Thursday night Glen had arranged dinner at Auberge du Pommier, one of the more upmarket restaurants in Toronto. We went with Ur and Israel, Pete and Royden, and Bec and Alastair, so it was a nice big catch-up. It had been a while since all eight of us had been in the same room together, what with various travels and such. Thursday was also the day after Ur’s birthday so it worked out well for a catch-up.
Glen and I caught the subway with Bec and Alastair up to York Mills, timing it perfectly with Pete and Royden’s arrival too. Ur and Israel were already inside. We did the hello thing, chose our seats and then took forever to decide what to have from a rather short menu. The main decision was: did we want the tasting menu of five course or should we go for individual appetisers and entrees? The whole table either had to have the five courses or no one could have them.
Then most of the table didn’t want the suckling pig, so could we have the duck instead. Oh, but some want beef instead of pig. And someone still wants the pork. Can we have that? Is that all right? The waiter checked. It was fine. Considering what kind of place it is, I should think they’d be only too willing to accommodate.
We chatted, had some fine, tucked into the food as it came out. Some of the dishes were nicer than others. I didn’t really need a whole bowl full of raw tomatoes. The ginger stuffed cherry was a bit interesting. The quail was nice. The duck was delicious (I don’t think I’ve had a duck that good before). The dessert was a let down. Dousing the cake thing on the bottom in whiskey is a bit of a risk if you ask me. There were pieces left unfinished. We’ve had better meals at lower prices before, however, the company was good, so it was still a good night.
We said goodbye to Ur and Israel as they’re the only ones with a car and they had to get home for the babysitter. The other six of us caught the subway back to the condo, chatting and laughing in the elevator as it ascended. There was another couple in the lift with us, and once everyone else had gotten out it was just Glen and I and them. They asked how we all knew each other, and thought that we’d bought in the condo together. Of course we hadn’t but it made me realise how special it is that we have a group of friends in the same building.
It was hard waking up Friday morning. I got up just after 7, Glen having staggered out of bed a little while before. Eventually he went off to work and I began editing my book. I have until the end of October to get it right, and I figure if I keep to the schedule I set, I should be able to get through editing it twice before the deadline. I am a little concerned I’ll have to rewrite a third of it but I’ll see how I go. I reached my goal of editing four chapters today and feel good about my progress.
We went to see the fourth of our five TIFF films tonight, Kill Me Three Times. The film was meant to start at 5:45pm but when I got there, it had been moved to 7pm. A little frustrating but it meant we could go get dinner beforehand. We walked to Pai, a Thai restaurant near Scotiabank Theatre (where the film was), and managed to get a table. They were busy so we were lucky. We ordered. Food came. We ate. It was ok. Thai food in Toronto isn’t much to rave about, compared to back home.
We made it back to the theatre in time for the film to start. It was packed. We had seats right up the back in the corner. The film is an Australian production with Simon Pegg. It’s about a hit man, and people in a small town trying to bump other people off for money, an insurance policy, infidelity blah blah blah. I’m sure I’ve seen a film like it before, with almost exactly the same plot, except set in an Australian coastal town and done far slicker and far funnier. There were a couple of laughs but they were more titters than guffaws. Honestly, I’d advise against seeing this movie. It’s not bad, but it’s not worth your time.
We were meant to go to play games at Amy’s tonight, but we left the movie feeling less than energetic. I think the week of social activities has caught up with us, and what with Glen working all week too, Fridays aren’t the high octane fun fest they were in our twenties.
Two Travelling Aussies 