Halfbakery: Meeting
London Oct 2008   (+10, -4)  [vote for, against]
two cups of something

I'm going to be in London for most of the first three weeks in October this year. Is the Marquess of Anglesey still a good place to meet 'bakers? Or perhaps some other, entirely different Covent Garden pub?
-- pertinax, May 23 2008

The Bleeding Heart http://www.bleeding...uk/bistro/index.php
Invented by someone French, sort of. [pertinax, May 25 2008]

Ye Olde Mitre http://www.fancyapint.com/pubs/pub92.html
[zen_tom, Aug 05 2008]

Ye Olde Mitre - Google Maps http://maps.google....9,0.001534&t=h&z=19
Hint: Look for the blue Mitre on the lampost on Hatton Garden, near the alley. [Dub, Aug 06 2008]

The British Invention Show http://www.britishinventionshow.com/show/
Alexandra Palace, London - 15th- 18th October 2008. [Dub, Oct 13 2008]

Good luck, have fun. Tell us if you run into any of us.
-- Ozone, May 23 2008


[-] 'cause I can't go.
-- phoenix, May 23 2008


Should be there, with luck. Toodle-pip.
-- AbsintheWithoutLeave, May 23 2008


Thats a good spot to start with. We don't drink there all the time, just when we are meeting up!
We REALLY need to consider food next time (again!) though.
-- gnomethang, May 23 2008


AWoL - believe it when I see it
-- po, May 23 2008


I'll be there or thereabouts on October 1st if that's any good.

Food? Pah! It's overrated ;-) !?!?
-- Jinbish, May 23 2008


[po] Ditto.
-- AbsintheWithoutLeave, May 24 2008


:)
-- po, May 24 2008


For more of a foody focus, how about the Bleeding Heart in Farringdon? I mean the bistro-ish upstairs part, not the posh restaurant in the cellar... unless we're all feeling unusually prosperous.
-- pertinax, May 25 2008


Unfortunately, [Jinbish], my flight in doesn't land until the 2nd, so the 1st won't quite work.

Now, I seem to remember that [hippo] can't do Tuesdays. Are there any other dates / days of the week that anyone would like to block out?

I should probably eliminate the 18th.
-- pertinax, May 25 2008


Yarrr, the Bleeding Heart in Farringdon is a great place - got to get in early to secure seatage though.
-- zen_tom, May 26 2008


I would love to attend. Maybe I will. I've just moved to Ireland, but I'll bump this if it looks like I'll have UK based work during October.
-- wagster, May 26 2008


// I've just moved to Ireland, //
[wags] Was it something I said?
-- AbsintheWithoutLeave, May 26 2008


It might have been. Did you say "The west coast of Ireland is a peaceful, quiet place with lovely views and great fishing."?
-- wagster, May 26 2008


//I seem to remember that [hippo] can't do Tuesdays// - Thursdays now - art class has moved to Thursday.
-- hippo, May 26 2008


Bonjour, I may well be available for booze, but not food. Never food. I belong to the [Jinbish] school of thought:

Eating is cheating.
-- theleopard, May 29 2008


Although, [theleopard], I have to admit that the last time I subscribed to my own school of thought (in the Marquess of Anglesey), I was a little bit red-eyed and more than a bit "Barry White" at my presentation the next day...

(On saying that, I think that the husky, gravelly, some-might-say-broken voice gave my talk a certain gravitas. As if delivered by James Earl Jones himself - as Darth Vader)
-- Jinbish, May 29 2008


[theleopard], Arnie might disagree.

Date depending, I might be able to make it.
-- hidden truths, May 29 2008


I hope to be there
-- Dub, May 29 2008


Hasta la pizza, bay-bee...

Like that?
-- theleopard, May 29 2008


Pub's are for drinking. Restaurants for eating.

