Had a fantastic day yesterday, courtesy of great weather, good company, cider and wonderful food :)

I went into London to meet Mique, a long time online friend whom I know through rec.arts.mystery. He lives in Oz so chances to meet are few and far between and are seized eagerly. We arranged to meet at the Captain Kidd pub in Wapping, which is a pub that's close to where Mique's son lives and is practically their local. And what a great choice! It's a FANTASTIC pub! Tucked away between warehouses and office blocks, it backs onto the Thames and has a large patio area where you can sit and watch the waters roll by. Blissful! And given that the weather was glorious, hot, sunny, not a cloud in the sky, it was a delight to be there.

Took me a smidge longer to get there than I wanted though, I missed my fast train by about 2 minutes, dammit, so had to catch the all stops to Kings X. Oh well. At KX, I bought some water and a large cheese and onion pasty from the West Cornwall Pasty stand and then scampered to the Underground. A quick jaunt on the Hammersmith and City to Whitechapel, followed by another quick jaunt on the East London line to Wapping. The pub was, as Mique promised, a 2 minute walk up the road. Hee!

I found Mique had snaffled a bench right by the low wall that overlooks the river, a prime spot, and we settled in for some serious drinking and talking. Eventually Carol and Rik turned up, having gotten a bit lost and not being able to get in touch with me because I'd left my mobile at home. D'oH! Anyway, they made it and we were soon yakking happily and drinking some more. I think I must have had 4 pints of cider by the time we waddled up the stairs to the restaurant and I didn't feel drunk at all. All hail the power of West Cornwall pasties, is all I can say! :D

The food! Oh the food was gorgeous. I had marinated salmon, with a dill and cream mousse-y type thing, and home made blinis to start, followed by roast duck in a rich mushroom sauce, with sautéed potatoes and crispy bacon. I had NO room for dessert, but the others had various luscious treats, including the World's Most Evil Chocolate Brownie (Carol). Full and replete, we supped coffees, chatted some more before we left Mique with his son Geoff (who brought his family in to the restaurant so we got to meet him and Mique's grandchildren - cute :)) and waddled off home.

Didn't take me long to get home, despite serious delays on the Hammersmith line back from Whitechapel, and I was in by 11.30. I had a wonderful day and it was so good to see Mique, who is a true gentleman and a lovely guy. It's a shame he can't visit more often or move over here like he wants to do, but hey, we'll make the most of the opportunities we have ;)