28 August 2006
Tried out the much lauded Dragon Castle yesterday in celebration of our 3-year engagement day. It's in a most insalubrious blue building on the Walworth Road, but no matter, because once inside you can't see where you are. The decor is contemporary Chinese, without the Chineseness washed out of it, so still gold tablecloths and big Chinese good luck phrases everywhere coupled with shiny grey floors and lots of wood. Looks a bit like a set out of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
We had dim sum. And it was good. All the bog standard stuff - siu mai, har gau etc plus tripe and sago/yam dessert for me and turnip cake for BB. They didn't laugh at my Chinese, the service was quick and efficient and it was pretty cheap. All very auspicious and we will, no doubt, be back for the hotpot dishes that have been written about by Giles Coren and Jay Rayner of the broadsheets. Unfortunately, there was definitely MSG in the tripe, so I felt a bit funny afterwards which is a shame as it was indeed mightily enhanced in the taste department.
We had dim sum. And it was good. All the bog standard stuff - siu mai, har gau etc plus tripe and sago/yam dessert for me and turnip cake for BB. They didn't laugh at my Chinese, the service was quick and efficient and it was pretty cheap. All very auspicious and we will, no doubt, be back for the hotpot dishes that have been written about by Giles Coren and Jay Rayner of the broadsheets. Unfortunately, there was definitely MSG in the tripe, so I felt a bit funny afterwards which is a shame as it was indeed mightily enhanced in the taste department.
Labels: food, restaurants
26 August 2006
One of the best things about living in East Dulwich is that it's just about the only desirable place to live in London where you can still park outside your house for free. It has its own mainline train station, lots of useful and trendy shops to frequent and yet there's still parking to be had. I mean even if you live in Richmond which is miles away from anyway, you still can't park.
If this is the prize we win for not having a tube station, I'm all for it. After all what good is a tube station - okay the tube gets you into town faster and will make the property prices go up - but they seem to be going up pretty meteorically anyway and I never liked going on the tube much.
It's true that the occasional pig-dog bumps into the car or kicks the wing mirror off/throws marbles through the driver's window, but where else does that not happen in London?
If this is the prize we win for not having a tube station, I'm all for it. After all what good is a tube station - okay the tube gets you into town faster and will make the property prices go up - but they seem to be going up pretty meteorically anyway and I never liked going on the tube much.
It's true that the occasional pig-dog bumps into the car or kicks the wing mirror off/throws marbles through the driver's window, but where else does that not happen in London?
Labels: east dulwich
16 August 2006
Back from the Lake District. It was very nice to do things familial and BB's grandma was very happy to see us. Much eating was done with the Chakraborties and a great deal of driving around the lakes with minimal ambling on the hills.
The house we stayed at was huge with towers and very baronial. The main bedrooms had turrets and there were lots of stairs. Unfortunately, being in the middle of nowhere, we were hard pressed to have electricity, hot water or any form of telephone signal whilst there. There was a stream though for Pooh sticks and paddling to while the time away. The middle Chakraborty child fell into some rose bushes and managed to make great holes in her skirt and legs. Chakraborty cousin, O, was obsessed with ghost stories and exhausted my supply. She said she would be able to sleep at night as her bed was in between her dad's and brother's - until I told her that ghosts always disturb the ones who sleep in the middle. You should have seen the terror in her eyes!
Though extremely pleasant and encompassing such Cumbrian delights as the Cumberland Pencil Museum and the environs of Carlisle Castle, our hols were eventful in unfortunate ways as well. We got a parking ticket because Cumbria exercises a weird parking disc system that seems peculiar to those parts which a) we didn't notice and b) if we had noticed, wouldn't have known what it was and probably have ignored it anyway. Then, this morning, just as we were about to embark on the marathon 350 mile journey home at the roundabout for the M6, some old codger in a 4x4 with a trailer rear-ended our poor little car. The car seems fine except for some cuts, dents and bruises (we got the AA to come out and check) but now I've got to take it to the garage for a proper check-up and pursue said old codger for any repairs. What a nuisance. People are always driving into us without a by your leave.
The house we stayed at was huge with towers and very baronial. The main bedrooms had turrets and there were lots of stairs. Unfortunately, being in the middle of nowhere, we were hard pressed to have electricity, hot water or any form of telephone signal whilst there. There was a stream though for Pooh sticks and paddling to while the time away. The middle Chakraborty child fell into some rose bushes and managed to make great holes in her skirt and legs. Chakraborty cousin, O, was obsessed with ghost stories and exhausted my supply. She said she would be able to sleep at night as her bed was in between her dad's and brother's - until I told her that ghosts always disturb the ones who sleep in the middle. You should have seen the terror in her eyes!
Though extremely pleasant and encompassing such Cumbrian delights as the Cumberland Pencil Museum and the environs of Carlisle Castle, our hols were eventful in unfortunate ways as well. We got a parking ticket because Cumbria exercises a weird parking disc system that seems peculiar to those parts which a) we didn't notice and b) if we had noticed, wouldn't have known what it was and probably have ignored it anyway. Then, this morning, just as we were about to embark on the marathon 350 mile journey home at the roundabout for the M6, some old codger in a 4x4 with a trailer rear-ended our poor little car. The car seems fine except for some cuts, dents and bruises (we got the AA to come out and check) but now I've got to take it to the garage for a proper check-up and pursue said old codger for any repairs. What a nuisance. People are always driving into us without a by your leave.
Labels: travel
5 August 2006
It's been a very busy week - working till 19:00 most nights as everyone had deadlines, deadlines, deadlines. Had to take Sei Ee to Waterloo station at 04.30 in the morning on Wednesday, then worked till 19:30. Am just recovering now.
Never mind - today is Chilli Crab day in Brick Lane, so I'm off to have lots of crab and other hawker food stuff with a big bunch of friends. Hurrah!
Never mind - today is Chilli Crab day in Brick Lane, so I'm off to have lots of crab and other hawker food stuff with a big bunch of friends. Hurrah!
