A Birthday

Way back at the start of March I had a birthday. It was a Friday, I had too much work to do to take the day off, but we had breakfast in the park beforehand and afterwards there were cocktails at Skylon, dinner at Nopi, and afterwards more cocktails in a wandering bar.

It was lovely.

There was also an amazing, completely-took-me-by-surprise, home baked lemon and poppy seed birthday cake from H. With candles! And party bags to take any leftover slices home in! Times like this when having friends in the Women's Institute rocks.

London Love: Happiness Forgets

8-9 Hoxton Square, N1 6NU

I am almost loathe to share this next one, because it was just so very lovely. But, it is Christmas (well, nearly), a time for sharing, and it may be that you are looking for the perfect spot to sit and sip a cocktail with a friend or two, cocooned from the dark night.

We visited Happiness Forgets in November, when the waiters were still sporting elegantly twisted moustaches, and the nights were inky black and misty, but still warm enough to venture out without gloves. We didn't get in first try, so the four of us went and drank margaritas elsewhere, leaving them with M's mobile number. Not too long after, we got a call back, returned to Hoxton Square, down the metal steps, to a table saved for us. Glasses of chilled water were brought over without having to request them (such a fan of this tradition from across the pond), then menus, and then wonderfully mixed cocktails. Friendly staff, not at all pretentious, the space not overcrowded, quiet enough to talk, whilst still maintaining a healthy buzz.

And the clincher? The 'no wallies' door policy, so very rare for this side of town.

Autumn weekends V

Then we are into mid November and everywhere you look men are growing moustaches. We go to some engagement drinks near Fleet Street, then afterwards on to a Ocean's Eleven (1960 version) party in London Fields, walk past the city of tents outside St Paul's Cathedral on the way between the two, dressed in jewels and furs, the juxtaposition is strange. Saturday breakfast at Made in Camden, a recent discovery but a good one, spiced chickpeas, saffron yoghurt and eggs, banana buttermilk pancakes, poached strawberries. Another discovery is Goldhawk Road where I go to buy fabric for upcoming Christmas craft fairs - so many fabric shops on such a short stretch, but they just blow me away with the variety of colour and pattern. An afternoon spent crafting at an old school friend's in south London, we sit and stitch, eat buttered crumpets, watch 'Singing in the Rain' (which I hadn't actually ever seen before), dog at our feet. Just what I needed after a manic week. In the evening it's out east for Vietnamese on the Kingsland Road with some friends, then to a bar for margaritas before making it to the most wonderful cocktail bar, hidden in a small basement, great atmosphere, quiet enough not to have to shout, cocktails delicious, barmen all sporting very dapper moustaches. I'll post about it soon. The night air is misty when we finally emerge. A Sunday walk across Primrose Hill and Regent's Park, the farmer's market, another afternoon needle and thread in hand. In the week, craft nights, returning to my old work for another colleague's leaving drinks, baked Camembert for dinner, and I am reminded all over again why this is my favourite season.

****

I am trying desperately to catch up on all my autumn posts before we slip into December. Today the Shoreditch Sisters were at Bust Christmas Craftacular sharing a table with the legend that is Rob Ryan (he is amazing!!), and so already feeling the Christmas twinges, need to get all the browning leaves, laced up boots and Hampstead Heath fungi out the way before things get too festive round here.

London Love: The Hide Bar

39-45 Bermondsey Street, London, SE1 3XF

A new feature I'm going to trial. Each week, or more likely a bit less frequently, a little snapshot of London, my beloved city. A track of all the places that I visit in this city, newly discovered but also known and loved for years.

***

So, first up...starting as I mean to go on and pushing all my North London bias (as a born and bred North Londoner) out the window, I will begin with a bar that's south of the river.

The Hide Bar. Discovered, as with many things, through Time Out London, but what really caught our eye were the Tuesday Tastings. Every few weeks, on a Tuesday night, for the bargainous price of £10, Hide Bar run a themed tasting session. Seasonal cocktails, wines from a particular region, a single type of spirit, and with a little food to match. When we visited it was for the tasting of the new autumn wine menu. I'd not been to a wine tasting before, but it was all very down to earth, and surprisingly interesting to be talked through soil type and growing conditions and how these affect flavour. There were two white wines and three red, with fish based canapes to go with the white and meat based for the red (and I was impressed that they arranged a cheese board for vegetarian me), and all in all it seemed like hugely good value for a whole evening's entertainment.

Of course, once the wine tasting was over it seemed a shame not to sample a cocktail from the menu, which was less along the austerity autumn theme that I'm trying to stick to, but the cocktail tasted of liquid gold, and was so very delicious, that it felt justified.

Bring on the December Champagne tasting....

"Angel Face: Quince infused Bermondsey gin, Belneroy Fine Calvados and apricot brandy. A classic from The Savoy cocktail book from the 1930s, this has an exceptional balance between the delicate flavours, held together with a Gin backbone. "

Autumn weekends III

Still working my way through October photos...we seem to have had such beautiful weather this autumn that I have hundreds and hundreds of photos, capturing the light through the turning leaves, all the more precious because I know that it won't last, that winter's darker, colder days are ahead.

Another October weekend. By chance, I discover that it is the annual Apple Day at Camley Street Natural Park. A small, wild, green space tucked behind Kings Cross, where we wander down dirt paths, duck under low hanging branches. Marvel at all the different London heritage apple varieties. Drink still cider, watch a outdoor cooking demo by Clippy of Clippy's Apples. Walk home along the canal, past Camden Lock, up through Primrose Hill, collecting leaves. Friends for dinner, a seasonal supper, with Brambles to start, an Ottolenghi quince and dolcelatte salad, a Nigel Slater mushroom lasagne. Sunday brunch at Bill's.

Weekend, misc.

Okay puppies, so I've been awol again. But last weekend was Big Feastival, three days of fun and madness and hardly any sleep. Lynne has been far more organised than I and got a post up already here, mine will be a couple more days at least, but in the meantime, here is the week/weekend before last, also a scorcher.

There was cricket at the Oval, cider and smooth grass, but no cricket whites. Dinner at Riding House Cafe with my parents, gin, elderflower and cucumber cocktails, figs and goats' curd. Brunch at a friends then, later, juice and slabs of cake at Jak's in Knightsbridge, air hot and sticky, crates of oranges glimpsed through windows. An evening spent in North London, dinner at some friends', we drank our own version of a gin, elderflower and cucumber cocktail, ate Nigel Slater's peach and blueberry cobbler for dessert as the sky darkened and swallows (or swifts?) dipped in and out of the gables of the house opposite. Watched Coldplay perform at Glastonbury on the BBC, reminded me of being a teenager, owning their albums. Sunday we hit Southbank, drank iced drinks from Dishoom pop-up, sat on the rooftop garden of the Queen Elizabeth Hall, melted and melted, enviously watched the children screeching and running in the fountains, then escaped to the air conditioned Hayward Gallery with J and H to see the Tracey Emin. I actually really liked most of it, didn't think I would, but I did. The quilts especially.

Sunday night M and I took ourselves up to Primrose Hill with a couple of takeaway pizzas from Marine Ices, a few bottles of beer and a picnic rug. Sat and talked as the sun went down, to the background chatter of other visitors to the hill, and the chords of a nearby guitar.