Ms. Marmite Lover’s, Kilburn

Ms. Marmite Lover's
Kilburn
London

Date of Last Visit: Tuesday, February 16th, 2010

The Victim: Me and a bunch of people I've never met before

The Damage: £30

The Background: Ages ago, I told Ms. Marmite Lover that I'd totally come by the Underground Restaurant if she ever held a singles' night. 

I try to stay true to my word. So when I heard Ms. Marmite Lover was having an Anti-Valentine's Day party for all the singletons this year, I bought myself a ticket. And that's the funny thing about the Internet. I figured Ms. Marmite Lover would see my name on the list and think, "Oh, Krista's coming!"

But I forget that there are probably lots of other people named Krista out there. And Ms. Marmite Lover doesn't know my last name.

And so as it turned out, my presence was (I hope) a very pleasant surprise.

 
Ms. Marmite Lover's abode was also a pleasant surprise. I really dug her flat. And her plates. A lot. Very cool. I thought her daughter was a riot. And I liked how we were greeted with a glass of cider upon arrival.

What I didn't like, however, was
the
lack
of
men.

As Ms. Marmite herself states in her wrap-up post, there were 17 girls. 3 guys. Gentlemen, really. I mean…really! This could have been your night! And two of those guys…they were more on a reconnaissance mission than anything. (The details are hazy but I think one of them admitted to having a girlfriend?) They're opening their own underground restaurant in Dalston (Called 99). So my hopes of Ms. Marmite Lover introducing me to my future husband…dashed. (In a last minute bid to help, I e-mailed every single single male I know in London and tried to get them to come. No dice. Their loss!)

That being said, us 17 girls and 3 guys made the most of it. We bonded over Foursquare. And social media. And underground restaurants. And when some guests split immediately after dinner, we drank the rest of their wine. The three men rotated tables like at a bad speed-dating party. (Are there ever any good speed-dating parties?)

 
The Menu: As it was Shrove Tuesday, it was all pancakes. This is not an American thing, this pancakes on Tuesday thing. (I had to turn to Wikipedia for the answer: Pancakes and doughnuts are associated with the day preceding Lent because they were a way to use up rich foodstuffs such as eggs, milk, and sugar, before the fasting season of the 40 days of Lent.

We started off with smoked salmon and blini. As Ms. Marmite Lover notes on her own blog, the blini were particularly fluffy. Well done.

 
This was followed by a cheese galette, which had been baked in the oven. I could have had a 2nd one of these but felt weird asking for reinforcements.

 
Some lovely heart-shaped cheese. Where the heck do you buy heart-shaped cheese in this city?

And then there was a Crepes Suzette, but my photo didn't turn out so you will have to imagine it.

The Verdict: At the end of the day, I'm glad I went to Ms. Marmite Lover's. She's a great hostess and her kitchen is fab, as are her plates. Bummer about the guys though.