Monday, February 4, 2013

Our final last ever date night

A little over a week ago, TLOML and I went for a 'Last Ever Pre Baby Date Night' dinner. I was just 38 weeks pregnant, but we wanted to be prepared and have had a good date night in the bank in case the baby came early. We are, I think, the world's most overprepared parents-to-be.

We went to La Patagonia, an Argentine restaurant in Camden, which TLOML declared mucho authentico. He should know, given the amount of time he spends in Argentina 'on business' (eating steak). They have a proper parrilla grill to cook on, which the waiter proudly told us has already started several fires. TLOML had entrana, and I had grilled vegetables with sides of morcilla and chorizo.

All week long we talked about how delicious that dinner was.

6 days passed and still no baby. Delicious though La Patagonia was, we weren't sure how much longer we could savour the memory of that date night. So we went for another 'Last Ever Pre Baby Date Night' dinner. This time we went to Chicken Shop, a ten minute walk from Fox Corner. It's a hip rotisserie chicken place from the people behind The Electric and the gaggle of hip members' clubs and restaurants they have spawned.  It was quite the buzz when it opened in Kentish Town last summer, and we've been waiting for it no longer to be the hot new spot so we can try it. (We don't like to be ahead of the curve, with all the teething problems that entails).

The menu at Chicken Shop is beautifully simple. We ordered everything on it.
Well, excluding puddings, of course. That would be greedy. A whole chicken and four sides, by contrast, is just the sensible thing to do. The food was excellent, as it should be when the menu is that small. It is up there with Porchetta for making a virtue of only selling one thing, and doing it so well that that one thing is all you want to eat.

Best of all, we sat next to the Norfolk chicken farmer who supplies their chicken. We clocked him and his friend as soon as they walked in because they didn't look like the other clientele. In as much as they were 20 years older and, well, looked a little agricultural. He proudly told us that he supplied the chicken, and that Chris Martin (the singer, they helpfully clarified, not the football player) had eaten his chicken in this very restaurant. They were very proud, and rightly so.

So, now we have another great date night to reminisce about once the baby comes. She's due in about a week. If she's late, this could be a rather expensive month.

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