the collins room - the berkeley

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 teasandwicheswere 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!

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 minisandwichesand burgers, along with a steaming pot of tea. thesandwichesincluded 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!

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 ofsandwichesand 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.

i recently tried this place and was totally impressed by the exclusive experience. the food is excellent, especially thesandwichesand 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 love this place for their delicious littlesandwichesand their cakes and cookies. this is a perfect spot to take your partner out for a date, and have a really fun time. the service was amazing, and after we were offered a refill of almost everything we ordered, we asked for the bill and it was presented to us in cute little take-away bags. it was an amazing experience and i would love to visit this place again.

one of my favorite cafes that serve excellent tea and coffee. they have a nice and sweet collection of sweets and minisandwichesalso. the desserts are delicious. the must try are the pink polka dot cakes and the various flavors of tea. the cafe is a gem with beautiful view and a calm ambiance.

the tea consists of your choice of any of the many delicious tea choices (i went with the pear caramel, mmm), a plate of mini-finger sandwiches, and a dessert stand full of tiny desserts inspired by each of the designer's collection pieces. my favorite treats were the manolo blahnik pink polka dot cake with gianduja cream and the prada nougatine and beriolette mousse with geometric pattern, although i really did like everything on the stand (sweet tooth problems..). we also chowed down on some yummy fingersandwichesand scones with clot