Saturday Afternoon Tea at Cox & Baloney

Afternoon tea in Bristol has been steadily making a bit of a comeback, it has definitely gained in popularity with more venues offering the service. About two Saturdays ago it was gloriously sunny and actually pretty hot, I had a date with Jamie and Jane and we were off to try Cox & Baloney on Cheltenham road.  We arrived around 2.30 and it was really busy, we had stupidly not booked a table but luckily fate was smiling down on us that day and a table was just exiting.  First off the bat Cox & Baloney is right up my street decor wise full of kitsch nicknacks and a shop next door with vintage clothing and petticoats galore. 

wonderful record player sideboard providing the music

We sat down at a little table with mismatched chairs and a lovely chintzy tablecloth and enjoyed our surroundings. The first thing I will say is that the theme running through our visit there was the service. Everything took for ever to happen, our order was placed, then checked, then rechecked and then it arrived slightly wrong, the staff were really sweet but it all seemed a bit disordered. As I said it was really busy so it could have been an off day, however I have heard reports after  mentioning this to friends that they have had similar experiences.

The menu was full of tempting delights and I kicked myself for having scoffed a bucket load of macaron's earlier in the day, for wedding food testing purposes of course, so I really didn't fancy a cream tea. Luckily Cox & Baloney have a good dose of non cakey things to please those of a more savoury tooth. Jane and Jamie both picked Ethel's cream tea tower for two and I settled on one of Thelma's toasties the mature cheddar, slow roasted ham and local chutney plus a pot of Daisy's homebrew tea, a mix of Earl grey and English breakfast.

toastie

As you can see the presentation for the cream tea was beautiful and according to the girls tasted amazing. It did make me rather jealous that I had not ordered one but there was no way my low level of sugar tolerance could take any more sugar that day. However my toastie was rather delicious, the cheddar was nice and strong, the ham thick but the pièce de résistance was that local chutney, it was sublime, forget your Branston pickle this was the real deal. It was tangy, sweet and yet very moreish, yes I realise this is just a chutney but oh what a chutney! I would love to know where this came from so if anyone has any tip offs let me know. 

So the verdict? Cox & Baloney is a paradise for kitsch lovers like me, their food certainly cuts the mustard they just need to work on the service. However if you have no time limits do spend a leisurely afternoon in their comfy armchairs it is a wonderful way to while away the upcoming Autumnal days with a hot cup of tea in a proper teacup and saucer. I am looking forward to returning to sample the full afternoon tea experience, I shall clear a whole afternoon to devote to it's greatness. To check out what Cox & Baloney have to offer visit their website.

Mini Visit to Cordial & Grace

It was a rainy Saturday afternoon, no change for our current Summer, and we had arranged to go for a tea with Boz and Jamie in Clifton Village. Tentatively heading to Boston Tea Party, we met there and it was packed, finding a spot for tea in Clifton at the weekend can sometimes be a mission. We passed by Cordial & Grace and it did not look quite as busy so we decided to chance it.

A really sweet cafe especially if you are into crafts. They have lots of sewing nights and craft workshops for you to join in on. Really gives the place a homey feel, very kitsch and girly, the boys didn't look super comfortable surrounded by all the cuteness but I loved it.

Craft Table at Cordial & Grace

Crafty Wall

I ordered a pot of chai tea and some Welsh rarebit crumpets whilst everyone else had a cold drink from their selection of coolers on the menu. My tea rocked up with a super twee cup and saucer, which I loved because by looking at other tables not all the cups were the same and I actually really like it when crockery doesn't match. The tea also came with an egg timer to show when my tea would be properly brewed and ready to drink, which was a nice touch, shows the venue cares about a good cuppa.

Kitsch Tea Cup of Joy

My Welsh rarebit crumpets arrived and smelt delicious, which was exactly what they turned out to be. Grain mustard and strong cheese oozed from every little mini cave that make crumpets so special. I do not know what they did to these crumpets but they were fantastic, most satisfying savoury afternoon treat I have had the fortune of tasting.

