BORING LIFE BUT I LIKE IT

Time to paint, new hall, new kitchen, new stove [but not installed - PRICKS], new life. I have spent the last day painting my hallway some colour called "alabaster" and I used trade paint that was a bit smellier than Dulux but HALF THE PRICE. Really nice quality paint though if anyone is interested.

My E is from Burger King originally, but I got it from Nathaniel at M Goldstein on Hackney Road. Here is a nice thing on Paul Gorman's blog The Look Presents about the shop. And a picture of Pippa's arse.

Anyway I also got new cooker delivered yesterday but Comet fucked up and sent it with the wrong guys - blokes who can deliver but weren't qualified in how to install it. Durrr. So I can't cook all week. :( The last thing I cooked in my old cooker was a freestyle fish pie. I was very proud of it. I was sad to see my old cooker go actually. I got it for £90 from a refurbished cooker place after getting a flat after being homeless. It served me well. I can't believe I didn't take a picture of the pie! But I did take a picture of my mini Toads In The Holes. TOO GOOD.



I wanted to make some cakes today. Oh well. Next weekend.

xx Lektrogirl

MAP FOR PIPPA

View Larger Map

A is the Pigalle Metro and B is the actual breakfast place. The connections on the Metro are super annoying, you'd be better off taking a taxi.

xx Lektrogirl

TOP EUROPEAN BREAKFAST HOLE

Okay so WHENEVER I AM IN PARIS which is not as often as it should be, I ALWAYS MAKE A DETERMINED EFFORT to visit L’Estaminet d’Arômes et Cépages for brunch on Sunday morning.This trip I had a fish brunch - smoked salmon, fig and cinnamon confiture, a home made crab paste, another oniony paste with green things that was so delicious, scrambled egg, a scone, natural yoghurt [with a bloody star anise seed if you please which I struggled around London not so long ago to search for!] fruit salad, salad, coffee, apple juice and fresh bread for €20.



You have to sit at this big shared farmhouse table and all the staff are women. I was lucky enough to sit next to some upper class Frenchies who spoke like the recorded voices on language CD's and listen to them go on about food.



This one was in 2007, with a little Amuse Bouche - a tomato soup, charcuterie, and the jam didn't come on the plate this time for some reason but it was confiture de chataigne.

So where is this incredible place? It is at the back of the Marché des Enfants Rouges on rue de Bretagne in the 3rd. The nearest Metro is Temple. The Marché is apparently a bit of a foodies market - there are loads of great wines and cheese, organic vegies and stuff and some well known Asian 'restaurant' there too. It isn't very big though. In the market building in a shop selling vintage photographs and the owner has always been the rudest prick to me when I have been to the shop and I have never managed to have a proper look at anything however year after year I go back in the hope he will be nice and let me look around and buy something. The market is also pretty close to an APC store, another nice boutique called Shine that has nice jewellery in it even though all the clothes are stuff you can get here - Marc, See by Chloe blah blah.

There is also another store not far called ie which sells all kinds of baby and children's wear from Indian and Japanese fabrics made by a husband and wife team I think. She's Japanese and he is from India. You can also buy there fabric, toys, tiles, posters all from India. A bit like Brick Lane only cuter and not as smelly.



Anyway the phone is ringing. Who is it that cares if I live or die at this hour?

xx Lektrogirl

PIERRE HERMÉ

"He is small and tubby with dark eyes, a goatee beard and a round face. To his army of female fans, he is the embodiment of the masculine ideal. Meet Pierre Hermé, France's most famous cake-maker and the man with a highway to the heart of every Parisienne."

Or I think it is better to take a look at this:


After getting silly stringed and tripping out in the mineral museum, I went to rue Vaugirad and bought some macaroons from Pierre Hermé's 'boutique' for cakes. I considered buying all kinds of presents and then decided I couldn't be bothered and went for just the important stuff - a macaroon taste test.

I bought one of all that were available except for the coffee on cause that would be gross. Pierre Hermé macaroons do not come in nice boxes like Ladurée [Unbelievable! a bit like going to The Cake Hole and getting a Heinz Baked Beans mug instead of some nice vintage china!!!]

