Dillinger's/Sapphire Lounge (Liverpool)

1920s Afternoon Tea

Many moons ago I watched the movie Public Enemies with Johnny Depp because I literally devour any film set in the '20s, '30s or '40s, and I fell in LOVE with Marion Cotillard's wardrobe amongst other things. The glitz and glamour and gangsters (and gin) of the depression era always appeal to me, so you can imagine how crazed I was when I discovered a bar called 'Dillingers' serving afternoon tea in sumptuous Art Deco surroundings,. However, this little jewel is NOT in London...it's in my beloved home town of Liverpool. This is wonderful news for Liverpool but really annoying for me having relocated to London 6 years ago... Anyway, it was a perfect excuse for a working holiday so I scheduled it into my diary and off I went.

The first thing that struck me was the fantastic music which was nearly era perfect (it was a mix of '30s and '40s tunes but that's fine - I was just relieved it wasn't something like Justin Bieber, whos fans I had to spend all weekend running from as his entourage was in my hotel). The decor was spectacular with the signature clean Art Deco lines, tiffany style lamps and fixtures, and sumptuous sofas, but the added flat screens with moving flame images all along one wall were unusual and gave the bar real warmth.

Then the waitress came to take our drinks order and she was dressed in '20s gangster's moll garb so by now we were really feeling like we'd gone back in time.

We opted (appropriately) for hooch to start and my other half was pleased to see they had 'proper' cocktails on the menu - real depression era concoctions of gin and bourbon and more gin. I went for a boring Prosecco (I'm not sure why now!) but ther was plenty of time for cocktails afterwards too.

They arrived quickly, and not long after we also had a pretty afternoon tea stand with all the usual suspects - finger sandwiches, scones and mini patisserie and Art Deco plates

The sandwiches were delicious and included salmon, which I think is an indication of a good quality afternoon tea, as well as egg, cucumber and cream cheese. I think Mr Carla would've liked some meat in there though.... The scones were moist and there was plenty of clotted cream (my pet hate is having to thinly scrape cream onto scones: I want DOLLOPS of the stuff) and individual jam pots so no fighting over that either.

The cakes included mini versions of lemon curd, chocolate sponge, apple pie and walnut cake and by the end of it we were really stuffed. However, I just had to try the namesake's cocktail on the menu 'Dillinger's Punch' which was a teapot and 2 tea-cups so I ordered that as a digestif. I was so pleased when it came in one of these pretty Hendricks Tea Sets!

It was so delicious! I won't tell you what was in it - you'll just have to go there and see for yourself and believe me you should go. The thing I forget (living in London) is that you CAN get a very good afternoon tea for under £20 and you can get a good cocktail for around £5 so it was a really lovely afternoon that cost me hardly anything and I'd definitely recommend it.

The tea is served in The Sapphire Loung which is the upstairs part of the bar and this is the website for all information: http://www.ludusbar.co.uk/

Downstairs in true speakeasy style (behind a bookshelf) is a hidden doorway into Dillingers which can also be hired for your own events and the best website for that is here: http://www.sapphirelounge.co.uk/dillingers/ so be sure to check them out. the staff were attentive, the food and drinks were fabulous, the prices were great and I could have literally stayed for hours xox

 

"Sip"-tease rating *****
Pa"Tease"erie Rating ****
Boudoir or Boring Rating*****
Cheap or Chic Rating *****

(This is one of my Highest rated teas ever! )

