My New Years Eve

It was another first for me last night: a New Years Eve spent in the UK. The last three have been in Sydney, the South China Seas and Cape Town respectively.

New Years Eve is overrated, an excuse for restaurants to charge much more and the minicabs taking you there and back.

However it is also the birthday of my godson’s mother so I decided to invite both to a pantomime and for a dinner afterwards.

We saw Aladdin starring Paul Merton as Widow Twankey. I enjoyed the production, particularly the special effects as spiders, bats and all manner of horrible things flew out of the cave.

It’s quite demanding for the cast who have to work a young audience, act sing and dance with sometimes three performances in one day.

After a reviving nap we headed off to San Lorenzo Fouriporta, one of our favorites.

It’s an old fashioned Italian restaurant founded by Lorenzo and Maru Berni who also owned the fashionable San Lorenzo in Beauchamp Place.

The two sons now run the operation. They offer a 3 course menu with complimentary champagne.

Regulars go there every year to see in the next one.

The food – bresaola, halibut and a semi-freddo was tasty.

We saw in the New Year in a unusual indeed I would say unique way.

Ghigo, one of the sons, had been reading about religion and wanted greater elaboration on the Holy Trinity. My godson’s mother being a RI teacher was in a position to supply this which she did.

By 1.00 am I was wilting more than my godson and was pleased by the arrival of the minicab to take us home.

For the second night running I was agreeably surprised to enjoy an evening for which I carried low expectations.