Our first port of call though was “The Fryer’s Delight” just round the corner (19 Theobalds Road, WC1X 8SL) for a bag of vinegary chips to warm our cockles. This place is known as one of London’s best chippies and my bag of takeaway chips did not disappoint at all. Yummers.
I love the decor here, I am sure it has barely changed since it opened in 1962.
Thus satisfied we headed into the museum for a little edumacashion.
Oh, but not before the Badgery one took a snap of my very fetching rain hat. Ahem.
Aaaah – BritMus. I love the place. Having studied Classical Archaeology for my first degree I spent a lot of time in the Greek and Roman galleries and every time I visit them now I get this wonderful feeling of coming home. Oh., and I also think we should keep the Elgin Marbles. So there.
Anyway – we had a lovely wander about, avoiding the terribly overcrowded Egyptiany bit and, after stopping for a hulking slice of carrot cake we even made it to the top to see the some of the exhibitions (Renaissance to Goya and the Art of Drinking).
We then raided the shop. I love museum shops and one of the signs of my ever approaching middle age is my collection of museum shop fridge magnets. Sadly the British Museum has a terrible fridge magnet selection. I only spotted three and all were dull. Still – I did manage to find a postcard of an etching of an anteater (we call him Snorky Jim) and two lovely glittery Venetian style masks to add to my dressing up box - a black and silver similar to the below and a plain red glitter. £3.99 each - bargain - and well within my monthly fun budget.
After being kicked out of the Museum at around 5:30 and, amazingly, hungry again, we decided to visit our current favourite restaurant, Mon Plaisir, and catch their pre-theatre menu. We stumbled across this bargain some months ago, on our way to see The Fitzrovia Radio Hour. We bundled in not expecting much only to be wooed with Toulouse sausages and Brie de Meaux. Saturdays visit was no less wondrous, with a game terrine and pickled red onions to start followed by minute steak (and this was a surprisingly large one...) and pepper sauce with some of the best frites I’ve ever tasted. My mouth is watering already.
For £12.95 for two courses or £14.95 for three, including a glass of house wine and a coffee, it is an amazing place for a quick and delicious meal when in town.
The decor helps too as Mon Plaisir is London’s oldest French Restaurant, based on Monmouth Street and established in the 40s. Their entrance dining room hasn’t changed much since then either – it is gorgeous.
Chips twice in one day, I should be guilty but I'm not.
Full of food we headed home to watch films and indulged ourselves in another bottle (or two) of wine and a riot of diesel punk in the form of Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow and Terry Gilliam’s Brazil. I was pleasantly surprised by both – Sky Captain being watchable despite the terrible triumvirate of Jolie / Law / Paltrow and Brazil not being the overblown sillyfest I’d expected of Gilliam. I’d recommend both, really, for a quick immersion of wartime stroke sci-fi.
Anyway. Back to work for me now it’s Monday. I hate Mondays.
Have a good week everyone.
Nice. The Egyptian galleries are always unbelievably crowded, I often end up lurking in Early Britain.
ReplyDeleteOne of our very favourite places to visit.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I miss living in London!
I love Mon Plaisir - finances have meant we haven't been this year, but it was the first restaurant we went to when we arrived in the UK and we have been returning ever since. Best cheeseboard ever!
ReplyDeleteI am making a note of that restaurant. We've been to London a couple of weeks ago and we went to Brasserie Zedel - loved the decor, but I am yet to be convinced by the food. In fact we sent the fish soup back as we could not eat it. Perhaps it was the wrong choice, the mains were ok. I would give it another go, just because it's pretty and the waiter was a real darling. I am however always on the look for good places to eat in London that are not terribly expensive, as it is a good way to attract my husband to participate into my vintage centered escapades.
ReplyDeleteI would like to go to all those places!
ReplyDeleteMon Plaisir is my fave restaurant in London, I went there for my twin sister and I's 21st! So good.
ReplyDeleteYou look cute as a button in your classic clear rain cap. Very charming outfit for a lovely day spent hitting some thoroughly terrific sounding spots (love the Venetian style mask you picked up, I've always wanted one of those, too).
ReplyDelete♥ Jessica
wow~ ! They just showed "Brazil" here on satellite and I caught a bit of it, too...one of my fave movies, and no, not quite as 'silly' as some of Gilliam's other work at all! In fact, I feel that he had a lot of foresight, at the time the film came out, in his commentary on the our (Americans') attitudes, in some ways, toward war in general...and the environment...all those billboard adverts blocking the view of what the dismal landscape REALLY looks like...and the scene where they're having lunch, and a terrorist bomb goes off, and the waiter brings a folding screen to hide the bloodshed and chaos while the party goes on eating uninterrupted by the atrocity...our surveillance....still one of my favorite films - I wished I could've seen the whole thing, but I had to go out...
ReplyDeleteOooh, I love Mon Plaisir! We went there when we went to see The Mousetrap!
ReplyDelete