Creloe's, 119th Street, New York

Duke Ellington often urged us to "Take the A Train to Harlem". One of our readers kindly invited us to do this and endeavour to partake of a ploughman's lunch. Not perhaps considering fully the time difference they invited us to do so rather late in the day. Nonetheless we did "Take the 6 Express Train to Pelham Bay Park" and alighted at Spanish Harlem. A most enjoyable stroll past a number of discount carpet warehouses brought us to Creole's Music and Supper Club.

We had the Haitian chicken stew with black beans and coconut rice accompanied by a Red Stripe lager. The stew was perfectly cooked with the meat coming easily away from the bone. The coconut rice was perhaps a little too delicate but the black beans more than made up for this.

Clearly we completely failed to find a ploughman's lunch but the ambience of the establishment was relaxed and welcoming. The balance between the quality of the music and the quality of the food was perfect. We would be very pleased to find an establishment of this quality on this side of the Atlantic.

Mood: Autumnal Greens and Oranges

Experience: Spherical

Cosi Sandwich, 3rd Avenue, New York



Angouleme is a town in South-Western France famous for it's paper making. Amsterdam is a city that grew up around a bridge over the river Amstel. York is a walled city at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss. The natural harbour at the mouth of the Hudson River has been called New Angouleme and then New Amsterdam. By the time we came to visit it had come to be known as New York.

We found midtown 3rd Avenue to be an area primarily inhabited by office blocks consisting of miles and miles of corridors of brown hessian wall weave finally terminating in locked restrooms, a phenomenon that we found anything but restful. Having escaped from a particularly traumatic instance of this early one morning we took refuge in Mr Cosi's sandwich emporium.

We had the garden pesto croissant with a chai tea latte. The croissant was refreshingly crisp as they had refrained from excessive butter usage in its construction. The pesto rather lacked bite and we failed to understand in what way the dish was garden themed. The beverage was sufficiently spicy and served the purpose. The staff, like many New Yorkers were friendly and considerate.

Mood: Brown Hessian

Experience: Crescent-shaped

The Old Thameside Inn, Clink Street, Southwark

The Cathedral of Saint Saviour and Saint Mary Overie lies on the south bank of the river Thames just a stone's throw from the Livery Hall of the Worshipful Company of Painters of Glass; though of course we would strongly recommend against throwing even pebbles in either establishment. As most of my readers will readily appreciated the sight of a church tower hoving into view brings a warm glow to our heart, primarily because a public house is almost sure to be found nearby.

Although our great-grandfather sang in the choir at the cathedral, it was actually to see our maternal half-first-cousin once removed that we attended the nearby Thamesside inn. Due to punctuality issues on our cousin's side the clock stood at ten-to-three before we entered the establishment and it was packed to the gills with lunchers. Fortunately the good Lord parted the crowds and a sunbeam shone directly to a vacant table in the corner. Regretably having secured the table we did find it to be somewhat subject to gale-force winds whenever the adjacent door was opened. Nonetheless we set ourselves to the matter at hand.

We had the minature pie selection. This consisted of a Cornish pasty, a steak and ale pie, a chicken and mushroom pie and a cauliflower cheese crumble. There was significant, some might even say excessive, ballast of roast potatoes. A mass produced but effective brown sauce accompanied a suitable gravy. The pastry was baked within acceptable parameters. This meal was perfectly good as far as it went but we would have been entirely receptive to some vegetable-orientated content.

Cousin has some girlie repast which shall not trouble us here. Cousin's gentleman companion took a manly ploughman's. The keen observer will notice that in outline this exhibit of the-meal-of-the-gods superficially resembles that presented at The White Horse some weeks earlier. However, there the comparison ends. In The Thameside Inn the pie had a perky wholesome tan, the cheese selection was good and the foliage was diverse in it's colouring.

Mood: vibrant pinks and purples

Experience: an eliptic spiral