Watching the ‘Footie’
Football (that’s soccer for all you my fellow Americans) is a national obsession in the U.K. It’s not usual to come into work on Monday and chat all things football over a cuppa of builder’s tea in the office kitchen. If I haven’t stated before, I’ll do so now — I am Tottenham Hotspurs supporter. It keeps the household interesting as Kenz is a fan of Arsenal (as are all my other London-based American friends). Yes indeed – the classic North London rivals. I don’t recall how I ended up choosing Hotspurs as my team. I believe five years ago as they are now, Hotspurs are somewhat the underdog of the elite clubs on the Premier League, and I always support the underdog. The battle of the top four seats for a place to compete for the Champions League title is intense. Manchester United will no doubt take the top place but as for the rest, it’s going to close. We’ll see…
The other weekend we had the pleasure of attending an Arsenal game with another couple friend, compliments of Kenz’s work who has eight season ticket passes. It wasn’t a high-profile game like the one Kenz attended back in January against Man City but still, free tickets to see a top 5 Premier League team, we’d gladly take them. Our friend even put money on the game, and his prediction was right — Arsenal won 3-1 against Norwich. It was a good game overall with a very exhilarating last 15 minutes.
I haven’t spent much time around the N5 postcode where the Emirates Stadium is located, but the area around Finsbury is rough around the edge with streets lined with low-end shops. Holloway Road eventually runs into Upper Street in Angel, a trendy area to hang amongst the bonafide twenty-something year olds. After the game, we had dinner at Trullo, a lovely neighborhood Italian restaurant just a short walk from the Highbury Islington tube station.
We were impressed with the food, atmosphere, and the wine selection. Being meat-lovers, the boys shared the bistecca fiorentia served over creamy polenta which was delicious, the ladies each ordered a fish dish. All freshly prepared – overall enjoyable meal with good friends, good conversations, and good food.
