Another concert in the Barnes Music Festival, and an equally good one.
Again the emphasis was on works by modern English composers, although there was one piece by Henry Purcell - Thou Knowest Lord.
The first half of the programme featured the Music Makers of London singing pieces by Peter Warlock, Gustav Holst and Edward Elgar - all completely new to me, which was rather nice. I don't like hearing the same old things all the time.
The second half of the programme featured the Barnes Music Festival Chorus, singing a variety of pieces, including three by David Bednall which had been especially commissioned for the Festival - Rhythm - Beat and Pause, Eternal God, who sets the way and The Day Thou Gavest.
Of course, the adults all sang beautifully, but to my mind the stars of the evening were the children from St. Mary's School, who sang Ralph Vaughan Williams' The Call and Simon Lindley's Ave Maria. Looking very formal and professional, there was nothing of the Spice Girls about them - my complaint about the sort of singing they seemed to learn at Sacred Heart - instead their voices were clear and sweet, like good children's choirs should sound. They mostly seemed to know the pieces by heart, but it was obvious how well trained they were by the way they kept looking all the time at the conductor, especially the six year old tot in the front row, who never took here eyes off him. It's nice to see some schools taking music seriously, and teaching children how to sing properly.
Sunday, 30 March 2014
Saturday, 29 March 2014
Picasso's Artful Occupation
Picasso's Artful Occupation, written by Ian Buckley and directed by Kenneth Michaels, is just finishing its run at the Baron's Court Theatre in Comeragh Road, West Kensington - tomorrow is the last night of a three week run. As I have something else I want to go and see on Sunday evening, I decided to go tonight.
It was a bit of a rush to get there, as it started at 7.30 p.m., but I made it - just. In fact, I was in plenty of time, as it was about ten minutes late in starting.
For once, the theatre was quite full, but I still managed to get a seat in the front row facing the stage - my favourite spot in that theatre.
Piucasso't Artful Occupation is about two German officers making an inventory of Picasso's paintings in 1940, following the German occupation of Paris. All the action takes place in his studio, which is packed high with paintings, and poses the question - how did Picasso manage to survive and keep his paintings in German occupied France?
The answer in the play focuses on the conflict between the two German officers, both of whom are from the same secondary school in Strasbourg. One is a typical young soldier in an occupied country - bored, more interested in girls that his work, willing to skive and cut corners if he possibly can, and contemptuous of his rather weedy, probably homosexual, arty colleague. The other one is a stickler for going by the book, being totally honest never doing anything that is against orders. They are so totally unalike in their lifestyle and attitudes that conflict between them is inevitable.
Picasso is portrayed as someone who is is intelligent, wily and very perceptive. He seizes on the conflict between the two officers and uses it to his own advantage, to ensure that he gets them out of his hair as quickly as possible, and without their going through and listing all his paintings and their value - and also leaves them not knowing for certain whether he is in fact friends of their superior.
An interesting subject and an interestin g play - the dialogue was brilliant, the acting equally so, and apparently the storyline was based on really events.
It was a bit of a rush to get there, as it started at 7.30 p.m., but I made it - just. In fact, I was in plenty of time, as it was about ten minutes late in starting.
For once, the theatre was quite full, but I still managed to get a seat in the front row facing the stage - my favourite spot in that theatre.
Piucasso't Artful Occupation is about two German officers making an inventory of Picasso's paintings in 1940, following the German occupation of Paris. All the action takes place in his studio, which is packed high with paintings, and poses the question - how did Picasso manage to survive and keep his paintings in German occupied France?
The answer in the play focuses on the conflict between the two German officers, both of whom are from the same secondary school in Strasbourg. One is a typical young soldier in an occupied country - bored, more interested in girls that his work, willing to skive and cut corners if he possibly can, and contemptuous of his rather weedy, probably homosexual, arty colleague. The other one is a stickler for going by the book, being totally honest never doing anything that is against orders. They are so totally unalike in their lifestyle and attitudes that conflict between them is inevitable.
