Monday, October 22, 2007

Of High Tea, Friends And A Bright Pink Parasol

As I mentioned on Friday, I was heading to The Victoria Room on Saturday afternoon for High Tea. Oh my dears, it was Most Excellent. Along with Mikey (the lovely ex), his boyfriend Evan, Linda, Natalie, Tony and his lovely wife Kristin we headed in to The Victoria Room around noon for the first sitting of High Tea (the rest of the afternoon was fully booked, and by the time we left it was packed).

I hadn't been there before and was a little surprised at the scale of the place. Huge. A large loft style space, divided into more intimate areas with seating arrangements, beaded curtains and open iron screens. Full of an assortment of antique couches, chairs and little side tables with lamps, it was dark and elegant in a slightly shabby chic sort of way, and surprisingly intimate.

Oh, and 'glamour' dark, which meant we all looked gorgeous (natch) but it did make getting snaps of anything that wasn't a light source a bit difficult. When I was scrolling through the pics I took, it was something like 90% lamps. I know I'm a bit of a Homewares Queen, but that's ridiculous.



High Tea High Tea


Chiffon wrapped chandeliers (left) and vintage style elegance (right) at The Victoria Room.


The nibbly bits were lovely, a few savoury sandwiches and lots of sweet things. We had the complimentary bubbles (too sweet for my taste) and a couple of top class bottles courtesy of Mikey and Evan. There was some live jazz to add to the atmosphere, and a solo soprano who sang a selection of arias with piano accompaniment. Fabulous.



High Tea Mikey at High Tea
Potted palms (left) and Mikey (right)



Best of all was the company. We chatted, we supped our tea and champers, laughed and had a great time. Once we rolled out of there a few hours later, we decided to keep the afternoon going with drinkies in the beer garden of The Green Park Hotel nearby. The stark modernity of the beer garden was a total change from the cool dark of The Victoria Room.



Linda Drinkies At The Green Park Hotel
Linda cracks up (left) and stark geometries at The Green Park (right)



It was a really hot afternoon, but we staved off the heat with whatever shade we could find, Linda's parasol and some crisp, cold bottles of Sauvignon Blanc.



Nat At The Green Park The Lost Language Of
Nat strikes the pose (left) and cranes overhead, speaking their lost language (right)



It was a fantastic way to spend an afternoon.

[Click the pics to see them full sized, and there are more pics from the day in the full set on Flickr.]

12 comments:

Michael said...

Sounds wonderful (as would that lost language of cranes, I imagine...heh).

I know Mikey/TLE is lovely and all (it's right there in his name!), but he should be giving you effusive thanks for that photo, and using it as his calling card. Nice.

Mikey (TLE) said...

Yes, it was a grand way to spend an afternoon. Pity Evan and I got home, fooled around and fell asleep till 11pm. Thus completely missing the 8pm sitting for Berlin by the Sydney Dance Company we had tickets to that night... Oops. Oh well, I booked tickets for the last show this Thursday. I don't want to miss the fab iOTA.

And yes, great photos as always. And michael, you are such a dear. I must work out how to make that my blogger photo.

The Other Andrew said...

I must work out how to make that my blogger photo.

And then start blogging!? :)

Michael, always so encouraging! Thanks for the kind words on the photo, and it stands to reason that Mikey (tle) would be the cuteness. I mean, taste right?

(Oh, and I'm kicking myself that I didn't get a pic of Evan and he together, because they make my teeth ache with all the sweetness. Seriously, these boys will put you into a diabetic coma. They are so cute and sweet together. Awww. It's lovely.)

Thombeau said...

Sounds faboo. Good for you!


(Agreed, great foto of Mikey!)

The Other Andrew said...

Thanks Thombeau!

Michael said...

Oh, and the girls look fab as well. ;-)

freakgirl said...

I need to come visit you. You do the most fabulous things. Sounds like a great weekend.

Christopher said...

Great pics...especially the one with you & your parasol....

Oh, and to Mike (TLE): hubba hubba!

The Other Andrew said...

FG, come visit! I promise a good time in Oz. Seriously, I can't take all the credit, Sydney is a pretty easy town to have fun in.

Christopher, thanks! If I can't look femme with a parasol, then when can I, right? (Re: Mikey (tle), agreed, but seriously, let's not create a monster.)

Cozalcoatl said...

Awesome photo of Mikey...Hi Mikey...;)

I'm very jealous, you have no idea how hard it is to get a decent cuppa here, unless I make it myself.
Can get as much Herbal stuff as one wants but a good strong black tea...a rare beast.
Now I start work at 5am, I bought a thermos so when we do break i have hot tea with me. Everyone else finds it quaint, I find it lifesaving.

The Other Andrew said...

Hola Coz! I'm more of a coffee drinker normally, but there is alot to be said for a nice consoling and reviving cup of Russian Caravan. Or Orange Pekoe (mmmmm, bergamot).

Mikey (TLE) said...

Hi Coz. How's it going in the good old U S of A?

Oh and Christopher, you are a dear. Now, now, boys, there's no need to fight over me...

But you are all good for a boy's ego. I put it down to Andrew's lens mastery, myself.