Hello, everyone!
Where have I been this February? Have I been abducted by aliens? You wish!
No, actually, I am back home after our holiday in Spain to see friends and family. This was a truly special trip, as my sister and brother-in-law came all their way from Japan to visit us and surprise my parents, but that´s a different story I might tell you later.
For now I am going to let you know The Gentle One and I took the chance to stay in Madrid for a couple of nights. We like to spend some time there once in a while, and generally we use that extra spare time visiting museums, eating good food or simply having a walk through our favourite places.
Obviously, this occasion was no exception at all. Last Monday we woke up early and payed a visit to Sugar Factory, a lovely Belle Époque tea room. A girl I know recommended it to me recently, so I felt we shouldn´t miss the perfect time spot to have breakfast there!
I must admit I was shocked by the charm and grandeur of the venue once we entered. It is an amazing place (even for my costume-drama-victim strict standards), and all I can compare it with is the adorable cake shop at the film Grand Hotel Budapest. The main room conserves the entire ornamental frames and columns it must have displayed from the very beginning, and it is all coloured on delicate pastels. Sitting there made you feel immediately like a Downton Abbey character, just without all the fuss and crinoline.
I was quite hungry by then, so I accepted their breakfast menu without a second thought, which is a decision I do not regret. Their "petit déjeuner" consisted on a hot drink of your choice, orange juice and pancakes, served both with maple syrup or red fruits and cream at your discretion. I decided to try cappuccino and maple syrup, which were just delicious as you can judge by my happy face.
Also, they sell all kind of yummy sweets such as macarons, cupcakes and chocolate, together with a wide selection of fine tea. I wanted to have them all, but decided to be reasonable as there was no space left on my cabin luggage (no problem, I am sure I´ll be back).
I think this may be my new favourite tea room in Madrid. At this point, I am also pretty sure I should start a new "tea rooms around the world" section on this blog, although my wallet will be happier if I simply don´t...
My home city is literally packed with tea rooms, although there used to be more of them than are now. None of them comes close to this belle epoque beauty you shown above, though :D They are mainly '19th century meets grandma's attic' style and very dark, but I like such clutered spaces. My favourite would be Surindustrialle, with tables, chairs and decor made by owner himself from scrap metal parts. It gives post-apo vibes, complete with dark ambient music playing in the background, but they have nice teas, very yummy chestnut-flavoured cake and board games :D
ResponderEliminarThat type of alternative tea rooms sound really interesting to me! I do love the general "granny" atmosphere, so I am quite sure I would enjoy it there. Also, board games are a lovely pastime while having a drink and chilling! I suspect your city is a very interesting place due to your description.
EliminarIt looks so great!
ResponderEliminarIt is a very pleasant and relaxing place, Ms. Misantropia. You would love it there.
EliminarOhhhhh my goodness. That place looks like such a dream!!! I'm so jealous! There's nothing nearly so beautiful near me. Most of our tea rooms are country-styled and very quaint, which is fine by me, but I so wish we had something this opulent for special occasions.
ResponderEliminarThank you for sharing your tea room experience! I'm living vicariously through you! ❤
xo Danielle
I think country style is great too, sometimes a cozy place is all you really need. ❤
EliminarMost of the tea rooms I have visited around Europe keep a certain vintage/historical vibe (although they are not all as spectacular as this one, of course), so I suppose it is some kind of characteristic feature. Here in Bucharest antique houses are everywhere, so a lot of my favourite venues are located inside true time capsule rooms. I think this is something I will miss when we move some day.
Oh my gosh!! This is heaven! I am drooling over these pictures! *__*
ResponderEliminarHaha. I know you would love it, sugar! If you decide to holiday in Spain any time, I will drop you to have tea in there. ♥
EliminarIt is beautiful! I love the interior!
ResponderEliminarIt is! I hadn´t seen a tea room as beautiful as this particular one in Spain before, apart from the one at the Ritz Hotel in Madrid (but that´s more like a formal salon where people can have coffee or brunch, so not exactly a tea room). I would love to get the chance to visit more often, but as I live abroad it is not possible at the moment.
EliminarThe place itself is a sugary confection! Alas, we have nothing remotely like it over here. :(
ResponderEliminarYou are totally right, Insomniac! The shop looked a bit like a marshmallow, haha.
EliminarSorry to hear you have nothing similar over there, maybe the style is different?
We seem to enjoy tearing down anything that gets too old here in Alberta rather than celebrating its history; then rebuilding something totally unattractive to replace it with. I think that's why I love Europe so much ... so many old buildings!
EliminarOh, that´s such a pity! I understand you love Europe then, all we have are historical places, haha!
EliminarI can´t truly imagine how is living on a place without any preserved history, specially coming from a city where the main cathedral is eight hundred year old (Spain kept most of its Medieval towns and important artistic treasures, and we simply built around them).
However, I suppose nature and landscapes are pretty impressive over there, and that´s something too!
What a beautiful place! I want to go there for sure!
ResponderEliminarDon´t miss it if you get the chance to go some day. It is a small but beautiful place, Laura!
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