www.pryordurkin.com

Well here I am staying in yet another London hotel room.  This time I’m in 538.  I am noting it here for when I forget as is quite regular.  The number of times I’ve tried getting into the wrong room is now bordering on the ridiculous.  To date, no one has actually been in any of the rooms I have previously tried; but one day….

I’m quite happy with this particular room though as it has a very nice view across London and with the pretty colours of the BT tower adding a gentle warm glow, my room is comfortable and warm.  Having persuaded the people on reception that I wasn’t going mad, my mini bar fridge now opens having being previously locked, so with cold crisp mineral water to hand, the only other thing I need is my better half lying beside me.  Finally for those who follow my ailments which may will know I don’t tend to moan about; I am pleased to say the old man flu is now in abatement

Having stopped off at the York Theatre Royal while on our Saturday lunchtime excursion into the City we decided to buy a couple of tickets for that evenings performance of Death of a Salesman.  The write up indicated we were not exactly going to have a rip roaring barrel of laughs and as it turned out we didn’t.  Until now, we hadn’t heard of the play by Arthur Miller which first opened in New York in 1949 and according to the programme has being packing them in ever since.  Directed by Damian Cruden, Artistic Director at York Theatre Royal, it was two and a half hours of intense contradiction as we followed the lives of the Loman family as Willy slowly descended into a complete breakdown resulting in he taking his own life.  George Costigan spent much of his time switching between calm measured discussion to outbursts of anger that came from nowhere.  Eileen O’Brien who playes his wife Linda, slowly throughout the play builds the tension without you ever realising it and at its conclusion steals the show.  Joseph Rye and Kieran Hill who both play Willy’s sons give believable performances and like George Costigan seem to be able to switch emotions from light hearted fun to deep dark outbursts of anger.  When Kevin McGowan who plays Uncle Ben first appears on stage I was reminded of Colonel Saunders from KFC, but within a couple of scenes had bought into the character he played.    I am not sure Paul entirely gets theatre, primarily because at what point he said, “I don’t get theatre”, but at least I ‘enjoyed’ it.  I did find myself laughing at the end though because of all the old dears in tears in the audience as the curtain fell.  

Pryordurkin rating 4 Stars.

Running from 31st October ‘08 thru 29th November ‘08. Telephone 01904 623568

As you know I am never one to harp on about my ailments or complain about being under the weather.

But…… 

I’m all alone in London and suffering the most awful sore throat imaginable.  I blame all those rude and inconsiderate people who travel by Tube and Train for my predicament and if I were Prime Minister would make it an offence punishable by one week in public stocks for anyone who coughed or sneezed without a handkerchief.

I’m hoping the night nurse will see me through till morning until I can find someone who’ll listen to me moan all day about my Man Flu and perhaps offer me just a tiny little piece of sympathy.

Poor me…. and er yes…. OK I do harp on….

Last night had me dining with my colleague Mark at the Old Amalfi Italian Restaurant on Southampton Row in London.  A short walk from my hotel in Bloomsbury, we chose this restaurant because of its looks primarily.  I could also see a number of tables in use at around 8.30pm so felt that it must be good.  We ventured in and sat near the window.  The restaurant has seats for around 40 covers and as I mentioned there were a number of other diners enjoying what looked like very nice food.  The smell of garlic was strong in the air as we sat down and this only made me even more tempted by the menus given.  After choosing an Italian wine at £14.95, I ordered up a vegetable soup (£3.95) hoping it would sooth my poorly sore throat.  For my main I opted for the Baked Pork Shank (£13.95).  Mark went for the Scamorza Forna (£4.55) to start and the Carbonara (£7.95) as a main. 

As we waited for our food to arrive I noticed the kitchen at the end of this small restaurant was open to view.  I could clearly see it was clean and seemed to be professionally run which gave me some further comfort.  The decoration throughout was tasteful; not overdone, but clearly Italian in style.  The stone floor did however make it a little noisy and the paper napkins were a bit of a let down.

