(no subject)

[gil-whimple.livejournal.com]

Gil hasn't done this for a very long while and picks up the chalk with an indrawn breath. He wouldn't be doing it now except today is special, isn't it?

He consults his notepad and begins to write:

Dear Patrons of Milliways,

In honour of the day the kitchen staff is pleased to present a special St Patrick's Day Menu:

Irish Cheddar and Stout Fondue

Beef and Guinness Pie

Baked Cabbage with Bacon

and finally

Chocolate Guinness Goodness

...in addition to our usual choices.

We hope you enjoy it.

Milliways Kitchen

He draws a smiley faun to finish it off then puts the chalk back on the ledge.

He's tried the Chocolate Guinness Goodness. He had it for lunch.

Comments

[ostro_goth]

Teja, who had put in a long day at the forge, takes a long look at the board. He hasn't seen any special offers for food before, in Milliways.

Like the drinks, the food has interesting names that he cannot quite fathom.

"Greetings," he says to the faun.

[gil-whimple.livejournal.com]

"Oh hai, Teja," says Gil. "Do you want your usual? Or are you feeling brave?"

[ostro_goth]

"As you are offering a special meal," Teja says, "one should try some of it; but I do not know what which is."

[gil-whimple.livejournal.com]

"Um - did you have beer, or ale?" Gil asks. "None of it will make much sense otherwise."

[ostro_goth]

"I have had both," Teja says, "but today, I had a beer called 'harp', which I was curious about as I play one."

Pause.

"A real harp, that is; not beer."

[gil-whimple.livejournal.com]

"They made you drink that?" Gil said. "Oh well, the beer I've been using is different. Stout - or Guinness - for my urposes it's been the same thing. It's black with a white foam on top and is bitter and tasty and you can feel it doing you good. The first dish is a thick sauce made with cheese and beer. And the second is beef and onions and carrots cooked in beer with a pastry crust and - um - you know about cabbage and bacon I expect. and the last one is a chocolate - er - sauce, like a thick foamy custard - and that's made with beer too."

[ostro_goth]

"Do you think that harp beer is not good to drink?" Teja asks. "It was light and pleasant, if somewhat unlike ale."

Pause.

"I would take the second one; it sounds nourishing and warming."

[gil-whimple.livejournal.com]

"There are better beers than Harp," Gil says. "But it's very appropriate for today. St Patrick's Day. He's the saint special to Ireland and the heraldic symbols of Ireland is a harp so ..."

While he has been speaking he has stroked the Bar and obtained a plate with a good-sized helping of pie with a nice dollop of colcannon at the side. He pushes t across the Bar and adds a knife and fok wrapped in a napkin.

"There you go," he says. "One Beef and Guinness Pie."

[ostro_goth]

"Thank you," Teja says. "What better beer would you recommend that I drink with it?"

He knows nothing of it all; so of course he would listen to one who does.

[basic_powers]

"What's stout fondue?"

[gil-whimple.livejournal.com]

"It's a thick mixture of cheese and beer," Gil says, "and you dip bits of toast in it. S'nice."

And has been heated enough to have evaporated the alcohol so is eminently suitable for Milliways younger customers.

[basic_powers]

...huh.

"Can I try an order of that for dinner tonight?" Tyler asks hopefully. It sound better than what's being served in the cafeteria for dinner.

Hint: It has tofu.

[gil-whimple.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, sure you can," Gil assures him. "And would you like the Chocolate Guinness for dessert." Gil licks his lips. "I can recommend it. I made it."

[basic_powers]

"Okay!"

Because one can not go wrong with offering chocolate!

[gil-whimple.livejournal.com]

"Okay - let's see ..." Gil runs his hand over the bar and one of the portions of Irish Cheddar and Stout Fondue he prepared earlier pops up - perfect and fresh and steaming thanks to the wonders of Millitime and the good will of the Landlord.

There is a dish of fondue and triangles of lightly toasted bread and a knife and spoon wrapped in a napkin. Also there is a glass filled with dark, near black, chocolate mousse with a layer of creamy white on top. This has a very long spoon with it.

"Shall I help you carry it to your table?" Gil asks. "Or you can eat it here at the Bar."

[basic_powers]

"Oooh...I'll eat them at a table, thank you very much sir!"

That trick with the Bar -never- gets old.

[gil-whimple.livejournal.com]

"I'm not a sir, I'm a Gil," Gil says and offers his hand. "Gil Whimple - I'm a cook. And you are?"

[guppy_sandhu]

"That sounds nice." Guppy says. His hair is damp from being scrubbed and he looks like he's had a rough day.

But it's nice to see specials up again, and he thought he should check Gil's holding up all right.

[gil-whimple.livejournal.com]

"Hi, Guppy," Gil says. "I hope it will be. What can I get for you? Not everything is cooked in Guinness tonight. Just most things."

[guppy_sandhu]

"The cabbage thing sounds nice, and I've spent the last two hours drenched in beer so I'm definitely avoiding that at the moment. I'm sorry if I smell." he adds, remembering Gil has a more sensitive nose.

[gil-whimple.livejournal.com]

Gil grins. "So it's you. I did wonder but didn't want to say anything. How did that happen Guppy? St Patrick's Day celebrations in Holby?"

[guppy_sandhu]

"Sorry, my hair absorbed it. It took an hour to get it smelling little enough for me to notice."

Shrug. "Someone brought the party to work after their friend fell down the stairs. Managed to make an entire beer keg explode in reception."

[gil-whimple.livejournal.com]

Gil looks at Guppy and bites his lips together to stifle a chuckle, though his eyes give him away.

"A whole keg," he said and takes a deep breath. "What a waste."

Guppy's Baked Cabbage appears, slightly crispy on top, succulently buttery inside and accompanied by soda bread to mop up the drips.

[guppy_sandhu]

"I know. They don't come cheap either. And there were people slipping everywhere and others trying to drink from the spurts..." He shakes his head and takes a bite of his dinner.

"Ooh, lovely, thanks Gil. My cooking still isn't great, but I've learned how to make samosas. For a while I thought I might have custody of Ani so I tried to learn a bit more. It's not the same when you're cooking for someone else."

[gil-whimple.livejournal.com]

"No, it isn't," Gil said. "I often have soup and homemade granary bread rolls for a meal if I don't have to worry about anyone else."

He grins and says, "I haven't made samosas for a while. I'll have to have a go."