Monday is not a usual night for going out and tying one on. However, this Monday was a bit special. We had just said a sad farewell to our friend Woodbine Kitty, snatched away in the prime of life, and in that way you do when you have just emerged from a funeral, started knocking the booze back like there was no tomorrow. It's what she would have wanted.
Aunty M split off after the funeral to take Shanghai Lil to the airport, so I drove Ozzy Eastbourne and his good lady Mavis, as well as Gorbals, through tempestuous rain and wind to Kitty's house where a full-scale rock & roll wake was already under way. We stayed long enough to pay our respects and have a beer but not long enough to become intoxicated by the ritual aromatic smoke being emitted by Kitty's friends and family, and repaired to the Cuve à Bière pub near Aunty M's house. The Eastbournes have recently retired to the south of France and hit the pastis like two steel pétanque balls crashing into the cochonnet simultaneously from opposite directions.
When Aunty M and The Bloke arrived we downed a few more of Belgium's finest, which was the cue for the enterprising Mamadou, a charming itinerant entrepreneur with the sales skills of whoever first sold fridges to eskimos, to home in on our table like a particularly determined wasp. Out of his copious carrier bags he pulled an endless stream of merchandise starting with warm cashmere-looking scarves. Aunty M knows him of old, in fact I think she does most of her shopping from him in the pub. She was already fingering the scarves when he produced a tray of bling, a raft of branded watches from the noble houses of Cucci, Channel and Relox, and a battery-powered desk lamp, the better to see what we were going to buy, which was also for sale. The bar staff did not bat an eyelid, Mamadou had probably done his preparatory palm-greasing there.
I recalled a Christmas Eve, possibly only just over a year before, in another nearby drinking establishment, where I had purchased from just such an African gentleman a last-minute present for Woodbine Kitty, which was a portable disco lamp. She totally loved it and took it to music festivals for illuminating her tent. I wondered if it was Mamadou who sold it to me. Quite possible. The man would ace "Dragon's Den" and the Dragons would all go home with warm scarves and new watches, and possibly a disco lamp. He has the most lovely smile and manners, shakes hands with all his customers on arrival and on departure and ignores your protestations with a charming but practised insouciance. He is also hard as nails, once he's told you the price he will permit you to beat him down by a maximum of two euros. Once the bling appeared I was like a magpie hypnotized by the shiny things. We ended up with new scarves and two sparkly rings. I think Aunty Em and I are now engaged, The Bloke didn't seem to mind despite her already sporting his (real diamonds) engagement ring.
Having finally persuaded Mamadou we were not in the market for sweatshirts or watches, we then repaired to a local Italian eatery, "Mare e Monti". A continuous stream of red and white wine was ordered. At this point photographing the food was out of the question, steady camera hands were not in abundance and there was too much chatting and reminiscing (and drinking) going on. Gorbals ordered his standby Carbonara and ate half of it. I ordered the pizza of the day and ate half of it. Aunty M and the Eastbournes had starters followed by main courses. Don't ask me what. I'm afraid as restaurant reviews go I am going to have to rely on hazy memories of jokey waiters and nice bread rolls. I think it was all very good. I'd have to go back and not drink so much next time. The only reason I know Mavis had Vitello tonnato was because she left half of it and we took all the doggy bags home.
I am sad that I won't have any more raucous nights out like that with Kitty. But on the other hand, if it requires someone to leave the building in order to generate such merriment, I'd rather keep my friends in this world and laugh a bit more quietly.
Some of Mamadou's wares
Woodbine Kitty, as featured in my review of Brasseries Georges from July 2017
- Ristorante Pizzeria Mare e Monti
Avenue des Cerisiers 198
1200 Woluwe-St-Lambert - +32 2 772 67 33
