Yesterday Emily pointed out that I haven’t posted for weeks and insisted that I blog about her belated birthday present: afternoon tea at the Bluebird Café. We had this planned before her birthday in August, but this was the first weekend when we had a day that we would all be around.
When we were out in Oxford she mentioned how much she wanted to go to high tea somewhere, and when we were looking at options Ash pointed out that the cast of Made In Chelsea always end up at the Bluebird Café (they never miss an episode) so eyes were peeled when we walked up Kings Road for anyone they recognised. What were the chances that Andy Jordan would walk in and we would spot him? As soon as Ash pointed him out Lauren was straight out of her seat to ask him to go and speak to Emily, which he did, and even posed for a photo with her while Ash hyperventilated at the other end of the table. When he left she poured herself another cup so excitedly that the lid of her teapot (loudly) fell off while she was mid sentence: “his complexion is AMAZI-”
This term we’ve really struggled to find time for all five of us to be together, so it was a really nice catchup. We made the most of our two hours there and may have laughed a bit too loudly when Shelby said she had an “apocalypse” in the shower, but what else is girl time for?
The tea menu included everything from Assam breakfast (Ash) to the exotic flowering osmanthus (Shelby and me), and Lauren and Emily upgraded to get champagne with their Earl Grey and blackcurrant & hibiscus. We managed to confuse the waitress and get the wrong order to begin with, but it was worth the wait. The presentation in clear teapots and plunger-less cafetieres drew attention to the unusual sight of flowering osmanthus and deep red of the herbal tea. They weren’t just pretty though, we managed to go through three pots each!
As the 6400 ISO photos suggest, it was pretty dimly lit, but there were overhead lights to show what you were eating, at least on the top tier. There was a wide ranging selection of savoury items (egg and ham sandwiches, and olive & tomato bread), cakes (banana, lemon drizzle, cream tea), and sweets (coconut éclair, mini chocolate cream sandwich), all the food was perfect. I have never had such flavoursome jam, and shockingly their lemon drizzle was even better than mine(?!). When Emily called to book, they asked immediately if anyone had any dietary requirements which she said was very unusual and much appreciated; she normally has to specifically ask if each item on the menu is suitable for those with nut allergies. Her apple crumble and chocolate mousse in espresso mugs more than made up for the éclair!
Although Chelsea might be a bit posh for us, the Bluebird was a really enjoyable experience, and a really beautiful venue to spend an autumn afternoon. Everything from the mismatched armchairs to the bird perched on top of the cake stand made it feel like a special place to be. Happy belated birthday, Emily!
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