Starbucks Soy Chai Latte | THE VERDICT

Hello!

"I am a huge fan of masala in my chai, and this drink definitely had it."

It has been a while since a Starbucks Verdict has been made on BBXO. In fact, the last was in the festive season during the Red Cup phase! Oh, the good ol' days!

The weather in England has been quite confusing, I'm talking very sunny but freezing, and Spring showers occasionally popping into the equation. What more than a Chai Latte to get us through the day?

I am Indian, so if anyone knows what a Chai Latte should taste like, it's us! Let's put it this way: Starbucks did not disappoint. The kick of ginger was incredible, and the warmth of the drink made me feel 10x better! I am a huge fan of masala in my chai, and this drink definitely had it.

So, you may ask: Why the soy milk? Well, I love watching a bit of MissGlamorazzi, a.k.a. Ingrid, on YouTube and remember her raving about the Iced Soy Chai Latte, however, the other day when I ordered, it was pouring down with rain and I couldn't bare to have an iced tea, so went with the warm version. It was incredible. The frothiness of the soy made the drink taste very yummy!

The verdict: Starbucks, you've got it down to the T (T, tea, geddit? Oh the puns!) with your Soy Chai Latte. Nicely done!

If you're a fan of ginger and spice in your tea, get a soy chai latte next time you're in Starbucks - you can thank me later ;)

Have you tried teas in Starbucks? If so, what's your favourite?

Afternoon Tea at The Colonnade Hotel, London | FOOD

Hello!

"the good thing about Afternoon Tea, it's all very relaxed, calm and you're not in a rush to go anywhere - utter bliss"

Afternoon Tea is a great way to spend an afternoon. You may have noticed it becoming a reoccurring topic on BBXO (see here and here). Yet, this time, the weather decided to treat us a little better, and the sun was shining. All the other times I've been, it's been pouring down with rain! Nonetheless, let's take a peak into the beautiful Colonnade Hotel. 

First things first, we went around in circles and passed the place about twice before found it! It was quite discrete and the only sign was a little menu (pictured in the title). I've got to admit, the area was beautiful, but more on that later. 

The atmosphere was light, and the glass roof ensured the sun was shining through and making everything look 10x prettier! You had to walk down stairs to the seating area and enter a pastel coloured room, with pastel paintings and very clean, white plates and cups, which instantly makes you feel calm. That's the good thing about Afternoon Tea, it's all very relaxed, calm and you're not in a rush to go anywhere - utter bliss. 

"What's an English Afternoon Tea without Scones?"

As for the tea, there was a range to choose from. Although the range was not that big, it was enough to get something you liked. We went for the Darjeeling, and although it was my first time trying it, I fell in love! Such a beautiful, mellow and slightly sweet tea. 

The food was lovely, and to my surprise, there were macarons! In all the places I've had tea, I've never had macarons included! Oh, and they did taste amazing! Mine was pink, but didn't have a particular flavour, it was a plain macaron sporting all of the glorious texture it's known for. 

What's an English Afternoon Tea without Scones? They gave us jam in a cute little jar that was just adorable! It tasted amazing too. 

"You can bet your bottom dollar that I instagrammed that!"

Of all the other Afternoon Tea places I've been to, this is definitely been one of the best. I loved the light, airy atmosphere, the polite staff and the lovely treats. If you're looking for a place to go to on a lovely sunny day, definitely check out The Colonnade Hotel near Little Venice. 

Speaking of the area, it is absolutely stunning. The buildings are white with huge doors and pillars. It was like a dream! You can bet your bottom dollar that I instagrammed that! But more on the area will be coming to a blog near you very soon, so keep your eyes peeled! ;)

All in all, a wonderful place to visit, I would definitely recommend you go. Plus, there's a beautiful canal a mere 5 minute walk away - a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Tell me, have you tried Darjeeling, and what's your favourite tea? 

Afternoon Tea at No. 12 Bloomsbury, London

Hello!

"To our surprise, it tasted like a pizza in a sandwich!"

Afternoon tea is the perfect way to spend a day off, with people you'd like to sit with for 3 hours and talk until the cows come home! What's more, when it's raining outside, afternoon tea tastes just that much better!

