The Monday news round...
Monday, November 21st, 2011 11:29 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
caddymanA packed, full-value weekend.
On Saturday evening, we travelled into town, to the Borough of Islington, where the smart young things live and the home of champagne socialism, to meetfredlums and boroshan on the occasion of the latter’s birthday. We met up in a pub called the Duke of Cambridge, an organic pub it seems and rather trendy in that ‘this is how proper pubs should be’ stripped down but expensive sort of way.
I can’t say that I think their organic cider tastes anything like fancy enough to justify the price they were charging and it was rather too loud for four people to converse across a table, so it became a two separate conversations at the same table.
We then decanted out to Ottolenghi’s on Upper Street for a meal. I wasn’t entirely sure what it was going to be like, I have to declare my ignorance and admit I’d never heard of the man or the chain, but it is very good. The food was excellent, if a little pricy, and came on small dishes for sharing. I was sitting next to Romaine for the meal and I think she was in raptures.
Particularly when the dessert arrived. As they had only two portions left, Nick and I fell on our swords as it were and had something else, but Furtle and Romaine had some gooshy chocolate and cake confection with cream infused with Bailey’s; I suspect it’s best not checked against the weight watchers’ chart…
Afterwards we poured ourselves into another pub for as final drink during which it became clear that extended opening hours have not been embraced by the good burghers of Islington. There was a strange moment when a woman came into the pub, took her coat off, placed it behind the bar, had a drink of iced water and then approached us to see if we wanted a massage. When we thanked her but said ‘no’, she put her coat back on and left.
On Sunday we were up rather earlier than usual having agreed to go off to Claybury Woods withingenue_the, harold_chasen and Mr Henry (aka The Wild Henry, though the nom de guerre was unfair on Sunday!), who helped us carry bags, pick sloes and accidentally strew rosehips around the woods. The woods are partially planted and partially ancient woodland and in the autumn mist very beautiful and there are some beautiful views:
Plus a small, understated and completely anonymous art trail. Sadly it is in need of maintenance, but a couple of examples stand out:
In other news, we may have chosen a pair of rings. I can neither conform nor deny this latter assertion.
On Saturday evening, we travelled into town, to the Borough of Islington, where the smart young things live and the home of champagne socialism, to meet
fredlums and boroshan on the occasion of the latter’s birthday. We met up in a pub called the Duke of Cambridge, an organic pub it seems and rather trendy in that ‘this is how proper pubs should be’ stripped down but expensive sort of way. I can’t say that I think their organic cider tastes anything like fancy enough to justify the price they were charging and it was rather too loud for four people to converse across a table, so it became a two separate conversations at the same table.
We then decanted out to Ottolenghi’s on Upper Street for a meal. I wasn’t entirely sure what it was going to be like, I have to declare my ignorance and admit I’d never heard of the man or the chain, but it is very good. The food was excellent, if a little pricy, and came on small dishes for sharing. I was sitting next to Romaine for the meal and I think she was in raptures.
Particularly when the dessert arrived. As they had only two portions left, Nick and I fell on our swords as it were and had something else, but Furtle and Romaine had some gooshy chocolate and cake confection with cream infused with Bailey’s; I suspect it’s best not checked against the weight watchers’ chart…
Afterwards we poured ourselves into another pub for as final drink during which it became clear that extended opening hours have not been embraced by the good burghers of Islington. There was a strange moment when a woman came into the pub, took her coat off, placed it behind the bar, had a drink of iced water and then approached us to see if we wanted a massage. When we thanked her but said ‘no’, she put her coat back on and left.
On Sunday we were up rather earlier than usual having agreed to go off to Claybury Woods with
ingenue_the, harold_chasen and Mr Henry (aka The Wild Henry, though the nom de guerre was unfair on Sunday!), who helped us carry bags, pick sloes and accidentally strew rosehips around the woods. The woods are partially planted and partially ancient woodland and in the autumn mist very beautiful and there are some beautiful views:
Plus a small, understated and completely anonymous art trail. Sadly it is in need of maintenance, but a couple of examples stand out:
In other news, we may have chosen a pair of rings. I can neither conform nor deny this latter assertion.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2011-11-21 04:14 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-11-21 04:38 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-11-24 10:22 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-11-21 06:48 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-11-21 07:42 pm (UTC)I'm going to have to look this fellow up, aren't I? x
(no subject)
Date: 2011-11-21 07:55 pm (UTC)He is Israeli and has a reputation as one of the best vegetarian chefs in the country despite not being vegetarian. He produced the cookbook Plenty which is in itself very touch feely. Also rather a tasty gentleman but that may just be me. Was a long held ambition to go there and very glad we did. The company wasn't half bad either xx
(no subject)
Date: 2011-11-24 07:25 pm (UTC)