The flavours I left with were [clockwise] starting with the white one in the front: Satine [Cream Cheese, Orange & Passionfruit], Carrément Chocolat, Ispahan [Rose, Raspberry & Letchi], Cassis, Milk Chocolate & Passionfruit, Wasabi & Grapefruit, Olive Oil and Vanilla, Rose and the one in the middle is Salted Caramel.



So Wasabi & Grapefruit. It was as gross as it sounded. Sweet, bitter, no wasabi flavour that I could taste and bits of grapefruit peel in the filling.



Rose. Pretty good but I prefer Ladurée. Or maybe I just like that one better cause there is a Ladurée near work. Though this month I read that Pierre Hermé is thinking of opening a London store.



Olive oil and vanilla. BANGING!! So good. The best macaroon I had after the Spruengli cinnamon ones The Cardinal and I ate in bed watching MTV in Zurich until we wanted to die. The olive oil and vanilla was such a good combination - velvety and creamy and not sickly. So good.

I only ate three and couldn't go on and left the others for Goon and Fanny. When they got back from where ever they were, Fanny continued the taste test with great interest and Goon helped clean up the pieces. The least popular was the Passionfruit and Chocolate. Blurgh. I told Fanny I preferred Ladurée and she said the difference is that the Pierre Hermé flavours were more about interesting mixtures. However, I think I want to know what I am getting when I buy a macaroon.

Visit the Pierre Herme website here and order your own. Let me know what you think.

xx Lektrogirl

THE BOOYAH COOK: Sweet Basil Pesto

Yeah sorry for the wardrobe malfunction there, a bit NSFW but since getting put on the Flickr watch list, but yerrr, care less etc.

So I have to admit this isn't even a real recipe but an attempt at freestyling something that Valeria and I ate at Dehesa the other night. We had it with baked figs and marscapone there, but there were no figs in M&S so we decided strawberries and creme fraiche would be just as good to accompany the BOOYAH recipe of the day which is SWEET BASIL PESTO.



Et voilà! Les fraises dans la tasse. Miam miam! Très joli!

INGREDIENTS
2 cups basil leaves loose not all packed just sitting in a friendly manner in the cup measure [don't stress about it being exact]
half a handful of pine nuts
2 tablespoons runny honey
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
castor sugar / icing sugar to taste

You need a food processor or blender for this. Mush everything together and every so often, stop and taste the mixture to see if it tastes velvety [the basil] and sweet [the honey]. You could possibly make the mixture a little runnier than I did but my oil wasn't the best - kind of heavy.

Cut up the strawberries into little bowls and then add some creme fraiche or marscapone. Yerr. Then eat like a pig and stuff yourself and feel sad that you have finished when you get to the bottom of the bowl.

Anyway - the pesto should look like this when you have finished mixing it:



And so far it has kept very well in the fridge under a layer of oil.

I reckon you could serve it as a "relish" with a hard Spanish cheese or really crumbly chedder for a little canape or part of a cheese platter. And if this is not a stamp of approval I don't know what is: The Cardinal said "If I hadn't already had my FunDineWithMe I would make this for dessert! It's really good!"

We ate it after a toad in the hole from the Waitrose recipe & ideas free magazine that The Frenchman cooked for Valeria as an English experience.



Banging! [OJ LOL]

Anyway bed... though the action is NEARLY finished...

xx Lektrogirl

THE BOOYAH COOK: BAKED FISH

Yerrrr... so now we have this thing on Friday night's at my house called 'Family Dinner' only it isn't really a family dinner because we aren't family, but we do it cause we are homeless or orphans or new to London and we eat food together in the really Australian / European way which a few decades ago, the British also did. But now they don't so much cause the most organised meal of the week happens to be a Sunday roast which doesn't count.

Anyway I really wanted to make mussels at the last Family Dinner, only when I went to the shop, there were none there. Mussels are super easy, so we will come back to this another time. BUT I went into a tailspin at the supermarket cause I hadn't planned and alternative, I was fucking dead tired and wanted to die. Hmmm... With some quick thinking I came up with the ultimate solution: BAKED CHERMOULA FISH!!!



