Bleeding Heart

An old friend from professional days at Witham Weld and Farrer &Co solicitors, got in touch recently and suggested lunch together.  Conditionally upon my paying the bill as he had born the cost of most of our meals, when we were professionals, we agreed the appointment for yesterday lunchtime. 

Roy suggested the Bleeding Heart bistro near Farringdon Thameslink and Tube stations. Not having been there previously, the bistro and its location were intriguing. 

Traveling  nearby to the restaurant  from Wimbledon was according to TfL, best accomplished by train to Waterloo then bus from there. On a cold day I did not relish the prospect of walking to the bus stop and then perhaps waiting in the freezing weather so instead opted for the longer London Underground journey to Chancery Lane, which proved fine.

The Bleeding Heart is set in an old  pretty decrepit looking cul-de-sac of that name. The bistro has been open since the 1980/90s but the cul-de-sac  itself, probably C16,  is mentioned in one of Charles Dickens' novels. Apparently there were previously three venues within the Bleeding Heart, a restaurant, bar/wine shop and the bistro. They were all closed during the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic, since when the bistro (which on Friday was packed) and bar/wine shop have reopened.

There was an excellent fixed price lunchtime menu with which we had a carafe of vin rose. I had a warming soup followed by Sea Bass and mashed potato; then crème caramel for sweet and mint tea. 

Seeing the old man Roy (he is four days older than I) again was  as enjoyable as our meetings had always been before retirement and we shared recollections of excitements and disasters of our working days. One of the latter was a dreadful train crash near to Emanuel School of which years later, Roy became clerk. Three trains on the Waterloo tracks crashed and many died. Boys from the school came down to assist on the tracks. I had travelled through the same stretch of track only moments before enroute to the office. 

Roy who  frequently holidays in the Orkney Islands, recommended that venue for a break not least to see the abundant wildlife.

After our very enjoyable meal together, we  walked  the few minutes to Farringdon Station where he took the tube. I was fortunate enough within 5 minutes, to take a train direct to Wimbledon. 

Strange how that convenient route did not feature on the TfL  website but Thameslink trains from Wimbledon have  not for months during the pandemic,  proceeded past Blackfriars, so probably the previous longer route to St Albans, has only recently been reinstated.