Tag Archives: desserts

L’Orchidee Westfield London | Restaurant Review

Posted on by

L’Orchidee is situated in The Village, the luxury arm of Westfield. It is in an island, giving you a great view of the hustle and bustle of Westfields, whilst also being a place of calm and serenity. It is incredibly glamarous and I feel like I am in an episode of Gossip Girl while I sit in the luxurious, beautiful surroundings, cocktail in hand.

A band is playing, usually it is just a piano, the lovely manager tells me, this time it is much noisier and a trumpet player had joined in the fun. The entire experience is wonderful and we haven’t even ordered any food yet.

I have the Lobster Brioche. Which is brioche with lobster, salmon roe and curried mussels. It is amazing and comes with a salad on the side with a great dressing. My colleague has Confit of Duck with Caramelized Onion. I am obsessed with anything curried favourite and I love lobster so the lobster brioche was perfect for me. It really was superb and unique. It was a good portion too, the lobster was great, as was the salmon roe and the curried mussels were perfectly judged: not too overpowering. The duck confit sandwich was also superb, it came with a good salad and dressing and some amazing terra chips. It is full of flavour and the duck is delicious and goes fantastically with the onion.

L’Orchideesandwich

L’Orchideewestfieldlondon

L’Orchideelobsterroe

cocktail

cocktails

We also tasted some of L’Orchidee’s amazing cocktails. Two of our favourites were the English Rose cocktail – Syrup de Rose, Creme de Cassis, Prosecco and gin, finished with rose petals and the Hazelnut Alexander – Frangelico, dark cocoa liquor brandy, hazelnut puree, and double cream. There cocktails are brilliant. I am going to work my way through their entire cocktail menu.

For dessert I have the amazing Black Magic which is Dark chocolate and passion fruit, coconut scented base, topped with dark chocolate glaze and finished with passion fruit macarons. It was all kinds of wonderful and is one of the best desserts I have ever had in my life. I still have dreams about it. The passion fruit works very well and all of the ingredients work well together. My colleague had the Zoe: Tender chocolate and almond dacquoise biscuit finished by our apricot preserved chocolate ganache and raspberries. It was also very good.

We finished off with some macaroons. A passion fruit one and a ferrero rocher one. We will definitely be going back to L’Orchidee. We loved everything about it and definitely want to sample their Champagne afternoon tea – specialty mini pastries and macaroons from their chef’s selection, with the hand-picked distinctive Mecier Brut champagne. This is a wonderful Parisian patisserie in the heart of bustling Westfield. The one in Westfield London has just opened but there is also one in Westfield Stratford.

L’Orchideecocktails

L’Orchideecocktail

L’Orchideedessert

L’Orchideefood

L’Orchideelondon

L’Orchideemacaroon

L’Orchideewestlondon

L’Orchideelondon

L’Orchidee is a must go: stunning food and cocktails, wonderful, relaxing surroundings and great service. We will be regulars now.

How To Make Your Own Top Notch Desserts This Christmas

Posted on by

With only 19 sleeps to go until Santa comes shooting down the chimney, everyone’s now fully getting into the festive spirit; more and more gifts are getting ticked off wish-lists, many of us have already had our first mince pie of the festive season, and we’re all finding ourselves singing along to the Christmas classics being played on our favourite radios stations in the morning.

But, it’s normally around this time when we also have to turn our thoughts to buying something else other than the presents; the food. Yes, that’s right, it’s time to grab the best turkey, all the trimmings, and hunt out all of the supermarkets for the best Christmas trifle. After all, it’s not always the turkey that’s the star of the feast on Christmas Day – because, for some, it’s the dessert.

But, rather than turning to the supermarkets for help, why don’t you try something different this year? Get all the family involved and make your own Christmas desserts!

So, if you’re playing host on Christmas Day this year, why not wow your guests with some of these quick and easy festive dessert creations:

 

 

Banoffee Pie (Serves 4-6):

Ingredients:

250g digestive biscuits
100g butter, melted, plus a little extra for greasing
400g dulce de leche (sometimes sold as caramel)
2 bananas, peeled and sliced
300ml double cream
2 tbsp grated dark chocolate

Method:

1. Place the biscuits into a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Transfer to a mixing bowl and stir in the melted butter, mixing well to combine.

2. Place the mixture into a lightly greased 20cm/8in loose-bottomed cake tin and press down into the base and up along the sides. Place in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.

3. Spoon the dulce de leche over the biscuit base, and then cover with a layer of sliced bananas.

4. Put the cream through a cream whipper with the help of a nitrous oxide charger, and decorate the pie on top with whipped cream and grated chocolate.