Chermoula is a middle Eastern thing and can be used for Lamb as well. You can marinade a piece of fish with it and fry it too.

INGREDIENTS**
1 bunch of coriander chopped finely as you can be bothered
1 bunch of flat leaf parsley chopped finely as you can be bothered
6 cloves of garlic [or less]
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1 tablespoon paprika
1 big pinch cayenne
Juice of 2 lemons or 150 mls vinegar
300mls olive oil

Beat all the ingredients together. Marinate the fish for an hour. Cook the fish. [Details to follow]

** With the ingredients list, you can freestyle to whatever is in the cupboard. I had no cumin so I skipped it and no cayenne but I had some green thai chilli.

I reckon you could keep the parsley, but use basil, garlic, lemon, red pepper, pine nuts or slivered almonds for pseudo Italian style. Or pan-asian and have coriander, parsley, lemon grass, chilli, lime etc. You get my drift.

SO IN THE CASE OF THESE BAKED FISH!
I used rainbow trout cause they were only £2.03 each and were already gutted. For each fish, I got a sheet of aluminium foil, drizzled some oil with my hands over it. Then I lay the fish on the foil, spooned some of the marinade inside the fish, and a bit on the top. Then I wrapped the fish up kind of loose in the foil, but tight enough so juices wouldn't go everywhere. I did it two more times and put all three on a biscuit tray side by side. I left them for about 40 minutes to let the flavours 'vibe' and then baked them in the oven at Gas Mark 6 [is that like 190 degrees centigrade or 200?] for 25 minutes. Then I put them on a big plate all together and impressed the Family Dinner guests with the big fish platter and I felt like a total expert. We ate them with rice and salad.

BOOYAH!!!

The next day, after another Xi Gong class which I have to say I am really into, V and I went to the Highgate Cemetery for a walk - WASN'T THE WEATHER AWESOME TODAY.



Here is a nice picture we took. I have been trying to coax the Cardinal into something like this, but it never happened. Not sure what I have been doing wrong... I'll keep trying.

Oh and if I might say, the other time in my life which I am enjoying IMMENSELY is Lady's Night where like a fake family we sit down and have a nice dinner together which somehow always ends up with Pippa pulling this face:



Not sure why.



And if only Pippa's knees weren't so pressed together!

Anyway I want to be in bed asleep now dreaming of other lovely things. I think next family dinner the french man is going to cook toad in the hole as a cultural experience for V.

xx Lektrogirl

P.S. UBM coming soon!

I LOVE TO GOSSIP

Cold, bored, trying to keep myself busy with cooking, I stopped gossiping because I heard it was a bad thing to do. But I still kept hearing the gossip about who was banging who cause their flat mate overheard it and spread it around, and who was finally getting sex at last, who got cornered and got earful all about how horrid I am and who was pricking who out etc. I also stopped talking to much to my ex husband who was always great with the juice - but his source dried up when he stopped talking to someone else over too much gossip and bitch talk... LOL. So - the world goes on it seems as hypocritical as ever which is fine by me cause now I have less of a guilty conscience. But fuck I'm bored.



I wasn't on Thursday when I met Antoinette for lunch at Leila's Shop in East London. She sent me a great diss text while she was waiting for me that read "Did I just see you walk past with a pink bag and bottle of water." LOL. Pink bag & bottle of water? I might as well have had a yoga mat as well.

No way.



But she did see me eat some eggs straight from the pan and some beetroot and horseradish and drink three coffees.

AND WE HAD A GREAT GOSSIP.

xx Lektrogirl

THE BOOYAH COOK: BROAD BEAN RISONI

Many years ago God created earth, humans, rocks, animals, houses and Google. When He put everything here, we were all the same. Then suddenly some people starting thinking for themselves. God said "Don't Eat The Apple" but Eve made Adam eat the apple. God cast them out of the Garden of Eden for being Vegetarians. Fast-forward to the year 2009 and like the rest of us, even God has chilled out and reconsidered some of his first ideas. Vegetarians live peacefully amongst us thinking up one thousand and one things to do with tofu. Sometimes as cooks, we have to come up with nice dishes that don't look they came out of some Earth Mother's armpit that both regular people and Vegetarians can all "break bread" with one another and feast at the same table. This is why today I am presenting in The Booyah Cook series "Minted Broad Bean Risoni" that can be an accompaniment to something like roast lamb or chicken [yum!] or on it's one in a smorgasbord of salads. Or if you are a student, have it just on it's own but substitute all the green stuff for broccoli and the risoni for rice as per usual.

