Sunday, December 02, 2007

Cold and rainy days and nights

Random notes from the last week or so: Lusty and disturbing George Baselitz at the Royal Academy / Takeaway fish and chips slathered in vinegar, salt and ketchup / Enjoyable if conventional Brick Lane at the Curzon Soho / Moreish sausage rolls at Konditor & Cook in the Curzon / Huge cheesecakes at Patisserie Valerie on Old Compton Street / One of my favourite comfort dishes of all time, dolsot bibimbap, and other Korean delights, at Bi-Won on Coptic Street / Old romantic movies on cold rainy weeknights - The Philadelphia Story with Cary Grant, James Stewart and Katharine Hepburn, and Indiscreet with Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman - while my husband is away on business in Paris / Finishing the absorbing and characterful novel Digging To America by Anne Tyler and starting Kiran Desai's exquisitely written The Inheritance Of Loss / The comprehensive Breaking The Rules exhibition at the British Library on avant garde printing traditions in Europe between 1900 and 1937 / Long, tiring but exhilerating working days as clients rush to launch things before the Christmas and the New Year / Gearing up for the work party season with colleagues and clients / More comfort eating - huge portions of cheesy tacos from Mexicali and baked potatoes with chilli cheese or baked beans and cheese from Spud-U-Like for weekday lunches / Sheltering from the downpour after work with beef rendang and other Indonesian and Malaysian delights at Melati on Peter Street / Happy that my Virgin Active gym membership now entitles me to use any branch in London - now I just need to motivate myself to go more often / Still waiting for all the paperwork to be tied up, but meeting the vendor of our new house and learning how the heating works / Eve Arnold's beautifully evocative and epic photos from China in 1979 at Asia House / Filling and spicy lamb kebabs, bhel puri and vegetable samosas at Asia House's elegant little Cafe T / This weekend's viewing: the gorgeously filmed Seven Years In Tibet last night and later this afternoon perhaps we'll watch John Huston's classic Moby Dick on DVD / Bowls overflowing with blueberries, peaches and clementines / Roast chicken for Sunday dinner later tonight.

8 comments:

Hypatia said...

What a lovely week! Sounds like you know when to indulge yourself and when to be disciplined, the key to successful living. Seeing you mention Malaysian rendang made me laugh: whenever I make it at home, we always end up standing in the kitchen making up stupid names like beef ring-a-ding-ding or ram-a-lang-a-ding-dong.

My husband's been away in Singapore for business and I've worked four days out of five at home, going slightly loopy, comfort eating quite a bizarre range of food ranging from tinned okra to bacon crisps to instant noodles! Mmmm, baked potato with chilli cheese sounds good... let us know about the house! I'll update the Avenue soon so you can see what I've been up to, soon, I promise...

leslee said...

I just figured out that you do have comments on your blog! Anyway, sounds like you had a pretty full week or so. My weekend just flew by and I didn't get half the things done I was planning to. I did get some sleep, though, so I shouldn't complain.

Good luck with the house!

Anonymous said...

Hypatia - hmm, that is a strange mix of food - any news to share? ;-) Funny, I also have a penchant for instant noodles when my husband is away, as well as Heinz tomato soup and M&S vegetable spring rolls... Perhaps there's a post and a tag in this. Anyway, can't wait for you to update your blog - it's been a while young lady!

Welcome Leslee - so happy you worked out how to comment on my blog! I enjoy yours so much so it's good to have you here!

Olivia said...

You are an inspiration to keep doing things, even in the dark days of winter.

My Korean housemate used to sing the praises of Bibimbap.

Where is Mexicali please? I am yearning for some good Mex food, though the other day I was missing the lovely fish n chips from the Fish Bar in Richmond.

And since I no longer hang out in Knightsbridge/South Ken, it's been ages since I ate at Patisserie Valerie.

Forgot the last thing I meant to mention, but as it's past my bedtime I must run!

Good to see you back!!!

Anonymous said...

Olivia, I'm a Soho (work) and North London (live) girl and most of the places I eat at are based around these areas. Mexicali is on Berwick Street in Soho and the Patisserie Valerie I always eat at is on Old Compton Street, also in Soho.

RD said...

Oh! I saw Brick Lane too! I agree it was very conventional as you say, but I felt it captures the feelings of being an immigrant much better than most films I have seen (much better than The Namesake, which was more elegant, but hollow). Sometimes deep feeling just requires a simple moment. When she tells her husband... (I wont' say more in case some other folks haven't seen it, but you know the scene I mean...) BB

RD said...

P.S. Your comment reminds me of my mother's (non-)guilty foods she would cook for herself when my father was away...

Olivia said...

Oh, I used to eat along Berwick Street if I had a long lunch break when Christie's Edu was based on King Street. And my mother used to also eat there 30+ years ago when she was working at EMI on Golden Square!

I like the vegetarian organic cafe's cheese, mushroom, chive and sesame crepe. Sooo filling on a cold winter's day.