Although Leon has been around for some time now, I have only just tried it out for the first time. I grabbed some pre-drinks food at the Leon at Ludgate Circus one evening. By day, Leon operates like a normal cafe and by night it switches to “”restaurant mode” with table service.
Have you heard the recent Transport for London radio advert? To paraphrase, guy asks girls for dinner and suggests steak; girl tells guy she’s veggie; guy then suggests seafood; girl tells guy she is allergic to shellfish… No, no, no! We get the message, plan ahead, check before you travel, etc. But, TFL please note that vegetarians do NOT eat fish, even if they do not have allergies. A so-called “vegetarian” who eats fish is a pescatarian, whether they realise it or not. Check out the dictionary.
I’m always on the lookout for some not-totally-unhealthy snacks to get me through each day of legal paper shuffling. Often I bake granola bars on Sunday evening, but in this hot spell I have been avoiding switching on the oven. Instead I have been buying “Nakd” bars in multi packs.
They sound so sin free:
Marie’s Cafe on Lower Marsh, tucked behind Waterloo station in North Lambeth is a curiosity. It is a traditional “caf” by day and a Thai restaurant by night.
This is a chaotic place to eat: it is BYO, has laminated menus and we were asked to move tables twice before our food arrived. Despite all this, the cafe is totally endearing and a refreshing change from the chains that have taken over central London. The food came very fast, was piping hot and thoroughly enjoyable. Before my first visit, I was unsure how vegetarians would be received, but there are a number of options and my Thai green veggie currie was ideal after a long hard week. The bill for mains and dessert came to under £10 each!
Advice: (1) book if you are going on a Friday night or are looking for a table for more than two; (2) expect to be dining close to your neighbours; (3) expect to be asked to move tables if they are struggling to fit everyone in; and (4) take your own wine or fizz.
It has taken me some time to accept Kindles fully, but I am a convert: my Kindle has rescued my commute from a deluge of grimy free newspapers or shoulder ache from fat paperbacks. My Kindle is full of my comfort reads (Jane Eyre, a variety of Wilkie Collins books, Rebecca, etc.) and can take a waiting list of more recent popular reads (Wolf Hall, Bring up the Bodies, Gone Girl, etc.). And this has changed how I buy book – now it is more “picture” books that I will acquire in physical copy, such cook books and travel guides. No more will my house be cluttered with books I bought and now regret, like the awful and ubiquitous Da Vinci Code and One Day. Plus the Kindle battery lasts for ages, unlike my frustrating new iPhone, and the backlight on my “Paperwhite” model allows me to continue reading when my train lights cut out with alarming frequency. In fact, I struggle to remember why I was so resistant to get one in the first place…
Have you made the switch too? And what’s on your Kindle?
After reading Wolf Hall and Bring up the Bodies last year, I was excited to hear about the two RSC plays adapting the seemingly unadaptable books. Not that I could get tickets…! It seems incredible to me that two books of historical fiction, no matter how brilliant, could pack out a theatre in the West End for a straight play. The hype, in itself, has been wonderful to promote the theatre at a time when there have been so many high profile productions terminating their runs early.
Anyway, I was delighted when a friend offered me a spare ticket to the second of the two plays, “Bring up the Bodies”. Continue reading
Courtesy of Masterclass, I was lucky enough to be given press night tickets for “Daytona”, a new play that recently transferred to the Theatre Royal Haymarket. The three person cast features Oliver Cotton (who also wrote the play), Maureen Lipman (my favourite!) and Harry Shearer (a.k.a. Mr Burns in The Simpsons).
It feels difficult to explain what this play is about – to provide a synopsis would be to “give away” the plot twists and turns that provide all of the momentum to this production. Instead, all I can say is this: Continue reading
I had mixed feelings when I heard that Donna Tartt’s “The Goldfinch” has won the Pulitzer Prize. Although the hardback was suitably heavy, this quick read did not seem to be sufficiently poignant to win big.
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed this flawed book. It was a page turner and easy to read while sleepy-eyed on my morning commute. The start is explosive, both literally and emotionally, when Continue reading
Luckily for me a colleague offered me a pair of tickets to “Fatal Attraction” at Haymarket Theatre Royal at the last minute last week. And who would say no? With a star billing of Kristin Davis (aka Charlotte from SATC), Natascha McElhone and bona fide live bunny rabbits, I jumped at the chance. The tickets were also super cheap – £3, yes really, only £3 each – through a flash sale on Continue reading
Recently, the new musical “Happy Days!” (loosely based on/inspired by the television series of which I have no prior knowledge) was featured on a documentary about the UK theatre industry. The zealous producer Amy Arnold showed quite how difficult it is to achieve funding and find a suitable cast. Feeling inspired and in awe of Amy’s determination, I popped to the Cambridge Corn Exchange to see the regional tour. It was a bit hit and miss: some of the script seems occasionally clunky and unsuited to the subtleties of English humour, but the dancing, new music and sheer verve of the cast was fantastic. In particular, the singing trio of the lovely (and still fizzing) Cheryl Baker, Heidi from Sugar Babes and new Emma Harold explored the aspirations and role of women in a way which was surprisingly thoughtful and touching. Slightly oddly, this is married with a very camp televised wrestling match, which may or may not raise sufficient funds to save Arnold’s from threatened closure – you would have to see it to understand! If you like US fifties chic then I reckon you would enjoy this alternative to the ever popular “Dreamboats and Petticoats” and “Grease”. Perhaps a prior awareness and fondness of The Fonz would also help…?
pistachioplum 