Afternoon Tea at The Rose Lounge, Sofitel Hotel St James

The Rose Lounge Sofitel St James

Mum was in town visiting and so I decided to take her to afternoon tea at the Rose Lounge, Sofitel Hotel St James. I love taking visitors for afternoon tea as I can’t think of anything more quintessentially English for a Sunday afternoon treat. The Sofitel Hotel is a gorgeous hotel and epitomises the height of elegance. We only walked through the lobby and The Rose Lounge, but you can tell this is one classy hotel.

The Rose Lounge is where the afternoon tea is held and it is as pretty as pretty can be. The space is cozy and quaint, although the tables are probably a little bit too small. But we loved the decor and thought it was perfectly decorated for an afternoon tea experience. The room was feminine and charming with the glorious sound of a harpist playing in the corner of the lounge to really set the mood.

The Rose Lounge Sofitel St James

The afternoon tea costs ￡30 and comes with four sandwiches (￡38 with a glass of champagne). We had salmon and cream cheese, roast beef and horseradish, coronation cheese, and our favourite was the ham with emmental cheese on beetroot bread. The bread was a cute pink colour and its delicious flavour worked really well with the nuttiness of the cheese and the meatiness of the ham.

The sandwiches

Next came the scones which were served warm. We both got three ? plain, raison and apricot and they smelt absolutely incredible, oozing with that wonderful aroma of freshly baked goodies. We loved these scones as they were delicious with a fabulous bake ? slightly crunchy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. I would go so far as to say these were some of the best that I have ever had. To accompany the scones was a combination of rose and strawberry jam, lemon curd and the all-important clotted cream.

The gorgeous scones

We moved onto the pastries and you get two as part of the menu (extra pastries cost ￡3.50) which you can choose from the pastry trolley. We enjoyed the lemon tart, yuzu jelly and the passionfruit cheesecake, and particularly loved the chocolate with Grand Marnier and orange as it was fabulous. Mousse-like in texture, it was smooth and creamy with the gentlest hint of orange and Grand Marnier to give it that hint of something special. Only the white peach tart wasn’t quite to the same standard. The pastry was a little soft and the filling wasn’t that flavoursome.

The patisserie trolley

Our cake selection

I’ve had many an afternoon tea and enjoyed most of them. But I loved the one at the Rose Lounge at the Sofitel. Perhaps it was the very pretty tearoom that made the experience particularly memorable. Or it could have been the well-made sandwiches or the heavenly scones. Anyway, I’m really not sure what the highpoint of the afternoon was, but whatever it was, everything came together nicely. The service was really good too.

Summary information:

Food rating: 4/5
Service rating: 4/5

Prices: ￡30 for afternoon tea, ￡38 for afternoon tea with champagne. Extra sandwiches (4 pieces) and extra scones (3 pieces) cost an additional ￡7. An extra pastry costs ￡3.50. Excludes additional drinks and service.

Website: http://www.thebalconlondon.com/rose-lounge/

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James Cameron Laments 3D Summer Blockbusters

James Cameron still not that pleased with how Hollywood uses 3D.

Part of James Cameron's duties as King of the World? Calling out movies that were unnecessarily released in 3D.

The "Avatar" director has been on that beat since 2010. "3D's here, and it's got an enormous amount of momentum," Cameron said in a 2010 interview with Movieline. "Hopefully, the best outcome is that the audience is smarter and they know to be discriminating, and the studios are smarter and they know not to abuse the market. I'd like to think that's the case, going forward."

Later that year, Cameron called out the movie "Piranha 3D" for lessening the format that he worked so hard to perfect in "Avatar."

"I tend almost never to throw other films under the bus, but that is exactly an example of what we should not be doing in 3D," Cameron told Vanity Fair. "Because it just cheapens the medium and reminds you of the bad 3D horror films from the 70s and 80s, like 'Friday the 13th 3D.' When movies got to the bottom of the barrel of their creativity and at the last gasp of their financial lifespan, they did a 3D version to get the last few drops of blood out of the turnip. And that’s not what’s happening now with 3D. It is a renaissance?right now the biggest and the best films are being made in 3D. Martin Scorsese is making a film in 3D ['Hugo']. Disney’s biggest film of the year -- 'Tron: Legacy' -- is coming out in 3-D. So it’s a whole new ballgame."

Three years later, Cameron's still disappointed in the way Hollywood has used the extra dimension.

"One thing is shooting in 3D and another to convert to 3D," Cameron said during a chat with director Alfonso Cuaron (translation via LaVerdad.com). "After 'Avatar' changed everything, good and bad movies, everything has to be in 3D. The problem I see now is that instead of it being a filmmaker issue, it's a matter of the studios [trying] to make money and pushing 3D to directors who are not comfortable or do not like 3D." In the interview, Cameron reportedly cited "Man of Steel" and "Iron Man 3" as movies that were "spectacular" already and didn't necessarily need additional bells and whistles like 3D.

Cameron, of course, isn't alone in that thought process. J.J. Abrams, who directed this summer's "Star Trek Into Darkness," famously didn't want that film to get released in 3D. It, however, was.

