The truth about Elan Cafe

You may not know Elan Cafe by name, but chances are you've seen it on Instagram. Its pink flower walls, colourful croissants and Lucky Charms lattes have been inescapable in the last few weeks.

To be honest, I didn't have high expectations for my first Elan Cafe visit; let's face it, the quality of your offerings doesn't matter if you're targeting people who will pay above the odds for a one-time latte purely to rake in the likes on Instagram.

Peggy Porschen is the obvious - and original - example of a London cafe that's done well off of social media. I've never been so I can't comment one way or the other about the quality of the food. However, there was that disastrous trip to Palm Vaults in Hackney, another darling venue of London's Insta hoards. Sure it's pretty - although not as much as Instagram would have you believe, because #filters - and yes the food was decent, but as a business, it's a shambles.

So as I Google-Mapped my way to the Park Lane Elan Cafe, my mind was open but my expectations were low. I didn't even know if any tables would be available, or if there'd be queues out of the door, even at mid-morning on a Tuesday.

It's a lot smaller than its online presence suggests. Perched between the behemoth buildings of Park Lane and sunk a little into the ground, it reminded me of this (but obviously not *quite* that small). Good news came in the form of an available table inside.

Not too sure of the system (table service? Order at the counter?) I plonked my coat down to save the table and hovered around the cake counter in what I hoped was a 'help-me-I'm-new-here-and-definitely-not-cool-enough-do-know-what-I'm doing vibe'. Fortunately, I've years of experience in giving off 'not-cool-enough' vibes, and a man who I think was the manager came to my rescue, telling me in a polite and non-patronising way that they'd take my order from my table.

A couple of minutes later he came over with a menu, which turned out to be far more extensive than the repetitive photos of that latte art would have you believe. A quick scour showed that the Lucky Charms latte -my main reason for making this pilgrimage - wasn't on the menu. Perhaps it's only available at the other branch of Elan Cafe, but no harm in asking, right?

And just like that, I became one of *those* people, who order something they've seen on Instagram, even though it's not on the actual menu. A little bit of me died inside as I placed my order, but the knowledge that Lucky Charms were on their way to my table helped me get over it pretty quickly.

While I was waiting, I wandered around the ground level, taking photos and chatting to the staff, who weren't remotely surprised at my incessant snapping. Rather judgmentally, I had thought they might be a bit snooty, and a bit, well... Mayfair, especially given that my geeky rucksack and ill-fitting jeans mark me out as quite different to the Instagrammers and bloggers that feature heavily on the Elan Instagram feed.

No need to worry though, as they were all super-friendly, chatting about the food and offering to take a photo of me against the pink flower wall (something they've clearly done once or twice before). My assumptions of Elan Cafe had been destroyed, and that was no bad thing.

If the friendly staff aren't enough to shoot down the misconstrued notion that Elan is overhyped, the food should do the trick. A generous portion of Lucky Charms topped my latte, with more heaped on the saucer. The coffee itself was decent, if nothing special, but the jam-filled raspberry croissant was really quite unique.

As I ate, I watched life in the cafe continue around me, surprised to see regulars coming by for their morning coffee. The staff knew what they were going to order before they'd even closed the door, and the manager even asked one lady if she'd been on holiday as he hadn't seen her for a while. Clearly Elan does foster and maintain regular customers, as well as pandering to one-time Instagram tourists.

Far from being just another Instagram sensation that's all style, no substance, Elan Cafe is serving up decent (if pricey) food and drink, with friendly and helpful staff. That iconic decor is a constant theme throughout. The Instagram hype? That's just a pink, filtered jewel in Elan's photogenic crown. Instagramability* and quality aren't mutually exclusive, and nowhere is that more evident that this petite pink cafe. For me, it's not a everyday cafe, but somewhere I'll definitely return to with friends on special occasions. You'd do well to visit - don't forget your camera.

*definitely a real word.

I visited the Elan Cafe at 48 Park Lane, W1K 1PR, but there's a second branch in Knightsbridge at 239 Brompton Road, SW3 2EP. Work up an appetite on Instagram before you visit.

