Author: lolitaandthecity@gmail.com

Sunday Brunch : Rose House

Rose House is popular go to place for Lolitas. It’s statisfies the hankering for tea and cakes with a decent price without a wait. The waiting part is most important in New York City when everywhere you go there’s a waiting list.

Located in the heart of Flushing in the Queens Crossing Mall, it’s pretty easy to find – that is if you are familiar with Chinatown’s bustling and crowded streets.

While majority Lolitas have found their comfort place to drink English tea and dine on tea cakes and sandwiches, this European style teahouse is a very uncommon in Asian metropolitans. There’s a strange fascination with the pseudo-European style in Asian culture. The English teahouse being the most popular to replicate.

True to its name, Rose House is decorated in all things roses and overwhelming smells like an English rose garden. It’s almost intoxicating. Even the water is sprinkled with a dash of rose water.

Since its located in Chinatown, the menus and waitstaff are fluent in both English and Chinese.  Most people feel customer service varies from experience, personally I think it’s no different than any Chinese restaurant. However the reason you go to Rose House is not to be waited hand and foot – it’s for the food!

Cream cake with a dash of rose water in the cream.

The menu selection is very simple and ranges from a typical Afternoon Tea set to full Asian entrees like curry beef. By selecting any sweets they have a faint aroma and taste of roses.

Unlike Alice’s Tea Cup, afternoon tea at Rose House has two versions: a two-tiered and three-tiered (both very good). And the top tier has a small scoop of ice cream, which tends to vary every time you go or if several of you order the same set.

One thing that is also standard about afternoon tea is that you’ll never go searching for another meal immediately after.  Rose House is no different. They also have a nice selection of Belgian waffles (I am personally fond of the waffle with ice cream or the tuna waffle), which is also great for a midnight snack.

Fun fact: Rose House is open until midnight.

For the most part, Rose House is a nice place to treat yourself to tea but, personally, conditions to go here must be right.

If you have the cash (they do take credit), time to venture out to Flushing, Queens (it is really out in the boroughs), and, of course, good company, then you should hop on the 7 train and head to Rose House.

Rose House
136-17 39th Ave
1st Floor
Flushing, NY 11354

Resolutions for 2012

Step into 2012 right. Or risk becoming a fossil like this dinosaur.

We are hours away from ringing in the New Year.  I’m leaving Times Square for the tourists and enjoying a bottle of Eve’s Cidery Essence and making my Netflix queue smaller.

It’s always fun to compare last year’s resolutions to this year’s and next year’s see whether you’ve actually accomplished anything. Plus it’s a good reminder for when you put “lose weight” on your list and you supposedly forgot about it.


Last year’s resolutions:

  • Be more selective with brand purchases rather than splurge. (a.k.a. less impulse buys)
  • Try to acquire more casual pieces for hanging around the house.
  • Learn to navigate Baby’s new website.
  • Make time for hanging out with my Lolita friends.
  • Try fairy-kei or pop-kei.
  • Host a Lolita meet-up or panel.
  • Visit the FIT exhibit Japan Fashion Now.
  • Travel to San Francisco to shop at the Angelic Pretty store.
  • Think of new topics and places to see for Lolita and the City.

This year’s resolutions:

  • Try to wear Lolita when I can.
  • Coordinate more with existing wardrobe. (That mean’s buy less brand)
  • Travel more. 
  • Take lots of photographs. Acquired two vintage film cameras and want to put good use to them.
  • Work on a collection of Lolita focused essays. 
  • Think of new topics and places to see for Lolita and the City.

Blog resolutions:

  • Write two articles per week
  • Focus more on “foundation” articles. Restaurant reviews. Fun NYC facts that everyone knows or doesn’t know about.
  • Write at least one Lolita-minded article a month.
Pay no mind to the candle hole. It’s my birthday today.

Did you complete your list of resolutions for last year? Do you have any “reasonable” resolutions for this year? Let’s here them!

    W.M.D.s found at Wafel & Dinges

    Wafel truck at Central Park.

    Belgian waffles are the bane of the college freshmen diet. Thankfully statistics have proven that the “freshmen 15” is completely myth.

    So go out an celebrate by eating a waffle! Specifically at Wafels & Dinges. It is one of the original gourmet food trucks that roved around New York City streets leaving a trail of spekuloos spread.

    Throwdown Wafel – spekuloos spread and whipped cream.