5. Slice into wedges and serve.

Raspberry and Cherry Trifle (Serves 10):

Ingredients:

10 boudoir (sponge) biscuits
2 x 250g punnets of cherries, stoned
5 tbsp cherry brandy or crème de cassis
2 x 125g raspberries, washed
4 meringue nests, crushed
1 litre/1 ¾ pint ready-made custard
400 ml double cream
110g dark chocolate, grated
55g toasted flaked almonds

Method:

1. Choose either a large glass bowl or small individual glasses. Break the boudoir biscuits into pieces and sprinkle at the bottom of the bowl(s).

2. Pile the cherries on top and spoon over the cherry brandy.

3. Sprinkle the meringue nests on top of the cherries and then sprinkle the raspberries on top.

4. Pour the custard over the entire ingredients and chill for 10 minutes.

5. Whip the cream either by hand or with the help of whipping cream dispenser, and carefully decorate on top of the custard. 

6. Sprinkle generously with the chocolate and flaked almonds, and serve.

 

But, don’t just stop at making your own desserts this year! If you’re looking for an alternative drink to serve on the table rather than the standard Bucks Fizz this year, then why not try making this (adults only) festive drink suggestion – just remember to make enough of it for when everyone asks for more!

The Granny Apple Cocktail (Alcoholic – Serves 1):

Ingredients:

1 oz apple schnapps
½ oz brands
½ oz irish cream
2 scoops ice cream
½ oz double cream
1 pinch ground cinnamon

Method:

1. Simply combine all the ingredients (excluding the cream and cinnamon) into a blender and blend well until fully mixed together.

2. Pour into a cocktail glass over ice.

3. Whip the cream and decorate on top with cream and dusted cinnamon. Serve, enjoy and remember to drink responsibly!

MADD Dessert on Rupert Street | Reviews.

Posted on by

I love mango. I cook with it all the time and I put it in all of my sandwiches – don’t recoil, try it!- I also have the sweetest tooth in West London. So MADD was made for me. You can make your own desserts and the majority of them are all mango. Yum. I took Frost writer Mary Tynan and went to review the goodies. It’s a hard job….

Apart from the mango concept MADD has another niche: you can build your own dessert. It’s fun and fabulous. You can be as creative as you like.

I tried the Siam. Sweet coconut sticky rice with mango. Tastes amazing and very different. Also has a raspberry? sauce. Really good. All of the different consistencies and tastes work together amazingly.

The Mango creme brulee – one word: wow. It tastes amazing. It is cooked perfectly. And does that cracking thing.

Mango upside down cake, god, how did I live for so long without knowing this existed. Absolutely stunning. Tastes like heaven.

I also had the mango passion fruit fool – sweet and delicious.

I also had a mango smoothie, because it was only lunchtime and I had to go back to London Fashion Week after my sweet lunch I didn’t try any of their cocktails or shots. Maybe next time.

The wonderful owners Ralph and Jonathan are friendly, creative and enthusiastic. It is impossible not to like them and want them to do well. They even let me take a coca-cola cupcake. It may sound weird but it is one of the most amazing things I have ever tasted.

If you don’t like mango then MADD do non-mango desserts. They also do tea and coffee.

MADD are on Rupert Street. No.53. Go try them out.

MADD BOASTS DESSERT SOLUTION FOR THE HEALTH CONSCIOUS

MADD (a.k.a. mango addiction), the UK’s first dessert and drinks lounge dedicated to the “king of fruits,” opened its doors to Soho diners on December 5th. Aimed at changing the dining habits of London’s inhabitants, MADD offers a healthy and delicious alternative to the fast-food options littering London. Set in a location renowned for its fried fare, Rupert Street is the perfect setting to introduce this nourishing Eastern concept to the West.

Ralph Monthienvichienchai and Jon Sivak, the creators of MADD, hope to share the health benefits of the mango with their outpouring of customers. Every part of the mango is beneficial; of its many medicinal properties, the mango tree is purported to offer anti-viral, anti-septic, anti-parasitic, anti-tussive (cough), and anti-asthmatic effects. It can also be used as a cardiotonic, aphrodisiac, and a digestive aid. Mangoes are not only high in prebiotic dietary fibre and vitamin C, but they contain antioxidant vitamins A and E, as well as B6, K, potassium, and 17 amino acids. The mango may even help prevent prostate and skin cancers. A good MADD addict will not only be able to satisfy their sweet tooth craving, but they will also lower their cholesterol, cleanse their blood, decrease the effects of aging on their skin, and increase their general happiness and wellbeing.

In a bid to improve the city’s nutrition, MADD also offers a vast selection of replenishing drinks, coffees and teas, including the irresistible “MADD Smoothie”, a signature blend of mango, coconut, and greek yogurt, sweetened with a squeeze of organic honey.

MADD revels in bringing the freshest mangoes of the season to ensure that the nutrition and flavours will never disappoint. MADD enters the winter season with the beautiful sun-kissed mangoes from down under, introducing the Aussie Queensland Kensington Pride mangoes to Londoners everywhere.