Picasso is portrayed as someone who is is intelligent, wily and very perceptive. He seizes on the conflict between the two officers and uses it to his own advantage, to ensure that he gets them out of his hair as quickly as possible, and without their going through and listing all his paintings and their value - and also leaves them not knowing for certain whether he is in fact friends of their superior.
An interesting subject and an interestin g play - the dialogue was brilliant, the acting equally so, and apparently the storyline was based on really events.
Zenobia Consort
At 1.30 p.m. there was a free concert at St. James Spanish Place, featuring the Spanish choir Zebobia, from Madrid, who specialise in the works by Tomas Luis de Victoria. They were over here to do two concerts and also sing at Mass at Westminster Cathedral - the first concert was in Cambridge on the Friday evening, and the second today at St. James.
The programme included Ave Maria, Salve Regina, Missa Salve Regina, Super Flumina Babylonis, Alma Redemptorus Mater and Magnificat primi toni. - all beautifully sung unaccompanied by a large mixed choir dressed in black, with the addition of large red roses for the women.
It was rather said that there were so few people there to hear them - I would have expected quite a crowd, considering the size of the congregation at St. James, although probably most of them don't live in the area. But the concert was free, and the choir were well worth making a little effort to hear.
Afterwards, everyone was invited to go downstairs for a drink and to sample Spanish ham, which was being sliced into tiny pieces from a whole leg of salted pork. Needless to say, I didn't try the ham, but I did have a glass of most welcome apple juice.
The programme included Ave Maria, Salve Regina, Missa Salve Regina, Super Flumina Babylonis, Alma Redemptorus Mater and Magnificat primi toni. - all beautifully sung unaccompanied by a large mixed choir dressed in black, with the addition of large red roses for the women.
It was rather said that there were so few people there to hear them - I would have expected quite a crowd, considering the size of the congregation at St. James, although probably most of them don't live in the area. But the concert was free, and the choir were well worth making a little effort to hear.
Afterwards, everyone was invited to go downstairs for a drink and to sample Spanish ham, which was being sliced into tiny pieces from a whole leg of salted pork. Needless to say, I didn't try the ham, but I did have a glass of most welcome apple juice.
Viking Exhibition
The British Museum has another new exhibition - this time about the Vikings, who may have indulged in some plundering and raping on their travels, but also found time to create beautiful and intricate jewellery for themselves. There were very skilled craftsmen among them, comparable to those elsewhere in the world.
Unfortunately, the exhibition was rather packed, so I decided to have just a quick look and then come back another time when there were fewer people there, and I wouldn't have to spend most of the time just standing around waiting.
In the background at the entrance there was what I assume was something being said in the Norse language, though I'm not sure. Later in the exhibition I heard what I thought was the same thing, but hearing what sounded like the odd English word, I listened more closely, and it turned out to be broad Scots I'm not sure what foreigners made of it, as I had to listen very closely to understand it.
The one thing I did manage to see was the Viking ship - 120 feet long and about 13 feet across and powered by 100 oarsmen. It must have been quite an impressive sight as it sailed across the North Sea and up the rivers.
It was quite amazing how far the Vikings travelled, with their voyages taking them to places as far away as America in the West and China in the East.
Unfortunately, the exhibition was rather packed, so I decided to have just a quick look and then come back another time when there were fewer people there, and I wouldn't have to spend most of the time just standing around waiting.
In the background at the entrance there was what I assume was something being said in the Norse language, though I'm not sure. Later in the exhibition I heard what I thought was the same thing, but hearing what sounded like the odd English word, I listened more closely, and it turned out to be broad Scots I'm not sure what foreigners made of it, as I had to listen very closely to understand it.
The one thing I did manage to see was the Viking ship - 120 feet long and about 13 feet across and powered by 100 oarsmen. It must have been quite an impressive sight as it sailed across the North Sea and up the rivers.
It was quite amazing how far the Vikings travelled, with their voyages taking them to places as far away as America in the West and China in the East.
Sunday, 23 March 2014
St. Paul's Girls School Symphony Orchestra and Paulina Voices
Another very entertaining evening, also at St. Mary's Church in Barnes. This time it was the St. Paul's Girls School Symphony Orchestra and The Paulinas - no prizes for guessing which school the choir all went to!
