As any friend, regular
reader or casual viewer of any of my social media will know, I love Disney and
when I discovered this gorgeous Genie’s Cave themed afternoon tea on Instagram I
had to look it up and book a space ASAP!
I’ve loved Disney
since I was very young and one of my earliest memories of it is Aladdin. With an
amazing cast of characters from the sassy Iago to strong-willed Jasmine and, of
course, Robin Williams stunning performance as the genie, this film is
beautiful and a staple of my generations childhood. Walking into Cutter and
Squidge’s downstairs room is just like entering the cave of wonders itself,
passing a pile of gold and treasures topped with a chest of coins and
glittering magic lamp, following the magic carpets on the floor into the cave
complete with sparkling ‘stone’ walls dotted with coins and gemstones and multicolored
stalactites and stalagmites hanging from the ceiling and lining the floor.
We were shown to our
table and our waitress said something immediately and very fast about prosecco.
I said yes, thinking it was an extra (or possibly even free!) but no, I was
wrong. Saying yes to a glass of bubbly before we’ve even finished sitting down
instantly upgraded us to the more expensive bubbly afternoon tea which we hadn’t
intended on buying and didn’t really want. That was why it was a surprise when
we had looked at the menu and went to order, only to be told we already had by accident.
It was lovely all the same and who doesn’t love a glass of bubbles?
The starting dish is
probably my favorite of the tea, ‘A Genie’s Welcome’ a glass layered with
yoghurt, pomegranate, raspberry and pashmak which we are told is a Persian sweet
just like candyfloss. The glass is topped with a large merengue and an eager
waitress tells us that we have to free the genie by removing the merengue and
make a wish (or three?). As a lover of Disney and magic this makes me so happy!
My lovely loose-leaf tea comes in a golden magic lamp of its own but more focus
has been given to its look than how well it works as a teapot and how much tea
it holds (though it is gorgeous), I had to hold the teapot almost horizontal
for ages to get just one cup!
When the main tea comes
it is spread beautifully over a three tiered golden cake stand and looks
gorgeous. On a separate dish are the sandwiches, I love the mint cream cheese
and cucumber and my brother likes the coronation chicken but neither of us are
sure about the cheese and tomato jam… but its certainly worth a try! Also on
this little tray are two tiny courgette ‘rose tarts’, these are warm and
delicious and I could eat a whole plate of them!
The bottom layer of
the cake stand holds the feta and roasted pepper scones, which I wasn’t sure
about when I read it in the menu but they taste more like warm tarts and are
perfect, warm and crumbly. This layer also holds the ‘golden cheese clouds’
small, light puffs of pastry and some dips. I have to say, I‘m not a fan of
cheese puffs and these are particularly cheesy but my brother says they’re
lovely!
On to the next layer
and the sweets, the sweet pastry cases full of raspberry and rose filling
topped with crushed pistachio ‘emeralds’ are very sweet and tasty, the macaroons
decorated with a coco dust lamp are full of peanut butter and a hidden ‘raspberry
gem’ centre, lovely, and the one (not two, like all the other stands around… I had
to, sorry) sugar cookie shaped like magic carpet is a little almondy but delicious
all the same!
“The final tier holds
the sweetest treats” should be a common phrase we all use (can we make that
happen? Too long for a hashtag?) because it’s usually true, especially in the case
of the last two treats in front of me. The small squares of three-layer vanilla
cake have two different strawberry fillings between each layer, an orange glaze
and are topped with a strawberry jelly ‘ruby’ which is “abu’s favorite” (says
the menu, talking, of course, about Aladdin’s monkey sidekick who stole a ruby in
the Disney film). Last but by no means least is Cutter and Squidge’s famous ‘biskie’
a mix of chocolate cake and biscuit, creating a moist, dense cake in the shape
of an oyster with a special pearl, unique to this afternoon tea, filled with a ginger
cream. All the flavors are a bit strong but still really delicious.
As always I really appreciate
the attention to detail and all the references to not only the Disney film but
also to Persian culture. I’m just glad I didn’t have to hop a magic carpet and
dodge lava fountains to get out! The room is stunning and you can really tell
that a lot of hard work went into both the decorating and the delicious food! I
can’t wait for their next themed tea entitled ‘The Potions Room’, which promises
a chance to meet the ‘potions master’ and create some concoctions of your own. Check
out their website below for more details.
Instagram: @CutterandSquidge
Twitter:
@cutter_squidge
Facebook:
@cutterandsquidge
Website:
cutterandsquidge.com
Address: 20 Brewer St,
Soho, London, W1F 0SJ
