The lowdown:
Kettner's has one, Jason Atherton put one in Pollen Street Social, and now The Athenaem Hotel has its own dessert bar, ever so Britishly named the Pudding Parlour. The resident pastry chef, Marion Jeffery, creates an ever-changing selection of tarts, cakes and jellies (with one guest Pudding of the Month), to be served six nights a week at this Mayfair hotel.
Tucked just behind reception, the Parlour is set up in the Garden Room, a cosy lounge full of mismatched armchairs, sofas and tables in the hotel's signature chintz-on-modern style. Newspaper flower artwork and unusual mirrors on the walls, art books and magazines under the tables; you could spend a good while exploring before you even get to the puddings. These are displayed somewhat disconcertingly on a table in the middle of the room, rather than brought to you or served over a bar: rows and rows of dainty mousses, cakes and slices of tart.
The Parlour was quiet and the table unmanned when we arrived, but we were able to overcome our greed and wait for instructions. These were still somewhat ambiguous — you can have 'one visit' to the Pudding Parlour at £10, but this does not include a set number of mini-desserts. Small side plates sit neatly beside the table with napkins and cutlery, but we were unsure whether our 'one visit' meant three reasonably spaced puds on a plate, or the five or six one could probably wedge on with the right amount of cunning and enthusiasm.
We went for a helping somewhere in between, and were impressed with the quality and range on offer. Pudding of the month (a creation by Edd Kimber, the self-styled 'Boy Who Bakes' and winner of 2010's Great British Bake-Off) was White Chocolate and Matcha Mousse — a shot of creamy white chocolate mousse with a smoky green tea layer at the bottom. Other desserts we shared included a cocoa-rich brownie generously stuffed with nuts, pleasantly chewy but light macaroons, perfectly tart lemon meringue pie and a fruity champagne jelly. You can add a glass of dessert wine to the experience for £5, but I highly recommend a glass of champagne — any more sweetness would have felt overindulgent.
The good:
The selection: as well as the sweet bites we opted for, there was a vast sticky toffee pudding with pecans and a bread and butter pudding for serious pudding fans.
The not so good:
The lack of rules. Guidelines are always good when it comes to pudding temptation.
Only a fruit tart failed to thrill (the glazed sort you can get in the chilled section of most supermarkets).
The verdict:
The Pudding Parlour (open 8pm to 11pm on weekdays; 9-11 on Saturdays), is a great way to add a little luxury to your West End evening. You will leave warmer, fuller and on a serious sugar high.
The Pudding Parlour, The Athenaeum, 116 Piccadilly, Mayfair, London W1J 7BJ (+44 (0) 20 7499 3464; athenaeumhotel.com)