"I did not fight for the 3D," Abrams said last year. "It was something the studio wanted to do."

For more on Cameron and his comments, head to TheFilmStage.com.

[via TheFilmStage]

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Russell Brand and some friends grabbed iced coffees in Hollywood, Calif., on July 2.

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Nicole Richie did some shopping at Trico Field in Beverly Hills, Calif., in a pair of short shorts on July 2.

Kate Hudson and James Franco filmed scenes for their new movie "Good People" in London, England on July 2.

Emma Roberts stepped out in a blue polka dot dress while running errands around Los Angeles, Calif., on July 2.

Kristen Stewart attended the Chanel show as part of Paris Fashion Week Haute-Couture Fall/Winter 2013-2014 at Grand Palais on July 2.

Johnny Depp, surrounded by a mass number of security guards, attended the "Jimmy Kimmel Show" in Hollywood, Calif., on July 1.

Kate Bosworth stopped to buy balloons while out and about in Los Angeles, Calif., on July 1.

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Brooke Burke-Charvet and her daughter Rain enjoyed Dole Fruit Squish`ems in Santa Monica, Calif., on June 30.

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Miley Cyrus performed live on the "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" show in Hollywood, Calif., on June 25.

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Channing Tatum greeted excited fans before heading into "The Late Show with David Letterman" in New York City on June 25.

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Tracey Conway: Heart Failure: Mobbing James Gandolfini

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James Gandolfini, beloved for portraying flawed mob boss Tony Soprano, was 51 when cardiac arrest ended his life. I was 38 when sudden cardiac arrest stopped my own heart from functioning for almost twenty minutes. Unlike Mr. Gandolfini, I was resuscitated. My heart, and I, beat the odds.

In the past 18 years since the most vital organ in my body short-circuited into ventricular fibrillation, I have watched news reports of other victims of cardiac arrest abruptly snuffed out in the prime of their lives: journalist Tim Russert, age 58, actress Brittany Murphy, 32; musician Joe Strummer, 51; pop superstars Michael Jackson, 51 and Whitney Houston, 48. Some of these deaths involved pharmaceuticals, some were possibly affected by lifestyle choices related to smoking, diet and fitness or illegal drug use, others had congenital heart defects. Ultimately, though each person had a compromised heart that could no longer accomplish its primary job; to beat rhythmically and pump nourishing, oxygenated blood throughout the body and to the brain.

After the shock of learning a famous person whom people revered, respected or even reviled has died from a sudden cardiac event comes the "Why?" phase. Not so much because we care deeply why it happened to them, but because, "If they dropped dead in the prime of their life, how can I make sure it won't happen to me?" And, pondering that question is a good thing. If only we would, please forgive me, take that pondering to heart.

But most of us don't. We puff up and point our self-righteous fingers to emphasize what these famous cardiac arrest victims were doing wrong and how they were responsible for their early demise due to a moral failing or lack of self-control. Gandofini was, "a heart attack waiting to happen!" blares a cardiologist, in an online sales pitch for us to buy his medical counsel. How incredibly offensive.

As someone who has experienced cardiac arrest and the resuscitation road back, and now feels the weight of "right living" on my shoulders every day, I find the onus to make healthy choices at every turn one of the most challenging parts of my very precious life.

Yes, Mr. Russert and Mr. Gandolfini were overweight. Yes, Brittany Murphy struggled with her own weight issues, conforming to Hollywood's decree that leading ladies be no larger than size 2, and later from being labeled too thin. Yes, Mr. Gandolfini drank alcohol during the meal before his collapse. Perhaps at one point, he'd been a smoker and/or struggled with substance abuse. Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston both struggled with drug demons and the intrusive pressures of fame. "We are all frail." Will Shakespeare sure got that right.

Why does this get me so riled? I do recognize how phenomenally lucky I am to have had the right people rush in to administer bystander CPR and use an AED defibrillator when everything in my body went completely, fatally wrong. There are very few of us who survive The Death Rhythm, ventricular fibrillation. A mere 8 percent of people experience clinical death, then leave hospital care with their heart intact and most of their brain functioning.

James Gandofini's passing hit me as if I'd lost a family member -- which I have. My own brother, Mark. Another victim of sudden cardiac death. He was 39. My brother was also a bit overweight. He was also, like everyone has said of actor James Gandolfini, a sweet soul, a deeply kind man, a gentle person. Like Mr. Gandolfini, my brother was not perfect in every lifestyle choice. He is, like Mr. Gandolfini, deeply, deeply missed.

That is what I wish we would all concentrate on, regarding the coverage of this untimely passing. Being good to each other. And to ourselves and our precious, often fragile bodies. Because, we are all frail. Let us celebrate that we were fortunate to witness the exquisite vulnerable and lacerating emotional work, the intelligence and generosity of James Gandolfini. Let us honor his life and in doing so try to be a little more like what we admired in him.

