The other shocking thing is that you are not allowed to take any electronics into the embassy building. ANY! No laptops, no cameras, not even a car key fob. Hannah had to spend the day without her Blackberry, which was not a pleasant thing to witness, and I couldn't take any photos for the blog!
When we applied for our original visa back in 2008 we had the a fun experience of being told our forms hadn't printed out correctly (a dash down Oxford Street in the rain to an Internet cafe), then our photos being judged too low quality ("This won't do! This won't do!" whined the petty British bureaucrat). This time it was much smoother, but still involved an interview and a worrying moment when our old visas were cancelled - "Without prejudice" stamped in huge black letters across them. New documents are in the post, so left happy.
Then things got exciting. Long ago, after a business school interview in London while she was still applying, Hannah took herself off to a restaurant called Petrus that was run by super-chef Marcus Wareing. Since we've been away the restaurant has won two Michelin stars and be renamed to...Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley! This is obviously a sign, and today Hannah kept her promise of three years to take me there too. I was even allowed to order some food!
I won't bore you with the particulars, but needless to say it was fantastic, especially the artichoke soup with chestnut cream (in a shot glass, "drink it like a cappuccino"), the custard tart that was served at the Queen's birthday, and the fennel truffle from the bonbon trolley. And everything else. Just before pudding the maitre d' came up, asked if we'd been to the restaurant before, and then enquired whether we'd like a tour of the kitchens.
After Hannah had fallen off her chair, we got to go backstage and see everyone cooking! I learned important things, like there are two chefs who make only the garnishes, and that whoever isn't wearing a hat is the one in charge. Marcus himself wasn't there (he's opening another restaurant somewhere) but we got to talk to the friendly executive chef Darren about snails (they source theirs from Dorset Escargot, a few miles from where Hannah grew up).
Wow, it was great. As we wandered past Hyde Park in bright sunshine, on our way to the tube station, I began to feel some love for London. And coming from a rural Somerset boy, that's quite a statement.
So you don't go completely without a picture, here's super-cute Goddaughter Megan in her school uniform. They grow up so fast!
