Friday morning dawned and I set off to Portobello/Notting Hill to scope out the houses and the random mix of vintage shops and stalls at the market which although nice had a feeling it was all a little more commercial/touristy than intended. It was pretty quiet which was nice, but beyond some window shopping I didn’t buy anything. I would go for a snoop again at the far end of the market where they had more vintage stalls overflowing with random clutter than your average market-like stands.
From there I detoured back to Bond street (more high street I know), the main reason being that my plan was to grab some lobster for lunch at smack deli. Enter a lobster roll of the variety “seven samurai” and some courgette fries which I devoured in a matter of seconds sitting outside in a square around the corner (I think it was just off Duke street). I don’t know if it was the combination of warm buttery toasted brioche and cool clean fresh lobster or tangy sauce and zingy spring onions inside, but it was damn good. And a reinvention of fast food, since thankfully there was only a short queue and the food was served in seconds.
Excuse the ratty nail polish (and the crumbs in my hair…) – but look at that smile, I’m one happy customer!
A coffee and a short stroll later I met an old school friend in Borough and wandered through the market sampling gorgeously fresh olive oils and hams as we went along. I almost wished I hadn’t eaten anything when I saw the stall offering potatoes carpeted in oozy cheese, but my companion chose to grab a plate, so the bite or two I snuck from it were my perfect idea of desert (also gone too quickly to take a picture). Finished off with a great coffee from a shop in the area who roast the own coffee (don’t recall the name) so it’s worth a wander around to find it, even if its just to have something to settle your stomach after overloading on goodies from the market.
Marble Arch
London Eye
Westminister
On our way to dinner in Kensington we stopped off at the Saatchi gallery, which really only confirmed my thoughts that some peoples ideas of modern art aren’t mine. Most of it seemed a little subjective – what I would have given to talk to the artist and have them explain their ideas behind their masterpieces! Current exhibitions revolved around consumerism & markets, a room filled with oil and a room decked out with what looked like flags made from burlap sacks and hair (we didn’t stay in that room for long, it was a little unnerving). Feeling a little confused (but hey, whatever gets the mind scrambling is a good thing) we continued on to an Italian restaurant with okay food, the selling point being the ladders you have to climb to get to the tables. A cocktail or two later and managing not to fall down the ladder on the way out and one or two more drinks were in order at the new vic theatre. Nice, but just served to remind exactly how pricey London is!
This was some deconstructed aspect in the gallery.
You can probably guess this was part of the consumerism exhibition. This little mcdonalds stand had some bizzarre things in its “fridge” along with an axe hanging outside and random things written on its “walls”. Thankfully dinner was slightly more appetising!