The programme focussed on the works of Vaughan Williams, Elgar and Holst, with the Paulinas singing works by all three composers, followed by the Orchestra playing Elgar's Enigma Variations. All, of course, at the standard that one would expect from St. Paul's
One noticeable thing about them was the number of Asian and Chinese girls among them - but of course, that probably just reflects the make up of the school, and the fact that everyone is encouraged to play and sing properly.
The programme focussed on the works of Vaughan Williams, Elgar and Holst, with the Paulinas singing works by all three composers, followed by the Orchestra playing Elgar's Enigma Variations. All, of course, at the standard that one would expect from St. Paul's
One noticeable thing about them was the number of Asian and Chinese girls among them - but of course, that probably just reflects the make up of the school, and the fact that everyone is encouraged to play and sing properly.
Saturday, 22 March 2014
Cantabile - The London Quartet in Concert
For the second year running there is a music festival based at St. Mary's Church in Barnes - the same church as I hear that brilliant young singer, Mary Jess.
The introduction was by Gyles Brandreth, with wildly entertaining reminiscences, and the concert itself featured The London Quartet - four gentlemen - Richard Bryan(counter-tenor) , Steven Brooks (tenor), Mark Fleming (tenor) and Michael Steffan (baritone ), not forgetting the pianist Christ Hatt - who sang, told jokes and generally entertained everyone. Their songs went from the sublime to the ridiculous - they are obviously talented in a wide range of musical styles, as well as being excellent entertainers.
An added bonus was the appearance of the the boys from St. Paul's School - also, as one would expect, extremely talented.
The introduction was by Gyles Brandreth, with wildly entertaining reminiscences, and the concert itself featured The London Quartet - four gentlemen - Richard Bryan(counter-tenor) , Steven Brooks (tenor), Mark Fleming (tenor) and Michael Steffan (baritone ), not forgetting the pianist Christ Hatt - who sang, told jokes and generally entertained everyone. Their songs went from the sublime to the ridiculous - they are obviously talented in a wide range of musical styles, as well as being excellent entertainers.
An added bonus was the appearance of the the boys from St. Paul's School - also, as one would expect, extremely talented.
Thursday, 13 March 2014
Carol Lee
This evening after work I went to a talk by author Carol Lee about her new book "Out of Winter", in which she describes the two and a half years she spent going to and fro from London to Wales, as she looked after her elderly parents and really got to know them for the first time.
Carol Lee, a journalist and author who now lives in Islington, had an interesting childhood,partly spent in Tanzania where her mother was secretary to a wealthy diamond mine owner. She didn't mention what her father did there, except that he was an engineer. She described life in Tanzania at that time as wonderful for children, with a great deal of freedom to enjoy themselves out of doors. But her father was a morose man, due to feelings of guilt and horror for having taken part in the raid on Dresden, and Carol herself spent much time living apart from her parents, including long spells with the grandmother in Carmarthen. The result was that she never really got to know her parents when she was young, and made her own way in life without them. Added to that they also had little in common - she was a writer, while they never read books or even newspapers. After a very interesting talk and reading short passages from the book, Carol took questions from the floor about her work and the book, which brought forth more interesting facts - she is an excellent speaker, who knows how to engage with her audience. No looking down at the floor or mumbling.
The talk was held at Waterstones in Islington Green, after the shop closed, and started with wine and almond slices - very nice! There was quite a crowd of people there, all very friendly, and most seemed to know Carol well. A number arrived late, as there was some confusion over the starting time; The information I saw on the internet gave 6.00 p.m., but the notice at Waterstones said 6.30 p.m. It actually started about en past six.
I didn't buy a copy of the book, although I intend to borrow it from the library.
