The Pale Blue Door

It seems the new and popular way to dine out is at a secret restaurant, which are popping up in people's homes all over London. If you are unfamilar with this, it is people enthusiatic about food who open their homes as an 'illegal' eating venue for the night. Menus vary, from home cooked fare to professional chef standard, hosted in anything from a lock up to a stylish apartment.

My daughter and I chose to dip our toes into the world of the secret restaurants by going to The Pale Blue Door...and dove in at the deep end! We arrived in Hackney and ventured down a precarious looking alleyway in search of the infamous Pale Blue Door. The door swung open to be greeted by our fabulous transvestite front of house. Tables and chairs all crammed in to the garage style house, table clothes and napkins made of old shirts, walls strewn with various bizarre 'collectables' by set designer Tony Hornecker.

Encouraged to wander around we climbed the make shift staircase up to the host's bedroom to be greeted by two people seated for a 'date' at a miniture table for their dinner in the bedroom.

Dinner was a simple fare of greek salad, roast beef and crumble, all delicious and cooked in a tiny kitchen shrouded in virtual darkness.

Mid meal entertainment was provided by our lip synching transvestive with a fabulous rendition in Tina Turner drag of 'Simply the Best'. No one appears uncomfortable, all enjoying the surreal surroundings, the waiting staff friendly but not interferring.

Highly recommended, I think I will return....