Off to the Wigmore Hall again the Sunday before last to hear, for the first time, the twenty year old Escher Quartet of New York. The archive reveals four mentions for the chap for whom the quartet is named, but none for the quartet. But they are to be found at reference 1. Mozart K575 and Dvořák Op.105. Oddly, no trace of K575 either. But Op.105 turns up at reference 2 - on which occasion BH liked it better than I did.
Epsom was out of action for the day, making getting to Waterloo a bit tricky, so we opted for (BH) driving to Sutton. Which meant that stick rather than rollator was the way forward.
Managed the car park app OK, but the ticket machine at the car park entrance to Sutton Station was out, which meant that I had to walk around. While a young man slid very neatly through the batwing doors of the disabled persons' barrier.
Took a crowded No.2 bus from Victoria, on which my stick earned me a seat in no time at all. Lots of people got out for the funfair which had taken over the eastern end of Hyde Park - where there appeared to be quite a number of quite serious rides on offer, including a very large big wheel. Not quite up to the South Bank, but still pretty big for a fairground mobile.
While at Marble Arch we came across a festival of Land Rovers, a procession of them all togged up for the Christmas festivities.
I managed the wrong bun, yet again, at Olle & Steen. And the wrong coffee, with BH ending up with something made of oats in hers. But she drank it off OK.
Not sure why we had this pop-up litter bin.
And another. Nor was I impressed by some of the corporate Christmas trees on offer in Wigmore Street. Far too much dull red and gold, probably all done by numbers by bored young people, with neither eye nor inclination to do the job properly.
While the flowers in the hall, unusually, did not look right at all, with the red highlights not highlighting at all in the way intended. But then they switched the lights to performance mode, the colour balance was restored and all was well. All very complicated.
Well turned out quartet, with dark suits white shirts and ties. One computer full time, one half time. A fine concert, although consistent with reference 2, I liked the Mozart better and BH liked the Dvořák better.
What I think they said was the second movement of a Mendelssohn quartet by way of an encore, but I don't recognise either of the two second movements that I turned up on YouTube, so I can't say which one. Went down well enough though - even for me, often not keen on having encores at all.
On exit, we looked into the Wigmore (public house) for lunch, but they looked a bit full and crowded, so we went across the road to the pizza place attached to the Treehouse Hotel - reference 3 - which we like, but which usually seems to be shut when we want it. Open on this occasion, although we did not, in the event, take pizza.
BH with something refreshing.
They were quite keen on these large antique pots for decoration. BH tells me that there are various wheezes to create the antique effect more or less overnight. Something to do with fertilizing the lichen? Score it as a fake?
A version of beans on toast to start, two for him and one for her. I think they called it a something bean bruschetta.
And a steak to follow, augmented by roast carrots. The carrots tasted much better than they looked and they were a bit mean with the chips, but the steak, cooked in the wood-fired pizza oven, was very good. Perhaps not as big as the offering at the Archduke (reference 4), but better quality and better cooked.
Plus we had piles of logs on show.
Rounded off by yellow sorbet and yellow grappa for him, Earl Grey tea for her. Rather more sorbet than I had bargained for, cold enough that the back of the spoon stuck slightly to the mouth, a rather curious sensation. Grappa very good.
Another bit of artisanal decoration - for which you would need a steadier hand than I could bring to the job. Perhaps with a bit of practise. All in all, a place which I continue to like. Good food, good service and not too busy. I suppose it helps that I like pizza, even if I did not take one on this occasion.
Lunch done, we headed off for the cheese shop at Seven Dials, cheating to the extent of taking a bus half the distance to Tottenham Court Road tube station. On which we bumped into a cheerful older lady who knew all about the Wigmore Hall and the upper reaches of the Royal Opera House. Which last would be no good for me, not least because I suspect I would be attacked by vertigo. But she was fine and said that you could hear perfectly well up there.
Called in a baker, probably the branch of Fabrique (reference 5) at Earlham Street. The young lady was not put off by my explaining that I did not really want sour dough, and I ended up taking half a white tin loaf, probably one of those on the second shelf up, second from the right. Dear but good, sour dough notwithstanding. Inter alia, making very good toast. We also took two buns.
On to Neal's Yard Dairy, where I took my usual kilo of Lincolnshire Poacher, plus, for a change, a bit of Stilton, Colston Basset variety. From the people at reference 6, rather than the village of the same name, just south of Peterborough. According to reference 7, Stilton was more sold from Stilton, a stop on the coach road north, rather than made there.
Outside the original Ivy, the one patronised by celebrities of all colours, even footballers according to the gutter press. According to carcheck (see below) a near twenty year Mercedes SLK 200 Kompressor. Quite good condition for a car that old. Price depends on mileage, but it looks as if you could do it, without the plate, for around £5,000. Not very dear at all. Bit left over for the Ivy.
And to name drop, not for the first time as I recall, I was lunching in some entertainment suite up in the attic, when the news of the 9/11 attack was breaking. A lot of management consultant types in expensive suits got very busy with their mobile phones and the entertainment was broken up. I retired to TB where they told me all about it.
Tube from Leicester Square, via Kennington, to Balham. My stick and BH between them earned us more or less instant seats all the way, despite the crowds of people.
Scored a steady rolling three on the platform at Balham, the early evening light being good for aeroplane spotting, but I did not quite make it to four.
High tea at home. Both bread and cheese turned out to be very good, although I might say that the bread stood better than the cheese, which last was past its best by the time we finished it a couple of days later. Buns good too. Must go back to the shop next time I am in the area. Perhaps combine it with a visit to that national treasure, the Salisbury of St. Martin's Lane?
At its best, at close quarters. Note the lines from the wires used to introduce the necessary fungus; a practise frowned upon, when I was young, in the case of Danish Blue. Almost faking it.
References
Reference 1: https://escherquartet.com/.
Reference 2: https://psmv3.blogspot.com/2018/09/haas.html.
Reference 3: https://www.treehousehotels.com/london/eat-drink/pizzeria-mozza.
Reference 4: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2024/12/cello.html.
Reference 5: https://fabrique.co.uk/.
Reference 6: https://www.colstonbassettdairy.co.uk/.
Reference 7: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stilton_cheese.
Reference 8: https://www.carcheck.co.uk/.
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