Carol Lee, a journalist and author who now lives in Islington, had an interesting childhood,partly spent in Tanzania where her mother was secretary to a wealthy diamond mine owner. She didn't mention what her father did there, except that he was an engineer. She described life in Tanzania at that time as wonderful for children, with a great deal of freedom to enjoy themselves out of doors. But her father was a morose man, due to feelings of guilt and horror for having taken part in the raid on Dresden, and Carol herself spent much time living apart from her parents, including long spells with the grandmother in Carmarthen. The result was that she never really got to know her parents when she was young, and made her own way in life without them. Added to that they also had little in common - she was a writer, while they never read books or even newspapers. After a very interesting talk and reading short passages from the book, Carol took questions from the floor about her work and the book, which brought forth more interesting facts - she is an excellent speaker, who knows how to engage with her audience. No looking down at the floor or mumbling.
The talk was held at Waterstones in Islington Green, after the shop closed, and started with wine and almond slices - very nice! There was quite a crowd of people there, all very friendly, and most seemed to know Carol well. A number arrived late, as there was some confusion over the starting time; The information I saw on the internet gave 6.00 p.m., but the notice at Waterstones said 6.30 p.m. It actually started about en past six.
I didn't buy a copy of the book, although I intend to borrow it from the library.
Sunday, 9 March 2014
Chiswick Ait
A glorious Sunday afternoon, with the sun shining almost brightly enough for it to be spring or even summer. So I decided to go for a walk along the river from Hammersmith Bridge up towards Chiswick..
Hammersmith Mall and Furnival Gardens were full of people also enjoying the sunshine; the pubs along the river were bursting with people both inside and sitting at the tables outside - one pub even had a notice saying "Fully Booked". At St. Nicholas Church, you used to have to temporarily leave the Thames Path along the river, but that has now changed; the Path continues along the river, although for a short distance is is on private land and is only open during daylight hours. On the way I stopped for an icecream, and only discovered after ordering that they were charging £3! Obviously making the most of an opportunity!
Reaching Chiswick Ait, for the first time I was there when it was no longer an island; the tide was out, and there was a stretch of dry river-bed where you could walk across and clamber up the back on the other side. Which I obviously did, along with a number of other people.
Chiswick Ait is only a couple of acres in size, and is quite densely covered with trees and bushes, although there are some paths. I wandered almost the length of the island, before going back. I was just standing there, looking for a suitable place to sit and read my book, when I suddenly realised that the tide was coming in, and the water was already nearly up to the level of the stones I had used to stop treading on damp sand. Even as I cross, rather carefully to avoid getting my feet wet, it was noticeable how much higher the water was than when I started crossing, even though it was just a few yards. The people who crossed just a minute or two later had to take off their shoes and paddle. An interesting thing about Chiswick Ait - I didn't see any squirrel, nor any birds either.
After that I continued on to Duke's Meadow, and then left the Thames Path to go to Chiswick House, A lot has changed since I was last there. They now have a large impressive restaurant, with a lot of outdoor seating, in place of the much smaller old one, there is a huge conservatory housing an exhibition of camellias, and extensive landscaped gardens. And, of course, there were crowds of people there, with lots of small children playing ball games. All very jolly and just what it should be like on a lovely sunny Sunday afternoon.
Hammersmith Mall and Furnival Gardens were full of people also enjoying the sunshine; the pubs along the river were bursting with people both inside and sitting at the tables outside - one pub even had a notice saying "Fully Booked". At St. Nicholas Church, you used to have to temporarily leave the Thames Path along the river, but that has now changed; the Path continues along the river, although for a short distance is is on private land and is only open during daylight hours. On the way I stopped for an icecream, and only discovered after ordering that they were charging £3! Obviously making the most of an opportunity!
Reaching Chiswick Ait, for the first time I was there when it was no longer an island; the tide was out, and there was a stretch of dry river-bed where you could walk across and clamber up the back on the other side. Which I obviously did, along with a number of other people.
Chiswick Ait is only a couple of acres in size, and is quite densely covered with trees and bushes, although there are some paths. I wandered almost the length of the island, before going back. I was just standing there, looking for a suitable place to sit and read my book, when I suddenly realised that the tide was coming in, and the water was already nearly up to the level of the stones I had used to stop treading on damp sand. Even as I cross, rather carefully to avoid getting my feet wet, it was noticeable how much higher the water was than when I started crossing, even though it was just a few yards. The people who crossed just a minute or two later had to take off their shoes and paddle. An interesting thing about Chiswick Ait - I didn't see any squirrel, nor any birds either.
