When we visited the iconic Hilton Park Lane in May 2024, the hotel was upgrading its offering. We were reviewing their new Park Corner Brasserie and had a pre-dinner drink at the Revery Bar. A few months on and the Hilton Park Lane is rapidly going through a renaissance, bringing back its exciting, vibrant energy and introducing new and imaginative offerings.
On this visit, it was all about the Revery bar, located off the lobby, to sample its first afternoon tea experience: “Tea, Cakes & Cocktails”.
The Revery is an intimate space slightly frivolous with muted pink décor and somewhat decadent with dimmed lighting and plush furnishings from comfy red upholstered armchairs and stools propping up the incredible curved backlit marble cocktail bar.
Revery bar
Peter Avis Fih, the Business Development Manager, has pitched Revery to perfection and his infectious energy, enthusiasm and vision for the hotel are reflected all around.
We arrived in time for afternoon Tea, Cakes & Cocktails priced at £65 per head – which seems a tad expensive for afternoon tea, but this is no ordinary tea. Deliciously crisp bubbles are followed by tea, cakes and cocktails with a difference.
The tableside service is informed, subtle and entirely suitable. Kruthi, Rayan and Eugene strut their stuff effortlessly and we knew we had been guided to choose well from black, herbal, floral and green teas.
This British Afternoon Tea proffers a selection of perfectly paired and meticulously crafted cocktails, ranging from an Earl Grey Sour to my favourite the Pistachio Bliss – a blend of pistachio liqueur, amaretto, and cream. Non-alcoholic options include the Blooming Blossom, featuring elderflower syrup and fresh strawberries, and the Moroccan Souk – an exotic blend of orange juice, ginger, cinnamon, and mint.
The cakes are a work of art including carrot cheesecake, triple chocolate and a strawberry and citrus frothy delight. Traditional plain or fruit scones with strawberry jam and clotted cream were on offer too
Canapes and finger foods complete this unusual blend of cuisine with beetroot cheesecake alongside black truffle macaroon with chicken liver pate, surprisingly matched to perfection.
Finger Feast
This is followed by the “Finger Feast” course featuring deconstructed classic chicken Caesar and Asparagus panna cotta, egg yolk and sourdough soldiers, mini poached lobster roll with Marie Rose sauce and Devon handpicked crab on sourdough toast with citrus bisque jelly.
It could have ended there, but we went on to enjoy the selection of Revery’s pic ’n’ mix, including apple jelly, vanilla fudge, and dark chocolate truffle.
VERDICT: We left the mixology of Revery lost and refound in reverie, our senses surprised, tantalised and deliciously sated. ‘Tea, Cakes & Cocktails’ is no traditional afternoon tea, prepare to be wowed!
Revery Bar, 22 Park Lane, London W1
Revery’s “Tea, Cakes & Cocktails” costs £65 per person and is available to book Thursdays – Sundays from 12pm – 6pm.Bookings can be made here: www.reverybarparklane.com
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Photos with a captivating sense of motion blur can be created in two ways: in the camera or during the image-editing process. This tutorial from instructor Pablo Garcia demonstrates how to combine both techniques to achieve the best possible results.
Garcia is an engineer-turned-nature-photographer who posts tutorials on a wide variety of subjects, all of which are designed to simplify seemingly complex tasks. This eight-minute episode partners several in-camera methods with a very effective Photoshop edit to give subjects the appearance of speeding through the frame.
His discussion of motion blur begins with the initial capture where he discusses the concept of panning with a moving subject, explains the proper way to do it, and he illustrates his tips with attention-grabbing examples. You’ll learn the camera settings he recommends, along with the importance of anticipation, and a few suggestions for composition.
When it comes to post processing Garcia says that “the Motion Blur filter in Photoshop is a great choice for giving our photos a sense of motion,” and he walks you through the simple steps. He also explains how this easy-to-use tool can be employed with static-looking photos to make them look far more dynamic.
The goal is to create photos that look realistic and he describes how to overcome a few common issues to get the job done to perfection. The lesson concludes with a technique for combining Photoshop’s Motion Blur filter with Content Aware Fill when you “need a bit more” to complete the task.
After watching this straightforward lesson take a look at Garcia’s instructional YouTube channel where are many more shooting and editing techniques to be found.
And don’t miss the earlier tutorial we featured with another accomplished pro who demonstrates how to “shape light” and add depth and dimension to nature and landscape photos with a straightforward Lightroom technique.
