I have a leaky radiator. My bed has it’s own little lagoon – if I hang my feet over the edge of the mattress I can paddle in it. I’m sort of used to the damp now, which I’m led to believe is not the right attitude to take when it comes to plumbing.
My life is currently distinctly unglamorous. I spend my days working, studying, or feeling guilty about not working and studying. I’m living with a glamour model, a Hungarian body builder and an Italian married couple. I still do not know their names.
On Wednesday I took the day off work to sit a media law exam. When it was over I took the train from Wimbledon to Temple and walked to Covent Garden.
Everything was a bright and alive and I felt the urge to document it somehow. I decided to take as many photos as I could on my phone – hence the graininess. Reluctantly, I resigned myself to the fact that life doesn’t always have to be presented in HD
Whenever I think about Covent Garden it’s swimming in its own long twilight shadows. The entertainers are terrible, the crowds unbearable, but somehow the light is different to the rest of London. It always feels like a summer’s evening.
I walked towards Trafalgar Square. The sky – the fragile duck egg blue of early spring – offered a suggestion of warmth. The National Gallery still felt like it did on my first school trip to London. It’s the smell, I think.
I spent an hour looking at the collection of Peder Balke’s arctic landscapes. He painted wilderness and ice and solitude. The exhibition is the best thing I’ve seen in a long time.
Later, in Cecil Court I found a book published in 1873 about the adventures of Pluck and Blossom. Whenever P&B got into any sort of scrape they were saved by Jesus, who seemed to be in charge of law enforcement.
In Chinatown I bought pak choi, fresh noodles and oyster sauce. And mystery Chinese pastries, of course.
As the light began to fade I headed to Canary Wharf (my adopted second home: there’s not a leaky radiator in sight and there’s a guy there who makes a pretty good cooking partner).
We ate bowls of noodles with flash fried steak and pak choi. Spicy, hearty and perfect for a tired person. Again, excuse the hilariously terrible photo (unglamorous real life captured on an old iPhone is the theme of this post, if you couldn’t tell).
Beef and Pak Choi Noodles (adapted from this recipe at Delicious Magazine)
(Feeds four people)
225g dried egg noodles
300g lean steak, such as minute steak or thinly sliced sirloin
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tsp rice wine vinegar
1 red chilli, seeds removed
1 bunch spring onions, chopped diagonally
5cm fresh ginger, cut into matchsticks
100g bean sprouts
- If using dried noodles, bring a large pan of lightly salted water to the boil. Add the noodles and cook for 4 minutes, until just tender. Drain and set aside. If using fresh, just add them straight to the wok in the final two minutes.
- .Cut the steak into thin slices, about 2cm wide. Spread out on a plate and season. In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, oyster sauce and vinegar. Set aside.
- .Heat the oil in a wok or large, non-stick deep frying pan over a high heat. Add the steak and stir-fry for 1 minute, until just cooked. Lift out with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the ginger, pak choi, spring onions, chilli and beansprouts. Stir-fry for 1 minute.
- Return the beef to the pan along with the noodles, soy and oyster sauce mixture. Briefly toss together, until heated through.
To The Table 