Drunch @ About Time x Tabasco Bloggers' Brunch

Shamefully late (which is ironic, as the organizers of this event were About Time), but I was lucky enough to attend the About Time x Tabasco Bloggers' Brunch last weekend at the 24-hour brunch venue, Polo Bar, along with several other food and lifestyle bloggers.

There, we were treated to prosecco, brunch, and a mini-masterclass, of sorts, on making the ultimate Bloody Mary, as well as an informative panel discussion on how to effectively market and monetize your blog - all very interesting stuff, given About Time's meteoric rise to journalistic success (especially impressive as they only launched in March of this year).

By the time I'd downed a glass of prosecco and headed toward the Bloody Mary bar to mix my own, it was clear that this "brunch" was clearly turning out to be "drunch" - and I proceeded to put way too much Tabasco in my tomato cocktail, promptly setting my mouth on fire.

I've been a fan of Tabasco ever since my dad taught me to mix it into my ketchup before dipping my scrambled eggs in (delicious). I loved my dad's steak and eggs with a dash of Tabasco - we were a sophisticated brunch household! Tabasco's a pretty popular staple in American kitchen cupboards, so I'm always surprised that people don't use it more often here. Clearly, it's making a comeback.

The make-your-own Bloody Mary station was perfect for someone with low alcohol tolerance like me. After drunkenly splashing in too much Tabasco, at least I had enough sense left in my prosecco-addled brain to use about a thimble-full of Ketel One vodka. Thank. Goodness.

We were offered a variety of spices to, literally, spice up our Bloody Marys, ranging from celery salt and fennel seeds to crushed star anise and black pepper. Beetroot juice Bloody Marys were also an option, though my fear of splattering someone with the potent pink stuff while drunching was enough to put me off from trying it. Regrets.

As a venue, the Polo Bar is quirky and fun. Set over three floors, it was a tight squeeze for all of us to get in, but the fact that they offer breakfast delivery (a dream come true, I know) and brunch 24/7, it's a fantastic little place to keep in your foodie directory.

Again, I had enough sense to order the Full English breakfast, which I scarfed down.

I've been attending a few blogger events lately and, while I can sometimes be painfully shy and awkward, I've also really enjoyed meeting new people and learning more about what they do and why they write. Conversation at this brunch was organic and relaxed, unlike other events that can feel - dare I say - a little competitive and forced.

I met the lovely Rukmini Iyer, a lawyer-turned-food-stylist (isn't that amazing?) who writes this beautiful blog, Miss Minifer Cooks, and who will be contributing a guest post to Angloyankophile soon! I know, I'm so excited.

I also had a great time chatting to Cat of Survival Survival, a London-based lifestyle blog, and Emma of The Hungry Romantic (her illustrations are awesome!).

After picking up a bag of goodies from About Time and Tabasco and stumbling out of Polo Bar, I managed to sober up enough to make my way toward Hummingbird Bakery to buy some cupcakes for my brother-in-law's birthday celebrations (I had absolutely no room in my stomach for one - not even the super-tempting new S'Mores flavor) - all the while thinking about how fun that morning had been.