Category: Food & Drink

The Eyes Have It

Luis Buñuel ‘s 1929 film, Un Chien Andalou, has a scene in which an eyeball is slit with a razor. Arabesque, a 1966 comedy-caper starring Gregory Peck and Sophia Loren has a scene early on in which a scientist is killed by having toxic eye drops administered by a baddie posing as an optician.

Lunch at the Savoy

On Thursday a generous friend invited me to a Conservative Association lunch party. Being the Cities of London and Westminster Conservative Association it was rather swanky.

Happy Birthday

Yesterday a friend sent me an article from The New York Times celebrating the centenary of the Negroni cocktail, invented by Count Camillo Negroni at his local caffè in Florence in 1919.

Ending Up

Kingsley Amis peaked early with Lucky Jim, published in 1954 when he was 32. He never wrote anything remotely as good and it beats me how Ending Up got nominated for the Booker Prize. I suppose the judges warmed to it as it’s only 113 pages.

Sherry Picking

The FT have a witty headline writer and this is one that appeared on Saturday above Jancis Robinson’s Wine article in the FT Weekend Magazine.

Chop-Chop

If anyone tells you that it’s no more trouble to cook for eight as two they are full of nonsense. How can it be as quick to finely chop (deliberate split infinitive) four onions as one; four garlic cloves, zest four lemons. You get the message?

Sunday Lunch

I went out for a belated birthday lunch with a Goddaughter (we share a birthday) and her hangers-on on Sunday in a local gastro pub. The food was excellent, the service friendly but not 100% professional.

Pottering in Poltava

As a postscript to yesterday’s post, Pamela and Tatyana (by e mail) amplify by referring to Byron’s narrative poem, Mazeppa, which, as with Onegin, inspired Pushkin.

Scores on the Doors

In late 2008 the Food Standards Agency (FSA) introduced this 6-tier scheme called the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) for England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Lahmajoun

I mentioned two local restaurants and have subsequently been back to both; it’s what professional reviewers do. The River Café was just as good on a second visit. Because they weren’t too busy we were allowed to arrive at 1.30 and have the set lunch menu; £28 for two courses.