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Afternoon tea review: Silly Old Bear Winnie the Pooh afternoon tea

Not saying the powers-that-be (or should that be, the powers-that-afternoon-tea*?) have bugged my office or anything, but some colleagues and I had a conversation about how there absolutely should be a Winnie the Pooh themed afternoon tea in London, and to be quite frank, it's a travesty that there isn't.

The next day, a press release lands in my inbox about a Winnie the Pooh afternoon tea in London. Coincidence? I think not. Tempted? Absolutely.

The Pelham and The Gore hotels, both part of the Starhotels chain in South Kensington, have produced the Silly Old Bear afternoon tea to tie in with the current Winnie the Pooh exhibition at the V&A. It's clear from the off that this afternoon tea is aimed at families. The back of the menus are covered in games and puzzles to keep younger guests (yeah, alright, and me) amused.

The food arrives in the form of a picnic, with scones, cream and honey lollipops - and those all-important crayons - served up in a picnic basket. The sandwiches and sweet treats are presented on what can only be described as tree stumps (don't alert #WeWantPlates just yet though - it's exquisite).

A pair of twenty-somethings without any kids in tow, we were thrilled by the presentation of the tea. Those of you who know me will know I'm a stickler for afternoon tea being served on the traditional tiered stand. Well, this case proves to be the exception to that rule.

But does it pass the taste test? Mostly, yes. Let's start with the sweet treats; the Eeyore themed chocolate mousse - served in a gorgeous mini Kilner jar - was the absolute highlight, although it could have done without the layer of orange compote at the bottom.

The meringue and marzipan bee was a cute little fella, the marzipan easily removable for those who don't like it, the biscuit and meringue paired perfectly. The cupcake and the passion fruit macaron slipped down nicely too.

The Hunny Pops - balls of honey parfait, white chocolate and caramel glace on a stick - were where we ran into trouble. They're served up in that picnic basket, which as it transpires, is lined with moss to really commit to the picnic theme - cute, but not ideal when one fell off its stick and was rendered green, furry and inedible. We had to abandon the rescue operation due the sheer volume of honey everywhere - parents, you're gonna need a bigger pack of wet wipes.

In hindsight, we should have seen the problems coming

The scones are crumblier than your average, almost biscuit-like in texture, which I rather enjoyed. Rummage around in the picnic basket (mind the honey!) and you'll find delightfully thick clotted cream and generous amounts of lemon curd to send them on their way.

Afternoon tea connoisseurs may find little to please them here, but that's OK because this isn't an afternoon tea for them. It's a fun twist on the tradition and a great way to introduce younger diners to afternoon tea. The food is ideal for this - not too much, not too rich, not too unusual.

*If any other afternoon tea planners are reading this, I have two words for you: Lion King. DO IT, I beg of you, and do it well.

Silly Old Bear afternoon tea is available at The Pelham and The Gore, both in South Kensington until April 2018. It costs £43 per person which includes entry to the V&A exhibition, and needs to be booked in advance.

Photo Diary: Orchids Festival 2018 at Kew Gardens

If you listen really carefully right about *now*, you'll hear the sound of a thousand bloggers and Instagrammers slapping on their lippy and heading to a certain botanical gardens for their latest photo shoot.

I am of course talking about Kew Gardens, which has just launched its annual Orchids Festival in the Princess of Wales Conservatory.

The absolute highlight (although strictly off-limits for those close-up selfies) is the floating installation on the pond, which features 600 individual orchids and depicts Thailand's Bang Pa-In Palace:

Elsewhere, join the bundle for a photo with one of the three floral arches adorning the conservatory's winding pathways.

Orchids grow up pillars and across pathways, and even hang from the ceiling:

It's absolutely stunning, composed of almost 7,000 individual orchids, but as well as showcasing the flowers, the festival is a celebration of Thai culture.

Can I get some blogger points for matching my nail varnish to the flowers?

Fun fact: five water dragons live permanently in the conservatory to keep unwanted insects in check. They're notoriously difficult to spot - especially when a herd of scoop-hungry press photographers is stomping about all over the place - so I wasn't lucky enough to see them this time.

A word of warning: the festival is inside a tropical conservatory, so things get hot and steamy. I left my house in -3° to get to the press preview, wrapped up to the extreme, which resulted in much sweating on arrival. It also meant that camera lenses were steaming up left, right and centre hence the less-than-ideal quality of some of these pictures. But, this does mean it makes for an excellent day out in these cold winter months.