Tracey Conway is an Emmy-winning actress and former writer/performer on the Comedy Central series, Almost Live! She died and was resuscitated onstage. Her writing was recently published in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Healthy Living Series; Heart Disease. She speaks about surviving Sudden Cardiac Arrest in her humorous program, Drop Dead Gorgeous. For more: http://www.TraceyConway.com

Follow Tracey Conway on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ShockedTracey

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James Gandolfini's Funeral To Take Place Today

NEW YORK ? Mourners gathered Thursday for the funeral of James Gandolfini and the creator of "The Sopranos" is due to memorialize the actor at the ceremony.

David Chase is one of four people scheduled to offer remembrances during the ceremony at the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine. The others are his widow, Deborah Lin Gandolfini, and two family friends.

The 51-year-old actor best known for his role as mob boss Tony Soprano in the HBO series died of a heart attack last week while vacationing with his son in Italy.

Invited guests began gathering early for the 10 a.m. funeral. Dick Cavett chatted with actor Steve Buscemi near the front of the church. Aida Turturro, who played Gandolfini's sister in "The Sopranos," was one of the first from that show's large cast to arrive.

Some 1,500 seats had been set up. The public was to be allowed in after the invited guests.

A private family wake was held for the actor Wednesday in New Jersey.

Broadway theaters paid tribute by dimming their lights briefly Wednesday night. Gandolfini was nominated for a Tony Award in 2009 as an actor in "God of Carnage."

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James Gandolfini funeral set for Thursday in New York

By Sharon Waxman

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - James Gandolfini will be buried on Thursday at the famed Saint John the Divine cathedral in Manhattan, HBO announced on Sunday.

"We can confirm, on behalf of the Gandolfini Family, that the funeral service for James Gandolfini will be held Thursday, June 27th. The service will be held at 10:00 AM at the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine in Manhattan," the statement said.

The sudden death of the iconic actor at 51 on Wednesday, who was on vacation with his family at the time, shocked Hollywood and his legions of fans.

Earlier Sunday a family spokesman said that Gandolfini's body would be returned Monday to the United States for burial.

HBO released the statement by Gandolfini family spokesman, Michael Kobold, in Rome, Italy.

"Thanks to the collaboration of all these people and organizations I just named, we are now looking at hopefully getting James Gandolfini's remains back to the States tomorrow," he said. "The provisional plan is to depart Rome tomorrow afternoon and arrive in the U.S. in the evening."

Kobold thanked the Italian and U.S. governments for expediting a process that he said usually takes seven days.

(Editing by Chris Michaud)

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James Gandolfini funeral set for Thursday in New York

By Sharon Waxman

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - James Gandolfini will be buried on Thursday at the famed Saint John the Divine cathedral in Manhattan, HBO announced on Sunday.

"We can confirm, on behalf of the Gandolfini Family, that the funeral service for James Gandolfini will be held Thursday, June 27th. The service will be held at 10:00 AM at the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine in Manhattan," the statement said.

The sudden death of the iconic actor at 51 on Wednesday, who was on vacation with his family at the time, shocked Hollywood and his legions of fans.

Earlier Sunday a family spokesman said that Gandolfini's body would be returned Monday to the United States for burial.

HBO released the statement by Gandolfini family spokesman, Michael Kobold, in Rome, Italy.

"Thanks to the collaboration of all these people and organizations I just named, we are now looking at hopefully getting James Gandolfini's remains back to the States tomorrow," he said. "The provisional plan is to depart Rome tomorrow afternoon and arrive in the U.S. in the evening."

Kobold thanked the Italian and U.S. governments for expediting a process that he said usually takes seven days.

(Editing by Chris Michaud)

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WATCH: John Travolta Promises To Take Care Of James Gandolfini's Family

John Travolta promised to take care of James Gandolfini's family on "Good Morning America" Thursday morning.

News of James Gandolfini's death yesterday shocked many people, not least of all his childhood friend John Travolta. During an appearance on "Good Morning America" Thursday morning, the 59-year-old actor -- who appeared in films such as "Get Shorty" and "The Taking of Pelham" with his fellow New Jersey native -- declared that he would watch after Gandolfini's two children, Michael, 13, and Liliana, 8 months.

"My father sold tires to his father. I was his inspiration to get into the business. He would see pictures of me on the wall from movies and he decided that he wanted to be an actor."

Travolta added: "My goal is to make sure that his family is okay. His little boy, I watched him grow up, and his brand new little girl. We'll just make sure they're taken care of. That's the whole idea."

The generous statement comes after "The Sopranos" actor looked after Travolta through his own rough time: when Travolta's teenage son Jett abruptly died in 2009 from a seizure. He remembered fondly: "James went out of his way to come to Florida and he would not leave Florida until I was OK, or he felt that I would be fine. After a week I said, 'Jim you can really, you can, you know, we'll be fine. I've got a lot of support here.' But the idea that in our profession someone would go out of their way and not want to leave you until he felt you were OK, that's the kind of soul that James Gandolfini was."

Gandolfini died Thursday while vacationing abroad in Italy with son Michael, from his previous marriage to Marcy Wudarski. He leaves behind his current wife, Deborah Lin, and their 8-month-old daughter Liliana.

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