De-Light afternoon tea | cheriecity.co.uk

COMO Shambhala at The Metropolitan Hotel

January 17, 2011 by cheriecity

In need of a kick-start to the new year, I headed to COMO Shambhala at The Metropolitan Hotel on Park Lane to treat my skin to a PURIFY Holistic Facial.

COMO Shambhala is all about holistic wellness – re-balancing your body and mind using potent natural and botanical ingredients.

Most facial treatments involve some degree of stress-busting and relaxation, but I was keen to experience the holistic approach and see how effective it would be.

Steam Room

I arrived around 15 minutes early and was offered use of the steam room before my treatment. The mosaic tiled steam room with tiny colour-changing star lights instantly relaxed my body and opened my pores before my treatment.

My therapist came to collect me when it was time for the facial and after a quick shower, I changed into my fluffy white robe and slippers and began with the medical survey.

Objectives

I was asked what was my main objective for the facial and I opted for radiance and clearing the congested areas of my skin.

Once I was settled on the treatment bed, the therapist placed a long cushion under my knees and an extra towel under my head for extra comfort. To keep my body balanced throughout the treatment, she placed a steamed herbal bolus under each of my hands.

This careful attention to detail make it feel like a full body treatment rather than just a facial, which is central to COMO Shambhala’s holistic philosophy.

The Facial

The facial began with a thorough cleanse and a relaxing PURIFY-infused steam compress. This was followed by a gentle exfoliation and a spritz of cooling toner. A layer of PURIFY Firming Hydrating Mask was then applied with a brush and my therapist gave me an invigorating arm and hand massage while it was working.

One of my favourite parts of the treatment was the hand massage, which involved interlocking hands with my therapist while she used circular movements to release the tension – it felt absolutely divine. My face was then massaged using natural oils and a herbal bolus, which helps detoxify and stimulate the skin using deep acupressure.

In between the two hydrating masks, I had some extraction to clear the congested areas of my skin. It wasn’t painful, but it did take me out of my holistic bubble for a minute or two. My extraction perseverance was rewarded with a long, heavenly shoulder, neck and head massage.

My second mask was then removed using the steamed compresses again and this time the therapist used four compresses in quick succession to really clear my skin. She then patted some light moisturiser onto my skin and that was the end of a blissful holistic spa journey.

Reviving Ginger Tea

I was gently brought round by my therapist, who told me to take my time getting up, while she prepared a hot drink for me. I was offered a cup of fiery ginger tea with manuka honey and lemon, which is made fresh every morning at the spa. It was so potent that I felt revitalised and lifted out of my dreamy daze.

I left feeling rejuvenated, cared for, walking on air and ready to tackle a brand new year – resolutions newly affirmed. The holistic experience really made me feel like my whole body had been revitalised, washing away all of the tension and bringing clarity and flowing energy.

Results

My skin felt instantly plump, smooth and hydrated. The effects lasted for days and my skin did look significantly more radiant.

If you’re celebrating with friends or just want to prolong the relaxation, The Metropolitan Hotel has a number of dining options, including Nobu, but I can personally recommend the scrumptious De-Light Afternoon Tea in The Met Bar.

The COMO Shambhala PURIFY Holistic Facial at The Metropolitan Hotel is priced at £80 for 75 minutes. For information and booking details, visit: www.comohotels.com

Chérie City was a guest of COMO Shambhala.

For more spa ideas, read my reviews of:

Afternoon tea, Cafes, London, Paris, Restaurants

A Very Foodie 2010…

January 3, 2011 by cheriecity

2010 has been a thoroughly foodie year for Chérie City and over the past year, I’ve unearthed some incredible discoveries – in fact, I’ve never eaten so well!

A mixture of new openings and long-time institutions, here are the top new finds of the year. If you’re feeling tempted, click to read Chérie City’s review…

10 favourite restaurants in London:

Cafe Luc – Marylebone’s neighbourhood Belgian bistro that outshines the rest!

Empress of India – Victoria Park gastro pub with seriously good seasonal dishes.

The Fish Place – Michelin-standard seasonal dishes…and not just fish!

Fox & Anchor – Mighty, hearty pub food with gourmet touches served up in the snug.

Camino Puerto Del Canario – Authentic Spanish produce and the best tapas I’ve ever tasted!

Belle Vue – Scrumptious Sunday Roast with well-seasoned meat and huge portions.

Mestizo – Traditional Mexican mole dishes with a huge selection of tequila.

Old Queen’s Head – Perfect Sunday Lunch with homemade Yorkshires and duck fat roast potatoes.

Dishoom – A Bombay Cafe in London with atmosphere and delectable dishes.

Moti Mahal – Grand Trunk road cuisine at its best with exceptional service.

Delectable cakes and afternoon tea:

Winter Tea at The Goring – The quintessential afternoon tea at London’s oldest family-run hotel.

Cox Cookies and Cakes – Cheeky fashion cupcakes from Soho’s suitably camp cupcake store.

