Hypatia Avenue

"My Perfect Saturday"

I've been asked by Londonist what my perfect Sunday would be - it took some thought but I think I've nailed it. And as for my perfect Saturday? Well, it would be an almost exact duplication of the most recent Saturday I spent with Taxloss...

Got up late. Sat around in the kitchen with the Flatmate, eating cold leftover pasta, reading the papers and Private Eye, chatting idly over coffee about triathlons, bikes and team sports vs. solo sports.

Went to the market for fruit and vegetables and a general stretching of the legs.

Did domestic chores with the fiance that were an absolute pleasure because we were doing them together; sharing jokes and talking to each other while folding laundry is surprisingly pleasant in the right company.

Wrapped up warm and headed to Brixton for dinner and a film at the Ritzy. We were initially keen on sushi but spotted the highly recommended (by Planet Halder no less, whose recommendations I take very seriously!) Asmara restaurant was empty and having decided together that we wanted something more substantial and frankly warmer than sushi, we went in and had the most amazing Eritrean meal.

We chose well: dullet (chopped liver and tripe) for him and the spiced meat stew selection for me with lentils on the side, all served on lovely injera which looked like very flat crumpets and tasted of slightly sour pancakes. All of it was delicious, comforting and once we got used to eating with our hands, the mound of food disappeared quickly. We also got the chance to see the coffee ceremony without ordering any of it ourselves - another table had ordered coffee but we hadn't risked it because our film was about to start. The waitress nonetheless brought out the roasting coffee beans still in their hot pan and brought them to each table, shaking them in their pot to waft the smell to us. There must have been more ceremony to follow but we had to get to the cinema so left, sated and seduced by the food and the whole experience.

And what film did we see after our Eritrean treat? The Constant Gardener - an excellent film that far exceeded both our expectations and also followed up our African meal very nicely. We got the tube home and were in time to watch the repeat of Never Mind the Buzzcocks - I can barely begin to recap the long gag about Liza Minelli having a deep fat fryer in her womb that meant she could fire chips out of her vagina, so I won't. But you can imagine how much we laughed at this particular episode.

Then we went to bed, knowing the flat was tidy due to our efforts earlier in the day and that the Sunday papers were already in the flat so our Sunday was looking pretty good already...

... not exactly the wildest or wackiest of Saturdays but definitely one of the nicest. How was yours?