Started with tea & coffee at a place called 'Vital Ingredient' in Margaret Street, a place which did seem to be rather full of itself as regards its snacks. Also sported a very jolly young waitress, but was even more memorable for its wall covering, illustrated left. Wall covering which looked and felt like wood but which also appeared to have been stuck on the wall, despite not having joins in the way of wallpaper. Was it some kind of artful one-piece plastic sheeting?
Onto the Wigmore for the concert, both performed live (unlike St. Luke's) and with a very restrained introduction (also unlike St. Luke's). Beethoven Op.18.2 and Bartók string quartet No.6. Both very good. What is more, while concentrating on one of them, the lightly patterned yellow wall paper behind the musicians started to throb, an illusion which, once started, came and went in an irregular way for the rest of the concert.
Large security person on the door who successfully deterred any demonstration either inside or out.
Out to lunch at Ponti's, where we have not been for a while. Entirely satisfactory meal, washed down with a couple of bottles of something called 'Primitivo Puglia' which, associating to the meal noticed at reference 3, I had assumed quite wrongly to be a white wine. But it went down OK, without, on this occasion, cause to regret it later. Nor even, the winding up Martell. Informative, if not entirely appropriate, conversation about the length of time one might expect one's only bathroom to be out of action during a serious makeover.
But rather surprised to learn that that had converted their basement into a bar - Perini & Perini - not using the attractvie décor so carefully thought out for the restaurant at all. Even to the point of preserving the lines marked out on concrete floor from the small car park it had once been. Will it catch on? It is not as if there are not regular pubs in the vicinity. By way of encouragement I was given five little cards, each one entitling me to a glass of fizz on the house - so making it clear that whoever had made the cards up had not twigged that I do not do fizz, at least only very rarely.
Next stop the impressively stocked Schott of Great Marlborough Street for the purchase noticed at reference 4.
On to Berwick Street market, where the once notable pub, once called 'The King of Corsica' and known to us as 'Sleazy 2', had been very thoroughly made over. We did not look inside, but I imagine that there was more passing trade, holiday makers and tourists than there used to be.
Passed what had been the 'Intrepid Fox' and now just another a carefully scruffy food joint for tourists. Another link with the past broken. See reference 5.
Investigated birch wine at the two booze shops in Old Compton Street, but the best they could offer was birch vodka at £30 or so, which seemed a little strong for a lark. So passed.
Also passed the once famous Coach and Horses of Greek Street, very quiet late this Monday afternoon, décor unchanged from the olden days, but somehow the spirit seemed to have gone out of the place. All very sad - but maybe this was down to us, passing through rather than partaking.
Pleased to see that some of the second hand book shops of Charing Cross Road had survived.
On the train home, intrigued by a young lady, perhaps 20, a blonde who had swept her hair up and back, tied very tight on the back of the head, emphasising her neck. Rather attractive, and reminded me of the women's fashions memorialised in paintings from northern Europe of the time of the renaissance in southern Europe.
Reference 1: http://psmv2.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/jerusalem.html.
Reference 2. http://www.pontisitaliankitchen.co.uk/.
Reference 3: http://psmv3.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/it-is-forbidden-to-blow.html.
Reference 4: http://psmv3.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/winterreises-old-and-new.html.
Reference 5: http://pumpkinstrokemarrow.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=intrepid+fox.
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