De-Light Afternoon Tea at The Met Bar – Low-fat concept, haute cakes!

Ruinart Afternoon Tea at Miller Harris – The most refined and understated afternoon tea in Mayfair.

The Bridge, Shoreditch – The cakes aren’t the best in London, but it’s worth it for the weird and wonderful decor.

Albion at The Boundary – Forget the queue, grab a latte and slice of Victoria Sponge and take-out, cheaper too!

New Paris hangouts…

Hotel du Nord – Intimate, bobo and full of character with great food and nutty waiters.

Pink Flamingo – Punk rock pizza joints in Paris’ hip neighbourhoods – try the chicken tagine pizza!

Chez L’Ami Jean – Baskets of charcuterie, taster menus and chef Stéphane Jégo yelling from the kitchen.

Le Comptoir – 6 months wait for a table, but they Yves Camdeborde also does a cracking breakfast!

Le Chateaubriand – The place to see and be seen and the heart of the neo-bistro revolution – food with feeling!

Hotel Amour – André’s hotel lives up to the reputation with a buzzing atmosphere and pretty decent food.

La Tete Dans Les Olives – Tiny olive shop and dining table run by former slack rope walker, Cédric Casanova.

Rino – Quietly pushing the boundaries with a Nordic influence – a new favourite of Le Fooding.

New openings for 2011:

Dinner by Heston Blumenthal – modern British dishes with a bit of ‘Heston’ alchemy at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, opening January.

Pollen Street Social – Ex-Maze chef Jason Atherton’s first informal restaurant with a separate all-day tapas bar and dessert bar.

The Gilbert Scott – Marcus Wareing opens a British bistro at the spectacular St Pancras Renaissance Hotel in February.

Spice Market – NYC chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten opens Asian street food restaurant at the W Hotel on Valentine’s Day.

Chérie Wish List for 2011: Les Deux Salons / Tierra Brindisa / Koffmann’s / Bistro Bruno Loubert / Hotel Thoumieux / Chez Jeanette / La Cantine du Troquet.

Have you visited any of these restaurants? Which places are you dying to try out in the New Year?

Afternoon tea, Bars, Hotels - Luxury, London

Day of the Dead De-Light at The Met Bar

October 26, 2010 by cheriecity

Last night, I finished off a hard day of work at the Metropolitan Hotel on Park Lane for a special bloggers preview of the Met Bar’s new Day of the Dead De-Light afternoon tea.

The first to introduce a reduced calorie afternoon tea to London, the Met Bar recreates its De-Light tea with a seasonal twist – this summer’s tea was all boho and festival-inspired.

Rather than the usual Halloween, gore-fest afternoon tea, the Met Bar channels the colourful, party spirit of the ‘Dia de los Muertos’, Mexico’s uplifting day of remembrance and honouring family and friends that have passed.

The Day of the Dead De-Light afternoon tea comes beautifully presented on a tiered stand and is a flurry of vibrant sugar skulls, marigolds, coffins and oozing ‘blood’.

I loved the vanilla cupcake with a white chocolate and jam skull on a bed of cocoa nibs. But of course, my favourite was the most morbid of cakes – a dense coffin-shaped, chili chocolate mud pie with dark chocolate ganache and an ornate sugar icing skull.

It’s hard to be believe that such an indulgent, rich cake would be reduced fat, but the clever pastry chefs at the Met Bar substitute flour with ground almonds.

The Met also forsakes dull, traditional, triangle-cut sandwiches for its famous no-bread sandwich pots containing Mexican fillings such as a jalapeno foam, crayfish and tequila jelly, and chicken fajita with sour cream and refried bean mousse.

Unlike many miniature afternoon teas in London, the cakes at the Met are generously sized and the tea really is a feast worthy of the Dia de los Muertos.

The ‘healthier’ concept for the afternoon tea works by using a number of calorie-reducing tricks, such as substituting regular flour for rice flour, avoiding heavy carbs like bread, using fruit purées, creme fraiche instead of clotted cream, olive oil instead of butter and a lighter, whipped frosting for the cupcakes.

The chefs also pay attention to sourcing local produce and using organic ingredients where possible.

The result is an afternoon tea that doesn’t cut corners on flavour or even size, but leaves you to get on with the rest of your day feeling content and not swearing off sugar for a week!

If you’re looking for a Halloween night out that doesn’t involve the usual devils and black cats, the Met Bar is hosting a fabulous Day of the Dead party on Saturday 30th October.

The Met Bar will be transformed with giant sugar skulls and festive decorations. Guests can also expect complimentary Tequila cocktails on arrival and amazing in-house make-up artists for a Los Muertos make-over!

Fancy dress is not essential but certainly encouraged. Email alex.carle@metropolitan.como.bz to put you and your friends on the guestlist.

Day of the Dead De-Light will be running for a limited time from 26th October – 2nd November 2010 at the Met Bar. For reservations, call (020) 7447 4757.

* Chérie City was a guest of the Met Bar.