I went out for what I told Mandi would be a quick drink straight from work yesterday evening with Adam Clarkson, and although we were supposed to be talking business (a little project together) it soon became an impromptu real ale pub crawl. Socialising with musician friends is usually confined to talking at gigs* so it was nice to have a proper drink and catch up for a change, only briefly talking about the local music scene. As I've said before, I am not a big drinker but somehow last night I managed to put quite a bit away and despite slurring my words a bit (something I do after a packet of wine gums and a can of Bass shandy these days to be fair) I got home safely, even with a slight diversion as I got a little bit lost. As a result of this I found this morning a bit of a struggle.
After walking Jack we went to town with a full English breakfast high on my list of priorities. I wanted to go somewhere I haven't been before so that I could write another breakfast related review as today's blog, and Mandi suggested we give Patisserie Valerie a go, prompting me to rather predictably sing we are going to have our breakfast, at Patisserie Valerie to the tune of 'Valerie' by The Zutons - living with me must be brilliant.
We didn't have to wait long to be seated which was good because the layout as you walk in wasn't thought through one bit. While you are queueing you are in the way of the takeaway counter so people coming in to take cakes away are leaning in through the door. Once at our table I was able to take stock of the staff and their methods. Even making allowances for the fact that it was very busy (obviously with it being Saturday afternoon and people wanting a shopping break, I had bought One Leg Too Few: The Adventures of Peter Cook and Dudley Moore by William Cook and it was quite heavy so I was glad of the rest) the service was a bit haphazard. Our waitress took our order without writing it down and had to come back a few times to clarify key points such as how I would like my eggs, something she would have known if only she had been supplied with a pad and pen.
Waiting a reasonable amount of time for food has never bothered me as I take comfort in the fact that it is being cooked fresh, or at least they are creating that illusion by taking their time. Despite the shortfall with the service we were not made to feel under pressure to eat and vacate the table for the next customer, and thankfully we were seated in a corner so we weren't too close to other diners. Some of the tables were so close together it looked like a long table and I hate that proximity, I don't even like sitting next to strangers on the bus. The breakfast was almost faultless, the bacon was grilled, does nobody fry bacon any more? Served on a rectangular plate (could have been worse, I hate those pretentious places that serve your meals on a wooden chopping board) and costing £7.95, breakfast Patisserie Valerie style was bacon, two eggs, beans, tomatoes (real instead of tinned, I prefer tinned on a breakfast), sausage and two slices of toast. Tea, the essential accompaniment, wasn't included and arrived at the table way before the breakfast. This is a trick designed to make you want to order another one, it didn't work as it stayed hot enough in the teapot. Price-wise this was of course a bit more expensive than your run of the mill greasy spoon cafe, but you pay for your surroundings, even if it does make you appreciate the efficiency of a 'proper' cafe. The bill with Mandi's cheese and ham croissant and espresso came to £18.20 in total, an amount that sadly wasn't worth it when you could get exactly the same with better service in a roadside truckers cafe.
We experienced customer service of the lowest form later in the day when we decided to take afternoon tea at Thea Caffea, a beautiful establishment hidden away from the hustle and bustle of the city. The last time we used the place was a couple of years ago in the run up to Christmas and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. This time was a different story; several waitresses failed to acknowledge that we were waiting to be seated, Mandi asked what cakes were on offer and the waitress told her to go and look for herself rather than being able to tell her, and our tea and cake was spoiled by the waiting staff (presumably students) hanging around talking about their social lives in earshot, one of them leaning on the counter on her elbows. Lyons Corner House this was not. It is a real shame that a supposedly higher-end establishment should allow this sort of decline to happen and has put us off further visits.
*Not when the band is playing of course.
No podcast this week.
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May housekeeping
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