www.pryordurkin.com

Parking our car at the University we walked into the City on Saturday morning primarily to get some fresh air, but also to take in the sights and sounds of Yorks famous Christmas Market Fairs which start early December with the famous St Nicholas Fayre which runs for four days.  We first came across this annual delight when we were looking for a house in York.  At the time we needed a hotel room and because of  St Nicholas fayre, everywhere we tried was fully booked.  It was only at the very last minute with a bit of string pulling that we managed to blag a room at the local Holiday Inn.  St Nicholas fayre is a traditional Christmas market affair and runs from early December to then be followed by the International Christmas fayre.  This year St Nicholas Fayre started on Thursday and by the time we walked along the river we could see with the coach park full, that it was going to be very busy again. 

It was manic. Crowds of tourists flocking through the streets of York.  The queues to get even the most basic of coffees were huge.  Even the normally quiet hot dog stands (most Yorkshire folk know not to buy from these) had queues stretching between 15 to 20 people. 

 The usual Christmas gifts stalls were much in evidence but to be honest, we’d made for a favourite local eatery of ours (1331 Gastrobar - read latest review) to get out of the way of the crowds. 

St Nicholas fayre is clearly popular though and as we headed back the University later that day, we passed quite a few shops in the City of all which seemed to be doing a roaring trade.  Who said there was a credit crunch.  There isn’t if York Christmas Market Fairs are anything to go by.  Ignore our grumpiness though and give them a go, you won’t be disapointed by what is on offer.

Pryordurkin rating 4 stars.

It’s been a quiet week for me having been working at home.  No travel by train, no being herded along on the underground and no being fed bad food in a sad boring hotel room.  One of the benefits was finding the time to get a decent haircut from Cube in York, where Alex, my stylist promptly remarked on how he thought I’d lost weight.  This was either a genuine comment (doubtful), clever marketing that would engender continued custom (he need not worry) or a result of interesting lighting in the salon. 

Regardless, I was happy and feel sure Paul (like many of you) will confirm I just get better looking each day!

After a late start and watching some beefcake on Sky Action movies it was time to leave the hotel room to meet up with Helen and Mark near Covent Garden.  The taxi driver dropped us off on Bedford Street immediately outside the Paul French Bakery and Patisserie.  Spotting the cakes we wandered inside only to feel very hungry.  The counters full of freshly baked bread and cakes looked wonderful.  We ordered up (after they recommended it) two cups of hot chocolate and along with a couple of pastries left with our lot.  The hot chocolate was the best we had tasted in a long time.  Not since our visit to Paris had we tasted thick hot sweet liquid chocolate.   Along with the fresh pastries we were very happy indeed, especially as all that sugar kicked in!.  We think they should open up in York and give Betty’s a run for their money.

Pryordurkin rating 4 stars.

Having worked very late last night I had a great lie in this morning.  With us spending the weekend in London, the only thing I needed to do was check out of one hotel and check into the other.  I arrived at the Crowne Plaza on Buckingham Gate around 2pm and after a spot of coffee in the lounge was shown to our room by Philippe. (nice warm smile).  I was very pleased to discover we had been upgraded to a suite and with the bags unpacked, a warm bath ahead and a soft fluffy bathrobe to lie around in, the only thing missing is Paul who gets into London around 6pm.  I’ll just have to take in a movie and perhaps crack open a bottle of wine to unwind with.  The reason we are spending the weekend in London is that we are off to see Monkey:Journey to the West at a specially built theatre next door to the O2 arena.  We’d followed a documentary about the making of this new Chinese Opera written by Damon Albarn and just have to see.  We’ll post a review after the event.

Well here I am staying in yet another London hotel room.  This time I’m in 538.  I am noting it here for when I forget as is quite regular.  The number of times I’ve tried getting into the wrong room is now bordering on the ridiculous.  To date, no one has actually been in any of the rooms I have previously tried; but one day….

I’m quite happy with this particular room though as it has a very nice view across London and with the pretty colours of the BT tower adding a gentle warm glow, my room is comfortable and warm.  Having persuaded the people on reception that I wasn’t going mad, my mini bar fridge now opens having being previously locked, so with cold crisp mineral water to hand, the only other thing I need is my better half lying beside me.  Finally for those who follow my ailments which many will know I don’t tend to moan about; I am pleased to say the old man flu is now in abatement

Last night had me dining with my colleague Mark at the Old Amalfi Italian Restaurant on Southampton Row in London.  A short walk from my hotel in Bloomsbury, we chose this restaurant because of its looks primarily.  I could also see a number of tables in use at around 8.30pm so felt that it must be good.  We ventured in and sat near the window.  The restaurant has seats for around 40 covers and as I mentioned there were a number of other diners enjoying what looked like very nice food.  The smell of garlic was strong in the air as we sat down and this only made me even more tempted by the menus given.  After choosing an Italian wine at £14.95, I ordered up a vegetable soup (£3.95) hoping it would sooth my poorly sore throat.  For my main I opted for the Baked Pork Shank (£13.95).  Mark went for the Scamorza Forna (£4.55) to start and the Carbonara (£7.95) as a main. 

As we waited for our food to arrive I noticed the kitchen at the end of this small restaurant was open to view.  I could clearly see it was clean and seemed to be professionally run which gave me some further comfort.  The decoration throughout was tasteful; not overdone, but clearly Italian in style.  The stone floor did however make it a little noisy and the paper napkins were a bit of a let down.

The food arrived and within minutes we both agreed it was good.  My soup was very welcome and with the atmosphere developing amongst all the diners, a fine evening was getting under way.  The mains followed and you could instantly see care and attention had being paid both to the choice of ingredients used and the way in which they had been prepared.  My Baked Pork Shank simply fell apart from the bone and was delicious.  I could see the carbonara being enjoyed by Mark had a fantastically creamy sauce and we were both happy with our lot.

