For photographs see http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/RogerAndDelia/
On Thursday afternoon we checked into Hotel Malmaison then set out on foot to explore the local area.
We found Club Gascon within 2 minutes, next to St Bartholomew the Great. We passed on paying £4 each to go in there; don't agree with paying to go into a church. We continued on our way, past Bart's Hospital - they can't do apostrophes - towards St Paul's Cathedral, passing by St Vedast, Foster Lane (heavy six, says Roger) and remembering being outside St Paul's to listen to the end of the peal for Churchill's funeral in 1965. St Paul's has nice new glass doors engraved with a quotation from Genesis 28.17: “This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven”. Through the doors is the notice that says “Entrance fee – adults £10 each”. £10 each for heaven sounds like good value but we passed on that too, having visited several times.
We continued on our way towards seeing things we'd not seen before – towards the Millennium Bridge, past a very stylish new tourist office, the picture of which didn't make it to Roger's selection of photos. I took most of the photos; Roger edited them. We went over the Millennium Bridge and into the (free) Tate Modern. I didn't think I particularly went for “modern” but I found lots to see that I liked.
Next we wandered alongside the river and found the Globe Theatre and the replica of the Golden Hind, then back over London Bridge and to the hotel, since it was getting near time to change for dinner. We also found Vinopolis but didn't go in – wine tasting coming up later!
The dining experience at Club Gascon was excellent, as we expected it to be. The service was spot-on, just the right combination of professionalism and friendliness, time to chat, unpretentious descriptions of the dishes offered and of the wines, and the presentation was exquisite. For example a see-through green dome, like wobbly glass, to cover the half fig that garnished the millefeuilles dessert. In particular we enjoyed being told which grape varieties were in each wine and especially that the red included Carignan – local to the Languedoc.
I may not have been able to retain all the details (I had had quite a lot of wine by the end of the evening) but I think it went like this:
For aperitif we asked for Muscat and were served Rivesaltes Ambre. Not had an amber Muscat before – very good.
- Amuse-bouche: Beetroot sorbet on a creamy base, possibly fromage frais
- 1st course: Giant prawn, small tasty parcel (a bit like stuffed vine leaf) and girolles in a sort-of soup. It was served with a fork and spoon + an oaked white
- 2nd course: Scallop on a bed of veg in a blueberry sauce with a touch of cinnamon + a rosé
- 3rd course: Foie gras Pimms – a cube of foie gras with Pimms poured over it garnished with tiny spheres of green apple and grated cucumber + a Pimms & lemonade
- 4th course: Rabbit, squash purée and other garnish + the red from Languedoc
- Pre-dessert: Rhubarb and custard (but not exactly like nannies make)
- Dessert: Millefeuilles + Banyuls
We didn't quite stagger home to bed but I was glad I had an arm to hold onto. I couldn't miss all those lovely wines but I did feel that I'd over-indulged a little – practice has never made perfect for me as far as my capacity to drink wine without feeling the effect is concerned.
On Friday we bought an all-day Underground ticket and set out first to the London Eye. We were early so had time to go and look at Cleopatra's Needle. It was a lovely warm sunny day – perfect for the Eye. Roger didn't just enjoy the ride and the views; he loved the engineering.
We caught the Underground to Sloane Square to begin our trip down memory lane. We walked the circuit we used to walk in the evenings when we lived there: look in Peter Jones's window at things we couldn't afford, to Battersea Bridge past Chelsea Barracks, now a building site, through Battersea Park, over Albert Bridge and up Oakley Street. In general the street looked better cared-for than when we were there but 18A looked virtually unchanged; it even has the same wooden sash window.
We bought a filled baguette in Le Pain Quotidien, continuing the French theme, just round the corner in King's Road – it used to be a laundrette. We ate it in a nice little park opposite that wasn't there before; created in 2003 it said on the wall. Then, along Sydney Street, past St Luke's, Chelsea, where we rang on Sunday mornings, to South Kensington Tube. The Rice Bowl Chinese restaurant that should have been next to the Tube is no more – not even the building. Through the tunnel where my long black cloak used to drag in the dirt, much less sleazy now, probably because there is now access from it to the V&A. We had a look round the Science Museum where we found a Morris Minor a VW Beetle and a "cut in half" Mini exhibited, along with other goodies from our era. Past Imperial College with a flash new glass entrance, up the Albert Hall steps for a photo of where Delia used to work – can't remember which window. Into Hyde Park to see the Diana Fountain and have tea and muffin by the Lido and the boating lake – scene of Roger skiving off lectures. More walking through the park, as far as Speakers' Corner where a member of a group of evangelists accosted us. Back to the hotel tired and happy for a nap before dinner.
We enjoyed the hotel and the meals – cheerful, friendly staff, lots of fruit for breakfast as well as other less healthy options, nice big bottles of toiletries in the bathroom with an invitation to take them away. Some I did; some made a lovely bubble bath. The smoked salmon I had for a starter for dinner was brought to the table as a whole salmon, from which a portion was served – never seen it done like that before. We both had pink lamb on a bed of crushed broad beans and peas for main course – delicious. Roger couldn't resist the chocolate option for dessert; I had apple jelly trifle. I got the chocolate, though; a tiny glass of chocolate mousse came with coffee.
On Saturday, after a late and leisurely breakfast we walked to St Pancras and so back to Kettering on the train. Train travel is unusual for us; that too was a very agreeable experience.
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