    Words really can’t describe a waffle at Wafels & Dinges. You just need to try it. If you’re not sure what to order, the staff is ready to assist in answer all questions. Personal recommendations include the ThrowDown wafel (the wafel combination of whipped cream and spekuloos that won against Bobby Flay), a Chili corn wafel (limited-time special), and a W.M.D.

    Bacon Liege – waffle with bacon bits in the batter and drizzled with maple syrup.

    Waffles of Mass Delicious. For $7 you purchase a waffle and can have as many toppings (dinges) as you like.

    Chili Corn Wafel – veggie chili, corn, sour cream, cheddar cheese, and parsley

    The other thing you need to know is that these waffles are excellent hiders. So the best way to capture one is to follow their Twitter @waffletruck or at local stalls at the annual holiday fairs in Union Square, Columbus Circle, and Bryant Park.

    What are you waiting for?

    Top 6 Things to see before 2012

    Time is a lot like chocolate – it’s gone before you know it.

    The holidays are almost over and you’re pretty much set to start 2012. However there’s still plenty to do before you start counting down.

    Here are my top picks:

    Know anything else that is closing/expiring before 2012. Let’s hear them!

    Cupcake of the Week – Sprinkles at Dylan’s

    Noticed the Dylan’s Candy Bar Pop up Shop by Bryant Park? Ever gone inside and noticed the Sprinkles stand? No? Well you were probably too distracted by the kid-sized gingerbread house and upside-down Christmas tree. As you can see there’s not much left for the day.

    For inquiring minds, Sprinkles is LA’s go-to brand for cupcakes.

    Sunday Brunch: Alice’s Tea Cup Chapter II

    Alice’s Tea Cup is very reminiscent of childhood tea parties you use to have. Except instead of fruit punch you can have actual tea and real tea cakes. (Did I mention real cake?)

    Chapter II is one of there most popular locations in New York City for lovers of pink and nostalgic for childhood fancies. As well as people who want a real tea party without the stiff and stuffy atmosphere.

    Lolitas love to venture to Alice’s whenever they have the chance, and the wait staff are more than welcoming to those wearing dresses with maximum poofiness. With a short walk from Central Park and the popular shopping avenues–it’s no wonder that this place has wait times that are anywhere from 15 minutes to 2 hours. 

    I had been several times before, but wanted to introduce the other half to the place. Luckily we had our chance on a late Saturday brunch with a short wait of 15 minutes!


    He was a bit skeptical at the thought of Afternoon Tea. He presumed tea and cakes would not be a whole meal, fully knowing that afternoon tea was more of a snack time for adults when lunch was at noon and dinner was served at 8 o’clock rather than around 6 o’clock nowadays.

    However when the 3-tiered tray (a Mad Hatter’s tea for two) arrived every questionable thought disappeared at the sight of so much food.

    Alice’s is very accomodating for vegetarians and with the tiered trays  you can to choose what you want as opposed to being presented with something you probably wouldn’t like (and garnished with caviar).

    The setup is pretty standard with sandwiches on one tier, tea cakes on another, and light sweets at the very top (since it’s the smallest and one can go overboard when it comes to noshing on too many). And for the amount of food versus the price, it is well worth the wait for a table.

    Also the tea is magnificent for it’s extremely long list and wide variety – from classic English blacks to purer greens and whites to herbal and fruity there’s something for everyone. And Alice’s Tea Cup maintains it’s kitschiness with no two cup and saucers are the same at the table. It also helped we both each got and emptied a pot of tea.

    The decor helps you feel at home if you’ve never taken tea what with the multicolored butterfly wings and interpretative pictures of Alice Liddell (that’s the name of the real Alice on the wall) along the walls.  It’s a place that you can never tire of and always find something new.  Being my second time, I noticed the tables were refurbished vintage sewing machines.

    There is a limit to Alice’s Tea Cup and that is you will probably take something home, which is not exactly a bad thing. As you can see the bottom tier became a doggy bag of sweets.

    Alice’s Tea Cup does take reservations and have private dining areas for parties and “un-birthdays”, but I find it more fun to drop in and see if there’s room at the Mad Hatter’s tea party.

    Merry Christmas Everyone!

    I feel like this is one of those obligatory holiday posts, but I wanted to wish anyone and everyone who reads Lolita and the City. It’s a slowly building brand which I hope to continue to despite this busy year. 

    Keep your eyes open for some new posts this coming weeks (and possible an anniversary giveaway).

    Happy Holidays everyone!

    (Feel free to tell me if you’ve gotten anything outstandingly stupendous that you need to share!)