Anyway, there are several good eateries near the Opera House, but Cote was always going to win it for me. At literally two minutes' walk from the Opera House, it's convenient too! So I headed out to catch the bus - in torrential rain. Happily, it wasn't anything like as bad in the West End.
Through the heavy curtains that block draughts from the door, and I asked for a table for one. I was asked whether I had a reservation, and there was some consideration.. but I got seated pretty quickly. Beside the serving area/toilets, naturally, at a small table they squeezed into a wide bit of the corridor. But hey, I wasn't complaining!
Ladies and gentlemen, I kid you not, my main course arrived literally five minutes after I sat down! Now, I didn't have a starter, but still.. and, to be fair, it is one of the plats rapides. But still. And that includes ordering time. Anyway, I had steak frites, which is a favourite of mine here, and a large glass of chardonnay. Honestly, the steak isn't the finest you'll get here - but definitely the quickest. And the frites were to die for. The wine was from the "full-bodied" section of the menu, and suitably delicious. You also get a complementary jug of water.
Dessert took much longer to be ordered, and to arrive - I had the chocolate pot, as it's included on the pre-theatre menu that also includes my main course (two courses £12.95). I wasn't pushed about the delay - I was going to be early anyway. I was rather perplexed, however, at my white chocolate pot.. They used to include a jug of cream with this order, which you could add at will - now they've just added a layer on top of the chocolate! Needless to say, more than I would - I was very vexed. Never mind, I was well fed, and quickly, and with tip, the whole bill came in under £25 - in the heart of the West End. And service came with a smile, and some small talk. Highly recommended.
As I entered the Opera House, upon seeing how small my bag was, the doorman passed on checking it. So I headed straight upstairs, where I was the first of our group to the Amphitheatre Bar. And as we gradually gathered, I remarked on how the terrace has changed - like the building in general, in the recent renovations. And we chatted pleasantly until the lady came with the school bell to usher us in.
I don't think I'd ever have gone in the slips but for the Man With the Hat, who took us there all the time - again, I was in the Upper Slips this time, which does have the advantage of guilt-free leaning: after all, there's no-one behind you! You can get a stiff neck though, and the further you are from the stage, the better the view. But for £6, I think this is a helluva view - I did miss whatever happened to the right of the stage, but overall, I don't think I missed much.
This is a gorgeous programme. The first piece, Within the Golden Hour, is a series of short dances - mesmerisingly beautiful to watch, poetry in motion - with a captivating score to match. We were also impressed by the Jasper Conran-designed costumes..
With a half-hour interval between each pair of dances, we had plenty of time to chat in the bar. Universal praise for the first piece was matched by curiosity for the second - the world premiere of Medusa. This is the only piece to have an explanation in the flyer - and I found I needed it. Now, I never heard the full version of the legend - apparently, it was a later version, by Ovid, that had her as a priestess of Athena, raped by Poseidon, and Athena turning her into a monster in spite for the desecration of her temple. Sure enough, the set design takes the form of a Greek temple, plain pillars and golden bowls, with music reminiscent of singing bowls. And the choreography tells the story - although I'm not sure what I'd have made of it without explanation! One thing - the programme mentions Pegasus springing from her severed head.. no winged horse in this production!
The final piece is one that some of us had seen before - Flight Pattern displays the dual meaning of the word "flight" - to fly like a bird, or to escape. A large group of dancers adopts birdlike synchronicity to try to escape an oppressive situation. As impressive as when I saw its world premiere, years ago.
This is a truly impressive programme - runs till the 21st, well worth a look. And it was lovely to see everyone.
Tomorrow, some of us are back to Sadler's Wells for the opening night of Yang Liping's Rite of Spring. And Lordy.. now that I've seen it, wasn't that the last of the pieces in She Persisted?! The one I didn't like.. duh. Well, perhaps this production will be more to my taste!
And on Friday - for something completely different - we're off to the Park Theatre for The Last Temptation of Boris Johnson! Brexit, of course, should feature strongly..
On Saturday, mention was made last week of Ivan playing piano, at some bar or other. But as a venue wasn't specified, I doubt it'll happen.. Instead, I thought about cinema. Top of the list came Amazing Grace - a documentary about Aretha Franklin, who recorded an album of the same name before a live audience in a church. Apparently, she repeatedly blocked its release while she was still alive! I believe I saw Mick Jagger, in the audience in the trailer.. Anyway, with both showings at the Curzon Bloomsbury sold out, I thought I'd better book when I saw availability at the Rio. I booked the matinee - then remembered I'm supposed to be able to pick up the keys to my new place on Saturday! Still, it shouldn't take too long to get there - the estate agent says I can pick them up any time after 4, and I should get there by 4.30.
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