Welsh Rarebit Topped Crumpets

Perfect little independent tea venue with the personal touch great for a rainy afternoon catch up with friends definitely check it out if you are in the area I definitely plan on returning to sample some of their delicious looking cakes. For information on sewing meet ups or just a look at their tea, cake and general food menu check out their website.

Obligatory Pinky Out 

Mini Post about Boston Tea Party

Ever since one popped up in Bath, where I grew up, I have always enjoyed visiting the Boston Tea Party (BTP) cafes. There is something very friendly, welcoming and unassuming about them. Over the years they have added to their menu and it is so much more than a place to get coffee. Although I don't drink coffee, Rich does, I know two coffee addicts who pick Boston Tea Party as their preferred java dose venue of choice.

Last weekend I met up with the girls for a catch up at the BTP on Park Street and I went for my usual chai tea latte, sweet spicy warming perfection, and a slice of carrot cake. A wedge is more like how it should be described, it was enormous, Jamie went for tea and a wedge of coffee cake. Luckily Elisa was on hand to help us out but even between 3 of us it was a struggle to finish!

Carrot cake is easily in my top three cakes of all time (the others being Victoria sponge with vanilla buttercream and a spiced apple loaf) and this one was very nice indeed, moist, textured and vanilla frosting. Delicious.

So although most people already frequent these lovely cafes dotted around Bristol it is always best to go local, so consider popping in to here or anywhere local to support different places instead of the generic coffee places that spring up anywhere and everywhere. Visit Boston Tea Party's website here to get a peak at what they do.

After Work Tea at Papaji's

Last week Jayne and I wanted to go for tea and cake after work around Whiteladies, trying to wean myself off Deco Lounge I suggested Papaji's as I had never been. I was excited by the fact they had 74 teas to choose from, although I wasn't sure what the cake situation would be.

When we walked in it did feel like more of a bar than a tea house. I think the balance of a cafe/bar is a hard one one to get right. The Lounges get the relaxed cafe/bar atmosphere just right and Hermanos on the Triangle is almost there I am just not entirely sure about Papaji's. Having said that the cocktails we passed on the way in looked really good and I love the huge wooden tea chest they have behind the bar.

When looking at the menu we noticed that afternoon tea finishes at 5pm, it was now 5.30, could we convince the nice man at the bar to work around this rule? Papaji's serve Glenburn Teas chosen and looked over carefully by their Tea Master Andy Dodd, so we knew we were in good hands. After deciding to go for Earl Grey (Jayne) and Red Chai (me) we were told there were no more cakes left, which was somewhat disappointing, however 5mins later the nice man returned and said he could do us a couple of scones with jam and cream. Tea date was saved!

Although the tea took a while to arrive, expert brewing I imagine, when it did the smell of mine alone made me smile the description in the menu for Red Chai was:A mean rooibos based chai recipe blended with aniseed, black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves & ginger pieces." Some people who know me will already be aware that I am a cinnamon junkie so this was always going to be my first choice. I had milk and sugar in mine  and as you can tell from the photo the result produced is perfect golden colour cup of tea, completely joyous. Both Jayne and I were not disappointed by the quality of the tea it was so well brewed that I am already craving my next Red Chai hit.

The scones were warm when they arrived and a true delight very light in texture and the jam was a good quality raspberry. As you will see from below I am a jam then cream girl, don't judge me, I think it looks and tastes better, much to my mum's constant disagreement. Both the tea and scones definitely perked us up after a day 'at the coal face'.

Cream Tea at Papajis

I was really pleased by the high quality and taste of the tea and scones from Papaji's I just think at the time we went it was a bit transitional and considering they market themselves as a tea house (albeit part time) it definitely felt more like a bar, that specialised in tea. But I will be going back for more tea, and later on in the evening, cocktails. I also noticed for Rich they did Asahi beer on tap, and a lovely garden in which to enjoy it in when it warms up a little more. I shall do an update on the cocktails when I get to them. Visit the Papaji's website here.

