The month of August not only brought with it Summer holidays, heatwaves and the ‘occasional’ obligatory glass of Rose but it also delivered a marvellous lunch with a long standing client at Elystan Street; the new(ish) home of Phil Howard, which we have been keen to try for some time, given his reputation and its proximity to our office.
Attention to detail was the name of the game from the staff as we were waited on hand and foot. Having quaffed our waters it was time to delve into the wine list – eyes dancing down the page (not too far though!) where we first settle for a palate cleansing Friuli to start and then (as we have a Welshman in the office) a “tidy” bottle of Beaujolais (Morgon to be specific) – fresh summer drinking – “shall we have another one after this?” – let’s see….
Now for the food – a tantalising duck egg salad to start followed by the roast Pidgeon breast look ideal (the Morgon works well!) – the starter’s flag drops and we are off!
A gentle murmur from the other diners, and plenty of space between the tables, allows conversations to flow without being overheard by your neighbour as discussions of the property market (gently does it) continue – “it’s not as negative as the press are making out” we say, allaying our guests fears as we see the colour coming back to his face.
Dialogs move on from market conditions to the next door neighbour’s wife who has moved out in a hurry (saw her packing the car at 2am last night), to holiday plans, all whilst our sommelier and waiter busy themselves keeping us topped up.
With viewings and emails to get back to the question of “shall we have another one?” is answered. “That’s a negative Ghostrider” a colleague says so a swift coffee to sharpen the mind is had before wobbling our way back to the office – no rest for the wicked as they say.
A wonderful, off the beaten track, restaurant with a lovely ambience and staff who understand good service - we shall certainly be back where the 3rd bottle will already have been reserved.
