Lunch 1 - Akos, Mark and Penny

Tues 21st June - Brunch at Carluccios, Smithfield

This is a bit of a cheat, as this meal took place before I set up this blog, but as it was the catalyst for it, it seemed logical to include it.


Penny and I met Akos and Mark in Goa - we were staying at the Vivenda dos Palhacos which is a fab guest house (with only 7 bedrooms) run by brother and sister Simon and Charlotte Hayward, though sadly we didn't meet them as their father was ill and subsequently died back in England. However, the rest of the staff looked after us wonderfully.

One of the great things about the Vivenda was that everyone ate breakfast (and usually dinner) together, so we made friends with everyone there, shared experiences, and went out on trips together, etc. Apart from Akos and Mark, there were also Eric and Paddy, Eric and Lois, and the wonderfully named Tigger Stack Ramsay-Brown and her friend Rupi (but more of them all later I suspect).

Mark and Akos

Akos and Mark were over from Dussledorf to see a gig by Kathy Griffin (who I didn't like to admit I hadn't heard of), and we met for a late breakfast at Carluccios in Smithfield. Can't recall what everyone ate (well, it is 3 weeks ago!) but I know I had the Eggs Florentine! Eggs Florentine has spinach, Eggs Benedict substitutes ham or bacon for the spinach, and Eggs Mornay uses, surprise, surprise, Mornay sauce (which is a cheese sauce) rather than Hollandaise. But it's the Hollandaise that's the clincher. Hollandaise sauce is just egg yolks, lemon juice, vinegar, butter, salt and pepper - click for Delia's recipe - but Carluccio's version was just not tart enough!

Akos and Penny

We discussed blogs I recall - and in trying to persuade Mark to start one beginning with his treatise comparing the quality of motorways in different European countries - it has somehow ended up with me starting this one - la di da (as Elaine from Seinfeld was wont to say...)


PS the soundtrack to this meal should have been 'Aint goin to Goa' by Alabama 3