Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Working hard, eating hard

(Above, Coelacanth's* allotment: further proof of creeping Englishness.)


"Can't blog, eating" would just about summarise the last few days.

On Saturday one of my favourite teachers from the LLM was kind enough to invite a few of us to lunch at his cottage outside Cambridge. It was great to get out into the countryside out of town. Highlights of the day (other than the conversation) included, "How many degrees does it take to get an iron bench from a shed to a corner of the garden?"; "Kissinger? Well, not all of us had breakfast with him earlier this year"; Coelacanth enthusiastically weeding a garden bed while an emeritus professor of Trinity College took photographs and finishing the sparkling wine before lunch. All very civilised.

Last night, however, was dinner at our favourite Cambridge restaurant, Alimentum. I love it if only for the fact its incredibly classy interior looks out over a busy road onto a pine furniture warehouse.

The food as, always, was really very good indeed. But the discovery of the evening was wine no.44 on their list: a French-style cabernet blend from, of all places, Lebanon. Big flavours, amazingly well-balanced and a surprisingly light body. Quite a find.

Yes, Coelacanth and I have become wine snobs. But we're self-parodying wine snobs. So that's OK.

(*If "Coelacanth" seems confusing, see comments to the last post.)

1 comment:

The Organic Viking said...

I'm interested to hear that Alimentum is actually good. I have always been hugely put off by the name. I know that it is apt-enough, in Latin terms, but nevertheless somewhat reminiscent of the digestive system.

Anyway, what do you mean that you have become wine snobs. I think there is good evidence to suggest that you are wine snobs of many years' standing! Talking of which, K and I were plied with a 1987 South African vintage on Friday night. Quite something. Unfortunately I was a little sozzled on martinis by that point so can't remember what the wine actually was. The trials of life.