Driving into London and Ottolenghi (12 November 2024)

 


It was time to return the car in London.  We needed to get on the road reasonably early as there was a two hour drive to go - around 75 kilometres.  The GPS suggested the fastest route and I chose to do that.  The orange colours of autumn were in full display as we made our way to a motorway toward London.  After about 25 kilometres the GPS suggested a faster route by 10 minutes so wanting to make sure I had the car at the rental depot on time I took the off ramp. I am sure the GPS wanted to make sure I could navigate narrow lanes.  At one point we were locked into a one way lane with a truck and a van attempting to squeeze past each other.  It was managed without a scratch which I thought was remarkable.  There was no honking of horns either – it must be a regular occurrence.  Despite that hold up we managed to fill up the car closer to London and still get there ten minutes quicker. 

I have been cooking recipes by Yotam Ottolengi for several years.  His food is very interesting and has a strong middle eastern theme.  He has a Michelin starred restaurant in London and I understood he had a few other less expensive places.  I looked them up and found that there was one in Marylebone which is a daytime café. 

I suggested to Bev that we go there for lunch and off we trotted. Getting there proved to be a bit more challenging than initially thought as the Circle Line was experiencing significant delays.  I worked out another route which involved a bit more walking. 

The café/deli was in the same street as Peter Gordon had his Tapas bar and restaurant.  It was a small establishment but you could sit at a long table with others which was nice and conducive to striking up conversations with others.  The food was so interesting.  I could have had everything that they offered but I only had room for three salads.  Bev had a main and a  couple of salads.  The food was delicious.  I had always been a bit worried about his use of hot spices but these were spiced perfectly.  It was good know that when they are cooked by his chefs they get the flavours right. 


Our meals

 

We then cruised Oxford Street looking for Ecco so I could get a replacement pair of shoes for the ones I have just about worn out.  I was successful.  The range they have is better than NZ or Australia although it is improving in NZ. 

While we were in the Tube station Bev noticed an advert for The Book of Mormon and the purchase of last minute tickets for a much reduced price.  It seemed too good an opportunity to miss and we were able to purchase some excellent seats for a very good price. 

The show itself was excellent.  I had no idea what is was about and was sceptical about whether I would enjoy it but my reservations proved ill founded.  It was funny  with good music and an excellent story. 

This was one of the lanes we travelled down in Wales




Christmas lights

It was a wonderful end to a very busy day and in some ways marked the end of Europe part of the  holiday.  The evening was topped off with viewing a wonderful display of Christmas lights in the streets with bustling crowds enjoying the atmosphere.

 

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