Birthday weekend begins

I spent the morning in the office, mainly trying to download the paperwork for the billing forms. Then after lunch we packed and caught the train to London.  We’re spending the weekend for Vikram’s birthday in a lovely hotel in Shoreditch called Batty Langleys.  BL was an eccentric 18th century landscape designer and a portrait of him and his wife hang in the doorway.  It’s an enchanting hotel, one website says it’s like staying in the home of an eccentric rich aunt.   

It’s in Spitalfields, the Georgian heart of London and the roads are cobbled and largely blocked off from traffic now so it’s very quiet.  We’re a stones throw from Spitalfields market and from the beginning of the square mile the other way. 

We had dinner at Origin, a lavish nose to tale restaurant near Smithfield market that was quite quiet as their business is clearly more intense when the bankers are in residence.  That said the food was amazing although more meat than I’ve eaten in years.  They have an organic farm in Argyll and a vineyard in France.  Although our Lebanese waiter, although very sweet and attentive wasn’t sure where.  

This is their inventive cocktail list, although I had a back to basics martini, called a Martinez.   

Walked it all off, a mile or so back to the hotel through quiet City streets, with the occasional group of young chatting in various languages and accents.  

In additional high points we’ve delivered episode 1 of Nightsleeper!