On a grey, semi-warm Monday at the back end of last year, I almost hopped on one of Boris's bikes. They appear to have sprung up everywhere in the wake of their inception one year ago and they are as much a part of the tourist attraction of the city as well as something kind of hip for the Hoxton lot to make appearances on.
I decided against the idea for two reasons: 1) I'm not great on bikes and 2) I'm not sure how one actually goes about using one of these. I'm sure I could find all the information on line, but I was fairly stumped at the time, and on the south bank I declined to bike on. That I was there in the first place owed to a day off work and a desire to get a little more active. My surgery was still a few weeks away and I was annoyed at how lazy I had become. Several months later, things sadly haven't improved; I'm probably less active now than I've been in many years.
The other half and I had decided to walk from our home in west London to the Tate Britain, a fine and free institution which, whilst sometimes overwhelming, is nonetheless a decent day out if you are a little strapped for cash and want to look at some fine pictures. On the way, we stopped off for lunch at Earl's Court's most famous café, The Troubadour.
A prominent music and arts venue, the place has housed some truly iconic performers in its time. Any small pub (which essentially is what The Troubadour is) which had Bob Dylan play in it is worth a visit for my money, so what better way to check it out that with a pleasant late lunch? When I say "lunch", that's a bit unfair on them - it was going on half four by the time we got around to food, so we may perhaps have caught them off guard.
That's the excuse I'm going with, at least. The food at The Troubadour is not much cop. It might be that the best way to enjoy food here is swinging a flagon of ale on a Thursday night whilst the bar is filled with boozy punters in the mood for music and a lively evening, but as someone who does not drink, I would be hesitant about coming back here for food. That's not to say it's bad as such, just that it's not great.
We tried a breakfast, since that seems to be what they're fairly renowned for. It was essentially your run of the mill hotel breakfast. Nothing really struck home here. Same more or less went for the burger, the chips, the dessert - a poor apple crumble - and, in fact, the meal in general.
Erm... That's it actually. There's a lot to say about The Troubadour, but I wouldn't recommend you go there for anything food related unless it's a plate of something to chew whilst you're knocking back the booze late one night, or something to share with friends whilst a band or beat poet is on stage. The place has genuine character, despite being a bit tacky in places, but the food does not.
The Troubadour
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