October is a long way off but I'll stick it in my diary ...the meeting that is, not October. Obviously I already have October in my diary.
-- DrBob, May 29 2008


// As if delivered by James Earl Jones himself - as Darth Vader)//
Yes,but your voice always sounds different to yourself than it does to others.
YOU may have heard Darth Vader,THEY might have got a Half-drunk Glaswegian.
Lets hope it was the other way round.
-- gnomethang, May 29 2008


Hmm, Vader as a hungover Glaswegian...
"Aye, I am yer faither"
-- AbsintheWithoutLeave, May 29 2008


Loook, I'rrm yir Fayther, ken? (possible link to Irvin Welsch-Ambraic post?)
-- 4whom, May 29 2008


No, I think I've linked to my ideas enough for one day. But thanks for mentioning it.
-- theleopard, May 29 2008


OK, time to narrow this down to, I think, the week from Monday 13th to Friday 17th, excluding Thursday 16th (for [hippo]'s art class).

Maybe Friday 17th would be best, because not a school night.

For the 'eating is cheating' school of thought I suggest that, supper having been eaten at the Bleeding Heart from, say, 7:00pm, we kick on to meet up with you elsewhere at, say, 8:00pm? I seem to remember that the neighbourhood is not short of retail outlets for alcohol.

I think there's a nicely out-of-the-way one with low lintels down an alleyway in the direction of Hatton Garden, but I can't quite remember.
-- pertinax, Aug 05 2008


//I think there's a nicely out-of-the-way one with low lintels down an alleyway in the direction of Hatton Garden, but I can't quite remember.//

Are you perhaps thinking of Ye Olde Mitre?
-- zen_tom, Aug 05 2008


Yes, that was the one - thank you.
-- pertinax, Aug 05 2008


YOM - Is nice, and It's not hard to find, once you know it's down a dark-ish alley... and is guarded by Cerberus... Oh, and FYI - it has been closed on one HalfCon attempt (But that's OK - There's another pub - Coach and Horses? - the other end of Hatton Garden) - Linky

{I was kidding about the Cerberus bit}
-- Dub, Aug 06 2008


YOM Closed on Saturdays. Pretty sure Fridays is OK.
-- gnomethang, Aug 06 2008


Has anyone got three ordinary dogs and some duct tape?
-- pertinax, Aug 06 2008


Hmmm, I've been planning to visit my friends in London sometime soon and they live mere blocks from the location you've picked. Not committing yet, but there is a possibility...
-- krelnik, Aug 07 2008


OK, I'm in-country and booking a table at the Bleeding Heart bistro for 7:00pm on the 17th. Would anyone like to commit, so I can guess the right number to book for?
-- pertinax, Oct 03 2008


7pm is a little early to get in from the Outer Sticks, but I'll do my very bestest.
-- AbsintheWithoutLeave, Oct 03 2008


Curses!

I have a meeting down that way on the 14th. If only...

{Plus, I am a member of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society - which has a branch round the corner from the Bleeding Heart}
-- Jinbish, Oct 03 2008


//I am a member of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society //
Does one have to be a full-blooded Caledonian to qualify for membership, or does marriage suffice?
-- AbsintheWithoutLeave, Oct 03 2008


Actually, nationality is irrelevant; your membership fees are what count!
-- Jinbish, Oct 03 2008


I will do my very best. We have a Golf Society Day in the Sticks but if I cadge a lift they can kick me out at a local station.
I also have the opportunity to crash in London as well which is nice...
-- gnomethang, Oct 03 2008


Would it help if we pushed the supper back to 7:30, and then the pub to 8:30?
-- pertinax, Oct 04 2008


I'll be there - [jb] if you're around on the 14th and start to feel thirsty, give me a call!
-- zen_tom, Oct 04 2008


<tumbleweeds>

.

.

Thank you, [zen_tom]; any other takers?
-- pertinax, Oct 06 2008


I shall be there. It doesn't really matter on the time - I will either get back home from Golf and get a train up or ask a friend to drive and kick me out at Edenbridge. 7 or 7:30 p.m. is fine.

