From Madame Tussauds to Marylebone Shops For Wine Tasting

Outside Baker Street station is the statue of Sherlock Holmes to welcome you. Cross the road and continue south down Baker Street for a trip past Bistrot de Luxe for a top grade lunch, and window shop at the chess and bridge shop - or take today's alternative route a block or two west to Marylebone for French wine, French cheese, English meat and chocolates.

   We went for a wine tasting at French wine shop Nicholas. Being French, Nicholas does not pronounce the s on his name but calls himself 'Nicola' which sounds like a girl's name to English speakers. Here he is in a French beret.

If you get on his mailing list you will be invited to free wine tasting from three or four bottles of wine. Unlike other places which charge and tell you weeks in advance, Nicholas often gives you only 24 or 48 hours notice, but if you are in the area, or have free time and are prepared to make a special trip to London, it's a bit of fun and an opportunity to try a new wine and meet somebody who can tell you about the wine.

 I am interested because a) I am taking a wine exam, just level one run by WSET.  The initial letters stand for Wine and Spirit Education Trust - a proper government recognised body which runs courses and exams leading to certification for exams recognised by the government - taken by people in the business, wine shop staff and sommeliers in restaurants and hotels.  

My next post is on the other shops in Marylebone High Street, Wairose and the White Shop, and in Moxon Street, The Ginger Pig and La Fromagerie for coffee and cake.

Bistrot De Luxe - More Information And Amusement

We spent the first ten minutes of our lunch commenting on the restaurant name.  Galvin, to me sounds like a cross between Calvin (as in Calvin Klein American youth clothing company) and the boy's name Gavin. It's actually a family name or surname, of two brothers Chris and Jeff Galvin.


    How do I know that? Because I took a photo of a card in the restaurant and read it when I got home later.

   Bistrot de luxe is an oxymoron, Greek for two contradictory words. Bistrot, French for cheap and cheerful, de luxe, French for of luxury.

    On the way in I'd noticed the heritage plaque on the wall next door recalling that this area was HQ for the SOE, Special Operations Executive, a polite word for spying for our side, initials not to be confused with SEO, which is Search Engine Optimization, which means marketing websites, or making yours most likely to be found by search software used by the consumer searching online on their computer at the desk, laptop or phone.
   If you are speaking about something secret, such as spying for a country or company, winning the lottery by gambling, your divorce, ex or current affair, don't sit at the too close for comfort tables opposite the door but tell the staff that like Greta Garbo you want to be alone. (I can tell you word for word the business conversation of the people who sat on my left and at one point my companions complained that I wasn't giving them my full attention.) If you have better hearing on one side than the other, try to sit so you hear your table and not the next one.