 If you're on Instagram, you can expect to see a lot of this place over the coming month, but if you get the chance, I'd recommend heading there in person - selfies optional.

Orchids Festival at Kew Gardens, 10 February-11 March 2018. Entry to the festival is included in a general admission ticket.

I've done something rather silly

When will I learn? When I overhear my name in the office, when will I learn to keep quiet and keep my head below the parapet? When will I learn that when I hear the phrase "That sounds like something for Laura", I should find out what "that" is before agreeing that yes, it does indeed sound like something for Laura?*

What I've done, is I've signed up to take part in Shelter's Vertical Rush in March. That's a run up the 932 stairs of Tower 42, a skyscraper in the City of London. Here it is:

That one in the middle - that's the blighter.

Looks nice and shiny and high, doesn't it? Lovely. What's more, I've signed up to do that hefty fight against gravity less than a week after I come back from a lovely (hopefully) relaxing all-inclusive holiday. To say that I won't be in the peak of my physical fitness would be an understatement.

The plot thickens. Not only have I agreed to do this, but I've agreed to do this while being filmed for a video for Londonist. That video will be shared on the Facebook and Twitter pages, which have a combined following of more than 2 million people. 2 MILLION people could see my suffering.

That's gotta be worth a couple of quid, right? If you reckon so, please consider donating to my fundraising page. All of the money raised will go straight to homelessness charity Shelter. Thanks in advance for anything you're able to donate.

*I should add that my colleagues in no way bullied me into this, although I maintain that anything requiring physical exertion, height or adrenaline finds its way onto my desk a lot quicker than it finds its way onto anyone else's.

Lumiere may be over, but Winter Lights lives on

The fantastic bundle of colourful, illuminated joy that is Lumiere London may be over (come back soon - don't leave it so long next time) but that doesn't mean it's lights out for London. There's another free light festival with more than 30 installations going on in the capital until Saturday.

Canary Wharf Winter Lights takes place around the Canary Wharf Estate each year. It's not traditional tourist territory which is why fewer people have heard of it, but the standard of light installations is still impressive.

It's worth downloading yourself a map from here before you head out, although the whole event is much better signposted than in previous years.

I'm not saying it's worth visiting every installation - some of them, especially the smaller ones in windows in the shopping centre, aren't worth going out of your way for.

But, it's a lot more compact that Lumiere, meaning it's possible to see it all in one night, with plenty of cafes, bars and restaurants along the way.

Anyone for Tetris? Some of these photos don't do justice to the installations themselves, especially the one below. You'll find these shimmering orbs in the corridor of installations in the basement of Crossrail Place. They're pretty hypnotic, well worth seeing.

Here's a video I made of opening night for Londonist:



Canary Wharf Winter Lights 2018 is completely free and takes place 16-27 January 2018.

London Is Alight For Lumiere

Those of you who know me know I take Lumiere London seriously. Very seriously. The free light festival began last night, bigger than previously, now stretching south of the river. It covers six different zones this year; Fitzrovia, Mayfair, West End, Victoria, South Bank and King's Cross. My 9.3 mile wander through central London's streets took me 4.5 hours, and never has a McDonald's tasted as good as the one I had at Waterloo station at the end.

Happily, it was nowhere near as crowded as opening night last time round -- the main pressure points, predictably, were Leicester Square and Oxford Circus. The staff were also a lot friendlier, more helpful and less aggressive than Lumiere London 2016, which made for a nicer atmosphere all round.

Here are a few of my favourite bits from each area:

Fitzrovia

I eased myself in gently - Fitzrovia only had four installations. None of them particularly stand out, although a friend tells me that later in the evening, a giant ping pong game was being projected onto the Imagination Building for A-Bit Immersive, and people were having a lot of fun with the interactive cube Control No Control in Whitfield Gardens.

Mayfair

Things liven up a bit in Mayfair. Those light-up benches are back (and they're also in Canary Wharf for Winter Lights at the moment). I managed to catch the roving Umbrella Project performance in Brown Hart Gardens, where you'll also find some neon bikes and some octopus-type creatures made from recycled plastic bottles.