Tea is known for the British, and London has a million and one places for you to enjoy it! We went with this place: Number Twelve, Bloomsbury. Based in the heart of London, with wonderful buildings giving that true admiration of British culture. Although the pillars pictured above has nothing to do the tea itself, I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to take a snap and take a moment for architecture!

"next thing you know it's super bitter and not chocolate-y at all!"

The café itself is actually quite the opposite of traditional English. It is quite modern, contemporary should I say, and gives off a clean, fresh vibe. It's quite beautiful and there's such open-ness about it - possibly due to the beautiful high ceilings and crisp white accents.

The tables were spacious and the tea menu decent. I say decent because at first we were going to give Darjeeling a shot, as it was on the back of the menu, and then they say, "well, we only have certain teas available, shown on the inside cover of the menu". This did not include Darjeeling so we went for the good ol' English Breakfast and Ceylon. Ceylon was a nice tea, but it wouldn't be one I'd order again. Darjeeling is next on the hit list!

"We weren't left out to dry before they gave us our teas"

In terms of the cutlery, which I didn't think I'd mention today, it was beautiful! I love big cups, and this cup was big and it had a fancy contemporary design! What more could I ask for? Although my ideal cup would be the same volume but taller instead of wide - okay that was tmi! Continuing with this, the knives and forks were incredibly light! It was lovely.
I still find it incredibly weird to write about the cup and knives and forks, but it had to be thrown in there! ;)

The sandwiches were super yummy! What we did was have the ones we thought would be the not-so-nice ones first - which was the tomato one. To our surprise, it tasted like a pizza in a sandwich! Absolutely delightful!

As for the treats dish - there were scones, scones with raisins, tarts and two sets of dense bread/cake type of things with dried fruit in them. The dried fruit things were not that great. In fact, one of them looked like a chocolate brownie, so we saved it to last - next thing you know it's super bitter and not chocolate-y at all!

To top it all off, the scones were served with the most delicious blackberry jam (as well as strawberry jam and clotted cream). All of this served in the most interesting cake tray ever!

"when it's raining outside, afternoon tea tastes just that much better!"

Another great thing, which is quite important in any place you go, is the staff. They were lovely, efficient and super friendly! We weren't left out to dry before they gave us our teas and tray of goodies. They came fairly quickly and overall, pretty satisfied!

A great place to visit if in London and fancy some contemporary Afternoon Tea! Without a doubt an upgrade from last time and definitely one that upped the standards of Afternoon Tea.

What is your favourite type of tea, have you given Darjeeling a go?

Afternoon Tea in London: The Knightsbridge Garden Hotel

Hello!

"I was a little disappointed as all they really needed was to stock up on the Twinings"

Living in London my whole life and never gone out for 'Afternoon Tea' - a disgrace? Quite possibly. Well, this is no longer a valid statement as last weekend, I did go out for Afternoon Tea and I can honestly say, I'd do it again.

"a pleasant mix of sweet and savoury to mix and match, and not get too sick of the same flavour"

Take the train to Knightsbridge and a mere 5 minutes walk later, pass the beautiful buildings and a huge poster of Cara Delevingne on the wall of Burberry, you see a white shop which looks calm around the hustle and bustle of the christmas shoppers on the high street. You enter into a room of utter silence. The wooden floors give a natural vibe and the monochrome outfits of the waiters suggest an ordered environment. After being taken to the room, you choose your table and are given an option: Champagne or Juice. From the picture above you can tell, I chose the latter.

"a cake stand with food and a cup of tea - alongside chatting with good company, it was a great day"

The juice tasted something poured out of a Tesco Value carton - not exactly the best thing in the world, but that's okay. The main beverage of the day was the tea, of course. Given a tea menu and asked to make a selection - I didn't know what to choose. Going with a friend meant you could choose and share more than one type of tea, as each order meant an entire teapot of the flavour. She went with English Breakfast and I felt something a little different: How about the Pomegranate White Tea, I asked. A little while later the waitress returned and said they're out. I was a little disappointed as all they really needed was to stock up on the Twinings tea bags, as that is what they used. Earl Grey it is, then, I responded. 

"jam and butter on the side of the scones was a nice touch"

Out came the cake stand with one layer of sandwiches, one of cakes and bakes, and of course a layer of the traditional scones. It was nice to share as it meant getting a bit of everything without having to finish it all and be extremely full! There was a pleasant mix of sweet and savoury to mix and match, and not get too sick of the same flavour. My favourite of them all was the brownie - dense and full of flavour. 

