THE BRITISH INVADE YELP TAMPA BAY

Hi Ladies and Gents. I’ve returned from a rather groovy shin-dig. Drastically different from its past events, review website Yelp decided to hold its most recent gathering as a… dramatic pause… British Sixties party at a car dealership. (Yes! That’s FOUR levels of strangeness altogether) We were assured several times there would be no selling going on.

Food from the event
Some of the nom noms from the event

As all Yelp events, this one was also free so I decided to repay my hosts by at least getting in on the fun. A ransacked closet and a missing afro wig, somehow Partner Shoes and I managed to don somewhat convincing Sixties outfits.

Photobombed by Austin Powers!
Photobombed by Austin Powers!

Fog, flashing lights, and pulsing music greeted our fashionably late selves into the converted office space of Fernan MINI. A crowd had already formed around the edibles of the event and a portable bar was fulfilling our two-drink limit. Meanwhile an Austin Powers impersonator was keeping things lively and a photo booth snapped away.

Eddie’s Bar and Grill provided all the bite-sized morsels and kept it within the British theme. All the semi-warm apps were nicely plated and looked tasty despite their (unfortunate) lack of heat. To my Asian tongue, food such as Fish & Chips, Bangers, and Scotch Egg are a bit… well… bland although I’m sure these were comparable to similar dishes from other venues. I enjoyed the desserts more as a delicious Whipped Mousse on a Fillo Shell took my personal award for cuteness and best in texture contrast and taste. From the bar, I could order the featured PIMMS cocktail over and over again! It displayed a juicy taste with no alcohol finish… except there were no giggly alcohol effects either. But I saw the bartender put a good amount in! (hmmm… maybe I’m becoming more tolerant?)

The dance floor
What?! Yelp events normally don’t involve dancing! (I’m with glee)

Our costumed selvesThe Austin Powers impersonator bounced from guest to guest. (His “groovy” and “Yea, baby” sounded deliciously close to the real thing… but it was funny how once he had to say something else the accent dropped). The music drowned out half the conversations but at least succeeded in calling people to the dance floor. This Pyra is especially happy because after months of prodding, a very sober Shoes joined me on the dance floor in tearing it up! Prior, Shoes would rather inhale cement before dancing. On Saturday night he even used a bit of upgraded ballroom dancing to hold me close.

Often Yelp events are “foodie” related (a phrase that drives me nuts because 90% of “foodies” I know think being a foodie means merely eating a lot) but this was a party! Was it just me or were people also more open to talking to strangers because of the atmosphere? On the (not really) negative side, the party atmosphere also made me question the reason for this Yelp event (normally made to highlight certain businesses) because the obvious highlighted business here—Fernan MINI—didn’t really get to highlight what they DO. Oh well, everyone in attendance looked like they had fun—including the whole Fernan staff.

Although the food was comparable, I enjoyed this event more than other Yelp events because of the party atmosphere. And dancing with my partner Shoes was a definite bonus.

Click on any photo above to be taken to my Photo Album of the event.

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