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New Moon is nothing if not an international advertisement for the hungry virtues of virginity and young people can’t get enough of it
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
Theatre
A smart, prickly and rewarding view of sexual and emotional confusion
Cock
Restaurants
Kitchen W8 is a bargain for this area, if such sophistication is what you crave
Kitchen W8
Too long and drawn out but very entertaining with excellent special effects
This is a peculiar play and does not work for me. Some of it is very funny but there are real flaws
Alex has a strong powerful voice and was faultless, she is far better now than she was on the X-Factor
London,
Fay Maschler's rating
Reader rating
Phone: 020 7734 6868
Spanish makeover: The Norfolk Arms has been transformed
For quite a long time, I have been urging friends who are looking for flats or houses to consider King's Cross. There are hidden squares, Georgian terraces and shopping streets with second-hand bookshops rather than Starbucks, I say.
It is probably far too late to find any place resembling a bargain now: the pubs are already going gastro.
A particularly likeable transformation has been The Norfolk Arms, a once-scruffy dump with a Victorian tiled frontage. I had heard that the new ownership was French, but the culinary theme - applied with a light touch - is Spanish.
Cured hams hang from the ceiling above the bar, as do bunches of chillies, garlic and shallots. A variety of sherries sit in a large ice bucket. Organic Rioja was one of the wines suggested on a blackboard and tortilla, gaspacho, salchichon Iberico and Manchego cheese were among the items entitled From the Bar.
Almost all of the interior space is given over to tables and chairs. Basic, rough tea-towels are the napkins provided. Service is unusually friendly and accommodating. Our waiter was willing to change the music track to something less thumping.
As well as charcuterie and bar food, there is a section on the menu devoted to dishes described as From the Kitchen. From these we chose organic rib of beef, roast potatoes, carrots, leek, Yorkshire pudding, gravy and organic pork belly with cabbage, apple and cumin.
First the bad news. There was no Yorkshire pudding. Reg was crestfallen. But so delicious were both dishes - served bizarrely in ceramic casseroles - so obviously cooked by someone with flair, that tragedy was averted. Another main course of seafood soup had an aniseedy broth well stocked, like the seas of old, with squid, clams, octopus and mussels.
The best of the bar food that doubles as a first course was gaspacho, embellished with Dorset crab. It might have offended purists but it pleased the recipient. Ricotta and artichoke pie could have doubled as loft insulation.
It was a nice idea that had turned to putty in somebody's hands. A salad of beetroot, Parmesan and capers could have used more cheese to inject zest into the earnest earthiness of the beets.
Puddings were more proof of intelligence in the kitchen. Fig, blackberry, red wine and mascarpone was delectably seasonal as was plum fool served in a martini glass and accompanied by anise-flavoured shortbread.
The requisite chocolate fondant - all restaurants and gastropubs must have one - was made with Manjari chocolate and served with raspberries. The one cheese on offer, a Garstang Blue, came with oat biscuits.
A note on the menu advises that children's options are available. This seems a highly evolved approach in an area once - to put it politely - thought of as rackety.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
