Picture the scene: Charlotte, Colin, Soyful and I are driving up to the Merry Maid, up through Five Ways, up the Belgrave Middleway, then up the back of Dunelm. We parked opposite the restaurant, which is situated between Priestley Road and Athole Street. During the short five minute journey, both Soyful and Colin are making various and escalating pre-emptive apologies about what we are about to experience. Their apologies are in the aesthetic vein. The food, we were assured, would be top quality. The locale, building, clientele, atmosphere and even the way into the restaurant proper were to be forgiven. So far so good.
We entered via the main entrance, past a gaggle of revellers, via an airless corridor with no windows, but two bathrooms. Between the two bathrooms there was a sign stating that management had the right to search anyone on the premises at random. Presumably not for stolen poppadoms. But then, at last, Xanadu. When we least expected it, we found a room filled with what sounded like about 100 people, but was perhaps about 60, all eating the most divine looking curries, naans, pakoras, grilled meat and poppadoms. The smell was admittedly beautiful. We were directed to our table at the very back of the back room. There were a number of gentlemen playing pool directly behind us with their phones perilously close to a monstrous speaker. It was only a matter of time.
We sat down, and ordered the mixed grill, chicken biryani curry, poppadoms, a chili paneer and a cheese naan. It all arrived within about ten minutes. The below photograph does not capture the full magnificence of the meal. The lighting was quite poor.
The food arrived steaming and smelling very inviting. The large grill comprised grilled chicken wings, kebab meat, drumsticks and lamb chops. Every little morsel was suffused with flavour. The curry itself was fresh, hearty and well balanced. There were large and numerous chunks of chicken, which is always welcome. The popadoms were paper thin and crunchy. They went very well with both the mint and yoghurt sauce (thought this was served in a squeeze tube, disturbingly). The paneer was also excellent, smoky, chewy and a generous portion, even though it was a starter. We feasted all the way through and barely left anything. Every tenth bite, one of the more muscled pool players directly behind us would crack the pool cue against the ball with such force that the entire ground would shake. Car alarms could be heard in the distance. This was swiftly covered up by the second more muscled pool player switching on the monstrous speaker aforementioned and releasing into the restaurant such torrents of dreadful rap music that both of my ears fully fell off.
Colin, ever the pragmatist, brought his own Tupperware and packed the rest in. We left, filled to the brim, with a renewed and more pronounced tinnitus, but ultimately very pleased. Please do go, it is worth it!
This 1620 painting took my by surprise this morning. I was wondering out of my room about to prepare for the day and Nicholas showed me the Universalis painting today. Universalis is a wonderful app for Catholics with the Divine Office and Mass readings for the day, as well as the Angelus and Rosary prayers (and much more). Each day the app has an ‘About Today’ section where you can learn about the Saint of the day. Today is the Solemnity of Saint Joseph, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Joseph does not say a single word in the Gospels but he is a very important figure in the life of our Lord. He was Christ’s earthly father and looked after Him, indeed taught Him carpentry, before Jesus went out on His ministry.
Guido Reni was an Italian Baroque painter. His works have been compared to those of Simon Vouet, Nicolas Poussin, and Philippe de Champaigne. Below is his 1620 work, St Joseph and the Infant Jesus.
This painting is moving for a number of reasons. Nothing is known of St Joseph, other than that he was a carpenter, he brought up Jesus, he supported his wife Mary (indeed, marrying her after she had conceived a child by the Holy Spirit), and accepted the will of God. He has been the subject of countless religious works. He is the patron Saint of artisans who honourably do good works with the gifts God has given them. In this wonderfully rendered painting, Saint Joseph looks tenderly down at his son, while his son looks adoringly up at him. The colours of St Joseph’s garment are striking, as is the softness of his hair, and the precision of the rendering of his beard. In the background, one can see an angel frolicking about.
This is a very tender work, which moved me rather. It is a source of inspiration to parents, and those soon to be parents, on the venerable and loving regard one should have for their children.
I first heard of this band on Toast of London, when Steven Toast was dating Clancy Moped. Clancy was a ‘weather girl’ and was telling Toast her favourite bands over dinner: “the Weather Report, Snow Patrol, Earth Wind and Fire, especially the Wind bit”. On the day of writing, Spotify suggested an album by the Weather Report, Heavy Weather, which I listened to intently. It is a jazz fusion album which was integral to the genre.
The cover is really quite interesting, with a brimmed hat hovering over a city, with a cloud coming from the top and lightning from the bottom. The cover is quite striking and describes the title of the album This is the most striking album I have seen so far this month. And the album is not half bad either.
