London - Part 2

Last evening, we met the press briefly - and took them to dinner. These are the kind of dinners I love, because: 1) It's an excuse to go to an expensive restaurant, and 2) I can usually get a reporter to talk about things other than technology...just to keep things interesting ; )

We went to a very nice restaurant in London, called Maze. This is owned by Gordon Ramsey - a celebrity chef. Some may know him from the horrible Fox TV show "Hell Kitchen", but he's actually known in the UK for just being a fantastic chef. I can tell you that the food was sublime. It was a French-inspired multi-course meal that was fantastic at every turn. Mushroom soup, made with truffle oil...sea trout in a reduced balsamic sauce...apple and blackberry trifle,
cider granité and almond financier...it was heaven.

Despite the personality of the celebrity chef - I'd return to this restaurant in a heartbeat...great food and great service.

Today, we held the roundtable discussion that I described in yesterday's blog post. I was happy with how it went. I believe they even videotaped the discussion, to share with other press. I certainly hope they make me look good. It all comes down to editing, you know...

After the formal discussion, we offered to take the press on a "Duck Tour" of London. Some may be familiar with the Duck tours - they originated in Boston. Basically, the tour is conducted on an amphibious "car" that travels on both land and in water. That way, you get to see some of the particular city from a river/harbor/coastline.

Our trusty car/boat

Initially, I didn't want to go on the tour - as I've been to London so many times, that I've seen all the "tourist" spots. However, I went to continue bonding with the various reporters. I'm happy to report that I learned a couple of new things...and we had some fun. Here's a shot from the Thames River:

It was pretty overcast today...close to snowing

This afternoon, I decided to make my usual visit to McDonalds, to try the interesting "international" menu item that they offer in each country. This time, they were offering:

Chicken Tikka Snack Wrap...rum!

I'm happy to report that it tasted nothing like real Chicken Tikka...but that's part of the fun. I love watching McDonalds trying to adapt to local cultures ; )

Let's keep going on the theme of food.... The UK hasn't been known for great cuisine through the years (most Brits will acknowledge this fact). For many years, the best food that London had to offer was Indian. I can tell you that I've eaten at several amazing Indian restaurants in the UK. My favorite is called Bombay Brasserie:

This is where I fell in love with na'an - an Indian flatbread. It's a delicious way to enhance several Indian rice dishes. You can go with plain naan:

Sometimes you get a little butter melted over this little slice-of-heaven

...or you can try garlic naan, olive naan, naan stuffed with lamb, naan with cranberries....you get the idea. My other favorite Indian restaurant in London is Chutney Mary's. It's a fun place in Chelsea, serving great Indian cuisine from the entire Indian continent:

On the other end of the spectrum, are the numerous sandwich shops around London. For me, I love a good BLT sandwich at any time of day. One of my favorite chains of these shops is called Pret-A-Manger:

The inside of a typical shop...rows of sandwiches

These sandwiches are made fresh daily (unlike their 7-Eleven cousins in the U.S.). They have a variety of interesting combinations - beyond typical fare - like chicken & pesto, mozzarella & pistachio, and salmon nicoise ; )

Chinese food has become very popular here. The entire area behind Leicester Square has become London's Chinatown:

Sorry - I only had a cel phone camera for this shot...

Before I bore you to death with dining in London, I will mention one last restaurant. It's called House on The Bridge, and it's located in Windsor, just outside London. This city houses the famous Windsor Castle, home to Queen Elizabeth and her family:

I leave for home tomorrow - I can't wait to get back. I managed to pick up a couple of books for G-Man at Hanley's (see yesterday's blog entry). By the way, they are celebrating their 250th anniversary. I love the fact that I'm shopping in a 250 year-old toy store!