The cheek of London restaurants. Even Hackney, one of the most deprived areas – it’s gentrifying. New builds are springing up, the hipsters are moving in. They call it Hip Hackney. This is probably news to many of its original residents but these days shops are slowly moving in to cater to the hip. Restaurants open – if only one of them would produce food that I wanted to eat regularly… There are a few coffee bars that I like to go to but they too are succumbing to the crazy pricing and predictable snacks. At Raw Duck I struggled with the menu to find something small and not ridiculously priced when I went there with Lisa. What I had was delicious and the service attentive.
For £6.50 I chose two small homemade crumpets topped with a few slivers of cheese and a good deal of lime pickle. I meant to ask if the pickle was made in house. It tasted the same as from the jar. All appreciated but I wonder at the price. Lisa paid the same for her charred bread (read burned toast) and housemade orange marmalade. Removing the ricotta to make it vegan didn’t reduce the price. The coffee was pleasant enough.
Whatever you say, when you’re in zone 2 you don’t expect to pay zone 1 prices but you will. Every time.
Crumpets at Raw Duck
It’s good to see Lisa. I feel for her that, after weeks now, she is still living in a hotel room even if it is a quite nice one. The best thing, though, is how close she is now. When she moves, it won’t be so easy.
On Saturday we went to Netil Market and to Broadway Market. The market is somehow smaller. Have I remembered it properly? We wandered about. It’s still mostly food. Most of it is easy to resist, no matter how lovely. The prices are high for street food but that’s the trend. It’s lovely to be out. I ate some falafel with salad and pickles and thought, yes I’m back.
These brioches…Victoria Yum, Netil MarketBread at Broadway Market
A strange feeling waking up today and knowing this was it. There was nothing on the must-do list other than packing and last-minute chocolate purchases.
And today the view of the Alps was spectacular – clearer than I’ve ever seen
View from balcony on the last full day
After packing for what seemed like an eternity, off to the market to get that chocolate. Also on the list some marrons glaces, and some lemon pasta. Done and dusted.
We picked up some octopus salad and pizza to eat today and then some fritto misto as a last minute whim. We were already dreaming of a curry in London!
Wood oven at RondiniMargarita Pizza at RondiniFritto misto
Today we decided to go to Cit Turin, the area that Liat lives in. On the way I suggested Krish pop his head into la Santuaria della Consolata I told him my photos hadn’t done it justice and I wanted him to spend one minute looking in to see it for himself.
To my surprise, he did. And to my bigger surprise, the one minute turned into more than half an hour. Not surprisingly, he discovered and was fascinated by something that I hadn’t spent much time looking at. I almost hesitate to post the photos because in a way I feel they are intimate and sacred. But I am posting a few that I found sad or interesting.
These are little portraits maybe ten centimetres across and each depicts someone’s death. As hard as I tried, I couldn’t look away until finally I needed to take a break from what I found so poignant and private.
Today we thought of a plan – we would go to Lavazza to check out the bistrot (cafeteria) and see how the construction was coming along, and we’d tour the opera house – Teatro Regio. We hoped we could dodge the raindrops. It was decidedly soggy but we didn’t want to let this keep us indoors.
Bikes in the rain by the Dora
The Bistrot is a cafeteria within the Lavazza Complex on via Bologna. We were pretty sure that, although this is intended for Lavazza employees, the public were welcome and we were right. One of the receptionists handed us each a card where we would register the food we’d buy once upstairs.
There are some fancy looking electronic coffee machines on the main floor – one euro for a cup. Then a lobby, a lift, and stairs up to the cafeteria first floor.
Lavazza cafeteria
Its like a school or hospital cafeteria in there, a sort of food court look. Two stations against the far wall that sell pizzas, pastas, and main dishes. And one central station for salads and soups. We can’t see any drinks and there is only fruit for dessert. Healthy! There is, however, a couple of self service stations for free water (still and sparkling) and a bank of bottles of olive oil and vinegar. Nothing else.
We browse around and settle on a main of grilled calamari and duchesse potatoes, and Krish has a last minute choice of a pizza with no tomato but cheese and walnuts. Then I’m intrigued by a pink vegetable soup so we pick that too. Verdict: Not bad. Nothing to rush back for. Lavazza, perhaps you could give your employees a price break – our bill was 19.20.
Lavazza lunch
From the window we can see they are coming along quite nicely with the garden that will stand between the cafeteria building and the offices but it won’t be done by the time to leave this city.
Lavazza construction
From here we wander into town. It’s still drizzling. Krish wants to visit the British bookstore and then we’ll look around before heading for the opera house tour.
First we go through the Parco Reale and I notice how much the terrain has changed since we first arrived.
The Mole on a rainy Fall day
We’re puzzled by not seeing the lights that are supposed to be between the park and Piazza Castello but will need to check this out another time since the rain has started to get a bit more serious.
The opera house has a fantastic gate and, if you’re lucky, as you walk through they will be playing opera on loudspeakers. I took a video but missed the music this time.
The rain is putting paid to doing very much so we decide to stay more or less inside – in gallerias and under porticoes until 3pm when we can buy tour tickets. It may be raining hard but Turin looks pretty good in the rain with its lovely squares and shops. And the British book store is nicely chaotic too.
Shopping under the porticoesBritish bookstorePiazza Carignano
Some of the stores have beautiful windows. I wonder who shops in them.
FarmaciaCarlo Villarboito ChocolatiereRistogastronomiaShopping inside the Galleria San Federico
As well, Liat has told me about a grocery store, Fiorfood inside the Galleria San Federico so I go to check that out. It’s very fancy. There are several rooms with expensive food goods, as well as upstairs, a large cafe, then a dining room and kitchen on the mezzanine. It’s eye candy!
Inside the Fiorfood supermarket
Walking past the Egyptian museum we see another free museum that seems to be about space and size. We now don’t have enough time to check it out but I make a mental note in case we can squeeze it in during Monday or Tuesday. The rain is heavier again and we’re feeling pretty damp so, although it’s now time to buy our tour tickets for the opera, we’re done! Going back to the flat to dry off and rest seems a much better idea.
I’m really not minding that the rain forces us to relax and keep ourselves entertained after all.