Here is the list of ingredients:
1 tablespoon of olive oil
500 grams of broad beans
3/4 cup of risoni
4 green onions / spring onions whatever you call them, sliced thinly
2/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons lemon juice - use fresh not squeezy lemon. IMPORTANT.

Initial tips:
All this stuff you can buy at Marks and Spencer or Waitrose more readily that other places. See this recipe already smells of quality.
Risoni is a small rice shaped pasta. It is also available in Turkish shops. [i.e cheap]



First things first, get your broad beans, put them in a heavy saucepan or a ceramic bowl that you can cover with a dinner plate, and tip boiling water straight from the kettle on them. Cover and leave to stand for 10 minutes. Drain them and wait for them to cool down. After that is done, you have to peel the greyish outer shell from the bean. Anticipating that this was going to be fucking boring, I decided to use a mixture of baby garden peas and broad beans so that I only had to peel 250 grams worth. Not just a pretty face.

Cook the risoni like the side of the risoni packet tells you. Rinse under cold water when you drain it.

Then get your favourite saucepan. [Mine is still my Le Creuset one even though I nearly killed it with a freestyle Lamb and Honey Moroccan stew I made the other day that burned almost dry. But that is another story.]

Put the oil and the onions on a low heat and wait till the bit of onion go a bit soft. Add the cold risoni and the beans / peas / sugar snap peas / whatever [NOT LENTILS] til everything warms up together again. Add all the herbs [these don't have to be exact measurement BTW. A big handful of parsley and a slightly smaller one of mint would be accurate enough] and lemon juice.

Eat. Or leave it and eat it cold.



Here it is.

8:30PM FEELING LIKE 2:00AM

By the end of the day today I was totally starving and I got the C2 bus home from Oxford Circus like greased lightening cause I knew what I had in the fridge. As you can see in the picture above, here is the leftover's from the lunch on Sunday I made that I was bragging about. Everything on the plate tasted even better after a day to marinade in the own juices and I fried the pork again and hot it was EVEN better. I think it would be great hot with puy lentils etc. Will definitely make that again.



On the way to Ladurée the other day, I saw Barbara Windsor get out of a taxi and I swear she had a chicken head! It was really good. She was also wearing mega heels and in all light coloured clothing. What a woman. Later that afternoon I saw that REALLY tall guy from The Office with his short girlf walking down Wardour Street. Hmmm... when was that? Thursday maybe on my way to the George and Dragon to the launch party for Paul Gorman's / Nigel Waymouth's / Granny Takes A Trip / The Look Presents t-shirt range for TOPMAN. Yerrr I know - TOPSHOP - totally against everything I believe in. However what I can appreciate is the history of the British fashion retail and design industry being visited by Paul Gorman which is what I grew up revering reading i-D and The Face back in 1988 in Tasmania thinking "OMG I CAN'T WAIT TO GO TO LONDON!!!" LOLZ. Apparently the rain was so heavy the roof leaked at Mum's all over my old magazine collection. FUCK.



Here I am looking a total babe as per usual in a t-shirt I wouldn't normally wear because I made the decision a while ago to stop dressing like a man but this picture shows that my lipstick is looking pretty hot. Probably I was pretty pissed by this stage from drinking Koko Kanu and Coke. I mean Max and I were topless in the George changing from our regular clothes into the t-shirts from The Look Presents range. If you want to check them all out though, look here. Some of the designs are actually reproductions of the original Granny Takes A Trip store front back in the 60's [like the one I had on]. You didn't know that Granny Takes A Trip was a shop back then? Ohh... God... where do I begin? Not even worth it...



