Haaaaa! The first “official” Frilladelphia Lolita meet-up was this past January 15. The venue was a cute little tea room in Haddonfield, NJ – a cute little town at that! It’s about 15-20 minutes from Philadelphia, a renovated street/highway with lots of colonial/historical homes and a “main street” with lots of shopping and eateries. There seemed to be a big “British presence” there with a British gift shop along with a British eatery??! Totally wanted to try the latter but I was too stuffed from afternoon tea to do so

トマト also came. We picked up a friend (K) from the train station and drove off into NJ! Once we got there, we split up. トマト went on his merry way to explore and tinker with his camera abouts the town while we beelined for the tea room. Be both had to visit the ladies’ room and on top of it, the weather was dry, sunny and COOOOOOOOLD. This made for a prolonged stay at the tea room :relieved:

The Venue: The Picket Fence and Garden Tea Room

The place was really cute! The front half consisted of a gift shop with various tea-related goodies from scone mixes to tea sets for children. The back half – separated by a little white picket fence and garden arch still decorated in winter-themed evergreen and lights. Behind this fence was the tea room portion that was small-ish. It could seat roughly 35 people max? Our own party was for 13 and another across the room was for about the same amount of people and a single table in the middle of the area seated another 4. Not the biggest establishment, a bridal party might have to rent the area out since there won’t be space for privacy or any walk-in customers Over all, the space was really adorable! The walls were painted to resemble a garden – in and out.

The prices weren’t too bad. Because we ended up all getting their afternoon tea (sweets, savories & pot of tea), everyone’s bill ended up being ~$22, gratuity included. Not too bad.

The Food
The standard tea service fare served on a two-tiered platter. The top being various sweets and the bottom with various tea/finger sandwiches. There was also a huge pot of tea which I totally ignored to photograph.

Taste-wise, everything was lovely! Nothing I could complain about – other than ignoring our server when she was explaining what the items were individually. I was too busy stuffing my face in a most unladylike manner. See, I was famished due to running around earlier and getting ready

It surprising but as little as the food was and in amount…it was all very filling :D I think the trick was in the scone. They’re VERY doughy and dense so in a sense, they are about 1/3 of the overall meal. Once you get that in your stomach, everything else is finger food But I did the opposite, I ate everything and THEN the struggled with the scone…but conquered it in the end (cranberry & blueberry).

The Service
Was OK My friend K and I (who miraculously arrived first! We’re always late!!) lingered around the shop portion since we did not know WHO to ask for assistance? Apparently a mother and daughter run the the place and there were no indications of employment on either. We basically loitered around waiting for someone to notice us We finally were approached by a young girl in a beret who offered assistance. (In this situation, someone could have walked in, robbed the cash register (right next to the door) and would have been gone without ANYONE knowing!) I really wish that if the daughter was the server, she would have worn a name tag…or apron…or something! For someone who’s first time there (as many of us were), I wish that there was a way to distinguish between a customer and employee since EVERYONE WAS DRESSED SO CASUALLY!! /food service gripe

The server/girl/daughter was polite. First-time experience to Lolita fashion (or any non-mainstream style) elicits questions and they were polite. She was a wee bit ditsy but everything arrived in an orderly fashion. Somehow, when my friend S made the reservation along with a few vegetarian/allergy/etc. requests, they were lost and had to be reiterated which resulted in the requestees food arriving later than the rest.

The bill was split and processed in a speedy manner (unlike that horrible experience at the Four Seasons ). They accepted both cash and cards but only mentioned gratuity once we were ready to pay. As I understand, when a large party is at a eating venue, there is usually included gratuity. I also understand that ALL charges should be indicated up front and not right before processing the checks. That way, those who have prepared cash would know how much they would need or overall, understand where all these charges are coming from. From what I recall, there is usually a statement somewhere on the menu or website indicating their large-party-gratuity policy.

OVERALL
A very pleasant afternoon. Lots of fun conversation, hilarious awkward silence and etc. I got to meet a few new faces and TOTALLY forgot to take more photos. This was also an excuse to wear my latest dress as I didn’t receive it for the holidays. Either way, I would definitely visit our New Jersey sisters for another spot of tea at this establishment!

Jumperskirt: Alice and the Pirates “Misty Royal Night Game” I
Blouse: Alice and the Pirates “Griottine” Ladies
Tights: Merona (Target)
Headpiece: Handmade by me (will take better photos eventually)
Necklace: F21
Boots: ???

Gyuh…I wish I had a fullbody. I derp up pretty badly with coordinate snaps  /fail! (my hair looks so gross for some reason :sad: )

Anyway, after tea, we hit the pavement and checked out a few shops nearby. Stopping in a toy/game shop, two random trinkets shops and a British paraphernalia goods shop. Once it’s warmer, I’d like to explore a bit more but due to the hard cold of the day (and waning sunlight), it was uncomfortable for us to be out and about. Around 4-ish, we called it a day and dispersed.

Group photo! Hahaha every Lolita outing requires a group photo for some reason. I find that I don’t really write entire posts about Lolita/related topics but that’s due to change since I want to better chronicle my days Hopefully, I’ll get some outfit shots before I run off to another meet-up!