Christmas Lunch

Dan and I at The Windsor Castle

Only six weeks since I left my job, and now I am back for the Christmas lunch. Eighteen of us at The Quilon, a Michelin-starred Indian restaurant in Westminster. Nice to see former colleagues again, particularly Robert, Hazel, Dan and Geoff.

The food was good, but I wouldn't say that it was Michelin quality - I've had better Indian food  elsewhere. It was pretty good value however. £29 for the 3-course multi-dish set lunch menu including tea/coffee. You got everything on the menu, plus mini popadoms and dips/pickles to start, an amuse bouche, a spicy, hot tomato & tamarind juice "palate cleanser" between starter and main, and tea/coffee. They wern't stingy either - if any of the side dishes ran low thet replenished it without having to be asked.

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Quilon Christmas Lunch Menu I

Starter:

• Soya Chop with plum sauce.
• Coconut Cream Chicken (grilled chicken fillets flavoured with cardamom, chilli, and coconut)

Main course:

• Malabar Fried Fish (tilapia fillet marinated with Malabar spices and pan fried)
• Pistachio Chicken (succulent pieces of chicken slow cooked with freshly ground pistachio, chillies and spices.)
• Potato and Cauliflower with Fresh Fenugreek Leaves (potato and cauliflower florets cooked with onion, tomato and roasted spices)
• Malabar Paratha (refined flour dough beaten to thin sheet and folded to form layered bread, cooked on a skillet with pure ghee.)
• Lemon Rice & Steamed Rice

Dessert:

• Bibinca with Rose Ice cream
• Tea /Coffee

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For follow-up drinks we went to the Windsor Castle (formerly The Cardinal) pub behind Westminster Cathedral. Just a select few of us, but we had a good time.

Chritmas tree at St Margaret's

Afterwards I went for a stroll up Victoria Street to Westminster. Had a look at the Christmas tree outside St Margaret's by Westminster Abbey, which is nice, simple and traditional. Walked on past the Palace of Westminster, with it's rather larger, more flamboyant tree (didn't get a picture of that as ther were too many tourists and police in the way), and then up Whitehall. There had obviously been a demo about the DR Congo elections as there were loads of Africans about, and loads of police too plus helicopters.

Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree

At Trafalgar Square I was annoyed at the way the Christmas tree looks. I am proud that the people of Norway still give us a Christmas tree for Trafalgar Square every year, but I hate the way that we decorate it. Horrible long strings of lights running down from the tip to the base. Nasty. However, I was quite please with this picture, given that it was taken at night with my phone.