Fancy a Double-D Cup (cake)?
I'm really excited and honoured to be a part of the new campaign from Coppafeel. It's called Cake O'Clock and starts later this month. 
Coppafeel is a breast cancer charity aimed at raising awareness in younger women after its founder, Kristin, was diagnosed with Breast Cancer at just 23. See more info about Kristin on their site: http://www.coppafeel.org/
The Cake O'Clock appeal will aim to get people across the country to have a bake sale and raise money for the charity from November 20th. But it's not just any cakes - it's boob cakes! And why not? Cupcakes come in various sizes, as do boobs. 
One thing I learned from our Eat Your Heart Out 2012 project is that cake is a fantastic way to engage people with a topic that's important. Also, my experience fronting the Shoreditch Clandestine Cake Club has shown me that cake is a sharey-lovely way to get to know people, chat and generally have a good time.
The amazing Miss Insomnia Tulip who created the anatomical breast cake below will be donating one of these to auction off during the event in Islington on the 24th:

I will be making smaller boob cakes but I will be flavouring them Vanilla as it is said that men enjoy vanilla as it reminds them of their mother's breast milk! Who knows if that's true but it's a good experiment to see how many cakes I can flog to the boyfriends of the attendees. All money goes to Coppafeel of course :)
See more info about how you can get involved here:

http://www.coppafeel.org/cakeoclock

Coppafeel have patrons such as Fearne Cotton who are young, funky and stylish and their charity events reflect the youth and enthusiasm of the organisers. Recently, they had a Boobie "Flash Mob" in St Christopher's place off Oxford Street and it looked like so much fun! You can see the footage for yourself:

I was so impressed by this I mentioned it on a recent podcast I did for Londonist Out Loud. I wanted to talk the flash mob for ages but alas we also had to get through various other cake and death topics. If you have an hour and fancy hearing more about Eat Your Heart Out and the other events at the Pathology Museum where I work you can listen here:

http://londonist.com/2012/10/londonistoutloud26oct.php 

I'll be updating with more Cake O'Clock details as I get them but for now please do check out their website. You can apply to have text reminders for boob checks and you can even get your boyfriend involved. I got mine to name my boobs for the purpose of the text reminder and he opted for Mickey and Mallory... What names can you come up with? xox

The 'Vintage Tea Party' Book - By Angel Adoree

On the way to a 1926 night at Troxy :)

What an absolutely beautiful book to own! I do love my Kindle as I'm an avid reader and it's easier for me to use that to carry the 10 books I can read in a week - but there is nothing better than holding a gorgeous book like this in your hands and going over its pages time and time again, in a big comfy chair.
And the best thing about it is it's not just a 'cook-book' but also has tips on how to source vintage china, make decorations and even get the perfect vintage look for your tea party. But because of the large range of subjects it covers, I was surprised at how sophisticated the recipes are. This is a 'grown-ups' cook book which includes dishes like smoked salmon souffle and brie & walnut savoury scones. It even includes so many things I've never even heard of...and I've been to a lot of tea parties! Coddled eggs, aspics...the list goes on.

http://vintagepatisserie.co.uk/ 

Now I'm half Irish and half Gypsy, so I thought I was aware of every possible excuse to drink during the day...champagne breakfast, bloody mary, mulled cider etc. But even I haven't heard of "Athol Brose" - a delicious combination of cream, honey, whiskey and oats to be downed with your bacon and eggs. That's next on my list to try :)
Continuing the boozy theme, there is a gorgeous selection of tea cocktails such as a 'Tea-quila Sunrise' and a 'Tea-tini'. So who thought tea parties were twee and boring?? Of course there are also some amazing recipes for sweet treats but I don't want to spoil the surprise - go and get the book!

 http://angeladoree.co.uk/ 

Angel herself is an amazing woman - you may remember her from Dragons Den (watch here):

It's Prim up North....

As you know by now, I blog about afternoon tea in London because I’ve lived here for 5 years and I love it. But I’m originally from Liverpool so, to me, both places have their charm. There are many things you see in Liverpool that you just don’t see in London (or anywhere else.) For example, girls shopping in the town centre wearing lovely clothes, full make-up….and a head full of rollers like a modern day Ena Sharples. Or The Scouse Brow which is just as synonymous with Liverpool as the Vajazzle is with Essex thanks to the TV show “Desperate Scousewives”.

