Losing it[1]

Now if there’s one thing I really love, it’s coffee. When I’m at work, I quite often don’t get round to drinking much of the lovely stuff, as I keep getting called away from my desk which means that if I make a jug of real coffee it often gets cold before I can drink it.

I’d seen these Senseo machines when they first came out, but held back from buying one as there seemed to be a distinct lack of shops stocking the special pods that they need. Well, it seems that these little beasties are catching on, as there are now at least two shops in central Newcastle selling the pods. That was enough to convince me to buy a tasteful blue Senseo coffee maker. I got it yesterday and rearranged my desk to accommodate it. It’s not at all bad. The coffee, even from the darkest roast available is nowhere near as strong as I get from my Gaggia at home, but it’s quite acceptable. The speed and convenience means that I’ll be drinking a lot more coffee at work now.

The extra coffee seems to be getting my metabolic rate up a wee bit, which might be contributing to the slight drop in my weight of late. And even if it isn’t, I like it anyway!

Sorry, had to be done. Morning weight: 206.2 pounds (14 stone 10.2 pounds, 93.5kg).

Quiet day, had the mandatory turkey, a nice glass[1] of wine[2] and some damn fine chocolates from those nice Hotel Chocolat people.

[1] OK, OK, bottle
[2] My last bottle of the 2001 Wolf Blass Yellow Label

There should probably be a law against this. Walkers have brought out a range of peanuts in crispy coatings. There are several flavours, including the dangerously addictive “Mild Chilli Spice” variety, made with paprika, onion, garlic and chilli. Mmmmmmm. Peanuts can be addictive enough on their own, but these are deadly. They come in a resealable tin, so they should keep for several days, but once they’re open, they aren’t going to last long….

OK, I admit it. I’m very partial to the odd bit of chocolate[1]. Before I started eating more sensibly and generally taking better care of myself, I used to eat the stuff by the truckload[2]. These days, I eat a lot less of it, but I still appreciate it.

So, when I saw a brochure advertising the Chocolate Tasting Club, my interest was aroused. They were offering an introductory selection of seriously good chocolates for £9.95. Now that’s a lot of money for a fairly small (less than a pound) box of chocoaltes, but these looked like an interesting selection of very high quality chocolates indeed. So, I filled in the form on the website, and within a few days the box arrived[4].

I’ve now tried at least one of each of the varities in the box - there are fifteen different chocolates in this selection, and they’re all of excellent quality. Only one isn’t really to my taste (it has a heavy dose of Amaretto, an almond liqueur that I’m not really keen on), but the rest range from “good” through “very good” to “it’s a good job I haven’t got a big box of this one, cos I’d eat the lot”.

The ongoing deal is this: every month (or less often if I choose[6]), they’ll send me another selection of chocolates of similar quality. The price is more than the introductory offer, but based on this package, it’s worth it.

I’ll also have the chance to buy other selections, and I’ll get a discount on chocolates from the club’s parent company. Seems like a good deal to me.

I’m working on the theory that if I’m going to eat less chocolate, I might as well have the seriously good stuff, and this is a good way of trying a selection of seriously good chocolates that I wouldn’t normally get close to.

[1] That’s another one of those understatement things I come up with now and then
[2] Possible exaggeration[3]
[3] But not by much
[4] Well packed in an outer box designed to fit through the letter box, which is a Good Thing[5]
[5] Not that I’d object to a trip to the sorting office for good chocolate
[6] Not very likely

Take your minds out of the gutter, please. I had a rather nice footlong sarnie from the Subway shop across the road from the office. This was described as a Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki and consisted of a large chunk of Parmesan Oregano bread[1], some nicely seasoned hot chicken, cheese, several kilos of salady bits[2] including sliced jalapenos and a very nice sweet onion sauce[4]. Rather bigger and more expensive than the usual cheese ploughman’s or cheese savoury, but very nice indeed.

[1] 12 inches of it, in fact
[2] Possible exaggeration[3]
[3] But not by much
[4] Hence the name

On Wednesday, Michèle and Martin continued their visit. In the morning, they had a look at some of the sights of Gateshead and Newcastle[1], before coming to the office to meet me for lunch. We had a beer and a bite at the always excellent Old George, then I sent them off to see Tynemouth Priory.

After work, we met for a drink, and were then joined by my assistant Aaron[2] and his friend Stephen:

Stephen had another engagement, but Aaron joined us for a meal at the Shangri-La Chinese restaurant, with a couple of bottles of wine. Michèle and Martin then came back home with me, where we managed another bottle of wine.

They’re now moving on to Scotland, and I’ve left them to sort themselves out. It was fun having them around, and made quite a change for me.

[1] Yes, we do have some
[2] Time you updated your site, Aaron

…is really nice, but I think I’ve done it a bit too much this week.

Tuesday: had a big lunch in London with a colleague, including some wine, and had a couple of drinks and a light meal in the evening.

Wednesday: dinner on the train, and a half-bottle of wine

Thursday: Chinese meal, wine[1], drinks[2], got home after 1am

Friday: drinks after work, pizza, etc

No wonder my weight is up this week……

[1] Is it a good or bad thing when the waiter knows what wine I’m going to order?
[2] Understatement

I’ve been a fan of Wolf Blass wines for quite a few years now, particularly the rather delightful Yellow Label Cabernet Sauvignon, which has been a particular favourite of mine since I first sampled it at a work do. I’m pleased to say that the 2002 vintage (the one on general sale now) has now matured to the point where it’s as rich and wonderful as some of the previous years I’ve enjoyed. If you like full-bodied Australian red wines, this is as good as any in its price range, and a lot better than most. Better than some costing a lot more, even. Available from Oddbins and Tesco amongst other places. My preference is for Tesco, as I get Clubcard points, and if I spend over £99 delivery is free…

Went for a walk before dinner, ending up at the huge branch of Waterstone’s on Deansgate. This is a seriously big bookshop, with an enormous range in stock. I then wandered back in the general direction of food. I nearly went for the standard option of Pizza Hut, but was saved by the fact that the nearest branch had people waiting to be seated, and an apparent lack of staff to look after them. So, I did the sensible thing and went back to Portland Street. I wandered up and down for a while, looking at the menus, and trying to decide what I wanted. After a bit of dithering, I eventually decided to visit the Siam Orchid Thai restaurant.

The restaurant was busy, but I was immedaitely shown to a table, and service throughout was prompt, friendly and polite. I started with the Thai equivalent of spring rolls - small, crisp, very tasty, and served with a rather nice chilli sauce for dipping. That was followed by chicken cooked in chilli and garlic with egg fried rice. This was delicious. Definitely top of my list for my next visit to Manchester. I rounded the meal off with a slice of cheesecake. All good stuff, the house red wine was rather more drinkable than some I’ve had, and the total bill was just over £20, which seemed like a good deal to me.

One other thing I liked. Unlike most Chinese restaurants, Thai restaurants (the ones I’ve visited, anyway) are a little more friendly to klutzy westerners. What you get on your table is a fork and a spoon. If you want chopsticks (and you’re one of those people who can use them[1]), they will happily provide them, of course.

[1] Unlike me…

Wednesday’s dinner ended up being Mexican, at El Macho on Portland Street. Nachos to start[1], then chicken chimichangas[2]. Had a couple of Margaritas, which were also rather nice.

[1] Very nice. Very generous topping

[2] Big rolled tortilla filled with chicken, deep fried, served with rice, beans and salad. Very tasty, very filing.