Friday 23 July 2010

Round-up

So I got busy and lazy and abandoned the blog for a couple of weeks. Oops. Here’s a round-up of stuff I did while I was away:



Saw Noah and the Whale at Manchester Cathedral – got cheap tickets last minute, bit of an afterthought, but ended up being blown away. They are really excellent live, much improved according to my gig companions who had seen them before. Saw them again at Latitude, their last gig before going back in to the studio, where they again wowed the crowd.

Had dinner at
Zizzi’s in Didsbury – turning into a bit of a reliable fallback this one, great food for a chain, lovely décor, super friendly student staff, good tipping policy and the pizzas are the biggest I’ve ever seen – I got 3 good meals out of mine.


Went to West Kirby beach – when you think North West England, you don’t think great beaches, but we discovered an absolute gem up on the Wirral at West Kirby. The tide was out and we picnicked before strolling out across the sands to the little islands, taking lots of photos of the great expanse. However much I love the city life, I do love a change of scenery and this is as good as you’ll get within an hour's drive.

Saw
Scissor Sisters @ The Apollo – this was a free ticket through some Oxfam volunteering, so again not one I had been anticipating for weeks. Its not really my bag, but they put on a cracking show, lots of good sing-a-long moments. Also, they seem genuinely nice people, they came round the side and signed autographs and chatted to fans for ages after. I like that kind of attitude.

A few old stalwarts visited –
Dough, Great Kathmandu and Red Chilli
. They never disappoint.



And a new favourite found: Zouk Tea Bar (above) on Chester St (off Oxford Road, opposite the BBC). Took an out-of-town friend, from Birmingham no less, to this Indian the critics have been raving about, and my God am I glad I did. My lamb chop starter was just delicious, and the salmon main was some of the best salmon I’d ever had, served on a slab with a memorable tangy sauce. My friend went for the tasty Palak Tikka and the recommended Lamb Nahari, both outrageously good. He declared it the best Indian he’d had, not bad from someone who lives within walking distance of the Balti Triangle. I mostly spend my time these days working out when I can next go there and have the lamb chops again.

Finally I spent the weekend at Latitude, a most civilised affair involving a dinner reservation, jugs of Margheritas, deckchairs and Pimms. Glastonbury this was not. Highlights included the glorious Belle and Sebastian, Holly Miranda, Vampire Weekend, Noah and the Whale and midnight storytelling and songs from Daniel Kitson and Gavin Osborn. Yes, I’m already pining for next year.

Ok, that’s the round up, I’ll be back much sooner this time, with a review of Linen if its worth writing about.

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