So, mega day today back at work. Feeling hyped but can't believe how tired I am so early. I'm looking forward to getting paid. I want to go to a restaurant The Cardinal visited with her family recently:





Nearly as good as the instrumental to Hairbraider by my main man Kelz!

xx Lektrogirl

SUNDAY LUNCH

laptop_lunchbox 2007.01.04, originally uploaded by amanky.

Well I have to admit that my Sunday feast looked nothing like this but I forgot to take pictures. What a loser! But it looked so amazing. Then we ate it.

I made:

Slow cooked shredded pork belly with wine with chicory and cornichons.
Carrot, cumin and harrisa dip.
Potato dauphinoise.
Norwegian cucumber & dill salad [The Cardinal's recipe]
Plus there was like olives, bread, cheese, anchovies etc.

I'm so sad there were no pictures cause it really was a sight to behold. And I was told that it was an excellent lunch. Thank god.

Here is the Cucumber Salad recipe that I made which The Cardinal confirms is similar enough to hers. Only we both only make about a quarter of it.

Cucumber Dill Salad

4 large cucumbers
1 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
salt and black pepper, to taste
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced and broken into rings
3 tbs. fresh dill, finely chopped

- Wash the cucumbers and partially remove their peel in lengthwise strips, using either a vegetable peeler or the tines of a fork. Make sure to leave a bit of dark green skin between each stripe.

- Thinly slice each cucumber. Place the slices in a large non-metal bowl and pour on the cider vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. Stir or toss the mixture gently until the sugar is dissolved.

- Add the onion slices and fresh dill, then toss well to combine. Let the mixture marinate for at least half an hour before serving.

- It's best to serve any leftovers at room temperature. So refrigerate any remains, but let the seasoning be enhanced by a little time on the table before dining.

Hopefully it looks a bit like this:

I LOVE COOKING.

I feel like this today!



xx Lektrogirl

MY CREW

Poodles!, originally uploaded by Tri_Poodle.

How we roll on the regular.

I'm going toot, toot, beep, beep, pulling up on them wheels now
All black on black body got it shining much like a seal now
Got them cars in my garage no less than a mill now
Kells about to take the bar and set it real high
Double take Double take when I roll up to the club
Playas they plays us when I walk up in the club
I got them shades on doing about 75
Just call it speed racer cause I'm rolling in that marc 5
Yall niggas aint fucking with me and I put a mill on it
Niggas and Bitches they lie but home boy them stacks don't
R&B Boss hustling like Rick Ross
Man my flow is so raw niggas don't piss me off
I'm a playa homie and that's a well known factor
Plus the wheels on the coupe got lookin like a tractor
Take my ice hold it up
Then my city toss it up
Chi-town summer time Kells got traffic backed up

I'm totally HTML HML right now working on two websites. One has a problem with ONE image. The other problem is that there are more changes than necessary.



For a breather, I managed to get down the road to my favourite French place in North London for a Croque today. At Le Péché Mignon on Ronald's Road N5 the garden conversion has taken place and it is super cute out there and a perfect place to eat and drink - if it wasn't for the agonising conversation two 'musicians' were having at a nearby table. They were talking like OTT MySpace pages for themselves and organising gigs at places where a lot of industry people go 'cause they were more important' and one was bitching out the other for having gigs of their own without the whole band. Blah blah. I shared a table with a very brainy looking bald man with freckles on his head who was doing the Guardian crossword in silence. And even though he smoked, I enjoyed his company a lot and I felt as if I was learning things about the world just by osmosis while I sat near him.



My Croque Monsieur was PERFECT and was served with Lamb's lettuce and not the Brer Rabbit lettuce I hate to much. And I think you will agree it is more obvs I'm starting to enjoy using Mrs Kipling's camera.

In BONUS ROUND news today, my 70's German jug arrived in the mail today from Sabine! Too thrilled!! I realise it isn't everyone's cup of tea, but these heavy gross glazes I love so much and remind me a lot of my mother's ceramic work from back when I was growing up. I remember being allowed to go and sit in with the big kids at the primary school at Challa Gardens when I was just in kinder while Mum gave extra classes in pottery to the kids and I felt so cool.



