Blog From A Broad

what a swell birthday it's been

On Friday, my lovely husband surprised me with dinner at Locanda Locatelli in London (say that ten times fast). The man himself, Giorgio Locatelli, greeted us at the door and wished us a pleasant dining experience. So technically, this means that I've had a conversation with Giorgio Locatelli - oh, yes! It wasn't like he was "making an appearance" by being at the door, this man genuinely cares about the running of his restaurant. Service was impeccable and the food was simply amazing. I wish I had the stomach capacity to enjoy a full four course meal, but I could only manage the pasta/rice and meat course. I had a beautifully cooked clam risotto to start, and a filet of sea bass cooked in a shell of sea salt and herbs, served with braised leaves and roasted potatoes. Paul wanted to keep the Italian theme going from my Roman birthday two years ago, and knew that I wanted to try this particular restaurant out. We consider our meal in Rome the best we've ever had (partially because of the food and partially because it was the night we got engaged), but this meal at Locatelli's was sublime. Spoiled, me.

I got so many fantastic presents from family and friends (stay tuned for my adventures with my new pasta machine), and to top it all off, my mother-in-law baked me a chocolate cake. I can't remember the last time anyone baked a birthday cake for me; I almost cried, for goodness sake.

It was a lovely, lovely birthday. And now I've got another fecking cold and I can't smell or taste anything. Back to reality.