Last night's meal at Dangs, the Vietnamese restaurant in Northampton, was great. The seating area was downstairs in the cellar, which I found a bit claustrophobic at first, but I got used to it. We were given a bowl of prawn crackers to munch on while we looked at the menu, which wasn't extensive but for me this is a good sign that the food is being freshly prepared.
Three of us ordered the same starter - seared scallops on a bed of spinach and fried leeks with garlic. Our other friend ordered fishcakes, which looked delicious. We were given chopsticks to eat with, something I found a bit hard with the scallops and greens! The scallops were cooked beautifully and we agreed that we could have done with four (instead of three) and less greenstuff!
Amazingly, the same three of us ordered the Vietnamese chicken curry which was probably the most delicious curry I've ever eaten. It was served with a bowl of gorgeous fried rice and was pretty hot (in my opinion - one of my friends pronounced it mild), but very flavoursome with a lovely thick sauce and chunks of tender chicken, potatoes, onions and chilli. I will definitely be going back for more! The service was friendly and efficient and the place was pleasantly busy but not packed so it was a lovely night and the four of us were the last to leave, such was the gossip!
Today has been a shopping day in Milton Keynes, something that Keith himself suggested. We usually have an annual trip when we go shopping together so this time it's come rather early in the year! Before we left Keith tried on all his holiday clothes, making the bedroom look an almighty mess with tee-shirts and shorts strewn everywhere. Most of them need a freshen up in the laundry and I'm glad I won't be the one doing it!
Before we hit the shops, we had breakfast at Caffe Italia and then I managed to persuade Keith to buy two pairs of swim shorts (one pair we will be taking back as they are just a bit too long...) and some deck shoes in M&S. I myself bought a new pair of sandals and two cotton short sleeve shirts so I was a bit more successful than last week!
We headed home and on the way stopped at the local garden centre to buy a voucher for mum as it's Mothers Day on Sunday. Our Wyevale now has a soft play area for children under 8 years and this might explain why we've been a bit quiet at work lately. Wyevale is a great place to shop, but it's rapidly turning into a department store rather than a garden centre and I have to admit to being a bit dismayed at this latest development. It was completely free for children to play and will no doubt attract the "yummy mummy" brigade, especially as the garden centre also has a Costa Coffee.
And talking of business, I have to mention the very sad demise of Oddbins which will go into Administration on Monday. I was always a big fan of Oddbins as they stocked wines that you wouldn't normally see in the large supermarket chains. Before I discovered Duncan's shop in Market Harborough, I would regularly visit the branches in Milton Keynes and Northampton, sadly both of which closed a few years ago, for special wines if I was going to a dinner party. Now it seems that there will be very few independent wine merchants left and I only hope someone will buy the business and make it the shop it once was.
Our indulgent day was rounded off by a trip to the hairdressers where Sophie and I had a trim. It was very relaxing to have my hair washed and fiddled about with!
No comments:
Post a Comment