After that I continued on to Duke's Meadow, and then left the Thames Path to go to Chiswick House, A lot has changed since I was last there. They now have a large impressive restaurant, with a lot of outdoor seating, in place of the much smaller old one, there is a huge conservatory housing an exhibition of camellias, and extensive landscaped gardens. And, of course, there were crowds of people there, with lots of small children playing ball games. All very jolly and just what it should be like on a lovely sunny Sunday afternoon.
Saturday, 8 March 2014
Isle of Wight
South West Trains have extended the availability of their £10 go anywhere return tickets until 16th March, so I decided to have another cheap day out, this time to the Isle of Wight. So 5.30 a.m. on Saturday morning saw me marching briskly up to Shepherds Bush Station to catch the tube to Waterloo, where I was going to get the 6.30 a.m. train to Southampton.
It was a lovely morning; not too cold, and with the promise of a beautiful sunny day. I hadn't got my ticket in advance, but luckily the booking office at Waterloo was empty, so there was no problem in getting my ticket in the 15 minutes I had to spare.
The journey to Southampton is roughly an hour and a half, depending on how many stops the train makes, and once at Southampton Central, I got one of the free buses to the docks, where I got a ticket for the ferry to West Cowes - it only cost me £8.90 return with my £10 special ticket on South West Trains. The Red Funnel ferries run from Southampton to both East Cowes and West Cowes, but the one to East Cowes is the car ferry and takes twice as long. So I got the passenger one to West Cowes, arriving just as they were about to close the gates.
The crossing was great - the sea was so absolutely calm, that even I could manage not to be seasick. Also, of course, modern ferries have stabilisers, which also helps. There weren't many people on the ferry going over to the Cowes, but there was a queue that snaked right back to the ticket office at West Cowes, of people waiting to go to Southampton. Considering the time, I presume most of them were going to work, although there were a few families with children amongst them.
I arrived at West Cowes before 9.00 a.m., before anything much was open, and got a bus to Newport, which is the capital - although its size hardly warrants such a grand title. The journey took about half an hour through very pretty countryside, and once in Newport I found a little cafe to have a late breakfast. Cafes on the Isle of Wight, I found, tend to be a bit pricey, although the food is quite reasonable. I just had fried eggs on toast and a cup of tea, and a bit later a lemon cake which I got at a bazaar at St. Thomas's church hall.
I also had a look at the church itself, which dates back to the 12th century, although most of the building is rather newer, dating from 1854. It was originally dedicated to St. Thomas of Canterbury, but Henry VIII declared him a traitor, so the "of Canterbury" bit was quietly dropped, and everyone came to assume that it was the apostle who was being referred to. Today it is dedicated to Saints Thomas, presumably incorporating both the apostle and the martyr.
St. Thomas's is also the resting place of Princess Elizabeth, daughter of Charles I and Henrietta Maria, who with Henry, one of her brothers, was imprisoned in Carisbrooke Castle. An extremely intelligent and educated girl, speaking six languages, she died soon after she was imprisoned, still aged only fourteen. and now rests in front of the alter. Queen Victoria presented a large marble statue of Princess Elizabeth as a memorial to her, and this lies in a chapel in the north aisle.
Another noteworthy statue is one of Sir Edward de Horsey, who was governor of the Isle of Wight from 1565 - 1582.
Newport is surprisingly small, and it doesn't take long to wander round all its streets, so I got a bus out to Alum Bay, where the Needles are. It is also the site where Marconi made his first telephone calls, and a plaque commemorates his achievement. Unfortunately, the visitor centre wasn't really open until the end of March, so I just spent about twenty minutes there before catching the bus back to Yarmouth.
