Mork and Mindy and Colin Mathura-Jeffree

Did you know that TV sitcoms Mork & Mindy and Laverne & Shirley were both spinoffs from Happy Days? I've been thinking about spinoffs a lot recently, because I'm beginning to think I could do a spinoff of this blog focused entirely on the comings and goings at Herne Bay shops. You wouldn't believe the turnover of businesses up there, as one fledgling entrepreneur after another attempts to divine the magic formula for separating a bored rich woman from her pocket money.

Review: Andiamo

I had a very pleasant evening out over the weekend. Having owed my schoolmate Rich a decent dinner for a number of months now, I spent quite some time on Saturday looking for a restaurant that would feel sufficiently upmarket, without him feeling like I was going to place my hand tenderly on his knee between courses and tell him how much our relationship meant to me. Andiamo was the answer.

Last Tango in Auckland

I was saddened but unsurprised last week to learn of the closure of Mango Tango, a South American-style restaurant in Herne Bay which opened its doors last year with what must have seemed like a surefire gimmick: “Pay what you think the meal is worth!”

Welcome to the neighbourhood

My congratulations to The Good Shop in Herne Bay for finally opening its doors last week. Although I previously expressed some doubt as to whether the whole enterprise would work, the new grocer is now up and running, and is so keen to hear customer feedback that he writes every suggestion in a large 'Good Book' on the counter. Whoever told him he needed to stock Quinoa Pasta Elbows was clearly having a joke at his expense, although I fear his current search for a reliable lecithin wholesaler is being conducted to fill a genuine demand from the trendy foodies in the area.