London – Neeldom Is Reality
A few weeks ago I read The Doubtful Marriage, where Rauwerd van Kempler takes Tilly to the Neal Street Restaurant in London. I couldn’t find the place in my London guide book and left it at that. But just a couple of days later, when I meant to google Christmas recipes by British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver I got sidetracked and all of a sudden the words Neal Street Restaurant fairly jumped into my face. Jamie Oliver was to be a guest in a German cooking show hosted by German celebrity chef Tim Mälzer. About 15 years ago, they met at the Neal Street Restaurant in London where they were colleagues and became friends. Even back then life in London was very expensive, they say. Almost too expensive for two rookies like them. Eating in the restaurant kitchen was strictly forbidden. Tim: "...which is why in the evening one always had to decide if one could afford a meal after work. Mostly lukewarm beans out of a tin."
(Ha! Beans! That famous Neeldom staple food. I wish he’d mentioned toast too!)
Tim Mälzer would often steal Jamie Oliver’s sandwiches. Until one day Jamie had spread them lavishly with chili paste...
(By the way, Tim Mälzer had also worked at The Ritz London for a while to improve his skills.)
Cheese Board
For Beth - who claims to have no idea what a cheese board is -
If you go to http://www.google.co.uk/ (images) and google cheese board you will find a whole host of lovely cheese board pictures. You will see many examples of the kind of cheese board one would find at a dinner party to round off the meal, at a cold supper party as part of the meal, or on a brunch buffet table.
http://www.gidleigh.com/restaurant/sample-menus/cheese-and-desserts
Betty Anonymous
Oh my gosh, Betty Anon, thanks for the resources!
ReplyDeleteI can't say I'd pick a cheese board as a dessert over some of those other choices, but mmm, as a course all its own? Yes please! Those doctors might be one to something...
Great work Betty Annoymous, Neal Street Restaurant information: that's terrific sleuthing. Now there first/separation degree of separation to Neelsdom, for Jamie Oliver and co.
ReplyDeleteHere is where I by blatantly namedrop, by saying last week I had dinner with The Alain Ducasse. Awesome. No cheeseboard, though I prefer that than sweet desert.
Nothing beats beans on toast or fish and chips though. Love it when a RDD buys the heroine a greasy newspaper dinner and eats it with her in the Rolls/park/bedsit. Its one of the character pivots that Betty does so nicely.
bety AnHK
Betty AnHK,
ReplyDeleteI had read the name before but didn't know who he was. So, I looked him up. Three of his restaurants hold three stars in the Michelin Guide!!! (One of them is "Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester" in London.) And you sat at the dinner table with him. Wow!!!
Betty Anonymous