another day in london

Routines are not always a bad thing.  Every morning I get up, throw on a pair of sweatpants and walk over to buy the Herald Tribune.  Sometimes I stop in Marks and Spencer to purchase a few things that we are out of. Every morning I fail to see what the kids have devoured the night before which is always a mistake.  Cereal and fruit from the day before never make it to the next day as I am keeping the refrigerator basically bare. Sometimes I stop for coffee at Nero and sometimes I just make it in the French press at home.  

Today I noticed something I have never noticed before.  Our local newspaper stand carries the New York Times.  It sells for 5 pounds.  Not cheap yet it would so be a daily decadent treat.  I realize that I can read it all online but I do love the tactile feel of the paper.  It is my daily ritual.  I didn't buy it but I am going to treat myself on Sunday morning before we leave and savor the paper the entire journey home. We are leaving on Sunday.  

The rest of the morning is just about blogging, email and reading while I wait for Josh to get up.  Now Jess too.  Emily is still taking her class.  

 The three of us did a little shopping and a few galleries yesterday.  Stopped in the Stephen Friedman gallery which was a total disappointment.  Five finalists from the Converse/Dazed Emerging Artists Awards were on display.  I couldn't imagine why 4 of them were chosen.  The fifth was a photographer whose work was shown in the front room.  So much light was streaming into the room that you could barely make out the photos. Not sure who came up with the placement but not a good spot.  

Did another lap around Liberty where they actually do carry local designers and emerging designers around the world.  Nothing to write home about but is worth noting.

Josh and I have opted for movies this week.  We met at 5pm to see Inception.  Little did we know that a 5pm movie in London means it starts at 530.  We sat through 20 minutes of advertisements and then almost 10 minutes of previews.  For the amount they are charging for a movie here, it is utterly disturbing to sit through 20 minutes of 10 bad advertising campaigns.  The movie was really well done.  Love Leo.

Then we literally ran to the tube in attempts to make it to dinner on time.  

 We dined at Dock Kitchen.  Dock Kitchen began as a moveable pop-up restaurant.  At the moment, they are not so moveable and have set up shop in an old Virgin Records recording studio complex.  Tucked back in the Portobello Docks.  There is a set menu every day posted on the website.  The chef, Steve Parle, cooks different menus from all over the world.  Last night was Ligurian, the north-west coastal region of Italy.  

Started with foccaccia pizza slices stuff with recco cheese.  Fantastic.

 Fish Anti-Pasti.  Clams, mackerel and octopus simply served.

Thin light wide noodles layered over each other with a rich pesto sauce on top and crisp green beans. Absolutely delicious.  The noodles were so light they easily tore when you broke into them.  Pesto sauce was brimming with flavor.

 One slice of roasted pork loin.

 Yellow squash and zucchini on the side

 For dessert peaches, blackberries, green plums and figs tossed together and baked with marscapone.  Seriously rich and divine.

I loved the simplicity and almost DIY feel to it.  None of the furniture matched but it all worked.  The kitchen looks like it belongs in someone's home.  The dishes were each well done. Some were absolutely delicious and felt homemade in terms of feel, taste and look.  No fancy plating just simple well cooked food.  Really glad we made it to Dock Restaurant.