*EDIT* Your email from administrator@moun....... bounced back either 'cos it was
<<< 552 5.2.2 Over quota
554 5.0.0 Service unavailable
<<< 503 5.5.1 No recipients

-- gnomethang, Oct 06 2008


You might like to try that again now.
-- pertinax, Oct 10 2008


Enjoy yourselves! I'll be passing through at the end of November in case anyone is in need of going out for a beer. Which seems likely knowing you lot.
-- wagster, Oct 10 2008


Despite actually living in London and therefore not having the travelling problems the rest of you have, I'm unlikely to be able to make it on the 14th - or if I do, it wouldn't be until late-ish. Just in case, does anyone know which pub you'll be at yet?
-- hippo, Oct 10 2008


I think the 14th is currently looking a little bleak (unless [jb] is suddenly overtaken by a massive and overwhelming thirst), with the preferred date of choice appearing to nudge itself towards the 17th.
-- zen_tom, Oct 10 2008


Well, I'm going to be in Sussex on the 14th, so - with apologies to his grace the '[bish], I'll have to stick to the 17th. The staff at the Bleeding Heart had difficulty with the idea of a pseudonymous booking, so the table we have (still at 7:00, unless advised otherwise) is in the name of Griffiths [who he? - Ed.] and I'm still expecting to be hanging around the bar of Ye Olde Mitre from 8:00-ish.

You'll easily be able to recognize me as the one you haven't met before, 5' 11", receding fair hair, mad staring eyes, brown moleskin jacket*. I should probably devise some corny red-carnation-type token as well, but I haven't yet. Will think about that further.

*No moles were harmed in the making of this annotation.
-- pertinax, Oct 11 2008


//I should probably devise some corny red-carnation-type token as well//
How about a stylish demi-croissant butonniere?
-- AbsintheWithoutLeave, Oct 11 2008


and you couldn't mistake the little fat red one with the aerial...
-- po, Oct 11 2008


How should I fit the aerial to the carnation?
-- pertinax, Oct 12 2008


I'll be there. Are we expecting a Po?
-- gnomethang, Oct 12 2008


(No worries [ptnx], hope y'all have a fab time!)
-- Jinbish, Oct 13 2008


I think [Awol] and [po] are really the same person... I know them both, but I've never seen them both in the same place at the same time. Come on! Prove me wrong.

BTW - I may be going to the British Invention Show at Alexandra Palace beforehand [linky]. If anyone would care to join me?
-- Dub, Oct 13 2008


//I know them both, but I've never seen them both in the same place at the same time//
Or maybe we're both just a figment of your fevered imagination.
Kind of like Paul Bettany in that Russell Crowe movie. But more attractive.
-- AbsintheWithoutLeave, Oct 13 2008


Is there a reasonably definitive show of hands and time for this?
I am teeing off early in the morning and will be able to get back home before getting to town so no worries time wise.
Location is still the Bleeding Heart I guess.
-- gnomethang, Oct 13 2008


//Is there a reasonably definitive show of hands//
<raises hand> I'm aiming for 7pm (I'll be very hungry by then), though I don't know about my alter ego (see above) </rh>
-- AbsintheWithoutLeave, Oct 14 2008


Have a beer for me, would you? I think I'll go down the local and have a beer for you...
-- wagster, Oct 14 2008


<Raised hand>Yup...</rh> Do we have to book?

