My mother fancied using the occasion to find somewhere different for dinner; now, there are three restaurants across the road from the cathdral, by the river - so we decided to try Azur, which had a menu to suit. On the way in, we stopped for a few bits and pieces at a Tesco Express that we pass; I noticed that what used to be a sports bar near the entrance to the small retail park seemed to have changed hands, and was now going by the name of Sareva Bar & Bistro. Checked the menu, which seemed ok - but she still wanted to head to Azur; since it was so close to the cathedral, we could park for the restaurant and not have to move for the concert.
We parked at the courthouse car park, just down the road from the cathedral and across from the restaurants. Crossed the road, and made our way to Azur - the last of the three restaurants. First was The Locke - a popular riverside gastro pub, where music was thumping out as we passed and the outside tables were full of people. Too noisy, too crowded, and no salmon on the menu. We moved on to Amber, which looked nice, and was much less busy - but that's Asian, and she doesn't eat Asian food any more. And so we came to Azur, and opened the door to go in.
We didn't get very far - our way was blocked by a waiter, who firmly told us that the oven was broken, and even if they did get it fixed, they were booked up for the evening. So, the most practical thing for parking was to head back to Sareva, which was only a few minutes back along the road. There's no parking right outside, but I let my mother off at the door and parked in the large car park just beside.
When I'd been checking the menu before, I'd had to sit at a table and have one brought to me - there's none on display. I then told the server I'd have to fetch my mother - she must've wondered, in the meantime, what was keeping me! Anyhoo, we took a table in the corner, by the wall, and were soon served - they weren't busy. In fact, although there were some people in the adjacent bar, only one other table was occupied in the restaurant.
We ordered some decent pinot grigio, in rather funky glasses, and perused the menu. There were three menu options; I was too hungry for the "light bites", but didn't fancy a starter - I wasn't quite hungry enough for that. So I passed on the set menu too, and went for the a la carte, where I ordered the chili glazed chicken, on a bed of noodles and vegetables. My mother, surprisingly.. went for the salmon. Sauce on the side.
Despite us both asking the waiter to put the sauce on the side, the sauce came poured right over the salmon. Happens so often. Well, she scraped it off and ate it anyway. My chicken, I soon discovered, was eyewateringly spicy. Yes, I know it said "chili" in the description - but they usually lay off the spice a bit more than this! The noodles were tasty, and came with a kind of chutney that damped down the spice a little. Even my mother's spicy diced potato was too spicy for her. I was glad of the large carafe of iced water they'd left on the table, most of which I drank; it was a relief to get to dessert.
When we drove back to the cathedral, my mother suggested we follow the lead of some people who'd parked in the cathedral grounds. There isn't much space, but people leave their cars along the driveway, which culminates in a little roundabout surrounding a tree. I got a very good space near the entrance, and we sat for a bit - being quite early - and watched people start to arrive. And in no time, arrive they did - in droves! We determined that most had a part in the production, as they were arriving with garment bags - some had already dressed, and there were men in tuxedos and women in long skirts and dresses. Eventually, when some normally dressed people arrived (without garment bags), we decided it was better to move.
There was actually a queue to get in. When we finally did, I located the ticket desk to the right, and was delighted to find she had a pile of prebooked tickets, among which were ours. The end of last week proved so hectic that I'd completely forgotten to print the confirmation email, and the last time I'd prebooked for here, I'd needed it. Hey-ho, we were in with no problem at all, and instructed to take a seat in the centre aisle; the folding chairs on either side (and at the back) were for choristers. Who were thronging the place: in the kerfuffle, I forgot to pick up a programme, but did at the interval.
We got to see the choirs take position on the stand, as we waited - they were seeing whether they'd fit, methinks:
Many audience members around us had a connection to one or other of the choirs, obviously. And we enthusiastically people-watched until it was time for Lorcan Murray of Lyric FM, acting as compere for the night, to open proceedings. He informed us that this is the third year of Limerick Sings, and that they encourage international participation. In such a spirit, the first up was a youth choir from Spokane (which he informed us was pronounced "Spo-Cannes", at which the chirpy musical director nodded vigorously and beamed at him. Twinned with Limerick, apparently. They were almost exclusively girls - one little fellow descreetly positioned up the top corner. And they were utterly charming! They started with a piece by Kantor, then a rendition of the Lake Isle of Innisfree, set to music. (Pity nobody told them the "s" in "Innisfree" is pronounced "sh"..) They finished with When You Wish Upon a Star, and a jazzed-up version of Gaudete.
A choir from Manchester followed, who obviously had some connection with the folks sitting in front of us. There was a folding chair at the end of each row, and we were never quite sure of their purpose; if for overflow, they weren't needed, but they did prove very handy for anyone who wanted to take photos. Like the chap in front of us with the complicated-looking camera. They were followed by a couple of local choirs - the gospel choir had us all clapping along, while the largest group of the night were the Voices of Limerick (pictured), who overspilled the stage and whose sheer numbers meant they produced the fullest sound.
After a short interval, we were entertained by another Irish choir, then back to the American ones: Los Robles, from California, started with an Irish-language piece, Hinbarra. Fair play to them, their pronunciation was spot-on! This choir was followed by another young choir from Washington, the Eastern Washington University Symphonic choir. Same musical director.. they performed yet another Yeats poem, to which music had been set that had been composed by a member of the choir, a student of music composition! For the finale, the first choir joined them for one number.
A great night, and too late home to blog. Pity we couldn't go to their second concert today. Anyway, after taking my mother to Mass today, she fancied going to the Abbey Tavern - they're friendly, the food is good, and we're regulars. They don't start serving until 12.30, but we lasted.. and whatever we wanted that wasn't specified on the Sunday menu, they were happy to provide. Tasty food, and an enjoyable meal.
I'm looking forward to tomorrow - Meetup threw up something interesting just this afternoon. The World Music Meetup advertised an evening of Italian Swing, Jazz and Rock n Roll! I am so there.. £5 entry. Sounds like a plan.
