Birthday dinner and show

Diabetics, dentists and healthy-eaters, please look away now.

I made Nigella's Chocolate Malteser cake for Mr K-E's birthday. Baking is fun but it makes you realise how much sugar there is in cake. There is more than 600g of sugar altogether in this little baby - more than half a kilo hahahaha.

(Note that Mr K-E and I are perfectly capable of eating this cake between the two of us, over a few days)

We went out for dinner before going to watch the new Lord of the Rings show at the Drury Lane theatre in Covent Garden.

The Bank restaurant in Aldwych. It is closing on July 20th, which is a shame because it's lovely inside. Mr K-E likes the glass sheets hanging over your head while you eat.

My starter. Roast beef salad.
















Mr K-E's main course. Codling fillet with pea risotto.













My main course. Mushroom encroute with spinach veloute. I looked up veloute when I got home. Apparently it is one of the classic "mother" sauces of French cooking. It's like a bechamel sauce, but made with stock instead of milk.










Mr K-E's pudding. Apple tart with vanilla ice cream.









Then we went to watch the show. My verdict : Too long. Too many ballads. Not enough big musical-style set pieces with formation dancing. A bit boring.

We were right at the top and the theatre was unbearably hot. Two women who were sitting next to me left during the interval. Why can't theatres in London invest in some Brunei super air-con? It wasn't even that hot outside; I can't imagine what it must be like when it's high summer.