Back to the Future
“It would be doubly remiss to not remark further on the incursion to Singapore, but Monsieur Blog has been hoping for more documentary evidence in the form of photos.
Anyway, as orchestrated by Curtis Marsh, Wandering Menace of Eastern Parts…”
I’d heard so much from friends about Terroirs, the ‘natural’ wine bar in London’s West End we had already built up expectations that we would get our wine bar fix and a genuinely wholesome and stimulating experience.
Yesterday’s fishing expedition took a turn for the better and within a half hour two of us had pulled in some 21 Mackerel, yours truly bringing in the bulk of this and every time I put out the line I literally had to pull it back in. The in-coming tide was probably the reason for us encountering a school of fish and we probably won’t need any more Mackerel now with enough for breakfast for the next few days.
Another beautiful day in Cornwall, out at sea by 8am before the low-tide to check our lobsters pots. But no luck again save a young specimen that we threw back. Still, where’s there’s children there has to be adults so we re-baited the pots and hope we are more successful tomorrow.
If you happen to have some 1997 Domaine Guy Duflouleur Santenay ‘Clos Genets’, I would suggest leaving it for another 5 years yet.
At 13 years in bottle, this wine is still very youthful and when first opened quite primary and nervy in acidity, breathing out nicely over half an hour or so to reveal more generosity in fruit and texture, although accented on red currant and red cherry with a lingering sweetness and spicy, aniseed farewell.
A 7am chug around Falmouth Bay, that is the mouth of the Fal River, checking our lobster pots proved fruitless, although I did catch a Mackerel on the way back.
We set off to Helford Passage for lunch at the Ferryboat Inn, now run by the oyster and seafood specialist, Wright Bros, of Borough Market and their Soho restaurant, which we dined a few weeks back and had a most enjoyable experience. More on that later.
Having traveled down from Highgate by train to Haslemere in Surrey for a few days to stay with friends, we then drove to their beach house in St Antony, Cornwall, a good 6 hour drive stopping off at their Devon Farm to raid the cellar. He’s a true Wandering palate with a taste for old German Riesling and Southern Rhone reds.
So here we are back in London, again! That is we were in London for 7 days in early June, and on to Paris for 3 days, then down to Burgundy for 3 days, back to Paris, subsequently home to Singapore. All of which I should have written up by now but got as far as Tate Gallery and have been sidetracked by all number of things since. Not least a fantastic 4 days of the continuing pinot noir conspiracy with Sam Neill (Two Paddocks) and Phillip Jones (Bass Phillip) with several events in Singapore.
One normally hesitates when recommending to ‘dine’ in a gallery or museum beyond basic sustenance, but Tate Modern’s restaurant on level 7 is an exception, not only offering modern (as you would expect) high quality, seasonal-focused food but also possibly one of the best dining views in London.
To gain the maximum appreciation of this brilliant art deco style building and its surrounds, walk along the Thames River and cross over the Millennium Bridge. It’s an incredible space, inside and out; almost as surreal as the paintings housed in it with its soaring 325ft chimney, equally towering interior ceilings and the massive iron beams of what was once the Bankside Power Station.
The first phase of the summer holidays sees us on Singapore Airlines A380 to Paris. What a difference it is to fly in this jet albatross, even if we were in cattle class. A little advice, if you’re in economy try to get seats in the upperdeck, a small section at the rear of the cabin that is economy yet, somehow feels more intimate and well, less economy.
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