"never gone out for 'Afternoon Tea' - a disgrace? Quite possibly."

A nice little table on the side, with a view of the high street, a cake stand with food and a cup of tea - alongside chatting with good company, it was a great day. Overall, it was pretty simple, with regular service to see if there was anything else we wanted, and the atmosphere being calm, relaxing and just lovely.

"I did go out for Afternoon Tea and I can honestly say, I'd do it again"

Unfortunately my earl grey tasted extremely lemony, possibly because the previous tea in the teapot must have been lemon flavoured and not washed off properly. That tea was undrinkable, but due to an entire teapot being given with each order, we shared the English Breakfast, with still some to spare.
The jam and butter on the side of the scones was a nice touch, meaning we didn't have to ask for anything more.

On the whole, a lovely experience, a relaxing atmosphere and a nice area in London. Although I wouldn't go to the same place again, simply to visit new places. Would I go out for Afternoon Tea again? Most definitely!

Tell me, is Afternoon Tea something you formally have everyday, or do you grab a quick snack if you feel a bit peckish?

Recipe: My FAVOURITE Chai Tea Latte

Hello!

I am OBSESSED with Chai Tea. Not just any chai tea, but MY chai tea latte - with fresh flavours and all authentic-ness!

My family and I have separate teas in the morning - the same type of tea, just made differently. Loads of people find that extremely weird and at first my family did too! There are so many ways of making chai tea lattes - most of which I have not tried such as the Iced Soy Chai Tea Latte from Starbucks or Iced Chai Tea Lattes in general....

My Chai Tea Latte may seem like 'effort' to make but to me its worth it!

Recipe:
- 3/4 cups water
- 1/4 cups milk of choice (personal favourite: Almond milk)
- 1 teaspoon black tea leaves (or 1 teabag)
- little bit of Ginger
- 3 Cloves
- some Cinnamon
- dash Black Pepper
- smaller dash Nutmeg
- some Cardamon

Method:
- add water, boiled to make it quicker, spices (except cardamon) and tea leaves on stove
- let it boil and boil up a little, when it does, add milk
- add cardamon
- keep on stove until it boils up again
- then it's done!

Well, as you can see not all of the ingredients are very precise... that's because I just kind of throw things together - what I really like about this recipe is that it's very flexible. If I feel like having more cinnamon then I'll add more cinnamon, if I want more ginger, I'll add more ginger! It's very good that way (just make sure you don't add too much nutmeg and black pepper, it can go terribly wrong)!

You may find this not nice at all but I love it. To be honest, I don't use these exact measurements as I'm quite cheeky and make 2 cups out of this... yes, 2 cups JUST FOR ME! I love this and recently have been having it at least once a day (technically twice a day as I make it yield 2 cups - but I have 2 cups at once, so once a day? This is all way too confusing!). The way I make it 2 cups is by adding more water and milk but leaving the spices the same.


Anyway, now that it's autumn and the weather is colder, it feels even better to sip on this!

The way my family makes chai tea latte with 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup milk (cow's milk), 1 tsp tea leaves, 2 tsp sugar per cup (as well as a pinch of ground chai tea spice)! If you want to try that, its nice too - mine's just a little extra and has a lot of spices!

What's your favourite morning drink? Are you a coffee or tea drinker?
Leave a comment!

Weekly Roundup #5

Hello!

What a crazy week it's been. Is it just me or do you also get the feeling that on one hand this week has raced by but when you think about it, it's actually gone reeeaaaalll slow? Hmm, I don't know!

Anyway this week was the last of my summer so most of it was just spent relaxing. To be honest, having a holiday longer than 2 months with nothing to do is a drag. I prefer being busy. Okay, at first it felt like heaven: NOTHING to do is perfection, but then after about 3 weeks it really did just get too much! I guess it's right when they say that what's perceived is always greater than reality. We should just keep dreaming, then, hey? :D

Anyway so the first of my favourites was finishing reading my book. Favourite Past-time: Reading

Being it the holidays, and having nothing to do, you would expect there to be MORE time to read, right? Wrong. I found that by the time I went to bed I would be knackered and wouldn't have the energy to read! I usually read in my bed before going to sleep - but in order to finish this book, I took advantage of the beautiful weather in London and lay out in my garden with the book. Be sure to check out a BerryReads post on this soon! :D

