Hungry Heart // Bruce Springsteen

The Dessert Bar has opened at William Curley!! Well, it opened a little while back but monetary constraints meant we were forced to wait.
Then it was my birthday and it was the only thing I could think of that I actually wanted was a trip for some pudding action.
Turns out it was a complete treat day for me - we started off at the London Transport Museum! They have busses and tube trains and so much information about the transport! Serious swoon.

Libby loved driving the bus.

We arrived at William Curley to a lovely welcome after a little trip on a routemaster! Yay!! It was busy so we went and chilled out in the pretty square over the road. Then when it was time we headed in.


So when you go for the a la carte menu you get three courses of dessert! And it all gets made by a chef right in front of you, so you can see exactly what you're getting, and the work and skill that goes into it.
The first course is pre-dessert. The first was a moelleux-au-chocolat, with chocolate sauce, kinako bean ice cream and crystalised pistachios.
The ice cream is never something I would have picked out for myself, but it was lush. I loved it. I'll definately have it next time I go. The moelleux was beautiful - warm and gooey. It definately whet my appetite.


The next pre-dessert was the Pomme Granita. It consisted of a jelly made with agar agar. The texture was completely different to a gelatine jelly. It was melt-in-the-mouth and moreish. The next layer up was creme fraiche, followed by apple spaghetti and topped with the granita part.
It was so fresh and tangy. Jonny and I loved it and I could have eaten two. Or three.


Then the main part. There is a small back story behind my choice. When I worked in the Richmond store I was confronted every day by a picture in the shop of the Mille-Feuille. It wasn't being sold while I worked there, but a tiny version was included on the petit-four. Which I loved. And it was never enough. I have been longing for a full-sized one for almost two years. When we were asked what we'd like for the main there was no hesitation. I didn't even look at the other choices.
The mille feuille consists of layers of hazelnut and chocolate sponges, chocolate mousse, and a layer of praline biscuit and it came with muscavado ice cream and orange segments and orange sauce. Jonny had a bit more of a puzzle but opted for the Foret Noire.


There are no words for how happy I was with my mille feuille. The Foret Noir had white chocolate mousse, dark chocolate mousse, sponge and a kirsch syrup. It came with griottine cherries in a sauce and crystalised pistachios. He obviously has an unmanly and weak stomach and filled up and started finding his a bit rich. Wimp. His was boozy and incredible looking. It came in a cylinder of chocolate. I can't even fathom how it's made.


Then we had the petit fours. These were adorable mini pistachio macarons sandwiched together with a very dark chocolate ganache, and another adorable mini chocolate and yuzu financier, which is my favourite William Curley cake.


All this was washed down with hot chocolate and then home-made lemonade, which was just what you needed to balance out the sweetness.


I can't wait to go back. I suggested to Jonny that we should make it a weekly habit, but he wasn't so keen. Maybe once a month would be reasonable. It costs £15.00 per person. Which also leaves me a bit lost for words as the amount you get and the quality of the experience is just incredible.

Ice Ice Baby // Vanilla Ice

Hope everyone is enjoying the cold snap we're having.

I'm feeling cold and slow but generally content. I went clubbing last night and it was brilliant. Lots of lovely people and good music. I failed in my objective to not drink. The medication I'm on forbids alcohol, but after some experiments I know that I can drink a little, be fine whilst merry and then put up with a massive hangover the next day.

Which is what I'm doing now.

I met with J and he popped to the shop to buy sausages and I popped to Paul to buy macarons. I'm quite obsessed by them, having been introduced to them by the lovely chefs at William Curley. I plan to get my hands on some of their macarons as soon as I can. Until then, I'm forced to go to Paul when I need my fix.
I usually get the vanilla, as find the praline ones a bit boring, and it's too cold for chocolate as the ganache goes unpleasantly hard.



I love the almond biscuit, and I am always envious of the perfect shell and feet, and the gooey middle that merges delightfully with the vanilla buttercream.
They're a simple pleasure, and while eating I try to forget the fact that they are made in a large factory and shipped out.. there is nothing on the website that refers to how and where the food is made, which seems to be a common factor with these chains.
It does get to me that the staff are dressed like chefs, I don't think it is necessary, and it also tricks people into believing the quality of the food is higher than it actually is.


The presentation annoys me too. Some of the cakes they put out to sell are sub-standard and look messy.
For now it is a necessary evil, I'm just waiting for someone to open a patisserie, or even a macaron shop next door to my work. There are shops for sale and I can guarantee good business.

If you're interested in furthering your own love of macarons, I highly recommend the blog Mactweets, it's complete macaron porn. It explains macaron terms like feet and shell and is packed with fantastic ideas and gorgeous photos.