The food arrived and within minutes we both agreed it was good.  My soup was very welcome and with the atmosphere developing amongst all the diners, a fine evening was getting under way.  The mains followed and you could instantly see care and attention had being paid both to the choice of ingredients used and the way in which they had been prepared.  My Baked Pork Shank simply fell apart from the bone and was delicious.  I could see the carbonara being enjoyed by Mark had a fantastically creamy sauce and we were both happy with our lot.

The total bill came to a stroke of £60 including 10% service charge and given we had just picked this restaurant from walking by, were pleased to have chosen well.

Pryordurkin rating. 3 Stars      Tel 0207 636 5811

Still extensively suffering from my man flu (but you won’t hear me complain) it was a slow start to the weekend on Saturday.  I did eventually summon the energy to get out of my jim jams and head into town with Paul for lunch.  We decided to return to the Indian Lounge on Swinegate (read original review) and it was just as good.  A hot spicy curry was great for my man flu and with the sparkling water (no alcohol allowed) it was pleasant indeed.  Finishing up we headed around the shops where Paul bought the latest brain teasing game for the Nintendo DS Lite.  Professor Layton and the Curious Village is a ditty little game that you might think will be easy.  I can definitely say it isn’t.  Paul has been trying to complete the puzzles for the last twenty four hours only interrupted briefly by seven hours sleep and a spot of Strictly Come Dancing.    Sunday will see me doing a little catch up work before heading back to London this evening as I have a full and busy week ahead.  Thankfully with this game, I’m not sure he will notice I’ve gone

It’s very unusual for me to be in London on a Thursday evening, but here I am all alone and coming down with Man Flu.  I’m not normally one to complain or make a fuss as many of you who know me, will no doubt confirm.  However the hot bath I had when I got back to my hotel room this evening has only brought on the full effects of my illness and I now need looking after with gentle care and full time attention.  Comforting myself (being alone), I ordered up a bowl of hot soup from room service and to be fair to ‘The Bin’ (a nickname given to this hotel), it was actually just what I needed; hot, spicy and served up with fresh crusty bread.  All I need now is my t’other half beside me (because I’m alone), mopping down with a damp sponge, my poor aching brow.

I wonder if the mini bar has any brandy….

The weekend winds down as I write.  We were joined by Steve and Russell on Friday and have enjoyed showing them the sites and sounds of Yorkshire until they left after Sunday Lunch today.  Saturday consisted of a late start (following a little too much vino the night before) with us heading into York and Leeds for a spot of shopping.  Harvey Nichols was on particularly good form with lots of eye candy and new clothing alike. A good few quid later, we stopped for Lunch at their Espresso Cafe Bar in the Victoria Quarter. 

Saturday evening had us join the Ghost Hunt of York.  We arrived by taxi to join a crowd of tourists all eagerly waiting for the tour to start in the Shambles at 7.30.  Dressed as I was (see left), quite a few of them thought I was the act!  A little girl asking if I was going to be scary?  Me! 

The hunt itself was really good fun and the near 100 people who followed the story and humour around the back alleys of York all seemed to have a good time.  We rounded the evening off with a late dinner at a favourite local Italian restaurant before grabbing a taxi back home.  Sunday has been all together more sedentary affair with me cooking a traditional Sunday Lunch with Yorkshire Puddings.  All in all, a very nice relaxing and fun weekend.  Check out the pictures in the Photo Gallery!

It’s been a funny old week all in all.  My hotel stay in London included an unusual surprise at around midnight, which kept me amazed, puzzled and entertained for ten minutes!  (I’ll come back to this because I know your curiosity will get the better of you if I don’t explain and you might then have to ring me - my phone is on all the time you know!)  Anyway I worked from home today and took a slightly early finish so I could nip to the shops to stock up on a few essentials as we have guests joining us for the weekend.  Steve and his new man are driving up from Hertfordshire (sounds better than Hemel Hempstead) to visit us and as I write they are crawling past Derby at around 5mph in the usual Friday night traffic jams.  A weekend of fresh air, good wine and visits to country pubs lies ahead.  Just the sort of thing you need after a busy week working.  Of course, it’s also Halloween tonight, so we will be closing the gates to keep any kids and ghosts out for the night. 

