Pret a Portea Afternoon Tea at The Berkeley

After an exhausting morning’s shopping, London’s fashionistas can now head to the Berkeley Hotel for a stylish new take on a traditionally English pastime. With its chocolate-coloured walls and chic faux-crocodile fabrics, the Caramel Room is the perfect setting for their Pret a Portea afternoon tea.

From 2-6pm every day, they serve up couture champagne, pots of tea and dainty sandwiches on striped Paul Smith crockery. The tiny canapés are delicious, but the highlight of the menu is the selection of fashion-themed cakes and treats inspired by top designers.

This season these include an Anya Hindmarch lemon handbag, an Alexander McQueen lavender floral crème cone, and an Emmanuel Ungaro blackberry mousse accompanied by a Manolo Blahnik high heeled shoe. If you don’t have room for a bikini biscuit or two, don’t worry - you can always take them home with you in a green and pink handbag-shaped take-out box.

The experience has already been praised by Vogue and won the ‘best afternoon tea in the world’ award in Wallpaper* magazine’s prestigious Design and Lifestyle awards, so make a reservation now and treat yourself to a truly elegant feast.

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A Slice of Heaven -- Little Pie Company

Stepping inside the Little Pie Company is like traveling back in time to a 1950’s soda shop except the prices are higher than they were fifty years ago (stupid inflation) and Michael J. Fox won’t be stopping by to bumpt into his nerdy dad at the counter any time soon.

Like the name suggests the store is really little. Red vinyl covered stools lined the Formica counter tops and tiny loveseat like cushions surround little tables by the window. Sepia covered newspapers plaster the walls with news stories of yesteryear. On warmer days you can grab one of the tables in the shade, people watch and have a nice slice of applesauce carrot pie.

For the New Yorker in serious with a sugar craving, low funds and little desire to stand in line at the Magnolia Bakery Little Pie offers yummy and thick with icing cupcakes (vanilla, chocolate) for $2.50 and these amazing brownies for $2.00. One bite will have you swearing off Little Debbie for life.

They have the traditional pies like apple pie for the traditional bunch but for those who want to give their taste buds a little treat they also offer other varieties such as key lime, sour cream apple walnut and Mississippi mud.

I like big pies and I cannot deny.

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Buttercup Bakeshop

Cupcakes have definitely become something of an "in thing" in NYC (and in other areas as well). Cupcakes tend to have the perfect serving of something sweet while being able to hold it all in one hand. I have to say that for work functions or after, I am more prone to think about the perfect cupcake as opposed to what cake a person may want to celebrate an event. Buttercup Bakeshop is not the biggest of shops but when you look at the glass case and see the array of cupcakes - you realize that you have a lot of options to choose from. I love that you come in today and pick up something you like and for larger orders as long as you call the day before prior to 2, they can accomodate you!

Buttercup Bakeshop is on the Upper East Side and on the Upper West Side as well and boasts a variety of options including: golden, chocolate, devil dog, german chocolate, lady Baltimore, lemon, red velvet and sour cream spice. Besides cupcakes there are pies, muffins, bars and more. If you're in NYC and are looking for something cute that you want to send to someone, consider Buttercup Bakeshop.

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