Just saw Frankie Boyle at the Arts theatre doing some material he'll be doing for a show starting on election night. Excellent stuff but not sure how much will make it to the BBC's final cut.
Also the Ivy Bar & Grill- a cheaper and less stuffy version of The Ivy in Covent Garden. Fantastic. Also, House of Cards on Netflix. Also, James Perch.
Excellent, extremely refreshing white wine - good choice Tramore - currently enjoying my 2nd bottle and according to my 22 year old daughter, the best white wine she's ever tasted - over here you don't tend to think of Austria as a wine producer, and this one is not sweet, like German whites (lists as a 0 on the sugar scale). please log in to view this image
Excellent Killy glad you enjoyed it. Tried a Canadian sparkling wine a few weeks ago whilst we were away, can't remember the name of it but they did a white and rose' version, both of which were very good. I'll try and find the name and post it.....
I'm about a third of the way through this book now, and absolutely loving it, especially the odd, non essential to the central story chapters (loved the one about Elsie the Cornish woman who left milk out for the piskies). Very good writing, superb imagination and genuinely weird.
Just finished the first season of the TV show (they're estimating another 2 seasons to finish the book). Enjoyed it very much, it's supposed to be very close to the book (I can't comment on that as I've not read it yet), and the side stories are good - once you've finished the book, give it a go!
Will do, is it an Amazon one? I know Ian McShane plays Mr Wednesday, which strikes me as an excellent bit of casting, and I have his face pictured when I am reading. Did they include the early side story where a man is essentially err, devoured by what he thinks is a hooker, in a sublimely pleasurable way? Not family viewing!
Just seen The Red Turtle film on a plane. This will not be to everyone's taste, but instantly gets high up in my blokish 'top five' films list. A beautiful animated film, French/Japanese (the wonderful Studio Ghibli) co production. On the surface the story of a castaway, with no dialogue. After a bit it becomes clear what it's really about (some head scratching will take place before) and it becomes hypnotic and incredibly moving.
Yes, it's there, as well as a few of her other "conquests", both male and female! Not sure if it's Amazon or Netflix, I just stream it via Kodi!
Barbarella Year: 1968 Director: Dino di Laurentiis Stars: Jane Fonda, Anita Pallenberg, John Phillip Law, Milo O’Shea, Marcel Marceau. Another of those films which that could only have been made in the one decade, Barbarella is a delightful trip through a peace-loving and war-free 41st Century, as Jane Fonda’s Barbarella (as close to a secret agent as the 41st Century appears to have) travels to Tau Ceti to locate a missing professor and prevent his newly invented weapon falling into the hands of someone who might use it. Cue skimpy costumes that seem to fall off at a whim, the rediscovery of sex the old-fashioned way, and some spot-on psychedelic imagery and music that firmly sets this in a sixties vision of the future. And this is all deliberate. Roger Vadim, the producer (and at the time Jane Fonda’s husband) set out to make a film that was primarily character-driven, with the innocent and vaguely naive Barbarella at the centre. As such there’s little in the way of technology or huge effects, and plenty of wildly camp characters over-acting at every single opportunity. Barbarella is therefore not notable for acting, script, plot or surprises. However, as an experience, it’s groovy…
Is anyone familiar with Quality Chop House in Clerkenwell? I worked in the area back in the 90s and recall it having an extremely good reputation and, based on the two or three occasions I ate there back then, it was well deserved. I was back there a couple of weeks ago and the experience was not so good. The uncomfortable seating in the narrow booths hadn't changed (made when people had smaller arses, no doubt) and the menu was disappointingly restricted. We were on our way back from a boxing event so were not necessarily looking for fine dining, but my two colleagues wound up ordering burgers due to lack of choice. I ordered the Dexter Beef and had to send it back as it was under-cooked to the point of being inedible. The replacement was fine, however, and was accompanied by confit potatoes which were superb. Prices were not extortionate and the service was very good, but I came away with the feeling that the place is not what it once was.
20 years ago I worked on the Grays Inn Road, and the name Quality Chop House is very familiar. However, I can remember nothing about it (I refer you to the turn the new kit thread has taken). I can highly recommend the Chicago Chop House, in, err, Chicago. A carnivore's dream, very high quality meat, with prices to match. The Kobe beef steak is superb, and not an intimidating size, you can eat the whole thing and enjoy it. Not, of course, real Kobe beef though. Above all the service is truly outstanding, our waiter a proper grown up bloke who really knew his stuff, and judged tables instantly on their desire to have a laugh or be left alone, was brilliant. Even our American friends, who are used to high standards of service especially in high end restaurants, judged him the best ever. We reckoned he may have been making $1,500 - $2,000 a night in tips. On Kobe beef (and there is no way that this can't sound poncey) I've had it in Kobe (it's where my company has its offices in Japan) and it is an experience to treasure. The meal is like a ceremony, the chef prepares everything in front of you, multiple courses starting with lobster and building through different grades of beef (all superb) to the Kobe, and all intended to demonstrate that it really is in a class of its own. It literally melts in your mouth. I'm off there again in August, but, naturally I can't remember the name or location of the restaurant. But seeing as it would require a new mortgage to eat there (fortunately the company paid last time, and we had someone senior enough with us to break all the expenses limits, and even then I think he topped up out of his own pocket. He can definitely afford it though), I doubt I would return, just keep this as a unique experience.