Restaurant: Land of Fire

Was in the office yesterday.. and on the way, actually passed a protest about Palestine, for the first time! 

(I tend to avoid them, in general.) Anyway, wow, was it a busy day - I found myself working on no fewer than four different projects! as well as meeting (some of) the team for one of them in person, for the first time. I was glad of the nature of last night's event - I was back with Over 40 Living the Life, and for the first time, joining them on their "Gastronomical Tour" of countries alphabetically. That evening, it was Azerbaijan! and we were headed to the Land of Fire restaurant. Hmm.. Well, since the meal itself was the event, it didn't require me to leave early to eat first. So I could stay on and work a bit.

I could get a bus to within easy walking distance - just as well, with my heavy laptop! And as I walked to catch my bus, I had to wind my way (as so often) around a pile of discarded rental bikes on the pavement:

When, oh when, I ask myself, is anyone going to do something about this constant bike-littering?! Well, I caught a bus. Didn't need to get it that far - the stop after King's Cross, in fact, would drop me within easy walking distance of the restaurant. Of course, if I'd checked, I could have seen that that stop was closed - mind you, in that case, why did Google Maps suggest I get off there? Anyway, I hadn't realised - and after a slew of people got off at King's Cross, the doors closed, and the driver prepared to leave. And as he did, he thought to play the announcement that "The next bus stop is closed"! Well gee, thanks for the warning.. my bell wasn't working, I jumped up and tried the next, but the bus started to move. A formidable lady beside me asked whether I wanted to get off. "Well yes," I said, "now that I know the next stop is closed!" Well I swear, that woman badgered the driver until he stopped - he really didn't want to. Hmph - thanks, madam, you saved me a considerable walk back!

So, a short enough walk later, I was at the restaurant. My goodness, it's unassuming - they do have a hanging sign outside, but the door just looks like a private door, not that of a business - they really should put a sign on it as well. The windows slide open, and the evening was mild enough that they had been partially opened - I could see my group inside, and they could see me. And once I'd sorted out the confusion over which door I could use, I joined them!

A display shows a cosy fire - as I remarked, they might want to change that as we get into warmer weather:

And they have several interesting wall decorations - this one, a display of tiny instruments!

For a Wednesday, they were fairly chaotic - I was glad to hear they had downstairs seating, without which the restaurant would have been too small to be viable! As it was, there was another large group seated just across from us, and a couple arrived without a reservation - it took a few minutes, but they did get seated downstairs. For our part, we were at ground floor level - but when it turned out we didn't have as many as had booked, we were moved to a slightly smaller table configuration, near the window - which is lined with an array of interestingly flavoured glass bottles of vinegar.

I wonder whether they're often as busy - for sure, the two who were serving last night seemed utterly overwhelmed. Unfailingly friendly, but a bit scatty, I'd have to say. I guess they don't have much kitchen staff either, because everything took absolutely ages to arrive. I'd ordered turkey soup starter - which arrived just as everyone else had pretty much finished theirs. I was sorry I did - it was completely bland, I'm afraid, and I didn't finish it - although I made my way through most of it, starving as I was by that stage. Certainly, not everyone was as unhappy - those who had the Mangal salad, as recommended by our waiter, were very complimentary about it. And they got theirs early, which helps - as did the person who got the cheese board, which seemed to go down well too.

Happily, I got my main a lot faster - although one person was left waiting, again, until we'd all pretty much finished ours! Mind you, they'd completely forgotten about the rice I ordered as a side - I had to ask for it again. Lamb shish, I was having - our host had the "Land of Fire Special", which turns out to be a shish with everything on it - lamb chunks, lamb chops, and chicken. A few people had the veggie shish. Now, I don't really know what people in general thought about their mains, although some plates were cleared - for me, it was pretty much a disaster. The meat, although tasty enough, was too chewy - I wished I'd had the chicken, which was also cheaper. It came on a kind of flatbread, which was dry and tasteless. I wasn't mad about the potatoes either.. I was glad I'd ordered rice, but ultimately ended up leaving half of my meal.

At least the wine was nice, and I had a second glass - they only have one wine by the glass, the "house" wine, which is probably Azerbaijani, like the others - when I asked for another, he appeared with the bottle to top me up, but I didn't notice the label. There was no move for dessert - and caveat, the bread and water that are served to the table unasked are charged for. Well, as I say, nice wine, friendly people - but between the food and the scatty service, I can't say I'll be back here. This isn't a group that stays out late, so at least I got home at a reasonable hour - still didn't have time to blog last night though, I was busy booking things for next week! More discarded bikes on the way home:

Tonight and tomorrow, back with CT - and the Backyard Comedy Club! Always a great atmosphere.. and tomorrow, my sometime companion from Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) is joining me. We're heading to the local Nando's beforehand.

The weekend, for me, is all about horror - on Saturday, I was planning to go to a film, and could have chosen something higher rated; in particular, Aadujeevitham (The Goat Life), which is top of my list in terms of ratings, looks a striking film, based on the true story of an Indian man who went to Saudi Arabia in the expectation of a higher paying job, but ended up being effectively kidnapped by a local goat farmer, and spending literally years in the desert, paid nothing and treated worse than the animals! He finally managed to escape - on foot. Seems an epic tale.

It also seems not that much fun. And when I saw that The Hideout, who are headed to The First Omen that evening, had a space available in their group - they'd been full when I last looked - I jumped at that instead. They're going to the Vue West End. Honestly, I'm not completely optimistic about it, on foot of the trailer - but gee, I do see that the rating has just gone up from last night! Decent rating for a horror film.. you never know. It is, of course, a prequel to the classic The Omen.. so, many references to that are to be expected. Bill Nighy shows up as a cardinal, Charles Dance plays a priest.. not Father Spiletto, famous from the previous films, although he appears in this too.

Sunday is also horror - I'm going with the London Horror Film Group to the Satanic Spring Market. It was good fun last time, although I didn't find anything to buy..

On Monday, I'm back with North London Friends - they have tickets for The Comeuppance, at The Almeida, and I got the last of theirs. It's now sold out for that day.

On Tuesday, I'm back with the Over 40s - a more dependable dinner date this time, at Greenwich Yacht Club!

On Wednesday and next Thursday, back with UITCS - my longest Meetup streak in a long while! On Wednesday, we're off to An Actor Convalescing in Devon, at Hampstead Theatre.

And next Thursday, we're at The Ballad of Hattie and James, at The Kiln. And then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend again.