Table talk
For what we are about to receive… eventually
The new parish priest of St Patrick's Catholic church in London's Soho hopes to reach his congregation's souls via their stomachs. Father Alexander Sherbrooke - who said West End parishes had been described as "spiritual snack bars" - wants to provide something a bit more nutritious in a place that is "hedonistic and anti-God". His projects to respiritualise the area include a restaurant for those rich in material wealth but poor in spirit. However, his reliance on God - and local businesses - for funding, means the restaurant could take two to three years to open. Soho's nocturnal exotica will have to fast in the wilderness a little longer before the feasting begins.
Spotting a window of opportunity
Anna Dowling, general manager at Marriott County Hall in London, spotted a new sales target while celebrating Whitbread's 50th place in the Sunday Times Top 100 Companies to Work For. Guest speaker Patricia Hewitt, trade and industry secretary, was complaining that she sometimes slept on the floor of her windowless office while waiting for late-night Commons voting. "She should be staying with us. Her pager will work across the Thames - I'll write to her tomorrow," said Dowling.
Could have knocked her down with a feather
Rita Blight, manageress of the Three Golden Cups pub in Southerndown in the Vale of Glamorgan, could have been forgiven for thinking she was in an Alfred Hitchcock film when she found dozens of dead birds strewn on the pavement outside her pub. The macabre find followed a night when locals reported "a hell of a noise" from hundreds of Scandinavian redwings flying over the town. "They hadn't been attacked, and their wings were folded. It was like they had just dropped from the sky," said Blight. The incident is being investigated by a Welsh Assembly wildlife adviser.
After eighths, anyone?
Yo! Sushi founder Simon Woodroffe wants to open a restaurant or bar where people can smoke cannabis once it is legalised. But the new venture would not be a "tacky" Amsterdam-style cannabis caf‚, he says. Oh no. It would be "an elegant place to go and have a joint after dinner".
Clever card trick from Premier Lodge?
The leaflet advertising Premier Lodge's new corporate account card has a specimen card on the front cover bearing the name Mrs C Leaver. Can it really be a coincidence that the boss of Premier Lodge's biggest rival, Travel Inn, is none other than Carl Leaver? Surely his wife would never stay at a Premier Lodge, except perhaps to check out the competition? We think we should be told.
Bring me an alligator curry - and make it snappy
An Indian restaurant in Wolverhampton is offering cobra, frog and zebra curries. Chef Juel Miah imports the meats specially for his own recipes. He also serves up camel, buffalo, boar, kangaroo, ostrich, and alligator, having developed his taste for unusual meats while working in Australia. He wants to give customers a balti with that extra kick, bite and bounce, he explained. The cobra curry, which tastes similar to squid, is the most expensive dish at £35.