Charlotte and I decided to take a day off work in the week and go to Worcester. She had very kindly prepared a similar trip for my birthday in December but Lord of the Rails Mick Lynch saw to it that we could not leave Birmingham that day. Thankfully Mick must have been distracted last week as we were able to go to Worcester without issue. We began the day by going to Mass at St George’s, a beautiful church near the station. This was followed by a visit to the Worcester Museum and Art Gallery, the latter part of which was closed. Then we saw the monumental Guildhall and enjoyed a choir of Welsh men singing, as it was St David’s day. Before finishing our day at Worcester Cathedral, we stopped for lunch.
All the coffee we prepare comes from our farm near the central-western region of Colombia, in the municipality of Filandia and Pijao at the Quindio Department
Our first choice, Friars Street Kitchen, was as closed as the Art Gallery. We decided on the fly to go to Francini Cafe de Colombia. We were not disappointed! The first thing Charlotte ordered the Farmer filter coffee. This is a mellow filter with Francini’s original syrup made with honey, cinnamon and cloves. You can try it with milk, lime or classic black. Charlotte had it black. I gave up coffee for Lent and could not have any. This was one of the most acutely painful experiences of my whole entire life.
For the first round of nosh, we had arepas. These are pan fried corn cakes, popular in Latin America. Charlotte and I had the chicken and beef stuffing respectively. These were immensely flavoursome. Charlotte said, while imitating me, that it was delicately spiced and aromatic. We had it alongside some delightful hot sauce which enhanced the flavour to no end.
Our second round was the vegetable patacones. These are twice fried plantain slices. They were topped with avocadao, onions, tomato, olives and a lovely pesto garnish. Having about 2.5 of our five a day in one dish was a plus. This tasted fresh and zingy.
Overall this was a very special place. It has been open since 2014 and they have honed their service to a finely tuned machine. The place was warm, welcome, and the food was superb. We will absolutely return, and perhaps next time I shall be able to sample the coffee!
One album I have kept coming back to this month is Blue Weekend. This album, by London group Wolf Alice is a sort of ethereal rock feast. Produced by Markus Dravs, (Coldplay, Arcade Fire, Mumford & Sons, Florence + the Machine), it certainly packs a punch. Listening to this album transported me into a musical nowhere zone where one floats and lets themselves be carried. There are a few real standout tracks which almost make you feel as though you are at a live show.
Without wishing to heap on unreasonable expectations, it has the distinct tang of an album that could be huge. There’s something undeniable about it, the beguiling sound of a band doing what they do exceptionally well, so that even the most devoted naysayer might be forced to understand its success. Guardian
The first standout for me is Delicious Things. Unfortunately from a lawyer perspective, this song is about taking drugs proffered to Ellie Roswell, the lead singer, while she was out in Los Angeles. It goes without saying that this is not recommended. Musically however, this is a whopper of a track. The way it blends with the preceding track and delivers such force is a marvel to behold.
How Can I Make It OK is another of my favourite tracks. The synth, vocals and driving beat of the track is beautiful and ethereal. The track progresses from a subtle start to an overwhelming wall of sound which I have come to associate with this album. Wolf Alice’s soundscape is very well defined.
Even the acoustic, ostensibly lightweight Safe from Heartbreak (If You Never Fall in Love) packs an Abba-esque lilt to its melody and harmonised vocals. Despite the litany of late-20s worries in the lyrics – friendships floundering as priorities shift (The Beach); the continued allure of hedonism battling the sneaking suspicion it’s not providing the escape it once did (Delicious Things); the desire to keep romantic relationships going despite their evident failings (“I take you back, I know it seems surprising,” shrugs Lipstick on the Glass) – Rowsell’s vocals feel assured, confidently shifting from whispered intimacy to full-throated, arena-rousing, yowling anger, to cut-glass iciness. Guardian
No Hard Feelings is a sensitive breakup track. It is mature and forward thinking, and is also put here sequentially for the purpose of easing us into the last track. We are landing with this track. From a practical standpoint however, I would not take Wolf Alice’s advice and meet with one’s exes.
“No Hard Feelings” mostly consists of Rowsell’s voice backed by bass guitar and almost nothing else—none of the triple-tracked vocals, no guitarmonies, no bleats of synthesizer or Sistine Chapel reverb. Not that it lacks for drama: Rowsell spends the second verse heartbroken in a bathtub, listening to Amy Winehouse, trying to siphon the pain in her music as her own. A few lines later, she realizes “there’s only so much sulking the heart can entertain,” and “No Hard Feelings” emerges as an unusually mature and forward-thinking breakup song. Pitchfork
A masterful, coherent, stellar and varied work. This album showcases a range of talents and a high aptitude for creating a lasting and individual sound. What will Wolf Alice do next?
