Tea in London

I recently returned from a trip to London, and one of the most memorable experiences would have to be the tea I had with my sister at Bea's of Bloomsbury. Tucked away along a row of unassuming little shops, this shop has blown me away with its freshly made, simple yet delectable desserts which I still have cravings for every now and then. 

Here are some of the wonderful things we ate:

a) Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake

Look at it. Just look at the generous amounts of peanut butter and chocolate. I love how they put crushed peanuts on the cake for texture as well. Soooo good. The cheesecake had specks of vanilla bean in it, and was crumbly (indicating how fresh it was!!). My sister and I were devastated when the cake disappeared (not exaggerating), we even considered walking back in the cold to get another slice. All in all, a crumbly, fudgy and chocolately dessert that you would want to give a try!

b) Raspberry Vanilla Cupcake

There were so many cupcakes to choose from but I decided to go for this one as the other desserts that I had taken away were so rich that I felt the need to get something fruity to balance things out (and also convince myself that I was eating something "healthy"; fruit = healthy? No?). Haha just kidding. There was nothing healthy about this cupcake, but it was pretty decent. 

The best part about this cupcake was the frosting - so light, yet it had such a lovely raspberry taste to it. It was just right, not too sweet, not too overpowering - just the perfect pairing for the buttery vanilla cupcake. The cupcake itself was okay, I wished it were less dense, but then I realized that the slightly denser cupcake paired well with the light-as-air frosting, so I had no complaints.

c) Carrot Loaf (carrot cake with cream cheese frosting)

I have a confession to make - out of the 10 days I spent in London, I went to Bea's twice, and had this cake twice. It was THAT good. The ratio of cream cheese frosting to the moist carrot loaf was perfect each time, and I love how the loaf (cake) wasn't too sweet. The frosting, however, made this cake a hundred times better. The tanginess and richness of the cream cheese frosting paired really well with the moist cake. Mmm. 

d) Lemon Meringue Cheesecake

Words can't even begin to describe the joy I experienced while having this cake. Even so, I shall try to explain how mindblowingly-good this was. You take the first bite - the richness of the cream cheese hits you. Slowly you begin to taste the lemon curd-like filing, tangy - but not too sour that it kills your taste buds. The torched meringue bit of the cake adds a fluffiness to the bite, making sure the mouthful of cheesecake isn't too heavy for the palette. Then you begin to think back to the lemony bit of the cake - was that really all lemon? I must have tasted some other fruit in there! Then you realize that they cleverly put some passionfruit in for a little kick. Absolute bliss on a plate. 

If you're in London, heed my advice - head down to Bea's of Bloomsbury for a treat like no other. You'll be floating all the way back home on cloud 9.

-J