Not too unlike some of the ceramics I saw on the ward at the Royal Free Hospital, LOL. I love art rooms and cemeteries - they seem very homely to me cause of my mum.

xx Lektrogirl

GREAT ACCENT PRACTICE

SYDNEY FOOD

I can't wait to go here: The Giaconda Dining Room on Denmark Street. The Chef is Paul Merrony from Sydney. If someone has been there, let me know how it was! I'm DYING to know.

The menu at the moment [I picked up a card in Milkbar] reads:

Shellfish Bisque 5.00
Salad of Beetroot & Leeks Vinagrette; Goat's Curd 6.50
Pumpkin Risotto with Oregano 6.00
Boneless & Crisped Pigs Trotters; Eggs Mayonaisse 6.50

Crab Omelette; Green Salad 9.50
Crisp Roast Salmon; Deconstructed Piccalilli 11.00

Grilled Pork Chop; Risotto Milanese 11.75
Grilled Rack of Lamb [for 2 people]; Tian & Gnocchi alla Romana 24.00
Rigatoni with Braised Pork Sausages and Veal Shin with Tomatoes 9.50
Tripe Braised with Chorizo; Smoked Paprika & Butter Beans 9.50

Poached Peach; Eton Mess 6.00
Chocolate & Coffee Mousse; Caramel Sauce 4.50

I think I would have the Beetroot [and hope my friend would order the pig's trotter so I could have a taste because I'm a bit gutless and I'm not sure I would like it] then either the Crab Omelette cause I love eggs or if I was more hungry the Pork Chop and skip dessert.

Imagine the pictures I could take!!

xx Lektrogirl

£169

£169, originally uploaded by Lektrogirl.

Yeah - in lieu of posting anything for a while -and the last two posts were a bit heavy - here is one of my usual frivolous titty posts.

Yesterday I went to Harrods and went 'shopping' which is my new hobby. This Dior bra is SO HOT! I LOVE it! Although the fitting rooms in the Lingerie Department there are ice cold [I have a heart as cold as ice I heard] and I wondered if it was to make everyone's titties pert and the turn down the sweats, but then maybe the air con was just bunk.



I also went and had a very late lunch in Ladurée and earwigged on a middle aged woman take her parents out for lunch and guffawed to myself as they chattered away in French. I got to sit in the black room this time which was a first. I liked it in there. Possibly this was the best club sandwich I ever ate.



A visit to Ladurée of course is not complete without buying some macaroons - which I scoffed before going out to meet The Cardinal and the Air Commodore for drinking and fun at Cocadisco. Complexxion was DJing and I didn't know anything about him before last night other than he has something to do with my friend Manuel's label Citinite. I was pleased cause he played Destiny by Two Sisters, which is one of my super favourite 7" records that I always forget about.


Complex Simplicity

After his set he got talking and - this doesn't happen often XXCENSOREDXX. [I can't remember his exact words.] Anyway, Complexxion is JOKES. XXCENSOREDXX.

But back to matters of a more ladylike nature:



I went again to Le Péché Mignon the other day for a Croque and a coffee. The man in there remembered I wanted some chestnut paste but they had already sold out again since I had been in last. He went upstairs and got me some anyway and I am SOOOOO thankful. I also could not resist the Confiture pour Madame [rose hip jam.] The Cardinal and I keep talking about afternoon teas. I have been feeling so stink bad mood lately with bad dreams, grinding my teeth, angst and anger that a quick lunch at Le Péché Mignon was really all I needed to cheer me up. And even better news - they are opening the garden at the back of the place! I can't wait! I wish I knew their names, I can't keep saying 'the man' and 'the woman'.

And being a total glutton, later that night The Cardinal and I went to Bodeans for dinner.


Check The Cardinal's hand - she has hand cramps from knocking one out over the size of the ribs.

I got to tell The Cardinal my story about Guy Ritchie. One time I was in there eating dinner and Guy Ritchie and his minder came in. Ritchie surveyed the menu from his seat and called out to the kitchen staff "Is this place Kosher?". Which is fucking hysterical given there is a giant neon pig in the window. Mega lolz all night about that.

xx Lektrogirl

SEX & MORNING MUSIC

So finally the sun is up and you are all probably on your way to work. I wish I could share a cup of tea with you and anyone in my back garden.



