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Pre-Birthday meal at Hereford Road, West London

2009.07.18

That was my starter, a super cuttlefish trio with red onions, I have never eaten cuttlefish before, so it was exciting! It is quite chewy, actually. But the onion and the olive oil was very nice.

This was Terry's starter, Ham Terrine with Parsley which I thought didn't sound as good on the menu but once it arrived, I felt obliged to make so many compliments about it, after which Terry gave in and gave me a bit to try!!! It was wonderful! Was it served with toasted bread or is this the saturation of the image making me think it was not the main bread? Oh.

Neil's starter, Liver (calf or chicken?) with Green beans and jus. He let me try some as well (we swapped) and it was also excellent, though I did prefer my chewy cuttlefish to his floury liver which was very nice.

This was Neil's main course, which was, in his words, a whole guinea fowl and was a bit much for him, since he is usually only moderately peckish. But he usually manages quite a lot.

Neil having eaten all of his guinea fowl but had not eaten the meat around the bone which is the best meat, when you get all your fingers dirty and you get it all over your chin (vegetarians are advised to look away from the rest of this blog, at once)
Neil made me try some of his bird and swapped me for some of my main course's crispy Pork Crackled skin.

This was Terry's main course, a whole lamb which, without asking me and before I had asked, he put half of it on my plate so I could taste it; (and not driblle on his plate) it was pinkly cooked (OH Terry??!!How come you would be eating French style!!) and absolutely delicious.

This was my main course, Pork belly with courgettes. This drawing lacks a bit of courgettes, there were a few more than that. According to this drawing, Neil and Terry had to go and eat on another table.

What was left of the pork belly after having eaten it...It was just...Delicious...But you will understand better, when you will learn that the reality of it looked more like that... (see below)

There was not enough of it!! (particularly the skin) The parsley was added on the drawing to decorate, but there wasn't any in reality. My plate was the desolatesest of all, I had the tiniest amount of all!(I usually end up with the biggest plate)
I was so hungry after that, no wonder, that when time came to choose the desserts...

Terry had the Loganberry Twirl ice-cream that he wanted to have as a starter and main course and as a dessert too but had not dare asking for it as he doesn't want to appear like an ice-cream junky. It came with a shortbread biscuit. He made me try some of it, and it was very nice.

Terry eating the Loganberry twirl ice-cream

Neil chose what I was very tempted to have, the Rhubard and Apple sorbet, he made me try some too, but this time, he did not ask to swap because he didn't fancy my dessert, which was...

What I fancied most! Parsley and Ham Terrine!!! It was wonderful!
How cheeky of the nice waiter in the long blue jacket with a split back to say that this didn't look like dessert to him! I said it did, look, it was all pink. And it was probably strawberry.
On the left, you can see the proof of Neil's donation of a teaspoon of his Rhubarb and Apple sorbet, which I must say, I nearly regretted not having with the pate.

We went to Hereford Road Restaurant with Neil and Terry, Robert being too busy to be able to join.

Hereford Road is a fantastic restaurant, off Westbourne Grove, which I am nearly favouring over Andrew Edmunds in Soho now, as the food is particularly delicious, though I do like Andrew Edmunds, so it is to say how good Hereford Road is. Excellent.

Terry treated us both, tonight, with food and wine.
I was starving, not having hardly eaten anything for about 2 days other than a horrible vegan Bakewell cake with carrots and lentils in a Soho vegan shop the previous day, and an upset dressed crab at Andrew Edmunds, the night before.

The deal was with Terry paying for us all was that Neil better turn up for the post-birthday meal (which we are doing next friday) when Rob will be able to make it as he is paying for it! (it was decided that Rob will pay for the wine)
Neil said it would be good if it was Indian as the food was very cheap; though now he said that, I will make sure I have a big share of side-vegetables!
Terry won't pay as he already paid tonight and I won't pay neither because it's my birthday again. Twice.

The next restaurant meal may well be in this Indian restaurant in Chiswick, which would be lovely as it is one of the restaurants Terry wanted to try again and I am very keen to find out his impressions of it. IS it as good as 20 years ago? I am sure it will be.

Am I not lucky to have such friends that take me out for my birthday in such tasty places? (and other friends too that have taken me to other onderful and super places; hint hint; and a huge thunder noise, I am not joking, as I add this bit to the original blog) (actually, I think now it may be fireworks, not sure who is celebrating what?)

Thank you Terry for tonight, it was a fantastic meal, well worth getting soaked afterwards going back to Queensway station, and a very warm, entertaining (I laughed!!!) evening.

