Lady Mendl’s Tea Salon: A Great Place for a Proper Tea that’s not TOO Proper
Maybe it’s our addiction to china. Maybe it’s our addiction to carbs. Maybe it’s our addiction to Downton Abbey, and our delusions of aristocratic grandeur. Whatever it is, we at #FAT LOVE a proper tea. Something about a tea makes us pep up, sit up a little straighter, adopt a sunnier outlook and, oh, stop cursing for an hour. Mostly, we do it on special occasions: vacations in London, a special shopping day with mom, or a bestie’s birthday.
And while we encountered Lady Mendl’s Tea Salon on just such an occasion – a fab bridal shower thrown for Lizzie – we think we’ll be headed back there when we feel like transforming a plain old Saturday into a special occasion.
You see, tea at Lady Mendl’s isn’t like the tea of vacations and hotel lobbies. The tea salon sits in an old townhouse on Irving Place, and is equal parts lavish, and shabby, and chic. It feels like you’ve walked into some really cool great-aunt’s house, one who loves colors, and fringe, and can’t decide on a china pattern. The mismatchiness gives the place an eclectic, Mrs. Havisham feel, and the only thing fussed about is whether you’re pleased with your tea, your scone, your champagne.
Our five-course tea started with butternut squash soup and ended with scones and clotted cream, and we were ready to roll with five more courses. Oh, and there was one pink chair we really wanted to steal.
So, who’s up for tea this Saturday? Because we’re ready for round 2.
