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posted by [personal profile] owlfish at 11:59pm on 25/07/2006
I spent my day loitering around, cosseting myself with sashimi, sushi, and a new bathrobe, not all from the same shop. It's been tranquil and pleasant, with flowers and cards, including one whose envelope was addressed to "Dr. Worthen"!

In the evening, I started to feel as if I've at last really begun to settle in London. I've known Zeenab since I was 10, C. and [livejournal.com profile] mirrorshard from York, [livejournal.com profile] haggisthesecond and [livejournal.com profile] fjm from Toronto, and everyone else from the past year of living in London. If only Catherine had been able to come - from my time at Smith - this would have been the best distribution of friends I've ever managed to assemble in one place. Even without her, it was wonderful to have people together from so many parts and places of my life.

Lola's very thoughtfully was celebrating its 10th anniversary, which means that those of us who ordered off of the set menu were generously given free matching wine. The salmon was smooth and fresh, good on its own in a gentle marinade, but enlivened by the crunch of accompanying beet salad. Lime cheesecake was light and friendly, with a laid-back tang to the lime. It was good in a way which comes closer to approximating my ideal of cheesecake than most I've tried in my life. It needn't be a heavy dish; I prefer it lighter. The dessert wine (not part of the deal) was smooth and restrained, grape with undercurrent of citrus.

For those that were there and wondered who the others were on LJ, here's the list, counter-clockwise from me: [livejournal.com profile] purplecthulhu, [livejournal.com profile] fjm, [livejournal.com profile] hairyears, [livejournal.com profile] ewtikins, [livejournal.com profile] pfy, Zeenab WINOLJ, [livejournal.com profile] nou, [livejournal.com profile] mirrorshard, Colin ([livejournal.com profile] colins_journal), and [livejournal.com profile] haggisthesecond.
There are 24 comments on this entry. (Reply.)
 
posted by [identity profile] celandineb.livejournal.com at 11:02pm on 25/07/2006
Happy birthday (if a bit late)!
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posted by [personal profile] owlfish at 11:04pm on 25/07/2006
Thank you! In your timezone, closer to where I've more often celebrated it, it still is my birthday.
 
posted by [identity profile] carmen-sandiego.livejournal.com at 11:10pm on 25/07/2006
A very, very, very happy birthday! Your dinner sounds just yummy :)

*hugs*
 
posted by [identity profile] pfy.livejournal.com at 11:50pm on 25/07/2006
Thanks for a lovely evening, and for introducing me to people. I can now put some more usernames to faces.

I'm not normally much of a wine drinker, but I did enjoy the complimentary complementary wines. The minestrone came with a smooth, rounded white wine that formed a pleasant background to the mixed flavours of the summer vegetables, and the steak came with a deliciously strong, peppery red that would have been a bit overpowering with any other meat.

I was surprised by how light the cheesecake was. With cheesecake, I tend to expect something rather solid that will crush any last traces of hunger, and I usually enjoy it that way. But for a meal on this hot summer evening, it was a welcome conclusion.

It was really good to see you again. I hope you had a wonderful birthday.
 
posted by [identity profile] wakarusa.livejournal.com at 12:00am on 26/07/2006
many happy returns!
 
posted by [identity profile] lady-ceres.livejournal.com at 12:08am on 26/07/2006
Happy birthday!
 
posted by [identity profile] littleowl.livejournal.com at 12:19am on 26/07/2006
Happy Birthday Shansy - albeit a trifle late.
 
posted by [identity profile] fjm.livejournal.com at 05:12am on 26/07/2006
Had a lovely time, thank you.

And we need to Discuss Food sometime. I've been salivating over your reports.
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posted by [personal profile] owlfish at 11:33am on 26/07/2006
And musicals. We need to discuss those too.

Thank you for coming!
 
posted by [identity profile] lazyknight.livejournal.com at 08:50am on 26/07/2006
Happy Belated Birthday!
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posted by [identity profile] taldragon.livejournal.com at 09:49am on 26/07/2006
glad to hear you had a fantastic time, i wish i could have been there! :)
 
posted by [identity profile] mirrorshard.livejournal.com at 10:36am on 26/07/2006
It was a lovely evening, and always good to meet new people, even if I didn't get to chat to the other end of the table nearly as much as I'd've liked.

