We both pootled about when she returned, and she took the cats for a walk around the estate. It was bitterly cold today with an icy wind that made venturing out quite unpleasant. I tackled multiple piles of laundry, ordered myself some new clothes for work, and sorted out my underwear drawer. This was a well overdue job, and I unearthed things I'd forgotten I had! I also threw out a lot of stuff. I had several old perfume bottles in the drawer, and I had a feeling they couldn't be recycled with our regular glass. Looking on the internet, I discovered that The Perfume Shop recycles them, so it might be worth a trip to Milton Keynes to take them.
Sophie was meeting friends in Towcester this evening for a drink and a pie (at a pub that specialised in serving them) and had asked Keith and me for a lift. We were more than happy to oblige, and I had booked a table for us at a Chinese restaurant in Towcester, so we were all ready to go by 5pm. It was still a little light, and the sky was a mix of beautiful clouds in greys and blues. We relied on Jeeves to show us the way and to avoid the Queen Eleanor roundabout. He took us along the Brixworth bypass and then over to Harlestone and Duston, where he instructed me to go through Swan Valley on a brand new road. We then turned onto the A43 and came off at Hulcote, leading us straight to a car park off the main high street.
We walked the short distance to The Plough, which was packed! A huge television in the corner was playing rodeos in the US, where mad men were being thrown off bulls! Bizarre! We had a drink while waiting for Sophie's friends, and then Keith and I left to go for a drink at a pub nearby. We picked The Brave Old Oak, which was a bit old-fashioned and a little smelly. Someone had brought in their dog, which never stopped barking...
Just before 7:00pm, we walked to The Rice Bowl and took our seats in the middle of the restaurant. Next to our table was a large fish tank with two koi carp:
The white one did not take his eyes off me all night. I felt so sorry for them just swimming about in the tank without any freedom, poor things.
We decided to order the £36 set menu, which consisted of various starters, followed by crispy duck, and then five dishes for the main course. The restaurant wasn't busy, and a Chinese couple opposite stared at their phones the whole time they were there!
Our starters arrived, but we didn't have any prawn crackers with a sweet chilli dip. The food was OK (seaweed in an edible rice bowl, spring rolls, spare ribs, satay chicken skewers and breaded prawns), but I couldn't help comparing the food to The Han in Market Harborough, which has always been excellent.
There was a long wait before we were served the crispy duck, and we ran out of pancakes before we had eaten all the meat! Sophie had texted me to say her meal was over, but I didn't get the message to say she was on her way to the restaurant. I saw her say goodbye to Becky and Grace outside, and she had no choice but to sit and wait for us to finish our meal! It was now 8:30pm, and we had been in the restaurant for an hour and a half!
Sopihe ordered herself a beer, and we named the fish Donald (the orange one) and Elon. As I said previously, Elon stared at me the whole time we were sitting at the table. If I looked back at him, he'd glance away as if embarrassed, but then return to staring at me. It was a little disconcerting, and I wished I could have kidnapped him and given him a better life.
Our main courses finally arrived, and we think the delay was due to a large party in a room at the back of the restaurant and the number of takeaway orders they were taking. The staff were friendly, and the owner chatted to us about the racecourse at Towcester, but the service was abysmally slow.
Keith and I didn't do justice to the main courses - chicken with broccoli, sweet and sour pork, chow mein, fried rice and a beef and pepper dish, so I asked if we could take it home for lunch tomorrow. The bill came to £104, which was more than I was expecting, and they'd added a 15% service charge. If the staff hadn't been so friendly, I would have disputed it!
We walked back to the car on rain-soaked streets and drove home. Both cats had come in earlier in the day, so we kept them in, much to their disgust. They wandered about, and Mooney had a mad half hour clawing at one of the armchairs and trying to get something that he saw underneath it!
Sophie and I watched Graham Norton from last night, and I sampled another two of my whiskies. I just have two left now!
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