"When in Rome, do as the Romans do." I invented a new saying for myself: "When in London, do as the Brits do." A champagne afternoon tea in an English-proper trad hotel costs as much as a full course dinner in S.F. But you know me... I just can't resist anything yummy and when I was told this particular menu was a limited edition to commemorate the Chelsea Flower Show, how could I resist the invitation? Cutting our late afternoon mtg. short, my colleague and I jumped in a cab to scurry over to the lovely Claridges Hotel in St. James to meet up with the facilitator of this divine afternoon. I am lucky to have friends who are so sophisticated and know the best dining locations (love you Ms. Y.T.!) I think the pics tell the story at how beautiful the treats were. Of course the champagne was flowing and I can't remember how many seconds of the sandwiches we had, let alone keep track of the different kinds of tea we were able to try. I hate that the dollar is so weak against the pound but this was one splurge well spent!
Showing posts with label london. Show all posts
Showing posts with label london. Show all posts
Thursday, May 29, 2008
My Fair Lady
I was recently in London for biz. It'd been 8 years since my last visit and I'd been yearning to go back to Fortnum & Mason, the mega-tea emporium in Piccadilly that's transformed itself into anything but just tea. Oh, my the multi-story mini department store has everything from tea, caviar, furniture to clothing! Among all the treasures this store "stores" (yeah, literally!) was a rare fragrant black tea called "Violet Pouchong" that really smells like violets, smile. I thought violets were limited to French candy or cologne, but I was proved wrong. This is definitely English-tea-meets- Fragonard and is quite unique and beautiful. It's a gorgeous tea I reserve to drink, only when I want to feel gorgeous! F&M is also celebrating it's tercentenary and released a "Tercentenary" blend (pictured here) for that as well. I received this as a gift from my fashionista friend last Christmas and was blown away by the delicate mix of Assam and Yuunan and the beautiful can. Sure Fortnum & Mason is a high-end brand, but they haven't been around since 1707 for nothin' (giggle!) No worries, you can order online outside of UK so you don't have to fly there each time. They make nice gifts too so stack up!
Labels:
fortnum and mason,
london,
tea,
tercentenary blend,
violet pouchong
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