Oh, it's been one very busy week. Very unwell patients, case reports, meeting after meeting with VIMPs (Very Important Management People), exam revision, hundreds of 'urgent' emails, on call shifts...I was so ready for Friday even by Tuesday.
One of my oldest friends suggested a night out, having had a frazzled week as well, and we decided on dinner and a movie at The Light in central Leeds. Normally when we go out, some effort is involved- we get a little dressed up, we pick a nice restaurant (usually not a chain one) etc. However I didn't have enough time to get home to change between my last appointment of the day and come back to meet my friend, so I ended up at The Light an hour early, with no make-up on and still wearing day clothes.
The obligatory potter round the handful of shops took less than a quarter of an hour so I decided to just sit in La Bottega Milanese to wait with a drink, and read the news on my beloved iPhone.
La Bottega Milanese is run by Italian, Alex and is a late night espresso bar. They do the best coffees and a selection of delicious Italian food, sandwiches, cakes and pastries. However when I got there yesterday my eye was immediately drawn to the small list of cocktails that Alex has started to serve.
Amongst them was a Spritz- a mixture of Aperol (an Italian bitter and sweet orange aperitif), Prosecco, soda and a piece of fresh orange. Spritz cocktails are hugely popular in Italy, and I remember having them for the first time in the student bars of Venice's Dorsoduro district when I was at medical school. I searched high and low for Aperol on my return but no such luck, until now.
We weren't the only ones delighted by the bright orange cocktail. La Bottega Milanese was almost full with the early evening crowds, and at least half the tables were drinking Spritz. One of Alex's helpful barista/mixologists told me that they had had to run out to the supermarket for extra supplies because it had been so popular! Alex has also started to do a selection of complimentary savoury nibbles for those purchasing alcohol, from olives to pesto croutons and tomato bruschetta, which were greatly appreciated as they plugged the pre-dinner, pre-cinema peckishness!
After watching 'My Week With Marilyn,' which also comes highly recommended (Michelle Williams as Marilyn Monroe was amazing) we agreed that we didn't really want to have to wait for a table, or even to have a really big meal in courses.
We ended up at Barburrito- a Mexican restaurant, that is, essentially very good fast food. Barburrito is a small chain with a few restaurants in and around Manchester as well as the branch just outside The Light on The Headrow.
It's quite a simple set up- choose your dish (Burrito, burrito bowl, tacos or nachos), choose your filling (a selection of meats or flash-fried vegetables) which also includes lime rice and refried beans, choose your salsa, choose extras (guacamole, sour cream etc) and then pay. It took five minutes and was perfect for our casual night out, and cheap to boot- it cost less than £6 each for our burritos.
I went for the slow-cooked pork with spicy beans, pico de gallo salsa, sour cream and extra roasted mushrooms, and we also had some tortilla chips with guacamole. Compared to the usual fast food options available in the city centre, it was a refreshing change, and the staff were really lovely.
We both agreed that the relaxed, casual night out was the perfect gentle start to the weekend that we both needed. Let's hope the rest of the weekend follows in the same vein!
The Light, Leeds
La Bottega Milanese
Barburrito
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