This was the one of the weirdest experiences I have every witnessed!
Walking down a dark alleyway, I wondered where my friend was dragging me to. We got to a little dark door and assumed this was the way in. I made my friend, who recommended the place, go first! She was interested in going to the tea room because she is a massive Disney lover and so I agreed to go along, not really knowing what I was getting myself into.
Opening the door, the whole place was dark and again a bit eerie. You then go down steps to the cafe; it was definitely down a rabbit hole! As soon as we got in, Alice in Wonderland was presented in front of our eyes, the Queen of hearts and the Mad Hatter decor all adding to the theme.
The cafe is located on Station Street, Nottingham and everything was topsy turvy, wonky and whimsical. The staff were dressed up as characters, with our waitress being the White Rabbit. The live role play characters were a little odd; I honestly wasn’t sure what to make of the whole thing. I imagine for children, this would be like being in a real Wonderland.
As soon as we sat down, the rabbit presented us with a selection of hats to wear. We both went with a smaller one of the bunch as the larger ones would have consumed my small head and probably flopped in front of my eyes! We both had to remove these when our food came as they were too big for us and kept sliding down our heads.
They serve a range of ‘Untraditional Afternoon Teas’, including Alice’s Tea Party for young children, Mad Hatter’s Tea Party for 2, March Hare ‘Free From’ Tea Party for 2 and a Deluxe ‘Queen’s Tea Party’ for 2. I was most interested in the Free From choice; however this would need to be ordered in advance. This is because they support local cafes and bakers by purchasing their food items from them.
Other things on the menu were sweet treats including a Cream Tea, Boozed Up Brownies and a large victors sponge cake, as well as light lunch options from a selection of toasted sandwiches. They also have a huge selection of loose leaf teas and a selection of wacky, whimsical and wonderful milkshakes.
I selected the cheese and tomato toasty and asked for this on their seeded bread. I enjoyed the lunch, however I found it greasier than other toasties I have had from other places. Also the small side salad came covered in a dressing; it tasted very garlicky! My friend opted for the Cream Tea which came with a love heart scone with clotted cream and strawberry jam, accompanied by a loose leaf tea. The tea came in one of their vintage tea pots and she had to use a tiny sieve to pour her tea into the old delicate china cup. One thing I would say is the scone wasn’t very big and they only had a choice of Strawberry jam.
The tables were cluttered with antiques that represented the theme of the place. Although this added to the atmosphere and constantly reminds guests of where they are, this made it quite hard to eat. I was conscious the whole time of knocking something off and it shattering.
Another thing I found odd was the choice of music on repeat in the background; it was slow, deep and didn’t reflect the fun of the interior or theme of the space, in my opinion. We went in the week; however on the weekend they have live music throughout the cafe where Alice sings and I believe there is also role play happening while guests dine. This would add to the experience and make it seem more authentic and even more bizarre!
It’s an overall wonderful place. We both definitely had fun and it was certainly different to our usual lunch locations. It’s fun, atmospheric and the ambience is just right. I would recommend going on the weekend so you can experience the full extent of the Wonderland experience.
Rachel
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