Tea, tomes and Tilda Swinton. A glorious combination if there ever was one. Throw tea-based cocktails into the mix and you've brewed yourself a soirée. That's the aim of Teatulia, Covent Garden's new 16-cover venue, library and retail space, designed by Russell Sage Studios (the designers behind Dishoom).
Swinton has curated the first ‘The Living Bookshelf’ as she calls it, which is a rotating selection of titles (handpicked by a different notable creative figure each month), filling a wall-to-wall bookshelf in the space. ‘Reading and tea leaves go together like breathing in and breathing out,’ the actress and performance artist says of her inaugural selection. ‘Go slow. Take time to brew yourself some harmony. Separate the signal from the noise.’
Discover more London hot spots to visit during Frieze London 2018
Swinton was introduced to the project by Teatulia’s founders Ahsan Akbar and K. Anis Ahmed, writers themselves, and entrepreneurs in tea. A labour of love, Teatulia will have complete ownership of it’s tea’s provenance – a first for a London shop. Every leaf is hand-picked in the Teatulia garden in Tetulia, northern Bangladesh, a tea-growing region lying between the better known Indian regions of Assam and Darjeeling.
By day, the shop will serve six teas, including organic single origin Jasmine Green, Oolong and ‘Bengal Builder’s’, for consumption at home or on-site in ceramic ware by Japanese brand Kinto. In the evenings it will also serve tea-based cocktails (hot toddies to lemongrass mojitos) from a menu designed by Enrico Gonzato, from Dandelyan at the Mondrian Hotel.
The space is as adroit as the menu served within it. Art deco meets mid-century influence in the curved black terrazzo-topped bar, lightened by shelf upon shelf of colourful tea tins; mirrored by the pick-me-up patchwork of book spines (from Zadie Smith to Teju Cole). Here is a spot to turn over a new leaf; both in a book you’ve never read, and a tea not yet tried. There’s a novel idea.
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the Teatulia website
-
A tale of two Audis: the A5 saloon goes up against the A6 Avant e-tronIs the sun setting on Audi’s ICE era, or does the company’s e-tron technology still need to improve?
-
Inside Christian de Portzamparc’s showstopping House of Dior Beijing: ‘sculptural, structural, alive’Daven Wu travels to Beijing to discover Dior’s dramatic new store, a vast temple to fashion that translates haute couture into architectural form
-
A music player for the mindful, Sleevenote shuns streaming in favour of focused listeningDevised by musician Tom Vek, Sleevenote is a new music player that places artist intent and the lost art of record collecting at the forefront of the experience
-
Unleash your socialising superpowers with the Wallpaper* Entertaining Issue, on sale nowGet your sublime supper party started – or hit the town in style – with the December 2025 issue of Wallpaper*, on newsstands now
-
Let them eat cake (and drink cocktails) as Manolo Blahnik and The Berkeley unveil a new menu fit for a queenThe hotelier and renowned designer has teamed up on an exclusive cake and cocktail menu to celebrate the V&A’s landmark exhibition ‘Marie Antionette Style'
-
The artistry of Japanese wineFine wine from Japan may not yet register highly on the radars of most oenophiles, but for those who know, it's a hugely rewarding and rich tapestry of flavour. Drinks expert, Neil Ridley visits London's Luna Omakase for the launch of a new dedicated Japanese wine pairing menu
-
From The Fat Badger to The Bull, how Public House is redefining the British pubInside the design-driven food group putting provenance, craft and community back at the heart of pub culture
-
Guests dined on Bangladeshi-inspired cuisine at the Serpentine Summer Party 2025The party marked the 25th anniversary of the Serpentine Architecture Pavilion – and celebrated this year’s design by Bangladeshi architect Marina Tabassum and her Dhaka-based firm
-
Rémy Martin and Anish Kapoor: art meets cognac in LondonThe cognac house and the artist unveiled a limited-edition XO decanter and a new sculpture in London at a recent event at the Institute of Contemporary Arts
-
Cocktail hour with Stanley TucciWallpaper* catches up with the consummate epicurean to discuss his culinary no-gos, Tucci-esque travel habits and how to make the perfect martini
-
Mark your calendars for Mount Street Neighbourhood Summer Festival, a feast for the sensesThe event, 12-14 June 2025, showcases the mix of food, art and community in the heart of London’s Mayfair. Here's what to expect, from afternoon tea to aperitivo, film screenings to biodynamic flowers
