Carluccio's and The Society

Posted on 2007/06/10 22:59:09 (June 2007).

[Thursday 7th June]
I've had a bit of a hankering for a trip to the whisky society for a while now, but with one thing and another (mainly one thing: working too hard) I didn't get round to it until today.

I met Chie after work at Chancery Lane tube, and we decided we should probably get something for dinner before heading over to the club. Our recent track record of trying to find somewhere to eat by just wandering around has not been that great, so I didn't have high hopes. However, we walked passed Farringdon, up Cowcross Road, which to my surprise brought us out by Smithfields Market (a place I'd been several times before, but had never quite connected with being so close to Farringdon, somehow). Anyhow, I digress. Eventually we settled on a place called Carluccio's for dinner, which apparently is actually a chain, but it was rather nice nonetheless.

We sat next to a table where a man in a suit was having dinner with his daughter - she was probably about three years old. I think I had got the general impression that having children meant constant stress and basically the end of little luxuries like eating out, with the occasional exception (if you can call it that) of going to horrific places like McDonald's. So it was an absolute delight to see this man looking very laid back, with his little girl who also seemed very content (and very well behaved I might add), both happily spending time together in a reasonably sophisticated place like this.

After dinner, we ambled over to the Society for a few choice drams. I made a good foray into the most recent bottling list, sampling a herby Glen Scotia, a superbly rich and smoky Caol Ila and a peppery Highland Park. Unsurprisingly the Caol Ila was the clear winner for me - had a hint of that legendary Fortnum and Mason Port Ellen about it. Had Chie not been with me I probably would have bought a bottle. Maybe next time.

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