On Friday night, Jon and I met at Gordon Ramsey's Foxtrot Oscar for dinner. Most of the reviews I read said that the food was really good though the service wasn't great, but I have to say that both were stellar. We started with a glass of Prosecco each and split a Caesar salad - it was old school, topped with a poached egg, bacon, and anchovies. The main draw of the restaurant, though, was their steak-sharing option: we got a meltingly delicious ribeye with a green salad, thick-cut fries/chips, and onion rings plus a decent bottle of red wine. (I learned the sinus-clearing way that English mustard should be taken seriously.) We finished with a delicious cheese plate - or so I thought: our lovely waiter, who was very impressed that we were still going strong after three years and who asked Jon for tips on how to keep a woman happy, brought us chocolate truffles at the end on a plate that had "Happy Anniversary" written on it in chocolate! It was the perfect start to the weekend.
We woke up on Saturday morning and treated ourselves to a lazy breakfast at my flat before heading up to the Southbank for the Cheese and Wine Festival. It was a gorgeous day - we both ended up taking our jackets off because the sun was so strong - and it was lovely to wander along the river, catching the sights and people-watching, before picking up lunch (a spinach and feta wrap for me plus a pint of pale ale; raclette with potatoes and gherkins along with mulled cider for Jon) at the Festival. They had a bunch of seminars, and we snagged seats for the one on cheese/beer pairings. It was hosted by Meantime, which is the beer featured at the Old Brewery in Greenwich where Jon and I had dinner two summers ago, and La Cave à Fromage, a yummy specialty shop in South Ken. The only two pairings I remember off the top of my head are stout/Stilton and IPA/Manchego - absolutely delicious!
I made Jon suffer through my amateur photography tour, stopping every five seconds to try to get a different angle of the London Eye...
In the evening, Jon took me to the Café de Paris in Soho, where we enjoyed a cabaret/burlesque show. I don't have any photos for you because it didn't seem appropriate to whip out my camera, but I will assure you that it was very tasteful - very old-fashioned, almost - and such a fun and unexpected way to spend a Saturday night.
Breakfast on Sunday morning was pancakes; I discovered that English pancakes are more like crêpes than American pancakes, and Jon taught me how to flip them in a frying pan without using a spatula like in the movies. I was a pro by the third try! We went our separate ways around noon - me to the King's Road to make my worshipful pilgrimage to Anthopologie for sale dresses and Bea's cupcakes, and he to his house to prepare for his sister's visit. (I enjoyed my interlude meeting up with AT and gabbing over coffee after she provided invaluable sartorial advice at Anthro - thank you for the company, lady!)
vanilla/rose macaroons
hat display
pretty wallpaper
