Notting Hill, Hyde Park, and More Gallantry

Has anyone been recently to Notting Hill? If not, and if you have an urge to go there, just stream the movie and remember it the way it was. Because it isn't in movie land anymore, and why should it be? Notting Hill was filmed almost 15 years ago, and which of us looks the way we did in 1999? (I ask you).

I was in Notting Hill yesterday. After a certain amount of seeking its former splendor, I walked in the rain down to Selfridges, an upscale and lovely department store on Oxford Street. But on the way there, I saw a restaurant that I thought just might bake me up a likely scone:

The Urban Meadow Cafe

This scone was fantastic, and contained all the required elements of a satisfying scone-ish treat. But the tea itself wasn't quite as fulfilling. Sad! You can see in the picture above that the clear glass teapot contained leaf tea. This is normally superb and unassailable. But the taste this time was just not there. On the whole, the SconeLady gives this cream tea an 8!

As I entered Hyde Park, a young German man was looking lost and asked if I knew where the Science Museum was. We hailed a workman in an orange vest who was driving a sort of extended golf cart. He tried to tell us where it was, but finally gave up and said, 'Get in and I'll take you there.' This then became a 45 minute driving tour of Kensington Gardens, Kensington Palace, Hyde Park, Peter Pan, and the relationship between Victoria and Albert! The young German and I were quite impressed. 

Selfridges was awesomely posh, the walking was fearsomely wet, and at the end of it all, an impressive beef brisket dinner was served to me by friend Rosie's four children. For a small country, this United Kingdom sure does have a lot of heart.

See you along the way!

the SconeLady