Day 5.1 - Food and drink

The day started, as usual, with another of Carlo's creations. This time, chocolate scones (light, flakey, not sweet), with lightly stewed strawberries. Oh, my!


The breakfasts alone are worth the price of admission.

After a slowish start (slight hangover from too much prosecco last night, as well as doing a load of laundry), I made my way into town. A little before noon, I decided I'd need something to sustain me as I went through MoMA, my primary destination for the day. I stopped in a Pret a Manger, a UK chain I'd seen in various locations. From their display cabinet, I chose a hot wrap with falafel, roast capsicum and cheese, and a cuppa tea. The wrap was good - hot, crisp-not-soggy pita-type bread, good flavours, not too bland. No photo though.

They also had free wifi, of which I availed myself (the wifi at the apartment had fallen over, turned out it needed to be reset). It was a good thing I'd had this, because it saved me from the massive queues for the restaurants inside MoMA, although I did get a cuppa around 4:30pm.


I emerged into the daylight a little before six, as we were all kicked out of the museum at closing time (5:30pm). On the opposite corner was a food cart I'd noticed on my way in, and was pleased to see was still there.


From them, I ordered the combination platter, with chicken (real), lamb (reconstructed), bright orange rice, lettuce, a little warmed souvlaki bread and a mayonnaise-based sauce, which was good, but should have had garlic in it. The hot sauce was ferociously hot, and I only had a little. The platter weighed a ton (okay, a good half-kilo (a pound)) and cost only $6. I couldn't finish it, but still felt uncomfortably full.

Before (as served)


Partway through, to show other components


A couple of hours later, I caught up with Mardie and Sara and John at a bar on Amsterdam @96th, called the Dive Bar (because of the scuba gear decorating the walls, rather than it's skeeviness). It's not far from Colombia Uni, so had a good number of students there.

Both Mardie and Sara chose poutine, a quebecois specialty, of chips-and-gravy, with melted cheese curd (behaved like a fresh mozzarella). It was okay - the gravy was out of a tin and very salty, the chips were a little tough - and I ate more than I should have (or so complained my already full belly).



That and a couple of dilute vodka-tonics, alternated with big glasses of water did me well for the evening.