Yarmouth is small, but a very pretty little place, and must be lovely in the summer when it is full of visitors. I had a look at St. James's Church, which is right in the centre of the town. One of its most notable features is a monument to the seventeenth century Admiral Sir Robert Holmes, who was based in Yarmouth. The monument started out its life as a statue of Louis Xiv of France. It, together with the sculpter, was captured from a French ship by Sir Robert Holmes, who decided that it would make a rather nice monument to himself, and so ordered the sculpter to put his head on the body which he had already carved, which was possibly rather fitting in view of the fact that the French had destroyed the church in 1377.
Two things particularly noticeable about the Isle of Wight. Firstly, the number of collection points for food banks - one got the impression that food banks were all the rage there. Secondly, the size of the people. Not their height, but their girth. I don't think I've ever seen so many overweight people anywhere. else. There is obviously a market for slimming clubs on the island!
It was a lovely morning; not too cold, and with the promise of a beautiful sunny day. I hadn't got my ticket in advance, but luckily the booking office at Waterloo was empty, so there was no problem in getting my ticket in the 15 minutes I had to spare.
The journey to Southampton is roughly an hour and a half, depending on how many stops the train makes, and once at Southampton Central, I got one of the free buses to the docks, where I got a ticket for the ferry to West Cowes - it only cost me £8.90 return with my £10 special ticket on South West Trains. The Red Funnel ferries run from Southampton to both East Cowes and West Cowes, but the one to East Cowes is the car ferry and takes twice as long. So I got the passenger one to West Cowes, arriving just as they were about to close the gates.
The crossing was great - the sea was so absolutely calm, that even I could manage not to be seasick. Also, of course, modern ferries have stabilisers, which also helps. There weren't many people on the ferry going over to the Cowes, but there was a queue that snaked right back to the ticket office at West Cowes, of people waiting to go to Southampton. Considering the time, I presume most of them were going to work, although there were a few families with children amongst them.
I arrived at West Cowes before 9.00 a.m., before anything much was open, and got a bus to Newport, which is the capital - although its size hardly warrants such a grand title. The journey took about half an hour through very pretty countryside, and once in Newport I found a little cafe to have a late breakfast. Cafes on the Isle of Wight, I found, tend to be a bit pricey, although the food is quite reasonable. I just had fried eggs on toast and a cup of tea, and a bit later a lemon cake which I got at a bazaar at St. Thomas's church hall.
I also had a look at the church itself, which dates back to the 12th century, although most of the building is rather newer, dating from 1854. It was originally dedicated to St. Thomas of Canterbury, but Henry VIII declared him a traitor, so the "of Canterbury" bit was quietly dropped, and everyone came to assume that it was the apostle who was being referred to. Today it is dedicated to Saints Thomas, presumably incorporating both the apostle and the martyr.
St. Thomas's is also the resting place of Princess Elizabeth, daughter of Charles I and Henrietta Maria, who with Henry, one of her brothers, was imprisoned in Carisbrooke Castle. An extremely intelligent and educated girl, speaking six languages, she died soon after she was imprisoned, still aged only fourteen. and now rests in front of the alter. Queen Victoria presented a large marble statue of Princess Elizabeth as a memorial to her, and this lies in a chapel in the north aisle.
Another noteworthy statue is one of Sir Edward de Horsey, who was governor of the Isle of Wight from 1565 - 1582.
Newport is surprisingly small, and it doesn't take long to wander round all its streets, so I got a bus out to Alum Bay, where the Needles are. It is also the site where Marconi made his first telephone calls, and a plaque commemorates his achievement. Unfortunately, the visitor centre wasn't really open until the end of March, so I just spent about twenty minutes there before catching the bus back to Yarmouth.
Yarmouth is small, but a very pretty little place, and must be lovely in the summer when it is full of visitors. I had a look at St. James's Church, which is right in the centre of the town. One of its most notable features is a monument to the seventeenth century Admiral Sir Robert Holmes, who was based in Yarmouth. The monument started out its life as a statue of Louis Xiv of France. It, together with the sculpter, was captured from a French ship by Sir Robert Holmes, who decided that it would make a rather nice monument to himself, and so ordered the sculpter to put his head on the body which he had already carved, which was possibly rather fitting in view of the fact that the French had destroyed the church in 1377.
