Chaihana Joe

Alex James (farmer, rocker), who quite plausibly stands in for AA Gill in the ST from time to time, described the wedge of paper you use to stop a table rocking on an uneven floor as a 'pimlico', last Sunday. I don't know about you but I've never heard this in a long life of sitting at wobbly tables. Could it be that he is using his ST piece to 'seed' this new usage, with the intention of being able to claim that he invented it, once it becomes universal? Or not?

You don't say whether you're on a budget or not - 'backpacking' by bus and train, I guess you might be. Even if you aren't you should consider eating Chinese while here. Economical and and very English! Good places to do this might be Liverpool or Manchester. Liverpool's Chinatown is one of Europe's longest established immigrant communities, while Manchester's version may be thought to have surpassed it in size and quality. Yuet Ben in Liverpool or Yang Sing in Manchester are good examples. If you're in either city on a Sunday afternoon, then I'd definitely recommend going to one of these for dim sum.

I ate lunch at Simply Heathcote's today - one of Paul Heathcote's various northern establishments. Simply done with excellent ingredients. Not sure if there are any lunchtime special deals but, located in the heart of Liverpool's business district, probably not. Nevertheless, a pleasant glass sided room with excellent can-do service. Yesterday I ate at the Everyman Bistro, underneath the Everyman Theatre up in the university area. This is a very good bohemian type of place. Hot meals are freshly prepared and heated in the microwave in a canteen-style environment. Always good including veggie options.