No washing up

From among all household chores, washing up is probably top of my hate list. So, one of the advantages of eating out, is that the washing up is done for you!

Last week, I went to Skylon for dinner. We had a great table, overlooking the Thames. Unfortunately, the photos didn't turn out that great due to the lighting - or rather lack of lighting. So, you will have to go yourselves to check it out. I would certainly recommend the place. It's a bit on the pricey side, but the food was delicious and the service very attentive and friendly.

One thing keeps astonishing me even after so many years in the UK: restaurants - no matter what price class - are just always so noisy. People seem to start shouting as soon as they sit down in a restaurant. It doesn't matter what time of day, it doesn't matter whether the place is full or empty. I don't know whether I am remembering German restaurants through rose-tinted hearing aids, but I don't think we get as shouty as the lot over here. Has anyone else noticed this phenomenon?

And here's what I had:

Scallops and boudin noir

• pan fried scallops, black pudding, confit granny smiths, roast apple puree

Beef

• tournedos surf and turf, fillet steak with butter poached lobster, BBQ hollandaise, onion rings

Crepe Suzette

And this came with coffee - I was full by then, so couldn't eat another thing!