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| Posted: 13 May 2013 11:00 PM PDT Loading up on scones, cholesterol-heavy clotted cream and liters of tea is an English tradition that dates back to the days of Dickensian urchins and Queen Victoria. But your average London tea experience can be a stuffy event, all ancient china and tedious rituals. Thankfully, a string of new venues (plus a couple of old favorites) across the city, have turned London tea into a far more inviting, gluttonous treat. Dean St Townhouse
This is one of London's hottest new hotels, run by the Soho House group. Forget weak tea and piddly sandwiches. This London tea bargain served in the hotel's classy dining room is all about hefty slices of Victoria sponge, colorful Battenberg and proper finger sandwiches that won't leave you searching out the nearest Pret when you leave. What makes it really stand out for us are the buttered crumpets. An English delight sorely lacking from the more mainstream teas out there, these should be obligatory eating for all London visitors. Dean St. Townhouse, 69-71 Dean St.; £16.75 ($25.50) per person The Orangerie at Kensington Palace
Afternoon tea in a proper English country garden, in London. The tea might cost less than a tenner, but you get indulgent cakes, a huge selection of teas from around the world and the chance to sit on the terrace. Pay an extra £6 ($9) and you'll get a glass of champagne, too. It's far better value than the expensive, dressy London teas you'll find in some of Mayfair's fancier establishments and comes without waiters fawning over you. If the weather's bad (pretty likely), then the high white walls and stunning arches of the 18th-century building are just as good for spending a few hours in gluttonous glee. The Orangerie at Kensington Palace, Kensington Palace Gardens; £9.95 ($15) per person The Modern Pantry
A perfect example of the unfussy, but lovingly prepared food that's becoming increasingly available across London, The Modern Pantry's afternoon tea is one of the finest you'll find in the center of town. The booze selection alone makes it worth a visit. There's a passionfruit Bellini and some worryingly easy-to-drink Prosecco to get you in the mood before a hefty serving of fruit scones and cakes made fresh every day. Unlike its rivals, The Modern Pantry also offers savory treats on top of traditional sandwiches, such as cheese scones. Coffee roasted at nearby Caravan, one of London's growing breed of New York-style coffee joints, makes this an ideal option for those who don't want the same old offerings that dominate most afternoon teas. The Modern Pantry, 48 St. John's Square, Clerkenwell; £20 ($30) with champagne, £15 without, per person Le Chandelier
Le Chandelier's afternoon tea offers buttery soft scones with the sweetest organic jam. Instead of petit fours you get a pastry selection that'll leave you wishing you lived nearby so you could buy croissants daily. There's a champagne option that will set you back £22. Le Chandelier, 161 Lordship Lane, East Dulwich; £16 ($24.50) per person      |
| 5 of the world's best kebab joints Posted: 13 May 2013 03:01 PM PDT Kebabs: the food of ancient Ottoman emperors, Persian courts and, in recent times, inebriated persons. In much of the Western world, particularly Europe, the kebab has become the must-have meal for all variety of people falling out of pubs and clubs between the hours of 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. This couldn't be further from the situation in the Middle East. Here, grilled meat served with salad and flatbread or rice is a meal for all the family. Here's where to find some of the world's best kebabs. 1. Barbar in Beirut, Lebanon
When it comes to kebabs, Barbar is a Beirut institution. It's a snack bar with branches throughout the city, but its flagship store is in trendy Hamra, where it takes up a whole block and overflows with customers night and day. You can eat almost anything at Barbar and be happy, but the chicken shawarma is the tastiest pint-sized snack. Marinated in spices including cardamom and cinnamon, the chicken is sliced off the rotating shawarma, laid in a piece of warm, fresh Lebanese bread with a smear of garlic paste and a pickle. Barbar, Hamra, between Hamra main road and Emile Edde (leon) Street, Hamra, Beirut; +961 (0)1 747 721 More on CNN: 10 of the best bars in Beirut 2. Öz Asmaalti Kebap & Döner Salon in Adana, Turkey
Adana is famous for its spicy minced lamb kebab cooked on an iron skewer over an oak wood barbecue. The kebab is brought to your table on flatbread that's been collecting meat juices as it's cooked. Charred tomato and pepper come alongside, as well as a tasty salad of onion, parsley and sumac. To enjoy it like a local, you'll need to crush the tomato and pepper with your fork, smear it onto some bread, add a little kebab, then top it with onion salad, roll it up and munch. Öz Asmaalti Kebap & Döner Salon is the place for authentic Adana action. Öz Asmaalti Kebap & Döner Salon, Kocavezir Mah, Pazarlar Cad. No:11, Kuruköprü, Seyhan, Adana; +90 (0)322 351 40 28 More on CNN: Turkey's best kebab restaurants 3. Nagí in Abu Ghosh, Israel
In the Arab village of Abu Ghosh, where residents became famous for their "hummus wars" with Lebanon, you're guaranteed a plate of memorable meat. At Nagí, chefs mix minced beef thigh with onion, parsley, pine nuts and a little fat before threading it onto an iron skewer. It's cooked on a barbecue and served with rice or salad, a little pink on the inside. Nagí, 4 Mahmoud Rashid St., Abu Ghosh; +972 (0)57 943 8242 4. Santorini and Kolonaki, Greece
Pork gyros is a favorite early lunch. The crispy outer layer of the gyros is shaved onto a warm pita, topped with tomato, a little onion and some creamy, sharp tzatziki. It's presented with paprika-sprinkled fries sticking out the top. The Souvlaki Stop on the Kamari Beach Promenade makes particularly good pork gyros. The same goes for the souvlaki at Kalamaki Kolonaki in Athens. Halfway up the hill toward Mount Lycabettus, this charming little taverna has mastered the art of making street food look smart. It's the kind of place where you can order a few chicken souvlaki and a potato salad and wait for everything good about Greece to come to you on a plate. Kalamaki Kolonaki, Patriarchou Ioakim and Ploutarcho 32, Kolonaki, Athens; +30 (0)210 7218800 5. Salva Restaurant in Bijar, Iran
But never say you're tired of Iranian food until you've been to Bijar, a town famed throughout the country for its succulent kebabs. Kabab-e koobideh is minced lamb or beef, marinated in onion juices, spices and saffron. The meat is molded onto flat iron skewers, cooked over a fiery charcoal barbecue and served on top a mass of rice with a dollop of butter. The side dishes make it magic. Raw onion, charred tomato, beetroot and even kiwi fruit must be eaten with the kebab to balance the meal, according to ancient Persian philosophy. Being Iran, there's every possibility that a stranger in the street might invite you to their home for dinner, in which case, you should say yes. Failing that, try Salva Restaurant. Salva Restaurant, Shohada Street, Bijar; +98 (0)872 423 7331 More on CNN: World's 50 most delicious foods    |
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