If I could could eggs like this perfectly every time I would.

I would play some music for you.



Sexual Healing - Hot 8 Brass Band




Perfect High - Peppermint Lounge


And once I had post my photos from the toilets at the George and Dragon where we will probably never meet, some guy will post comments on my Flickr and I will feel totally violated

Sex Attack - Appareil



in a way I never thought possible. But actually I have d/l quite a number of his images to Photoshop friends faces onto should I ever need to.

xx Lektrogirl

THE BEST FRIDAY

At the depths of despair - or maybe it was chronic PMT - I rang my Mutts the other night crying about everything and nothing. [It is a long story.] And like a superstar she knew just the fixer. She told me to get £20 out of her bank account and go and do something nice the next day. So obviously I went and did the best thing you could do on a Friday in London - I went to Borough Market.



Like everyone else who sees these, I am always totally captivated by them hanging there at the stall at Borough. One girl came up to me after I photographed them and asked me if I thought the stall owners should be allowed to display them there. She thought that they should be hidden. I mean - I could see what she was saying, but I didn't see it as any different to all the other meat on display all over the market [albeit without fur and cute ears] or the fish in the fabulous fish stall which is my personal favourite stall.



Granted the rabbits did stink of blood. I asked her if she was a vegetarian and she said no. She just felt that the display of rabbits was 'a little violent'. The rabbits just made me think of when I was young and we had 'pet' rabbits that were actually bought to grow for meat anyway. But my sister and I had befriended them all and been playing with them regularly taking them out of the cage and letting them run all over the garden. When I went out to the garage one day to see The G.A. almost at staggering stage from a lot of whiskey and a half skinned rabbit hanging from the corrugated iron roof I felt really awful. I asked The G.A. if I could have a go at skinning it, he said yes, I ripped off some pelt and it sounded like Velcro ripping apart. I felt even more awful. Then later at the dinner table, I felt more awful still.

Anyway back to Borough Market.


The money Mutts gave me I spent at Brindisa on tortilla and chicory salad and a coffee. All for £12.04 [including service.] I made the chicory salad for myself the next day for lunch it was so good. And the tortilla was pretty good - warm and gooey - but not as good as the tortilla from La Rosa in Madrid!

Then I went and bought a variety of snacks to be had with Prosecco while Cardinal and I prepared ourselves for Deano's birthday. Focaccia bread, beetroot hummus, fresh tomatoes, blue cheese and garlic olives. Venom also came over but he broke one of my limited edition Babycham glasses that Max gave me as a present when I still worked at the shop. I was drinking 'Rose Royals' [prosecco and French rose syrup] while Cardinal had prosecco with Bush Liqueur I brought back from Tasmania made with Pepperberries. Anyway as soon as we got to the party, and the Imodium I gave Venom to stop him pooing all over the place worked it was good times all round.

And now by Sunday morning, the misery has gone and I am much happier! Thanks Mum.

xx Lektrogirl

THE G.A. RECOMMENDS A RESTAURANT

I woke up this morning to see that The G.A. had replied to my last email. Here is what he had to say:

thanks for the email,kid. Really made my day, Yeah! Not only heard about the snow in London but they lavished extensive photos showing around the parks and suburbs of the same city. Bloody beautiful, not the shagging snow, but the memories of my childhood. the squre in which I slept is in Guildford Street just along from the end OF Doughty Street wgiis parrallel to Kings cross road. We used ro live in the top flat of 55 Doughty street. The front door used to look quite imposing if nothing else. The next street along Guildford street from DoughtyLamb's Conduit Street you turn left up to just along is/was a very aged pub called the Lamb. our old piss-up pub. Even your Granma Lidge had a few in their over the years. A bloke called Rndall Keane used to own the place. He was married to a woman called Jean, but that didn't stop the horny drunk taking a shine to our ancester. Mu used to piss him off pretty quick. I must have worked in the pub for two or three years before I joined the Guards. So I HAD MY SHARE---By the fukkin gallon. Good 'sore head days ' need I remind you? If you ever come across some dickhead who wants to take you to lunch, and he's posh enough get him to take you to 'Schmidt's resaurant in Piccadilly , or it may be Leicester squsre be in the book anyway. Eisbein und Sauercraut, with a bottle of cold white, and crusty rolls.Beadifull. I f I could have a wish Iwould take you and stuff the expense. Yer ma's going up to Sara for Tom's birthday. I think I prefer that tho having them travel down five in one car
See you, or read you in the near future I hope. Love from the old G.A.XX WHO has the pleasure of being yer Dad.

