New month ⦠and yes, another year around the sun āļøš
What a beautiful long Bank Holiday weekend it has been⦠taking time to celebrate, slow down and simply enjoy life ..and of course āune BrassĆ©eā of lily of the valley .. in a matching
@lalique vase ā¦
We started with the wonderfully immersive Le Chat Noir ā a deliciously louche dinner cabaret transporting you straight back to the golden days of Montmartre in Paris⦠when absinthe was dripping, artists and poets collided over decadent food, and the night always promised a little mischief. Such great fun.
Contrary to the forecast, the sun came out perfectly for a long birthday lunch at the iconic
@therivercafelondon . Funnily enough, the brilliant food writer
@tompbowles had just written a four-page piece on this legendary 39-year-old institution and its founder
@ruthierogers that morning in
@youmagazine ..
As always, the warmest service from Noel and Freddie, with Charles gracefully overseeing that beautiful ballet of simplicity in the dining room ā making everybody feel instantly at home. The food? Absolute perfection. The first asparagus of the season, a magnificent veal chop, the dreamiest grappa panna cotta with Gariguette strawberries⦠and of course the legendary Birthday Nemesis chocolate cake, which frankly deserves its own page in the Larousse Gastronomique.
Bank Holiday Monday was intentionally slow and indulgent⦠āÅuf Ć la russeā for breakfast ā a soft
@clarence_court Burford Brown egg topped with a generous spoon of
@attilus_caviar caviar. Strong coffee. A glass of
@krugchampagne š„. Growing older never felt so good.
To conclude the weekend, the Olivier Award-winning
@mspike in āInter Aliaā ā an extraordinary performance not to be missed before it heads to Broadway this autumn, much to the delight of my US followers.
Feeling happy, grateful, inspired⦠and very ready to embrace this new year ā¤ļø