Eating in Attractive Surroundings

So after last week's view on eating with your fingers, I was asked to consider how attractive company impacted an eating out experience. Actually it was more about a particularly attractive barman who observed the crab crushing ritual in question and seeemed to become more attractive as the bottle of wine emptied...

I've pondered over this observation and come up with the following three scenarios:

1) Splashing out? Very attractive serving staff will be happy to help
It's very hard to say no to an Adonis like barman/waiter who is selling you the most expensive thing on the menu. Surely such a beautiful specimen would never fleece you...?

2) Perfect for crash diets - first dates seriously damage your appetite
Something about first dates generates a phantom stomach staple. All of a sudden, healthy appetites reduce to a sparrow like picking tendency and an 'oh no, I couldn't possibly eat another thing' when all you've had is a lettuce leaf. Thank goodness it's only temporary.

3) Dreadful for waistlines - beautiful thin people make you want an extra helping
How is it that fussy eaters or just people in micro skintight clothing that you know that you will never squeeze into without buying reinforced Spanx just make you eat more. It's some kind of reaction that says 'they're not eating enough so I'll do the right thing and help them out by eating their share too'  Similar behaviours occur when surrounded by teetotallers

So the moral of the story is to choose your occasion carefully, and your company to match!

Food of the week

Drop scones. I've been stunned at the number of people who don't know what drop scones are this week. Not exactly summer food but always very delicious so homework this week is to check them out

Bars of the week

PIX - Neal Street, Covent Garden (and Notting Hill too)

It's not always that easy to find decent bars in touristy zones of central London but PIX is an exception. Located at the far end of Neal Street (from Covent Garden tube), PIX is small, dark and cosy with lots of small tables and stools to perch on. Why 'PIX'? Pintxos is the Basque version of tapas which is clearly too complicated to write in full or to pronounce so they've made it much easier and just called it PIX

The pintxos/tapas are a nice touch with two prices for small and large, and easily charged back by counting up the sticks that hold them together. From calamari to chorizo to tortilla to bruschetta type offers, they're fresh and tasty and mix perfectly with the range of Spanish wines by the glass.

My only concern was that the wine glasses are orange tinted tumblers which made me slightly uneasy about whether I was drinking orange squash...



SKYLON, Royal Festival Hall, Waterloo
I love this bar. Someone reminded me about it again this week. It's so decadent and the drinks are great (albeit extortionately priced) and the view over the Thames from the floor to ceiling windows is stunning. To give you an idea of what it's like, think very exclusive, modern and beautifully designed top floor bar in a Dubai hotel. n.b. I've never eaten here but if you're in the area, make sure you pop in for a quick caipirinha.