Illumaphonium is an interactive giant xylophone-type structure crying out to be played (one to visit if you're taking kiddies along), and Impulse, a series of light-up, motion-activated seesaws on South Molton Street, is a lot of fun too.

Was That A Dream? asks the title of the installation in Berkeley Square, apt for the blink-and-you'll-miss-it wire bird perched in the trees. It's pretty, but don't bother risking your life in the traffic to get into the square itself - you get just as good view from the perimeter pavements.

West End

On opening night, Oxford Circus was underwhelming, as that giant, breakway ball was absent due to high winds. The projections onto the surrounding buildings are still pretty, but underwhelming compared to Oxford Circus's 2016 offering.

Unfortunately, I didn't manage to track down Harmonic Portal, which should be in or near St James's Church somewhere, or Flamingo Flyway, which should be in Chinatown. It'll come as a surprise to no-one that Tracey Emin's offering is underwhelming, and seeing it in real life offers no benefit over taking a quick glance at photos of it in the publicity bumph.

The Aquarium and stick men are back from 2016, but if you want to see something new, I'd recommend Supercube in St James's Market. The cube made from glass jars elicits much excitement when the gathered crowds realise that one of the jars is a camera, and mini versions of themselves are being projected into the jars.

Do take time to visit Leicester Square though - it's much the same as last time, and one of the busiest points, but has taken on more of a wildlife theme, with fox, badger and rabbit lanterns positioned round the statue of Shakey Will.

Westminster and Victoria

If you don't spot the art on St-Martin-In-The-Fields from afar, you're unlikely to spot it from close-up. The very top of the spire has been adorned with a neon pink ladder, which can be seen from Seven Dials, South Bank and Waterloo. Across the road, Trafalgar Square is home to one of my favourite installations of the whole festival, a flock of dancing white balloons, swaying around the fountains.

The other three installations in this section are out on a limb, but this is a limb well worth going out on. Westminster Abbey's frontage has a similar colourful projection as two years ago. Further into Victoria, a 20 storey+ building, currently under construction wrap, has projections of huge figures of people climbing it. Perhaps I was hungry and a little light-headed by this point, but the sheer scale of it made me feel a little dizzy.

Just a bit further up the road at Westminster Cathedral is another of my favourites of the whole festival. In the square outside the Cathedral, a giant light-up bullseye type installation made of plastic bottles is powered by members of the public cycling on static bicycles - the more power being generated, the more rings light up.

South Bank

This area is new to Lumiere London for 2018, and is a bit underwhelming. On the advice of a colleague, I made time to visit The Wave, a tunnel best described as a light-up giant Toblerone. Of course, so many people want photos with it, it's hard to actually get a decent shot, but it's impressive to look at nonetheless. I wouldn't bother with anything else in this area unless you're really killing time.

King's Cross

I finally got round to visiting King's Cross on the Saturday night, and as with last time, it was busy. The highlight of the area is the installation in Granary Square, which forms a blue haze over the area. If you stand back and watch for long enough, you begin to feel like you're observing the world's slowest rave. Trippy.

Aether next to Central St Martins is equally as trippy, a fast moving projection of dots with an accompanying bass hum that goes right through your ribs. My other favourite in this area were these illuminated watering cans down next to the gasholders - simple, but very effective, with a huge crowd gathered round.

A few tips for Lumiere London 2018

• The artworks have temporarily appeared on Google Maps, which is handy for finding your way around. But, bear in mind that some of the pin locations aren't as accurate as they should be, and the map doesn't show you what the artwork should look like, which is why it's a good idea to...
• Get yourself a Lumiere map. Apparently there's a free one of the Visit London app, but if you're like me and prefer to get inside a good old paper map, you can download and print one here for a donation. The download also includes photos of each installation so you know what you're looking for at each point, and if you're strapped for time, you know which ones you're not fussed about seeing.
• Some of the installations marked on the map are permanent, rather than special Lumiere attractions - save time by avoiding these. Shaida Walking and The Plug and Bulbs are permanent in the Carnaby area, the Thames Pulse at the Mondrian on South Bank is always there, and I have it on good authority that Bough 1 at Oxo Tower is also permanent. They're also counting the London Eye as part of Lumiere, which is a bit cheeky.

Lumiere London is on 18-21 January 2018 and is completely free. Follow me on Instagram for more Lumiere photos over the coming days.