(Will there be hats?)
-- Dub, Oct 14 2008


I'm vacillating now. Trains can get me to The Mitre by 7:30 but I've only got two hours drinking time before I have to head back again. Oh, why is life so difficult?
-- DrBob, Oct 15 2008


//I'm vacillating now//
<shouts> Nurse!
Charge the de-vacillator to 200Joules and get me three units of resolve, cross-matched NOW!
We're not losing [DrBob] on my shift. </s>
-- coprocephalous, Oct 15 2008


//Oh, why is life so difficult?//

"Man's reach must exceed his grasp, or what's a remote-controlled grabber thing for?"
-- pertinax, Oct 15 2008


//Do we have to book? //

Well, I've currently got a table for six, of which only three or four are definitely taken, not counting you, [dub]. So, the booking as it stands will probably be OK, but if more than two other bakers want to eat with us who haven't said so yet, then I'll probably need to update the booking, since I believe the place gets quite crowded.

Not sure about hats. I might have a crude flag of some sort.
-- pertinax, Oct 15 2008


I'll have to bring a stool with gonflable legs then.
-- skinflaps, Oct 15 2008


I'd like to eat, if others are, but I don't mind sharing a bag of chips with [skinflaps]
-- Dub, Oct 16 2008


..and a hot battered (feathered) saveloy.
-- skinflaps, Oct 16 2008


what wagster said.
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Oct 17 2008


//what wagster said//
What, about living in the West of Ireland?
-- coprocephalous, Oct 17 2008


what wagster said...

...last.
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Oct 17 2008


'zactly.
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Oct 17 2008


I'm off to get a half-decent bottle of Aussie red and some turf for the fire. If anyone has a laptop with Skype, 3G and a webcam in the pub you can always conference me in - email me for the i.d.

Alternatively you could behave like non-geeks and just get wasted on beer like civilised people.

Naah... skype me.
-- wagster, Oct 17 2008


I am stuck In traffic and am unlikely to get there. Have fun and apologies to all Bazza
-- gnomethang, Oct 17 2008


//I am stuck In traffic and am unlikely to get there.//

Get out and start walking you lazy sod.
-- skinflaps, Oct 17 2008


Once again, the succubus of London transport has seen fit to fuck me in the arse. Having left the fellas almost 3 hours ago, I have just arrived home now. Don't fall asleep on the Northern Line kids. People in Edgware don't understand where you're from, wherever you're from. If you're not from Edgware, you're not from round there, and should be elsewhere. Well thanks Mr Transport man. 3 hours of buses later, and I'm still angry (at myself) for falling asleep. Why do I keep doing it? Every bastard time.

Twas a good night otherwise gentlemen.
-- theleopard, Oct 18 2008


do succubi do that? well you learn something every day.
-- po, Oct 18 2008


Good point. Where were you anyway [po]?
-- theleopard, Oct 18 2008


I managed the journey and met someone called kebab.
-- skinflaps, Oct 18 2008


//kebab// if I'd known he was there...
-- po, Oct 18 2008


My head is all numb and hurty - 'tis though it has emerged blinking at the end of some kind of booze apocalypse - I fear I may have talked complete bollocks for most (all?) of the evening. Simultaneous apologies and thanks to all those who were there last night.
-- zen_tom, Oct 18 2008


Oh, don't worry [po] was there! Weren't you [Awol]? I mean...

{And I was so certain [po] was going to turn up moments after [Awol] left, muttering something like "Someone clutching a Trilby to their head, which was down, and looked to be in a rush, just bumped into me down that dark and foggy alleyway... Funny, it looked like they had a Fish/Bun badge on their Crombie! Who was that?"}

[pertinax], nice to have met you.
-- Dub, Oct 19 2008


likewise
-- pertinax, Oct 19 2008


Hi to all, nice to have met you all (again, in some cases).

Here's to the next.

I suppose we'd better delete all this now before the management gets arsey.
-- AbsintheWithoutLeave, Oct 19 2008


//some kind of booze apocalypse//

Q: How jealous am I?
A: A lot.
-- Jinbish, Oct 21 2008


Likewise, sorry I couldn't make it.
-- hippo, Oct 21 2008


Now I'm home and dry and over the jetlag, I'd just like to thank everyone who made it.

[wagster] - sorry we didn't get organised enough to skype you in. Next time...
-- pertinax, Nov 02 2008



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