Our
favorite furry feline, Hello Kitty, has arrived in the UK for a purrfect afternoon
tea. In the first of its kind in Europe, the bottom of Cutter & Squidge’s
Soho café has been transformed for the summer into a Secret Garden. It will
surely delight big, as well as little, kids. My friend and I arrived with empty
stomachs and we left with full ones, fuelled by a sugar rush each and with
extra cakes in tow.
Cutter
& Squidge was dreamt up by two food-obsessed sisters, whose humble
beginnings started in a “compact” kitchen in North West London. They pride
themselves on keeping their fat and sugar content to “just as much as needed to
make something delicious.” Does that mean we’re exempt from all of the
calories? Oh well, it’s probably best not to think about it! However, you can
rest safe knowing that everything at Cutter & Squidge is made from scratch,
with no artificial flavorings, preservatives, or colorings (made instead from
fruits, vegetables, spices, and flowers) in sight.
We were
met with jars of pink lemonade with hot pink bows perched on the straws. As we
sipped them to combat the sticky heat of the day, we were led downstairs into
what our waitress jokingly referred to as the “Hello Kitty dungeon.” A tree
sprouting plush Hello Kitty toys and a lit-up version of the character were
standing guard. Comprised of leafy archways, soft, colorful cushions, and wall
decals of Hello Kitty and friends frolicking in London, if this garden was
indeed a dungeon, I wouldn’t mind being locked up in there forever – held
hostage by adorable captors.
After
choosing from a range of loose-leaf teas, a stack of bamboo steamers swiftly
appeared at our table. My friend’s face was obscured from mine by this tower of
treats, but I’m sure both of our mouths were agape. Our waitress unpacked and
talked us through the layers one by one. Just as I was thinking that there
was no way we would finish it all, she told us that our afternoon tea was
unlimited – an
endless supply of indulgence!
We
strategically started on the bottommost layer, with tasty finger sandwiches that came
in salmon and chives, hummus and pepper, and cheese and red onion variations.
The cucumber and cream cheese sandwiches were shaped like Hello Kitty and were even
stamped with her signature red bow. It seemed almost barbaric to eat them, but that
feeling soon came to pass.
Plain or
fruit scones served with clotted cream and jam is a traditional staple of
afternoon tea. Cutter & Squidge has updated this British classic with savory
cheese scones and red pepper relish and cream cheese spread, paired with coronation
crackers imprinted with Hello Kitty’s face.
I urged
my friend to hurry up eating, prodding, “Can we move to the next layer now?”
You see, my sweet tooth was aching and I was eager to start on all of the
dessert delights, especially since I’d already seen what was yet to come. An
afternoon tea that contains more biscuits and cakes than anything else is exactly
what I would call my kind of afternoon tea.
That brought
us to the heavenly layer of fluffy pink marshmallows, Hello Kitty-shaped berry
jellies, chocolate cake truffles, and strawberries (it’s important to get one
of your five a day, right?). My friend doesn’t hanker after sweets in the same
way that I do, so he graciously offered me some of his share. I was slowly but
surely being defeated by my afternoon tea at this point, where I think my eyes
had grown bigger than the size of my stomach. I was determined, so in the
pursuit of a well-rounded blog post, I carried on dear reader, I carried on. It's tough work, but someone's got to do it.
Red
velvet Hello Kitty biscuits, blondies (blonde brownies, where vanilla is used
instead of cocoa), and Biskies were unfolded. Cutter & Squidge is the home
of Biskies, which are part biscuit, part cookie, and part cake filled with
lightened buttercream, handmade jams, caramels, and more. I squashed mine down
into a little sandwich to make it an easier mouthful. In the middle were pools
of matcha and chocolate dipping sauces. Dunking the sugary biscuits
in the rich sauce led to an unlikely and flavorful concoction that had me plunging in for more. Cutter &
Squidge is also known for its decadent Dream Cakes, which line the shop windows
in dazzling designs of layered sponge.
We
triumphantly reached the top layer and my friend and I shared a look as if it
say, “We can do this.” It turns out we couldn’t, but it wasn’t for our lack of
trying. The apple pie mousse in its glass container with a bow biscuit for
decoration was to die for with its sour and creamy blend. The delectable chocolate mud
pies looked like they might be my favorite of the lot, with chocolate cake wedged
between helpings of icing, finished off with more icing, a Hello Kitty white
chocolate disc, and gold flecks. Those were the cakes I took away with me and I
managed to eat them later on (how I did that, I have no idea) with a nice cup
of tea.
It goes
without saying that everything was delicious and Cutter & Squidge
pulled out all of the stops to create a Hello Kitty dreamland. On one of their outside windows, as well as desserts and afternoon tea, they promise happiness. By
the end of our dining experience, we were replete with the emotion and
completely satiated. We less walked away from the experience and more rolled
away from it…
Hello
Kitty merchandise is available for purchase in the shop, as well as themed and
signature edibles. Hello Kitty’s Secret Garden is open for afternoon tea at Cutter &
Squidge until September 14th, at £40 per person and Tiny Tea
for those aged eight and under at £20 per person. Book a table here.