Food Favourite: Tea

Well, this isn't really a food, more of a beverage, but on the way back from the beach on the day before Bank Holiday Monday I wanted to get a nice hot beverage. Earlier I had a vanilla coffee latte so I didn't want another coffee, also it was closer to bedtime so... yes. Saying that, it doesn't mean this tea was caffeine free, I think it was but I am not too sure. Anyway, this is a favourite this week because I love holding these cups when walking around, the tea itself? Meh, it was ok. haha! It wasn't my favourites but it wasn't terrible. To be honest, I couldn't taste a lot of it because I burnt my gum because I took a big sip of the boiling hot water, silly me!

Favourite thing to look at: My Flowers!

Well, I think I told you but I have flowers on my bathroom windowsill that I like to keep to brighten up the room (and add a little pink!) and for a while they didn't have the best blooms.  Oh, and you can probably tell I like blooms - BerryBLOOMxo, HELLO! haha! So, when they weren't blooming, I was wandering why. Maybe because I wasn't watering them enough. I decided to sod the 'you're going to overwater and kill it' thought in my mind and give the plant lots of water every so often. I used to be very strict and only water it like 2 times a week but now I just water it whenever I feel like it (sometimes 3 days straight) and it seems to be doing great. Even if it's got some water in the soil already, I like to give it more, and now they look lovely!

I guess this relates to life: water/ fill life with what it needs very often and you will bloom! Which relates to health as well, feed your body with the nutrition it needs and your health will be great! I should be listening to my own advice right now too!

Anyway I hope you had a great week and rock out, or relax, during the weekend!
What are your plans? Maybe buy some flowers to brighten up your room?

Weekly Roundup #3

Hello!

Welcome to the THIRD of the series of Weekly Roundup, where I roundup my week for YOU. Does that remind you of all of the lawyer shows out there when they say 'We'll fight for YOU.' anyway...

This week was quite eventful in the kitchen for me... I made a bunch of things I had never made before such as Chili Con Carne, Cheese and Onion Pasties and.... *drumroll*

GRANOLA! I really like oatmeal/porridge but in the summer I tend not to lean towards it but more towards the cold cereals, granola includes a range of dried fruit, nuts and seeds as well as cooked oats. The way I made this was by layering oats and some nuts and seeds in the oven and 'stirring'/mixing it around every couple of minutes until the oats turned a golden brown. I then added some honey and let to cool. It turned out quite nicely, but next time I think I'll add the honey first. I actually received the idea from the Sorted Food boys, who are so fun to watch on YouTube! This granola included pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds, peanuts, dry dates, raisins and cashews - a range of vitamins and minerals which is great for your body. As well as that, there were no added sugars other than the natural sweetness of honey - unlike shop bought granola, this is very healthy for you. If you would like a full post on this, let me know!

Speaking of health benefits, I was scrolling through my twitter feed and found this image:

Image from HERE

It lists the benefits of certain types of teas! I LOVE chai tea lattes - which is Black Tea with spices - I had no idea that it is great for those with diabetes! This may seem a little weird but I am SO interested in diabetes, production of insulin and all that, although nobody in my immediate family is diabetic, other than my uncle, who I don't see everyday. Come to think of it, he does drink black tea 3-4 times a day, hmm, maybe that's why! Anyway, I have been having my chai tea latte fix almost everyday this week, maybe I should have feautred that in this weeks roundup! Oh well, maybe next time? If you haven't tried Chai tea latte, you should! Honestly, you will not regret it! It also has a range of health benefits from various spices as well as the black tea base itself. I've heard the Starbucks Chai Tea Latte with soy milk is good!

Finally this is me with a face mask on.

I haven't done a face mask in a VERY long time, and oddly enough, I decided to do one at 2am in the morning. Basically we went to a party and I came home at 2am but wasn't sleepy. So when I went to do my usual face routine, instead of putting on my moisturiser, I put on this face mask and left it on while I read my book. It was quite relaxing yet very odd of me to do so at that time of day - well, night. Anyway, it was fun! haha!

Well, that was my weekly roundup - don't forget to check out last weeks roundup featuring cute animals, moustaches and yummy food/treats!

Keep blooming, berries!
xoxo, BerryBloomXO