David Jenkins' weblog

Life’s too short to drink instant coffee

Category: restaurants

  • Tokyo revisted; 13-15 Jun 12

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    I first went to Tokyo some 40 years ago. I worked in the oil and gas business and wrote computer programs which ran on big fat mainframes and were used to support contract negotiations between my employer at the time, Shell, and its Japanese utility company customers. This meant that I enjoyed 2 extended stays…

  • Shanghai nights (2; and 1 in Guangzhou)

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    Sometimes it’s best to turn left. In fact it’s advice that the current UK government could well heed. I wouldn’t expect the dominant Tories to think that way of course but their Lib Dem coalition partners could well behave a little more left like. Not left like the labour party mind but a little more…

  • Blue Lion, Hardwick; 24 Feb 12

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    I’ve known Eddie for over 40 years. We were at Churchill together albeit that I was a year ahead of him. We were both natural scientists with a focus on chemistry and we both coxed although Eddie was more full-time whereas I just sort of filled in when I was needed.

  • Rose and Crown, Histon; 12 Jan 12

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    I live in Histon. It’s a large village north of Cambridge and separated from it by the notorious A14. It’s closely connected to a sister village, Impington, and later this year the two villages will be ‘joined’ resulting in just one community council although the individual parishes will continue to exist.

  • Xmas dinner at the Glee Club: Dec 11

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    There’s a difference between a city and a big town (or in the case of Cambridge, a big village). We all know what it is instinctively but sometimes it’s difficult to set down what the precise criteria are. But one of them is perhaps that cities have comedy clubs, big towns don’t.

  • 2 days and a wedding in Wentbridge: Sep 11

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    Where? Wentbridge is to the west of the A1(M) close to the junction with the M62. It could be in South Cambs: well-kept village, parish council, good local pub and high property prices. But they do speak different. Wentbridge is in Yorkshire.

  • another Indian: Zara in Great Shelford; 6 Aug 11

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    It was a promising start to Saturday: if you can regard a somewhat surreal encounter with the Italian language as promising.

  • Mozart’s Bistro, Newmarket Races; 17 Jun11

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    Remember wedding anniversary: tick. Arrange suitable celebratory event: tick; we were going to see Jools Holland at a Newmarket races music night. Ensure good weather: oh dear!

  • Villa Ratingen, Ratingen near Dusseldorf; 16 May 11

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    I don’t visit Germany very often these days so I enjoyed a quick trip over last week to visit InterPack, the big triennial packaging show in Dusseldorf. Hotels at the times of big shows double their prices and then double them again but I left it till the last-minute and got a really good deal at…

  • St Pancras Grand; 11 Mar 11

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    The train ticketing systems in the UK defy logic but fortunately if you can find your way around them there are some super deals to be made. Last Friday I needed to begin my day in Catalonia and to end in Sheffield. I didn’t really want to be driving north late at night so the…