Tuesday 14 April 2009

Veeraswamy's.

Situated in Regent Street, London and founded in 1926, Veeraswamy's is reputed to be the oldest Indian restaurant in England.
I remember taking my Mother there for lunch some forty years ago. The food was good, but the ambiance was basic. I remember bearded Sikh waiters in red turbans and white number ten uniforms.
The restaurant is very swish these days. The fare is imaginative and tasty, but I was staggered by the bill. Cocktails were £8 each, enough to turn one teetotal. London is an expensive place.

Saturday 11 April 2009

James Bond - 007

dukes1

Author Ian Fleming used to stay at Dukes Hotel in London. It was in the bar that he discovered the cocktail 'vodka-martini' famously - "Shaken, not stirred."

My son has a theory, that because Dukes is located in St. James's Place, close to Bond Street, these places subconsciously provided the influence for Fleming to name his hero James Bond.

Perhaps he was staying in room 7 at the time.