Food and drink...

We had lunch yesterday in what used to be city centre pub Lloyds but, in a cynical fit of cashing in on the forthcoming celebrations to mark 200 years since the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act, has been re-named The William Wilberforce. It used to be a bank (yes, a Lloyds) and is quite a nice old building but there aren't any Wilberforce connections that I'm aware of, nor are there any images, old documents or anything else re slavery (although I suspect the underpaid overworked staff might beg to differ). Far too many young kids in there, all being allowed to run wild around the place by their drunken parents. Old Will would be proud of the Mushroom Dopiaza we had, though, it was lovely, and would surely have approved of the 2 for £5 offer. Keen to get away from other people's irritating kids we decided to have dessert elsewhere and headed over to the nautically-decorated Minerva, a hit with sea-lubbers, which is at the side of the Humber and just across the way from Hull's finest public toilets (which I heartily recommend). Five minutes in and a wayward youngster, Sasha, whose father was unable to control him and order beer at the same time, had sidled up to me to run his toy car up and down the back of the chair. Thankfully, after exploring the deepest, darkest corners of the pub hiding from his dad, Sasha chose to eat his fish fingers ("Sasha, listen to the menu. What do you want. Chicken Nuggets?" "Yes!" "Beefburger?" "Yes!" "Fish fingers?" "Yes!" "Okay, I've read out three things, and so far you say you want them all?" "Yes!" "Fish fingers, then. Beans or peas?" "Fish fingers! Fish fingers! Fish fingers!") elsewhere.
Keen to kill more brain cells, I met up with an actor pal last night. I'd planned on steering us towards the live music on offer at The Sesh but we ended up in the fancy-ale frenzy that is the Wellington, knocking back Erdinger after Erdinger to sooth the effect of being in the company of two of the old newspaper people. All of which accounts for the sore head and a desire to go watch the Jennifer Aniston rom-com The Break Up today, accompanied by M and me usual helping of nachos, cheesey sauce and jalapenos.