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Casa Angelina, Edinburgh

September 28, 2015 by Tofu Temptress Leave a Comment

Vegan afternoon tea
Vegan indulgence
Vegan indulgence

As you descend the few steps into Casa Angelina, the atmosphere is one of stepping back in time.

Like stepping back in time...
Like stepping back in time…

This Edinburgh building has been around for a long, long time and it makes for a great atmosphere. The area at the front is for waiting on a table or buying or collecting cakes, and a tempting array of baking greets you as soon as you walk in. As well as the beautiful (and as I was to discover later, scrumptious) cakes and scones on display, they will bake to order and they even do wedding cakes. Although not exclusively vegan, their vegan options are numerous enough to give you plenty of choice. I booked our afternoon tea the day before.

Slogans
Slogans

As we were shown through to the rear, the decor only became more quirky and charming. Painted on the wall were attractive slogans and, perhaps appropriately for a vegan, an image of birds escaping their cages.

Birds escape their cages
Birds escape their cages

A little plaque on the fireplace explained that Casa Angelina is a tribute to the owner’s Italian grandmother, who was always baking and often invited the locals in for tea. The place certainly has that homely feel, being not only quite small (there were about six or seven tables) but also using deliberately mismatched crockery and cutlery to very pleasing effect. I could imagine a rather grown up birthday party taking place in here, as they do hire the venue out for exclusive use.

Mismatched crockery and cutlery
Mismatched crockery and cutlery

 

We ordered tea, with me choosing the simple, but very lovely Scottish Breakfast Pot, while my partner was a bit more adventurous, going for the Bollywood Dreams Chai Pot, which smelled deliciously of cinnamon. They were both very nice and we sipped them as we waited excitedly for our treats to arrive. When they did we were not disappointed.

Vegan afternoon tea
Vegan afternoon tea

Obviously lovingly put together, we had yummy samosas and gorgeous avocado wraps, mushroom toast with a tangy twist, scones still warm from the oven served with two types of jam and a beautifully sweet vegan cream, dense fruit cakes and indulgent chocolate ones. I must admit that I can’t recall all the wonderful flavour combinations that were described to us as we were served but suffice it to say that they were numerous, unusual and all worked well together.

We got through two pots of tea each
We got through two pots of tea each

We took our time munching through it all, ordering another pot of tea each in the process. I’d gone in hungry having missed lunch deliberately. By the end I was absolutely stuffed, but pleasantly so!

As a vegan one is always so used to being slightly sidelined by restaurants, especially on the desserts front, so I really appreciate it when places like this put indulgence for vegans front and centre. The staff were lovely and seemed to know when to pop in to see if we needed anything. Largely we were left alone to chat, admire the surroundings and enjoy our beautiful food. Casa Angeline is a delight for the senses.

Eventually we finished it all!
Eventually we finished it all!

 

All done...
All done…

Vegan Afternoon Tea is currently priced at £21 per person, but everything is of the highest quality and they certainly won’t palm you off with limp sandwiches!

Filed Under: Vegan Meals Out Tagged With: Afternoon Tea, Cakes, Edinburgh, Scones

Afternoon Tea at The Ritz London

November 17, 2014 by Tofu Temptress 3 Comments

Vegan cakes at the Ritz
Vegan cakes at the Ritz
Vegan cakes at the Ritz

The traffic in London was unbelievable. Honking horns, hand gestures and heat dominated our slow progress in the cab. Eventually, dressed to impress, we smoothed down creases as we unfolded ourselves from the car. Greeted by the doorman with a polite ‘Good afternoon’ we ascended the few steps and were ushered into a world of calm.

Cucumber sandwiches and friends
Cucumber sandwiches and friends

As soon as we set foot in the foyer of the Ritz, all the noise and chaos of London melted away. The plush carpets, high, elaborately decorated ceilings and courteous staff were just as I hoped they would be. (I suspect expectations are routinely met and indeed exceeded at the Ritz.)

My husband, in-laws and I were shown to an intimate little table at the side of the room (by and immaculately turned-out waiter) just perfect for people watching. The place was filled with ordinary people in their finest clothes, just like us, celebrating birthdays, anniversaries and any number of other special occasions. The salon where afternoon tea is served is a truly beautiful space, where natural light spills onto the sumptuously glazed cakes. There were of course many other items in the room, but it was the cakes that caught my attention. Being the only vegan in the group, it is all too rare an experience to be offered sweet treats anywhere when eating out, never mind somewhere as posh as this. After champagne was served, I was assured a selection of vegan sandwiches was on its way and indeed moments later they were presented with a flourish. My sandwiches, like those of my companions, seemed inexhaustible in their supply. A yummy hummus filling, tomato, veg and of course cucumber, were sandwiched between light, fluffy bread (with the crusts cut off, naturally.)

Vegan scones
Vegan scones with yummy preserve

I was suitably impressed by the cakes too. There was a rich fruitcake, an iced sponge and a gloriously glazed wonder of chocolate with a melt-in-the-mouth interior. My two little vegan scones were cute, scrumptious and served with quite the most delicious preserve I’ve ever tasted. All this was to say nothing of the tea. Now I’m not a tea drinker as a rule (the very occasional cup of green tea is normally my limit) but this, blended especially for the Ritz, was something else. It needed no additions and I’m afraid it may have ruined all other tea for me, rendering them bitter and commonplace in comparison. Like wine waiters, the tea waiters would top up your cup when required, employing individual silver teapots, dinky tea strainers and tea strainer holders (which was a new one on me.)

Tea
Posh tea strainer

All in all the experience was an incredibly pleasant one. I had e-mailed the dining manager via a handy link on their website a month before, requesting a vegan afternoon tea, and was told by return that it wouldn’t be a problem. Having read mixed reviews of the Ritz London ability to cater for vegans, I wanted to be sure everything would be right, because as any vegan knows, all too often we can be thoughtlessly sidelined. When we visited however, on 25th September 2014, everything went without a hitch. Highly recommended.

The Ritz London
Salon where afternoon tea is served

 

Ritz salon
Inside the Salon

 

Filed Under: Vegan Meals Out Tagged With: Afternoon Tea, Cakes, London, Ritz, Sandwiches, Scones

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