Conversely, I see a lot of things in London that I’d never see anywhere else: people rollerblading with their arms full of grocery shopping, and women in smart suits and trainers carrying their heels in their bags. But my favourite has to be that uniquely London habit people have of being nose-down, totally engrossed in their book or newspaper as they’re walking through incredibly busy underground stations and packed streets, only looking up every few minutes or so to check they’re not ploughing into an old lady.

Anyway, another thing common to London but only just taking off in Liverpool is afternoon tea, so while I was home for Christmas I decided to try out a couple on home soil...

1 – Neighbourhood Cafe

The first place I went to was a relatively new hotspot called ‘Neighbourhood’ which, despite being a cosy little café in an ‘out-of-town’ suburb of the city, called Childwall, is a favourite of some  celebrities such as Coleen Rooney and Alex Curran. Good things evidently do come in small packages though, as this was actually one of the best afternoon teas I’ve ever tasted! It seems that many establishments focus mainly on the cake/patisserie elements of their afternoon tea and don’t give their savouries due care and attention. Neighbourhood did, and it was amazing the difference some decent seasoning can make to those finger sandwiches. Also, I was highly impressed with the amount of smoked salmon sandwiches we received, as most places opt to scrimp on this particular filling.

We were told they were out of jam so were served little glasses of fresh fruit for the scones, which was a really lovely touch and made us feel holier-than-thou since it counted as one of our ‘5 a day’ (despite the lashings of clotted cream). In addition to good teas and great food, the surroundings were charming and the table was set up well with a unique cake and sandwich stand, and lovely tablecloth (which caused many people in the café to glance jealously in our direction…)

We were offered extra tea as needed, and little foil trays to take home any leftovers (which we did need to do as we were absolutely stuffed.) The only negative thing I’ll say is that it did take a lot to get the attention of the staff who all seemed to be having a very engrossing conversation behind the cake counter – we found that waving the empty tea-pot in their air tended to have the desired effect and get someone’s attention. Being used to London prices I was pleasantly shocked by the economic value of this afternoon tea and highly recommend Neighbourhood to fulfil your Northern tea needs.

"Sip"-Tease Rating: ***

Pa"Tease"erie Rating: ***

Boudoir or Boring? Rating: ****

Service with (Nothing But a) Smile Rating: **

Cheap or Chic? Rating: *****

Website is http://www.neighbourhoodcafe.co.uk/

2 – Maritime Museum Cafe

I wish I could be as complementary about the afternoon tea at the Maritime Museum café on The Albert Dock but unfortunately it just didn’t compare. It was only £8 for a full afternoon tea which is a bargain but, with a price like that, it showed. The cakes weren’t very adventurous and all seemed to be small slices of similar stodgy favourites: fruit cake, sponge cake, ginger cake… However the scones were nice and we were offered a cute looking cupcake which made it a bit more special. Sandwiches were pretty bland and again, it was very difficult to get the attention of the staff.

The main saving grace was the spectacular view of the Liverpool waterline with it’s Liver Building  and the brand new Museum of Liverpool…..now THAT’S something you don’t get in London ;-)

Until next time…xox

"The Vintage Patisserie"
I was recently very honoured to receive a lovely e-mail from Angel Adoree, the founder of 'The Vintage Patisserie'. Those of you who haven't yet sampled her cupcakes or been to any of the bespoke vintage tea-parties she organizes will definitely have seen her on 'Dragon's Den' promoting her business. 
From the humble beginnings of a simple market stall, she now creates vintage afternoon tea extravaganzas for all occasions, providing hostesses, retro hair and make-up stylists, music, decorations and of course, burlesque! Clients include Mylene Klass, Oasis and Agent Provocateur....and hopefully very soon, me!

So check out her Vintage Patisserie site on the above address, and also www.angeladoree.co.uk for more information on the services offered and to learn more about the fabulous Angel herself.

Until next time.......xox