad. loved it 4.5/5

mains
angus burguer: the dish is basically 5 mini burgers served with french fries. the burgers were juicy and absolutely tasty. my taste buds couldn't resist the spectacular mouthwatering beef 5/5

pink sauce penne: this was not written on the menu but the staff agreed on doing one for my partner which opted for one since her last visit. anyways, the penne was delicious and the sauce was not heavy at all. my partner said that she would come for more! 4.5/5

pizza margharitta: the pizza was good but to be honest i had much better at other pizzerias. 3.75/5!

beef fillet steak: i being a steak expert absolutely fell in love with this dish. i had requested it to be cooked "well done". the meat was soft, juicy, mouthwatering and dangerously scrumptious. it was served with what looks like mayonnaise added with some kind of herbs. loved the combination! 4.25/5!

drinks
berry berry: this is their signature drink which my partner as well as the staff suggested so i had to fight the urge of not ordering drinks for i am not a juice person. i'm going to be sincere in this review and i have to say that it didn't live to its reputation. i was half disappointed with this. the drink had a weird taste which wasn't my type maybe others would like it but not me. sorry :( 2.5/5!

cake.  that’s what this blog post is about.  and lot’s of it.  because that is what what prêt-à-portea at the berkeley is all about. i’d been looking forward to this occasion so much.  i’d been to afternoon tea at other fancy pants hotels in london, but prêt-à-portea is the one that had been on my list forever.

been here for the prêt - á -portea at the berkley !
outsanding cakes and sandwich options! a really hip concept for any fashionista!
the staff are really friendly and the restaurant has a very sophisticated air to it- especially during the afternoon tea.

the price is towards the higher end so i would recommend it to try out for a fun experience, but i'm not so sure if i want to go running back there again!

i came to the caramel room for the famous pret a portea and it did not disappoint.

we arrived at the caramel room and were escorted to our table. to my delight, i had a personalised reservation in my name waiting on our table. i’m a sucker for the little things! we chose the £39 afternoon, but for an extra £10 you could decide to make it a champagne afternoon tea with a glass of laurent perrier.

at your table, you are presented with a booklet to explain the inspiration and themes behind this season’s treats. every six months the menu changes to keep up with the changing fashion seasons. for this season, our tea included a chocolate biscuit heel inspired by manolo blahnik, a tory burch magenta bikini biscuit, a jason wu coconut hatbox, dolce and gabbana pistachio panna cotta, alexander mcqueen honeycomb cream, and a balenciaga chocolate mousse and brownie, just to name a few.

i tried to be adventurous and strayed away from my regular earl grey tea and tried a herbal infusion of posh pomelo and melon tea. it was like a party in a glass. i decided not to get a refill (the infusion tasted like sweets after awhile) which they happily took away and replaced with my beloved earl grey.

like the tea, the food was also refreshed. i didn’t care for the cucumber gazpacho, so they took this out and replaced it with extra roasted vegetable tarts. after two helpings of sandwiches and a refill on all the mini treats, my belly was bursting. i highly reccomend the taster spoon of foie gras with a mysterious condiment – it was as if willy wonka himself had made a magic spoon that tasted just like a roast dinner.

you do need to book in advance here but i had only booked a couple of weeks beforehand for 2 people on a sunday afternoon. any leftovers are placed in pretty little handbag shaped boxes for you to take home and show off to your friends.

did i miss the scones and clotted cream? definitely not- and it’s not just the lactose thing either. for a bit of quirk and charm, i’d pick the berkeley for tea any day.

the service and it was brilliant and the decoration was beautiful the black card was perfect i love the à la cart menu. highly recommend going here on a nice romantic date.

afternoon tea at the berkeley takes place in the caramel room and is aptly named prêt-à-portea. each part of the tea has been designed with various top fashion designers in mind. we had a lovely table by the window which was so well presented. the menus were brightly coloured and inside was a bright  and bold fashion slogan. mine read ‘work it’ and danny’s read ‘strike a pose’, i loved it already! the menu sounded amazing...

to begin with, the place is immensely beautiful and the service is incredibly good. this place has some fusion ready to cook menu which was really enticing. from presentation to interiors this place focused on every detail. coming to food, we were disappointed. one of the sandwich was horrible and desserts were not as delicious as they seemed to be. they could do better.

we visited a couple of restaurants and places that served desserts and of all the places we had visited caramel room turned out to be the one which possessed a wide range and variety of desserts. hence, we had ordered a few desserts which eventually turned out to be bland and vague. i held my hopes high due to their wide variety but the serving style and bland taste killed it all. i would rate it average.

i recently tried this place and was totally impressed by the exclusive experience. the food is excellent, especially the sandwiches and pastries which are cooked to perfection. the ambience is wonderful with beautiful decor and exudes an exclusive appeal. i would love to visit this place again.

i had gone to this place with my family. the food was absolutely delicious. the staff was also nice and the service provided by them was excellent. they kept refilling when they saw that our plates were empty. they also gave some goodies to take home with us . overall, a brilliant experience indeed.