It was a very bright, very warm spring day for the Nuffnang sponsored SydneyFashion Bloggers meetup at the Tea Parlour in Redfern. Organised by Emily of Little Black Book and myself, it was the first time for most of us to meet our Nuffnang representatives Vanessa and Sarah – and each other!

Despite a few of us being confused by Google’s incorrect street number for the place – it is 569 Elizabeth St, not 579 – we managed to convene at the front for introductions and chatties. The big sign on the front window saying “Tea Parlour” was a bit of a giveaway 🙂

Since there were six ladies there to start, I ventured in to see if they might be able to squeeze us in before the 4pm time they had earlier suggested might be necessary. Lo and behold – there was room! Amelia kindly allowed us to enter and settle into the elegant parlour, which really was like stepping back in time.

Duck egg blue walls were adorned with dainty china plates, a huge majestic stag’s head, shabby chic mirrors and bookshelves filled with antique tomes. Lovely old wingback chairs were paired with velvet salon chairs or faux fur covered stools, tables layered with cloths of various colours and textures. A diaphanous chiffon curtain separated the areas within the room, and lent a fairytale air to the place (seen here behind Janice of Chaigyaru and Adeline of Through Beauty Eyes).

And the tableware!! Beautiful old cake-stands stood ready to be filled with all manner of scones and cakes. Silver teapots and cruet sets fairly gleamed. The menus when they came, were gently loved old books with the menu page inserted halfway through the volume – a lovely touch.

We were spolit for choice with over 20 teas to choose from, but ordered a tea with hibiscus and lavender – and scones all round! While we waited, we did as bloggers do, and snapped our surroundings, and each other. Below is Renee of Reneevue, and Vanessa from Nuffnang.

I wore a black ruffled Review blouse, Day of the Dead necklace from Nude n Rude in Koenji, skirt and belt from Munky Bizness in Newtown, and beaded beret from David Jones. My circle lenses are my favourite G&G BT02 lenses in sky blue from Pinky Paradise.

But that was as nothing to the snapping frenzy when the food came out!!

We joked about how bloggers (and food bloggers in particular) let their food go cold as they first set up test shots and artistic shots, close-ups and long shots, while their partners whimper and complain. I have to admit, my first Nuffnang event last December had me stunned as the foodies whipped out their DSLRs en masse when the food started to arrive.

I got the odd surreptitious unposed snap, but really, once we started eating, the cameras went down and were seen no more. Below are Ebony from The Fun In Fashion, Vanessa and Janice as before, and the lovely white hand of one Sarah Stokely from Nuffnang. Soon after we started, two more visitors dropped in – none other than Fashion Hayley and her husband Henry! But I failed to get pics of them – next time, gadget!

I had a fabulous time, and conversation ranged from how some of us met our partners, to unusual weddings (in Hayley’s and my case), to our love of doggies, to how time-consuming blogging is, to favourite food, to Tokyo (me, Henry and Hayley again), to cool places in Sydney and Melbourne to hang out. There were stories told and jokes cracked, and business cards changed hands as the afternoon wore on.

Unfortunately, the Virgin Blue saga reared its ugly head, and at 5pm Sarah and Vanessa realised they had to hightail it outta there pronto to try to get checked in before their 7pm flight. (Even more unfortunately, they were rescheduled to fly the following day – DOH!) And so we said our goodbyes and left to get our various cabs or walk home.

Thank you so much Nuffnang for picking up the tab for our delightful afternoon!

The Tea Parlour

Location: 569 Elizabeth Street Surry Hills, just next to the Surry Hotel (corner Cleveland St)
Hours: Wednesday to Sunday, 12pm-8pm
Bookings: 0414 335 224