I found the artichoke salad (or whatever they called it; to me, it was made mostly of green things and was served cold, so it's a salad) nice, but extremely mild. Black olives, parmesan, and rocket are all supposed to have a bit more bite to them than that.

The pork chop was good, very nicely cooked, but the potatoes were the best part of that course, just the right combination of moist and crunchy.
owlfish: (Default)
posted by [personal profile] owlfish at 11:33am on 26/07/2006
I think you'd've gotten on well with the other end of the table. Banquettes make it challenging for social circulation during meals, however.

I always forget how picky I am about pork chops. It was succulently cooked, but not as flavorsome as the ones back home. But then, I grew up in a pork-producing state.
 
posted by [identity profile] mirrorshard.livejournal.com at 12:28pm on 26/07/2006
I don't doubt that I would, and that there'll be other occasions one of these days.

I'm neutral on the subject of pork normally, and I usually dislike the "chop" form factor, but that was entirely edible. I decided on seeing the menu that I didn't feel like steak, and whatever the third dish was (something with courgettes?) it didn't stick in my memory long enough to be really considered, so the pork chop was almost a default choice.

(I really should make more of an effort to think about vegetarian meals in restaurants - it feels sometimes as though my brain starts with the meat involved in any given thing and considers from there. A very millennium-before-last way of eating, really. I know I don't do this when I cook or plan meals myself, so it may just be a reflex from being taken out to eat as a child and getting steak or even duck as a treat. Not often by any means, but my family weren't entirely opposed to the idea.)
kake: The word "kake" written in white fixed-font on a black background. (Default)
posted by [personal profile] kake at 10:53am on 26/07/2006
Thank you for posting the usernames.

Do you think the beetroot was raw? (I've never tried eating it raw, for some reason.) I couldn't work out if it was actually raw, or just very lightly cooked.
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posted by [personal profile] owlfish at 11:30am on 26/07/2006
I don't think it was raw or cooked, but pickled, with the softness from vinegar maceration.
kake: The word "kake" written in white fixed-font on a black background. (Default)
posted by [personal profile] kake at 11:38am on 26/07/2006
Yes, but before the pickling? Most "pickled" beetroot is pre-cooked, isn't it?
owlfish: (Default)
posted by [personal profile] owlfish at 11:52am on 26/07/2006
As further evidence that I'm more experienced at eating than cooking, you're absolutely right.
owlfish: (Default)
posted by [personal profile] owlfish at 12:52pm on 26/07/2006
A quick look around cookbooks recommends between 30 and 90 minutes of boiling beets before pickling. "Until tender" is the general guideline.
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posted by [personal profile] owlfish at 12:53pm on 26/07/2006
It was al dente beetroot pickle!
kake: The word "kake" written in white fixed-font on a black background. (Default)
posted by [personal profile] kake at 05:22pm on 26/07/2006
I think I'm going to have to experiment! I've only recently started doing Strange Things with beetroot, so I have a lot to learn. I just wish I could get raw beetroot from Surrey Street market; cooked only, unfortunately. I can get it from my tame hippies, but they inexplicably failed to come this week.
 
posted by [identity profile] innostrantsa.livejournal.com at 07:47am on 27/07/2006
I'm playing catch-up. *blush* Your birthday was obviously full of luxurious delights, and that's marvelous! Especially that lime cheesecake. Mmmm.

My very best, fullest, and happiest birthday wishes to you!
 
posted by [identity profile] darkling-dreams.livejournal.com at 03:18pm on 27/07/2006
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
 
posted by [identity profile] cwjat.livejournal.com at 04:49pm on 28/07/2006
I'm really sorry I forgot to wish you a happy birthday. This week has been a mad rush of packing and trying to the movers sorted out before Monday. Complete and utter madness. But it's all good now. So happy belated birthday!

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