Friends are more precious than gold (or that restaurant meals)

I don't know yet what I am doing for my birthday on the 22d other than looking for a piano in London somewhere to play at (the free decorated pianos they have in the streets) like I did today, it was fantastic to play again on something real!

I wanted to look at a knitting circle or maybe go to a spiritualist church or an event of such kind at the School of psychic studies but I can't be asked to look for it, so I will probably do nothing as I can't make a decision based on what I truly want for that day! I would really like to see some chickens, so I don't know!

One thing is sure, the Universe is doing something quite special on the 22d as there is a partial or full solar eclipse taking place somewhere else on the Globe some time in the early morning, which was when I was (supposingly) born, 31 years ago.

In the meantime, I recommend Hereford Road restaurant to anyone with good tastes who like great food! We tried it originally with Terry as he had found out they did nettle soup as a starter.(which was nearly as nice as my grandmother's nettle soup but not quite! One can never equal Grandma's cooking!)

21 Comments

Claude, wasn't your starter the razor clams? You did think about the cuttlefish but I'm pretty sure after 14 changes of mind you ended up with the razor clams.

terryl · 2009-07-17: 14:52

There was no toast with my terrine, the bread was the bread they put on the table when we arrived.

terryl · 2009-07-17: 14:53

If you're stuck for something to do on the 22nd you could pop over to Hammersmith and we could go to either Kew Gardens or the Wetlands Centre (the weather forecast is for heavy rain, so the wetlands would be appropriate). No pianos there though.

Funny about eclipse on your birthday, My mother was born in 1927 during the total solar eclipse of that year - the doctor on his way to attend to the birth fell off his bicycle and arrived late with a broken bike after the district nurse had dealt with everything.

terryl · 2009-07-17: 15:02

NO no it was not razore clams, it was Cuttlefish, look at the picture, it looks like a cuttle , a knife, the seafood! Clams Neil said would be way too chewy.

ClaudePechabaden · 2009-07-17: 15:04

OK, if you say so, but they look like razor clam shells to me, but what do I know, I don't do shellfish.

terryl · 2009-07-17: 15:07

Your Mum's story is a great one! You always come up with all those odd stories! it's great!

ClaudePechabaden · 2009-07-17: 15:07

I m going to google razor clams to see what they are.

ClaudePechabaden · 2009-07-17: 15:08

What great drawings - just made me smile - Just as well I as not there though - don't like pork belly or lamb shanks ! But I am sorry I missed your pre birthday meal MORE DRAWINGS PLEASE!

Robertthebob · 2009-07-17: 15:10

PS they look like razor clams to me!

Robertthebob · 2009-07-17: 15:10

Razor clam, or razor shell

terryl · 2009-07-17: 15:11

OH no?!!!! I ordered the wrong thing! I am sure that in my mind, I wanted to try cuttlefish because I thought those were the razor clams, things that you see the shells of at seashore, which I had never had and are called something couteau in french! So I ended up ordering the wrong thing and getting what I wanted! Though now I have seen the picture of a cuttlefish, I definitely want to try one, it looks quite disgusting looking. Well, I mean, a bit weird. Anything weird looking must be definitely worth eating.

ClaudePechabaden · 2009-07-17: 15:12

PS, if heavy showers are meant on the 22d, then wetland centre may be good, though there are no chickens there?

ClaudePechabaden · 2009-07-17: 15:50

I haven't seen any chickens at the Wetland Centre, but there are lots of ducks...

terryl · 2009-07-17: 15:57

I think cuttle fish is a sort of squid? great illustrations.

MeusCorpus · 2009-07-17: 16:33

BTW It wasn't a WHOLE lamb, it was lamb rump with celeriac and anchovy with a side of new potatoes - it was very tasty.

terryl · 2009-07-18: 05:32

It may not have been a whole lamb but it was not far from it! It was very plentiful!

ClaudePechabaden · 2009-07-18: 05:59

Looks delicious, you're right, you are lucky. I need to make some friends like yours. I like the drawings too, although they look a bit like strange vegetarian propaganda.

anjan · 2009-07-20: 01:19

Vegetarian propaganda? Me? Who tried to be a vegetarian many times but always fail when I go back to the South west of France where they have all those wonderful confit ducks and cirhosed (from cirrosis) ducks livers in goose fat!!! I don't want to be a vegetarian, though I am pissed of at my squeamishness when I think about having to kill an animal myself. Bothersome.

ClaudePechabaden · 2009-07-20: 04:52