Monday 13 August 2012

Wallace Collection restaurant

12th August
After a break of a couple of years, it was time to visit the Wallace Collection in Manchester Square. This was the last day of the Olympics and a hot Sunday, so the center of  London was hot, muggy and crowded.Good exhibition on the history of the sword and fencing.
At the back of the Wallace Collection is the Wallace restaurant, run by Peyton and Byrne. They seem to have the franchise is a few museums, and I think I recollect them at the Wellcome Collection. http://www.peytonandbyrne.co.uk/the-wallace-restaurant/index.html

If you visit the restaurant or even the web site, the one thing that grabs you is the ambiance. and it is worth going to for that. It is in a sort of conservatory with cushioned wrought iron chairs and planters, described on the web site as being al fresco. It is a pleasure to sit down in and they offer dinner on Friday and Saturday nights, but I guess they don't get much passing trade.
The object of my visit was a simple mid afternoon refreshment - tea and cake. Well, you could have gone all the way with a full English tea, but we stuck to leaf tea in pots and cake.
Just to show that I really exist. Ruth had a flavoured tea with Orange, which was more successful than my Darjeeling. It was real leaf tea in an individual pot, and there was not really a good way of getting it any stronger. They make better tea at the Tate. At the end of the day, the cake was a little on the dry side, but one can forgive a lot for the ambiance. Quite expensive: two teas and two slices of cake came to £14. I don't complain all the time, but I am fairly quick to find fault with caterers. Should probably have specified that I wanted strong tea. I'm sure it would not have been a problem. Very smart. Recommended.

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