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Lotus Garden, Gerrard Street, London


As we are living in our third age a visit to a West End theatre is most likely to be for the matinee performance, as it was today. This has many benefits, for example, the inbound train is not only cheaper but less commuter-filled and better value. Conversely, for the occasional travellers the station car park is hideously expensive (£8.50 for the day is steep for those of us without much in the way of earned income) even if it has plentiful vacant spaces, something that was not the case in my own decades of commuting.

Another benefit is that it encourages us to 'make a day of it' and fit in additional cultural experiences. Today we began with a trip to the British Library where an exhibition entitled 'Breaking the News' illustrated how news has been gathered, edited and distributed over the last 500 or so years, and whether it can be trusted. Very interesting. Then followed the matinee performance of To Kill a Mockingbird, which deserved the standing ovation we, and the other members of the audience, gave it. Both of us had privately to wipe away a tear, such was the emotion captured in the delivery of the moving and challenging story.

We had enjoyed a coffee and a pastry at the Library in the late morning but nothing afterwards, so we were ready for an alfresco meal in Chinatown by 6pm. After a quick stroll through the crowded streets and a quick nip into a Chinese supermarket to pick up a bottle of plum wine, we selected the Lotus Garden. They were busy so there was a little wait to be served which was ok by us as it gave us the opportunity to study other people's food as it was served.

We avoided the set menus and chose: prawn crackers, sesame prawn toast, egg fried rice, chicken chow mein and crispy fried beef in chilli. In other words we had what we could have had from the local takeaway, but we're happy to pay the premium in exchange for the occasion. The food was freshly cooked and tasty, all dishes were good examples of their type, if unadventurous. 

An excellent day out; even the train home was kindly on time.

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