Whilst in Yarmouth, I got talking to the manager in one of the shops, and found out why there were sandbags everywhere - in the recent storms, the Isle of Wight had been badly bit, and Yarmouth itself was flooded by the sea.
I don't think there is a direct bus route from Yarmouth to Cowes - if there is, I didn't see any - so I got a bus back to Newport and then back to Cowes, this time going to East Cowes, where the car ferries come in. East Cowes is rather smaller than west Cowes, and the only way to get from one to the other is via chain ferry at the mouth of the River Medina. it goes back and forth all day, and while cars have to pay £2, foot passengers go free. Apparently, the Town Council considered building a bridge, but were put off the idea by the £20m cost, so it's either the ferry or a very long journey.
Whilst in Cowes I visited St. Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Church, which from the outside looks like a rather elegant house, but inside is rather beautiful, with lots of statues and paintings. I wanted to have a look in St. Mary's Church, which is obviously quite old, but the doors were locked.
Two things particularly noticeable about the Isle of Wight. Firstly, the number of collection points for food banks - one got the impression that food banks were all the rage there. Secondly, the size of the people. Not their height, but their girth. I don't think I've ever seen so many overweight people anywhere. else. There is obviously a market for slimming clubs on the island!
The weather was ideal for a day out - bright, sunny and almost like summer, although by the time I came to catch the ferry back to Southampton, it was starting to get just slightly chillier.
Saturday, 1 March 2014
Real China
Today I met a friend from Bromley for lunch, but we didn't look for somewhere in Bromley, but instead caught a bus to Bexleyheath, which is quite a pleasant journey, partly through the countryside.
The place we chose was called Real China - I assume it is part of the group that recently opened a restaurant of the same name in Hammersmith Broadway.
When we arrived, there weren't too many people there, and we got a cosy little table for two well away from any draughts resulting from the entrance door opening and closing.
The entrance to Real China is quite palatial for a restaurant. There is a large rock pool with two fountains, and several tables with armchairs, which I later realised where for people who were waiting for a table.
The menu is quite large, and it is one of those places where you eat all you want for a set sum - £5.95 weekdays and £6.95 at weekends - which is quite reasonable.
The only criticism I had was the small number of vegetarian dishes - there were enough, but the majority of the items on offer contained meat, and it would have been nice to have a couple more vegetarian ones. That said, the dishes available were delicious, and the pot of Chinese tea which I ordered to go with the meal was enormous - it must have held at least three normal sized cups.
Although there were not many people there when we arrived, it soon filled up, and by the time we left there were about a dozen people sitting around waiting for tables - always a good sign in a restaurant.
They also do takeaways - there were a lot of people filling up plastic tubs who didn't stay to eat in.
Definitely a place worth another visit if I'm ever in Bexleyheath again.
The place we chose was called Real China - I assume it is part of the group that recently opened a restaurant of the same name in Hammersmith Broadway.
When we arrived, there weren't too many people there, and we got a cosy little table for two well away from any draughts resulting from the entrance door opening and closing.
The entrance to Real China is quite palatial for a restaurant. There is a large rock pool with two fountains, and several tables with armchairs, which I later realised where for people who were waiting for a table.
The menu is quite large, and it is one of those places where you eat all you want for a set sum - £5.95 weekdays and £6.95 at weekends - which is quite reasonable.
The only criticism I had was the small number of vegetarian dishes - there were enough, but the majority of the items on offer contained meat, and it would have been nice to have a couple more vegetarian ones. That said, the dishes available were delicious, and the pot of Chinese tea which I ordered to go with the meal was enormous - it must have held at least three normal sized cups.
Although there were not many people there when we arrived, it soon filled up, and by the time we left there were about a dozen people sitting around waiting for tables - always a good sign in a restaurant.
They also do takeaways - there were a lot of people filling up plastic tubs who didn't stay to eat in.
Definitely a place worth another visit if I'm ever in Bexleyheath again.
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