Date of Last Visit: Sunday, June 15

The Victim: Me

The Damage: About £10 for two hunks of cheese and little lemon tart.

The Background: Sometimes I think about what I would do with myself if I were independently wealthy. (Surely I can’t be alone in this.) Thinking about all the possibilities can keep me occupied for HOURS.

Although I don’t claim to be overly passionate about cheese, I do like cheese. And I like cheese shops. And I really liked La Fromagerie in Highbury where I was so overwhelmed by the amount of goat’s cheese on offer that I surrendered myself to the somewhat surly cheesemonger and had him pick me out two. I would tell you what I ended up with, but he didn’t really tell me (but nor did I ask), and they didn’t put any information about the cheeses in my bag. (Is it really that hard?) So now f I go back, I’m going to have to start all over again.

So when I have the millions that I deserve, I will open a cheese shop. A friendly and helpful one. Really people, is it really that hard?

The Verdict: I’ll ask more questions next time.

The post La Fromagerie first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.

Date of Last Visit: Saturday, August 26, 2007

The Victims: Gerry, Ben, Matt

The Damage: £15 each

The Background: I was up in Archway enjoying a lovely, rare, summery day with Al & Louise (my "English friends") and Baby Oscar (all of 15 weeks!), outdoors in their peaceful and picture-perfect little garden. Gerry & Ben called and said they're at the Wenlock and I should drop by later.

Hot Chip – Over and Over

So on my way home on the #43, I call Ben. Twice. No answer. I send a text. No response. Hmmm….

Have I told you about my affinity for logic problems and logic in general? I like option theory. I like probabilities. I like decision trees. My decision tree for Gerry, Ben and Matt went something like this…

If I call Ben and he does not answer, it means…
a. He is dead in a ditch somewhere
b. He is purposefully ignoring me.
c. He is on the tube.
d. He is still at The Wenlock and has consumed many beverages and is not checking his phone.

I put the probability of A. at 1% (I prefer dealing in whole numbers), the probability of B at 4%, the probability of C at 15%, and the probability of the Wenlock at 80%.

Now my available end results at the time were…
A. Go home and watch Prison Break on DVD.
B. Go to the Wenlock and find Gerry, Ben & Matt.
C. Go to the Wenlock and find Gerry, Ben & Matt not there. (And then go home to pursue Option A.)

If we apply utility theory here, let's say that my utility of  A. is 2x, the utlity of B. is 5x, and the utility of C. is x.

So if the chances are high that Ben, Gerry, and Matt are still at the Wenlock, and I know that finding them there will maximize my relative satisfaction, it is a given that I should go find them.

So I go in search of them.

And I am right! They are still there! They are actually on the way out. I yell "Matt!" and Matt turns around and then they all turn around and then they all come running towards me, yelling my name. (Which for the record is "Krista," and not "Kristain." Seriously people. Sometimes I wonder.) The Wenlock empties out to see what the Americans are yelling about. It is a moment.

I guess you had to be there.

This is a long way of saying that they took to me Iznik for dinner! (Not "took me" as in "paid for," but rather "introduced Krista to a new and fun place.")

The Entrance: It is so very pretty. Lots of Turkish laterns. Lots of colorful glassware. The evil eye protects us. One wall is painted pink. I like the tablecloths. In short, it is cozy and a good local date place.

The Starters: We start off with tarmasalata and hummous. Both are good, but the tarmasalata is nowhere near as good as the tarmasalata at The Eagle. The pita is really nice though. It's warm and soft but not too soft.

The Mains: I go for something in yogurt sauce…it seems to be two types of sausage, along with yogurt sauce and hot sauce, all on a pita. It's delicious. Really. So nice. I am very happy. Gerry gets stuffed Courgettes and they look great. We all seem very happy with our meal; clean plates all around. I am struck with a sudden desire to go to move to Turkey and/or furnish my house in nothing but Turkish laterns.

The Loos: Cramped. Could be a bit cleaner.

The Service: A tiny bit impersonal and gruff.

The Freebie: Turkish delight!

The Verdict: I liked Iznik. The food wasn't particularly gourmet, but it was nice and the prices were right and the atmosphere was really cool.

The Plus: I add a new postcode! N5!

The post Turkish: Iznik first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.