. . . Vietnam, France and the Mediterranean!
Drinks on Monday were in the Green Carnation, Greek Street East http://www.greencarnationsoho.co.uk/. The happy hour pomotion 4pm to 10pm every night except Friday/Saturday meant that wine was £10 a bottle. And I was pleasantly surprised to find they had a Sauvignon Blanc and not the Chardonnay I’d expected and dreaded. Luckily it was a warm evening and we were able to sit outside as I’m not sure it’s the sort of place I’d like to sit in, as it was a bit dark and clubby, not really us. But it’s worth noting that it is one of the few places in Soho where the outside tables are big enough for four to sit round (they usually just manage two side by side facing outwards). We then decided to try a small Vietnamese restaurant that’s always packed at lunchtime, but suspecting (correctly as it turned out) that it wouldn’t sell alcohol, we decided on a final drink: a glass of champagne for £8 each with a packet of crisps at an exorbitant £1.55! I always think that Cheese & Onion crisps and champagne are a sign of class don't you?
Viet on Greek Street West at 6.30pm was half full although they were queuing by the time we left. It was fairly small and had simple wooden furniture with tables close together. Our shared starter of spring rolls, not the deep fried variety, were light and summery and the main courses of pork and beef with noodles and vegetables were fresh and well spiced. We had Vietnamese lemonade (sweetened lime juice with Perrier water) and the total bill came to £20.
The week ended with a late birthday celebration for The Lady and our friend, The Blonde Bombshell. We'd arranged to meet in The French House http://www.frenchhousesoho.com/ not realising how tiny it is. Although we'd managed to get leaning space outside, later we became trapped between the ledge and the people who were squashing themselves into the roped off area on the pavement. We decided that after a small glass of white each at £3.60, we'd move on to the The Golden Lion two doors away (http://www.goldenlionsoho.com)/ where we found high tables and comfy well padded stools. Although there were huge TV screens showing cricket, the sound was turned off and so they didn't interfere with our racous laughter. And best of all, one of my favourite Sauvingon's (Nobilo from New Zealand) was only £15.60 and the glasses were more upmarket than normal pub glasses.
Dinner was at Le Bavoir on Greek Street East (http://www.lebavoir.com/). It's a light, airy restaurant with a large picture window that had been completeley removed. We shared a platter of Mezze and then I had a chicken tagine, whilst the ladies plumped for the lamb variety and RM had beef stroganoff. All were very good which is more than I can say about the house white, which was of an acquired taste. The company was charming and we spent time chatting about how worried they were about their over 60’s bus passes being withdrawn! I can't believe they qualify! Needless to say, RM and I don’t have to worry about this for some time! A bill of £102 was good value for a good night!
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