So straight after I Googled this place Schmidt's he refers too. Unfortunately it closed in the 70's and I guess what he called Piccadilly, is Noho now.

The restaurant was at 35-37 Charlotte Street. The building there formerly housed Schmidt’s Restaurant, which had been on site since 1901, when Frederick Schmidt, an immigrant butcher from Wurtenberg opened a delicatessen. He became a British Citizen and served during the First World War as an army cook and opened a restaurant on his return. It was famous for its rude waiters and good food at cheap prices. Apparently, the Soviet spy Donald Maclean spent his last day in Britain at the restaurant before fleeing to the Soviet Union in May 1951. The restaurant closed in the 1970s.

The dates etc dont quite make sense for me in that - I just copied and paste it from this document which makes interesting reading. I also read on this website that London's German population had settled north of Oxford Street where Charlotte Street was sometimes known as 'Charlottenstrasse'.

I better think of an alternative restaurant to suggest to Pops as that one isn't open any more. He is also going to shit when I tell him that 56 Doughty Street sold for £3,000,000 last April.

Check this:
Completed in 1790, Doughty Street is an exclusive period tree lined avenue within a popular and prestigious Bloomsbury location. The Grade II listed district has witnessed a wealth of historical events and noble residents who lived or worked in the street.

Charles Dickens lived at No 48 between 1837 and 1839. Whilst living at Doughty Street he published some of his most famous works, including Oliver Twist, The Pickwick Papers and Nicholas Nickleby . During this time, Doughty Street was gated at either end, and manned by porters.

Apparently now, Artemis Hunting Ltd run an office from there - shooting holidays in Croatia! OMG! From their website:

Touch Extra
Specialist Services:

Great costumer service,the best value for money,personal eskort from UK and guiding during the shooting holidays in Croatia,enthusiasm and passion about our business.
Services Offered:

Shooting holidays in Croatia,driven boars,bears,deers ect. Accomodation,food,drink,driving from to airport in Croatia,1 year licence for shooting in Croatia,apartments on the island of Pag-Novalja.www.artemis-hunting.com
Conveniences Offered:

Money back Guarantee Price Match 24 hr opening Customer service / helpline Emergency call out

Okay, well I won't tell you what Doughty Street was like during the 1930's, I'll see if I can get The G.A. to tell us himself which will be more fun.

xx Lektrogirl

I MISS THE RESTAURANTS

In a bid to save money, I haven't been eating out as much as I used to [Like every other night of the week down to never] and I REALLY REALLY MISS IT.

Here is a list of outstanding meals from my memory:

BAR LUNA: Sitges, Spain
On a hot hot hot sunny day I ate calamari, salt and pepper mussels and patatas bravas washed down with beer with Ramiro.


BEACH BURRITO CAFE: Berwick St, London
I used to go here all the time for the chicken nachos. It has closed now and apparently moved further up the road. I didn't try out the other place.

ARBUTUS: Frith Street, London
Probably the best dinner I ever had was here. I had potted chicken liver pate, fish and then floating meringue island.

Oh God this is too painful. Yauatcha, Andrew Edmunds, Aurora [even though I had my wedding anniversary dinner in there the bad taste of that event would never taint the taste of the food], Julie's, Amuse in NY, BAR DU MARCHE I LOVE YOU AND I MISS YOU. I haven't even been to the pub at the end of the street in three months.

Today I am miserable.

xx Lektrogirl

STRESS MANAGEMENT

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