The total bill came to a stroke of £60 including 10% service charge and given we had just picked this restaurant from walking by, were pleased to have chosen well.

Pryordurkin rating. 3 Stars      Tel 0207 636 5811

It’s very unusual for me to be in London on a Thursday evening, but here I am all alone and coming down with Man Flu.  I’m not normally one to complain or make a fuss as many of you who know me, will no doubt confirm.  However the hot bath I had when I got back to my hotel room this evening has only brought on the full effects of my illness and I now need looking after with gentle care and full time attention.  Comforting myself (being alone), I ordered up a bowl of hot soup from room service and to be fair to ‘The Bin’ (a nickname given to this hotel), it was actually just what I needed; hot, spicy and served up with fresh crusty bread.  All I need now is my t’other half beside me (because I’m alone), mopping down with a damp sponge, my poor aching brow.

I wonder if the mini bar has any brandy….

It’s been a funny old week all in all.  My hotel stay in London included an unusual surprise at around midnight, which kept me amazed, puzzled and entertained for ten minutes!  (I’ll come back to this because I know your curiosity will get the better of you if I don’t explain and you might then have to ring me - my phone is on all the time you know!)  Anyway I worked from home today and took a slightly early finish so I could nip to the shops to stock up on a few essentials as we have guests joining us for the weekend.  Steve and his new man are driving up from Hertfordshire (sounds better than Hemel Hempstead) to visit us and as I write they are crawling past Derby at around 5mph in the usual Friday night traffic jams.  A weekend of fresh air, good wine and visits to country pubs lies ahead.  Just the sort of thing you need after a busy week working.  Of course, it’s also Halloween tonight, so we will be closing the gates to keep any kids and ghosts out for the night. 

Have a good one yourselves.

Oh yea, before I go, you wanted to know about the midnight surprise in my hotel room this week.  I was woken by a lot of sudden banging.  I crawled out of bed to put the light on and realised it was the coming from the radiators (what else did you think it was).  The heating system was clearly playing up and I could hear other people in the rooms next door also switching their lights on and opening doors to check what was happening.  My room overlooked the inner courtyard (no view but very quiet) so I took a look to see if there was anything happening.  There wasn’t but out the corner of my eye I saw a gentleman standing in his brightly lit room window wearing nothing more than his birthday suit holding something in each hand.  After I rubbed my eyes and pinched myself to check I was actually awake and not dreaming/having a nightmare (delete which one you think!) I realised in one hand he had a cigarette and in the other, he had….. er his manhood!  The cigarette hand wasn’t moving much!

Happy Halloween.

Cavalleria Rusticana (Rustic Chivalry) is an opera in one act by Pietro Mascagni to an Italian libretto by Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti and Guido Menasci.  It seems to centre on the bitter rivalry between two women who fall for one man. 

What does this have to do with my visit this evening to the restaurant by the same name on Cleveland Street I hear you ask.   Well nothing as it happens; just a bit of useless information to show I do have some culture.  Anyway I couldn’t face eating in my hotel room this evening, so opted for an early dinner at La Cavalleria Rusticana on Cleveland Street.  I entered the restaurant at around 7pm and in the front dining room (seats 28) there was a family of four adults and three kids eating already.  I took my seat and ordered up from the plastic covered paper menu.  I went for a Minestrone Soup to be followed by Chicken breast with Asparagus in a cream sauce.  As I waited, I was delighted to notice that my table was covered in a plastic tablecloth with the ever popular paper napkin in evidence.  Looking for a quiet meal, I’d taken my paper along to read but unfortunately the kids on the table opposite made any attempt to concentrate on the news stories of the day, impossible.  The parents didn’t seem to notice just how loud (and lewd) their kids were. 

Anyway, the food arrived.  The soup was OK, nothing great but welcome on this cold evening.  My main course however was awful.  The watery veg to the left of the plate had more taste than the lifeless chicken and asparagus to the right.  The creamy sauce that covered this delicacy added nothing to my enjoyment.  A real disappointment, especially because the service was actually very warm and friendly to the point that I felt guilty at not enjoying the food.  I should add though, that the family opposite were clearly delighted about their fayre, because amongst the conversation about how they could pass their kids off as under 10 to get free travel on the underground, they kept saying the food was fantastic.  “This is wicked” was quite a popular phrase in between popping outside the restaurant for a smoke.

Anyway, I settled up my £20 bill and left; returning to my hotel wishing I’d opted for room service after all.

Pryordurkin Rating. 1 (for the service only)

Telephone 020 7383 7762

We decided to stay at the Crowne Plaza at Gatwick-Crawley both before we flew out to Cyprus and after we returned.  We paid around £79 per night and for this had an excellent room.  Recent renovations have made this hotel very stylish and modern indeed.  Our room was clean, crisp and very comfortable with a good sized bathroom and flat screen TV.  The hotel has recently returned to the Holiday Inn family having previously been a Crest Hotel and Quality Hotel.  The lobby, restaurant and leisure centre have all had a makeover to great effect.  The only thing we worried about were the steps from the men’s changing room to the swimming pool.  They were steep, sharp and when wet, very slippy.  Despite the warning notice telling you to take care, we fully expect someone to come a cropper on those stairs. 

The food served up in their restaurant named Cube, was adequate.  Breakfast was fine and with the two ‘experienced’ ladies working during the morning, it had an air of a comfortable friendly B&B.  We really enjoyed it.

If Gatwick airport itself was not so god damn awful, we would not hesitate to stay at this hotel again, especially with their little extra touches like fresh coffee served up early morning for people travelling to catch flights and the variety of complimentary newspapers and friendly service from happy staff.

Pryordurkin Rating. 4 Stars.