Have a good one yourselves.

Oh yea, before I go, you wanted to know about the midnight surprise in my hotel room this week.  I was woken by a lot of sudden banging.  I crawled out of bed to put the light on and realised it was the coming from the radiators (what else did you think it was).  The heating system was clearly playing up and I could hear other people in the rooms next door also switching their lights on and opening doors to check what was happening.  My room overlooked the inner courtyard (no view but very quiet) so I took a look to see if there was anything happening.  There wasn’t but out the corner of my eye I saw a gentleman standing in his brightly lit room window wearing nothing more than his birthday suit holding something in each hand.  After I rubbed my eyes and pinched myself to check I was actually awake and not dreaming/having a nightmare (delete which one you think!) I realised in one hand he had a cigarette and in the other, he had….. er his manhood!  The cigarette hand wasn’t moving much!

Happy Halloween.

Cavalleria Rusticana (Rustic Chivalry) is an opera in one act by Pietro Mascagni to an Italian libretto by Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti and Guido Menasci.  It seems to centre on the bitter rivalry between two women who fall for one man. 

What does this have to do with my visit this evening to the restaurant by the same name on Cleveland Street I hear you ask.   Well nothing as it happens; just a bit of useless information to show I do have some culture.  Anyway I couldn’t face eating in my hotel room this evening, so opted for an early dinner at La Cavalleria Rusticana on Cleveland Street.  I entered the restaurant at around 7pm and in the front dining room (seats 28) there was a family of four adults and three kids eating already.  I took my seat and ordered up from the plastic covered paper menu.  I went for a Minestrone Soup to be followed by Chicken breast with Asparagus in a cream sauce.  As I waited, I was delighted to notice that my table was covered in a plastic tablecloth with the ever popular paper napkin in evidence.  Looking for a quiet meal, I’d taken my paper along to read but unfortunately the kids on the table opposite made any attempt to concentrate on the news stories of the day, impossible.  The parents didn’t seem to notice just how loud (and lewd) their kids were. 

Anyway, the food arrived.  The soup was OK, nothing great but welcome on this cold evening.  My main course however was awful.  The watery veg to the left of the plate had more taste than the lifeless chicken and asparagus to the right.  The creamy sauce that covered this delicacy added nothing to my enjoyment.  A real disappointment, especially because the service was actually very warm and friendly to the point that I felt guilty at not enjoying the food.  I should add though, that the family opposite were clearly delighted about their fayre, because amongst the conversation about how they could pass their kids off as under 10 to get free travel on the underground, they kept saying the food was fantastic.  “This is wicked” was quite a popular phrase in between popping outside the restaurant for a smoke.

Anyway, I settled up my £20 bill and left; returning to my hotel wishing I’d opted for room service after all.

Pryordurkin Rating. 1 (for the service only)

Telephone 020 7383 7762

With two colleagues I decided to have a spot of Lunch at The Gourmet Pizza Company at Gabriels Wharf.  We arrived at around 1pm and the place was busy with local business people, tourists and children alike.  The restaurant is a large wooden hut affair with outside heating and a covered deck area which proved to be a good idea because the temperatures certainly dropped today.  We had a little wait while a table came free and eventually sat down to beautiful paper napkins.  We ordered up our food.  I went for the chicken and spinach pizza and a bottle of sparkling water.  The water was served up in a peroni beer glass and there was no offer of ice.  The pizza was served up freshly cooked but the base was very hard indeed. I can’t be sure as I could not see the kitchen from where I sat, but I would guess that the bases are ready made.  It was pleasant enough, but nothing special.  More designed for the tourists who are unlikely to return as opposed to the people who work locally.

The service was quick and friendly though and we were generally happy with out lot. For the three of us the total cost was £36.

Pryordurkin rating. 2 Stars.

tel: 02079283188