Trollfest

Following notice at reference 1, about ten days ago now to Cappadocia to celebrate the capture of the 800th trolley. Appropriately, next door to the Kokoro Passage, from where so many of those trolleys were captured. Visible left in the snap above.

The passage once having been known as the Ashmore Passage, when Ashmore Insurance was where Kokoro now is. I could work out roughly when the change took place from the trolley record, but I have not got around to that one yet. But I did get around to turning up reference 2, from which I recovered the missing Ashmore. I wonder whether Google keep a searchable archive of their Street View database?

While Cappadocia was Cafe Rouge and before that an Italian flavoured restaurant. Maybe Mama something.

We started out with an apéritif in a busy Wetherspoons, this being a Thursday lunchtime. A striking feature of which was an older couple, the lady part of which was reading a paperback held open in front of her at the same time as eating her lunch. Was she a carer rather than a wife? A wife who had become too much of a carer?

On exit, I was struck by the placing of the ornament at the top of the white building right. Why were they off-centre? Or at least appear to be so? I should add that the front of this building, now an estate agent, looks as if it was stuck on the front of the rather older, more cottage-like building visible above. The same building where fake No.94 is to be found round the back, reference 4 below.

We were given a table in the front extension at Cappadocia, which has the advantage that one can keep an eye on the world outside.

Bread as good as ever. We suspected it took a wet dough to make it as light and fluffy as it was and we wondered whether it was more or less cooked to order in a very hot oven, just for a few minutes.

And we rather liked the wine from the Bekaa Valley, which I learn from reference 5 is the northern end of the Jordan Rift Valley - which also mentions the outfit which produced the wine, taking me to references 6 and 7.

We branched out a bit on the starters, both cold, with one being a confection of artichoke and broad beans.

And the other a sort of salad involving parsley and pomegranate. Both rather good.

My lamb was rather good too. And I continue to like the orange cereal, I think Bulgar wheat. But was the flat bread underneath the same as the not-so-flat stuff visible behind? Maybe it had just been cooked slightly differently? BH happy with her salmon.

Closed with figs washed down with Wild Turkey - this last being another foray into the world of Bourbon. A bit sharp on the tongue, but I don't suppose I would have known it was not Scotch on a blind taste.

Afterwards, we paid a visit to the Ashley Centre for some reason or another - but a treat for BH as she does not get to visit very often.

Our walk home included a hail shower. All followed by a lengthy snooze.

PS 1: in the course of failing to find out what Mama something was, I turned up Coco di Mama which operates out of the Salt House in Epsom. The people at reference 3, who appear to operate both restaurants and delivery kitchens, with the Epsom kitchen seemingly being co-located with Ask, which seems a bit odd. With the Salt House having been the name of one of the pubs which were in the old bank building over the years, before Ask took it on. All news to me, despite our having used one of the pubs, back in the day. And we still use Ask from time to time.

PS 2: my memory says that the Salt House used to be the Epsom branch of NatWest, now moved further west along the High Street. Not being able to confirm this for myself, I asked Gemini, who on this occasion offered what quickly turned out to be the wrong answer. He acknowledged the error but was unable to do better. I tried again without success, so will need to take thought as how one might check this out. NatWest do have archives, but not enough of them are online to help in the present case. Unlike Martins Bank who can and for which see reference 8.

References

Reference 1: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2025/03/trolleys-799-and-800.html.

Reference 2: https://psmv4.blogspot.com/2019/08/trolleys-276a-276b-and-277.html.

Reference 3: https://www.cocodimama.co.uk/.

Reference 4: https://psmv4.blogspot.com/2019/12/fake-94.html.

Reference 5: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beqaa_Valley.

Reference 6: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chateau_Musar.

Reference 7: https://chateaumusar.com/.

Reference 8: https://www.martinsbank.co.uk/11-74-30%20Epsom.htm.