Apr162012

Gail Carriger’s Drink, Shop & Do’s in London

It is one of the great pleasures of my life that, given the type of prose my humble pen has taken to producing, that I have consequently been blessed by tea-centered celebratory events.

After a most excellent evening at Foyles and several other cuppas in honor of simply being in England. It was on to the next round of tea soaked festivities. Orbit invited me to drop by and visit their offices, sign the fated teapot (to the winner go the spoils) and, naturally, have tea.

It’s difficult to see in the a first picture, but the lobby of the building (shared with the makers of Marmite, much to my excitement) also houses this massive steampunk trumpet sculpture. I was rather taken with it, as you might imagine.

After a brief visit with the Powers That Be a small posse and self dashed off to the Booksellers Meet & Great at the wonderfully twee Drink Shop & Do.

This little place had a front section with all things kitschy, retro, and rockabilly mixed with a vast collection of old-fashioned sweets, tea related items, and knitting wool for sale.

Down bellow, in the basement, was a retro inspired dance club, and up above to the back was the most wonderful little rockabilly diner meets tearoom. Add a dusty old used bookstore next door and I would probably set up camp and live here for the rest of my life.

They could not have picked a spot more appropriate to me, my friends, or my books. It was wonderful. I recommend it highly as a place to visit, and has been added to my London list for the future. They offer a wide range of set afternoon teas as well and plenty of a la carte items.

I was inexplicably starving and wary of yet more sugar, tea, and cocktails and so ordered a lovely scotch egg and salad. Really delicious. I don’t say that lightly as my mom is the definitive scotch egg producer.

Then lots of lovely booksellers and distributors arrived, some of them dressed in steampunk for the occasion, and we consumed the delights afforded by such a venue ~ lovely little cakes, teacups of sherbert, and a selection of sweets from the jars.

There was quite a large turn out and I really wish I’d had the opportunity to talk with everyone. I read for a little bit out of Soulless, answered some questions and then chatted one-on-one with several peeps long into the night. It was a lovely evening.

I will be back again some day!

I am anticipating technical difficulties over the next few weeks, I hope to be checking in regularly but I’m not confident in my internet access and time allotments, so you may not get much blogging from me for a bit. In the immortal words of somebody famous:

Keep calm, drink tea, and carry on.

GAIL’S DAILY DOSE

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Book News:
Forbidden Planet reviews the manga.

Quote of the Day:
“Tea! thou soft, thou sober, sage, and venerable liquid,… thou female tongue-running, smile-smoothing, heart-opening, wind-tippling cordial, to whose glorious insipidity I owe the happiest moment of my life, let me fall prostrate.”
~ Colley Cibber, Lady’s Last Stake

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