Divamensch
London: Day Three, Sun 3/31/19
We had a late lunch date that afternoon, so we grabbed a little breakfast and headed to the Tower of London. Richard likes to check out the Crown Jewels on nearly trip to London, and why the hell not?
You’re forbidden from taking photos inside, but I took some cute pix of the ravens and other sights (meaning us) outside:
We did a little business in the gift shop. We were still a little early for our lunch date, so we wasted some time at H & M. I tried on these smashing plaid trousers:
They fit great but were pleated, which is a deal-breaker for me.
And then we met Michael and Glyn for lunch at Whyte and Brown, a fabulous chicken restaurant they chose. Again, we had trouble finding the place, even with the map feature on our phones, but we bit the bullet and asked someone on the street. Richard and Michael dated for a few months back in 2001 - - Michael and Glyn have been married for a while. I’d met Michael a couple times before, but not Glyn, who was charming.
Michael told us all about the community theatre production of Agatha Christie’s *Murder on the Nile* (her re-branded version of *Death on the Nile* minus Hercule Poirot, of whom she had grown weary) that had its final performance the night before. It’s always a treat seeing Michael, and I was glad to meet Glyn.
We got a map of London at the front desk at the hotel when we first arrived, and the map gave us a 20% discount at Pizza Express, a chain that Richard likes and I had never been to. We found a location on the map, it looked to be about a half hour walk from the hotel. We hadn’t gotten enough exercise on this trip, so off we went. We were (understandably) a little worried about getting lost, but each time we made a turn we checked in on the map and the map app, and we were assured that we were on the right path. And we were so pleased to see the Pizza Express sign, but crestfallen to see that it was closed! As in no longer open for business.
We wandered around and found a cute kitschy fish and chips joint down the street called Poppie’s. It really hit the spot, and really, isn’t it more authentic than some random pizza place? Richard had the fried scampi, I had the fried cod, both came with French fries, and we each got a bottle of their house beer, which tasted like beer. The label said something cute:
“We love our American cousins. But sometimes they can be kind of full on. So we’ve crafted this beer to more British tastes. Made with American hops. It’s still got all the punch of a pale ale. Just less shouty.”
The best thing we had was a bowl of mushy peas. Yes, that’s what they called it on the menu, mushy peas. It was basically pea soup without the soup, and it was fantastic. You can see it on the side in the photo of Richard. Is there anywhere in New York where I can find this? Or could I find a recipe online and make it at home?
We passed a convenience store on our way home called Fags and Booze. Whatever.
