#759
Post
by andrews » Sat Nov 14, 2009 11:00 am
Last night, I met up with MariaLionza, who had been lucky enough to win a VIP 3 day stay in Durham. She kindly invited me to be her guest at the Gourmet Spot Restaurant, which was part of her prize and what a marvellous meal we had. I started with goat’s cheese, which came with assorted mushrooms and relishes on a rectangular piece of slate. I’ve never eaten off a roof tile before – it was different. The homemade bread rolls were sun-dried tomato – gorgeous. My main course was the Wild Mushroom Risotto, which had a foaming sage infusion and Parmesan crisps. This was followed by the piece de resistance – Tiramisu – served on a white rectangular plate. On the left was a scoop of mascarpone ice cream. And in the centre a shot glass filled with some creamy coffee mixture. To either side of the shot glass were two small pieces of very rich chocolate fondant, and the plate was decorated with tiny spoonfuls of coffee mousse and chocolate coated coffee beans. I couldn’t eat it all!
MariaLionza had butternut veloute – a meal in a bowl – to start, followed by the risotto, and her dessert was a fabulous chestnut cake, with ice cream and raisin compote. It looked terrific too. She offered me some, but I politely declined because I was too busy savouring every mouthful of my own.
I’ve never been to this restaurant before, because it is so expensive, but I think I will save up and go for a special occasion.
When we had finished our meal, we decided to walk down into Durham to see the Lumiere. The torrential rain did not deter us from our mission. This 4 day sound and light extravaganza has to be seen to be believed. The buildings, railway arches, and riverside were all illuminated in dazzling ways, which quite took my breath away. I have never seen Durham look so beautiful. The Cathedral was stunning: images were projected onto the façade, telling of its construction, and the stories of the saints associated with Durham. This was accompanied by music. The whole experience filled me with awe and wonder. I lost MartiaLionza several times on Palace Green as I stood there. She had the umbrella and her nifty little camera, and was taking as many photos as she could.
We finished our evening in one of my favourite haunts for a well deserved drink, before I phoned my taxi (husband) and we returned MariaLionza to her hotel.
I would like to thank MariaLionza again for her kindness. It was great meeting you, ML!
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