A taste of Honey: The Best Cupcake in Lagos

The only thing better than a cake is a cupcake. Sadly, Lagos is not one of those cities where you can just roll out of bed and into some divine patisserie to get a cupcake, they are far and few between and not always filled with the best offerings. Recently, I have received tons of mails asking for my expert intel on where to get above average cupcakes, and was stumped that I honestly could not recommend any. My search for the ultimate cupcake in Lagos had thus far led me to the reality of rock buns parading as cupcakes and mini hills of coloured margarine in the name of icing.

I had almost resigned to a fate of swallowing rocks topped with margarine when I discovered Honey's Cupcakes. I stumbled on her website and was pretty blown away by the selection of cupcakes she had. They looked too good to be true and I could not wait to find out if indeed they tasted as good as they looked. (i am looking at you cupcake girl with the nasty yet good-looking cupcakes at the Lagos Food Fair 2014!!). 

My excitement quickly turned to despair when I found out that Honey's Cupcakes was an online store, which meant the looong process of placing an order. Luckily, after a bit of correspondence with Honey herself (yes, I am resilient) , I discovered that Honey's Cupcakes was re-launching a pop-up shop at Stranger Lagos, a concept store at Lekki. 

The Cupcakes: Created by an Art graduate turned baker, Honey's Cupcakes are hands down the most deliciously decadent cupcakes you will find in Lagos, trust me, I have searched. Each cupcake was deliriously fresh, and not the mediocre plain ol' vanilla or chocolate you can find in the city. With the richest ingredients sourced from various parts of Europe, every cupcake is a work of art.

The Bountiful: This was my absolute favourite. It is a chocolate and coconut cake topped with coconut butter cream with coconut flakes and reminiscent of a bar of Bounty, hence the name I guess.

The Strawberry Lane: Topped with a piece of fresh strawberry , the strawberry lane cupcake oozes right down the middle with a light strawberry sauce and little bits of strawberry through out.

The Delight: If you love chocolate like I do then The Delight would be a pure delight for you to savour. This cupcake is topped with a generous amount of glazed chocolate and filled with "dulce de luche."I will admit I did not know what dulche de luche was, but google did and it turns out to be a confection derived from slowly heating milk. Yummy!

Get your dulche de luche on

The Drunken Fig: This was interestingly my proclaimed teetotaler's favourite cupcake. The perfect merger between figs and a dibble of whisky, though not overpowering may not be suitable for those under the legal drinking age. I am pretty sure enough of this will leave you a little light-headed.

Eat Responsibly !!

The Hostess with the Mostess: This little dark chocolate creation boasts of a marshmallow filling with very generous chocolate topping. If you are not drooling by now, there is something very wrong!!

The Very Vanilla: If you like your basic vanilla cupcake, this might appease you. Sure it's vanilla with a copious amount of tasty vanilla bean butter-cream, but right down the middle is a vanilla surprise. 

the new classic

Order online: I am positive that by now you are dying to have a taste of Honey's Cupcakes for yourself, so place an order at honey@honeyscupcakes.com or call 08121601289. Check out the honey cupcakes website for an updated version of her menu which offers twenty(20) different flavours of cupcakes. Imagine these dreamy cupcakes at your parties and events.

The Pop-up Shop: If you can't wait to place an order, head on down to STRANGER LAGOS, at No. 3, Hakeem Dickson Road, off Victoria Arobieke, Lekki Scheme 1, Lagos. Honey's cupcakes are available at the pop-up shop on SATURDAYS ONLY!!

Wallet Control: At N 500 per cupcake, Honey's Cupcakes does not do a lot of damage to your wallet. Half a dozen cupcakes cost N 3,000 and a dozen cupcakes cost N 6,000. 

With amazing flavours, a personalised touch and a commitment to the environment with eco-friendly packaging, Honey's Cupcakes are set to fill the void in the luxury cupcake industry(Yes, that exists!). If you have tasted cupcakes better than Honey's anywhere in Lagos, be a dear and drop a comment.  

* Dedah Eats was a guest of Honey's Cupcakes. Many thanks to the warm and receptive CEO of Honey's Cupcakes-Honey !!

*Dedah Eats will be rewarding the most consistent "commenter"of the year with a box of  cupcakes in December. 

Buffy the Buffet Slayer

With an origin that dates back to the 16th Century in Sweden, the Buffet is the greatest trick played on diners till date. You are put in a room with filled from wall-to-wall with food and are given a license to "eat all you want" for a few hours, o but don't forget, you cannot take anything away. (very Merchant of Venice).

My first ever buffet experience was pretty disappointing. I made the rooky mistake of filling up on a particular dish and in the end had no room left for anything else, and felt like I had wasted money just to eat one meal. I went in with the "Eat and Kill yourself" mentality.

Fast forward to 2013, and having perfected the art of Buffet Dining through years of practice, I headed down to the new and super swanky Intercontinental Hotel in Victoria-Island and put my skills to the test. Follow my tips for successfully eating at a buffet.

Tip No. 1: Have an empty stomach: Remember, this is a game, if you show up at a buffet having eaten a meal, game over!!The restaurant wins!!It is expedient that you have enough room in your tummy. It is also wise to stay away from tight waisted jeans or belts that will obstruct the inevitable expansion of your tummy.

Tip No. 2: Work the Room: By now your tummy should be rumbling and saying swear words at you at the sight of all the food, but DO NOT just grab a plate and dive into the first dish that catches your fancy. All the dishes are usually spaciously displayed, so walk around and know what is up for grabs.

Tip No.3:  Follow the four course rule:In most standard buffets, you have a wide array of bread-rolls, soups, entrees, pastas, meats, sea-food, salads and desserts. God being your strength, you should be able to work your way through everything!! So start small, bread-rolls or entrees first, a soup, a main course, then finish it off with a light dessert. After accomplishing this, you are at liberty to pig out and try anything else that tickles your fancy.

The journey should begin here

after dessert, let the random eating begin!

you might want to avoid this!

Looks like Chapman is on its way to being the official drink in Lagos

Tip No. 4: Portion Control: Keep it light. The idea isn't to pass out on the table. Small servings help you appreciate the meals even more.  You know you've dished too much when people send daggers at you with their eyes when you skip past with your plate.

Tip No. 5: Take "something" away: I am not ashamed to share this tip. Yes, yes, I know the principal rule of the buffet is that you can't take anything food away, BUT, there is no harm in trying.This will only work with light food though. So if you are keen on this tip, step 1, stack your plate with the object of your desire, step 2, casually lay out two serviettes on your plate, step 3;roll up the goods in the serviette and stash it into your big bag, especially carried for the occasion. Always leave something in the plate though. WARNING!! You have less than 30 seconds to do this before the eagle-eyed waiters accost you, or even worse, your fellow diners spot you and shake their heads at you in disdain.

Potential "take-away"

Now that I have passed on my gastronomic wisdom on to you, venture out into the world and conquer those buffet tables. Follow these tips and you will be the envy of the annual office retreat, when everyone else is sick and unable to walk.

Intercontinental's Sunday Buffet costs a handsome N 9,500 per head, not bad given the selection.

Please feel free to send us pictures of your conquests( or failed attempts), and I'll be sure to publish them. As always leave your comments and or questions , reading your hilarious comments are always a blast. AND!! you can follow me on Twitter for weekly foodie news and ramblings slash musings on @ Dedah Eats.

* Intercontinental Hotel's Sunday Buffet is from 12.30 pm to 4pm ...erm...every Sunday.