Next post this week hopefully will be on our visit to Beerd on St Michael's Hill. 

Birthday Food Bonanza at Lahloo Pantry and Wong's

After a 4 day weekend I am back. Had a lovely birthday full of many celebrations, afternoon tea at Lahloo's Pantry with Rich my mum and sister, then dinner at Wongs with Rich and our friend Phil. Monday we went to The Eldon House for the pub quiz and our team won which was very satisfying, however I think the set up with the prizes is a bit stingy.

I had been hunting for a suitable afternoon tea venue in Bristol for a while, being a big tea fan, then after visiting Lahloo for Valentine's Day, the search was over. For £13.50 you get as much tea as you want to sample and two stands of open sandwiches, mini savoury muffins, meringues with sweet pistachio filling, scones and pomegranate and champagne Turkish delight, amongst other things. It was all delicious, my particular favourites were the quails egg and rocket open sandwiches with smoked tea salt but the scones were some of the best I've tasted in a long while.

Tea wise I sampled Smoky and the classic Earl Grey. The Smoky tea was really good it was very strongly smoke flavoured but it went with the egg sandwiches perfectly. Mum opted for afternoon Darjeeling and although she is very particular about the brewing of her tea was extremely complimentary. Lahloo changes it's afternoon tea menu every month, I am almost tempted to book in every month if it continues to be as good as this one was, I cannot wait to see what they come up with next!

 It took me a while to pick a restaurant for my birthday meal. A lot of independent restaurants are not open on Sunday nights which I can see makes sense, but for this occasion it made things a little tricky. I love Asian food particularly so after recommendations from two Malaysian friends I decided to go for Wong's is on Denmark Street, just behind the Hippodrome and I have been curious about it ever since it opened so was looking forward to going.

When we got inside I was surprised by how beautifully decorated it was, all dark woods and gold plus the chairs were like thrones they were enormous. The restaurant was pretty quiet apart from a birthday party near the back. The wine is reasonably priced, many bottles just over the £14 mark and as usual we were all slightly overwhelmed by choice but this is not always a bad thing.

We all had starters Rich went for the lettuce parcels, I went for pork gyoza dumplings and Phil went for the classic spring rolls. The staff were very friendly and attentive and the food arrived promptly, it was well presented and tasted amazing. No greasy overly salty flavours that you can get in some lesser Chinese  takeaways.

For our mains we ordered four dishes to share and some rice. Rich and I chose the honey barbecued pork tenderloin, crispy shredded chilli beef and beef ho-fun noodles, whilst Phil went for the spicy chilli chicken dish. When it arrived it was well presented and the portions were very generous, again I cannot fault the food it was well seasoned, tasty and definitely the best Chinese I have had probably ever. The pork tenderloin was probably my favourite closely followed by the ho-fun noodles, they were so moreish.

Honey Barbecue Pork Tenderloin

Crispy Shredded Chilli Beef

Half way through the Beef Ho-Fun

Spicy Chilli Chicken

I cannot fault the food and friendly service at Wong's however I do have two small complaints. The first is the music, we had Nickelback and Westlife throughout the meal which although I can filter out the latter the former I cannot ignore. It seemed a bit sad to have such a good meal accompanied by intrusive music, why not go for something instrumental? The second gripe is that one of the staff, I assume was one of the co-owners, who was very nice, asked if we wanted tea or coffee, to which we replied no, but then she insisted she would bring us some Chinese green tea on the house, how could we refuse?

The tea was very nice indeed but when the bill finally arrived we noted we had been charged for the tea, we waited a while to ask about this but everyone seemed to have disappeared so we paid and left. As I said these are fairly small things and I would encourage everyone who enjoys good Chinese food to try out Wongs as it is very reasonably priced and the quality is superb. I am really looking forward to going again and trying something new.