My daughter Sadie had a big birthday a couple of weeks ago. She suggested we celebrate it with a tour of local providers of food, drink and entertainment, some of which we knew and some we didn’t. We were all up for the adventure she had in mind.
We started at our neighbourhood Italian restaurant, where we’ve been dining as a family since 2010. It’s only ten minutes from home and barely has your nose turned the corner into Station Parade NW2 than it is greeted by beautiful, comforting aromas followed by a warm welcome.
Sanzio’s was named after Italian painter and architect Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, better known as Raphael (1483-1520). An illustration of a painting by him of his mistress, Luti – also known as “La Fornarina” – forms the menu backdrop. The food is consistently tasty and everything on the menu, like Luti, perhaps, is tempting.
I had nipped in earlier to ask the staff to tie balloons to Sadie’s chair and scatter “21s” all over the table. This was good, because she arrived first with her boyfriend Zach and on seeing the balloons her facial expression landed somewhere between cringe and love – the reaction a parent gets when they’ve done the right thing.
Like any good student who’s home from university and out for a nice meal that their parents are paying for, Sadie’s 18-year-old brother, Archie, combed the cocktail menu and ordered a margarita for his first drink.
As the starters came out and a few more cocktail sips were taken, the young adults divulged a few of the stories they usually keep in the no-parent restricted section, those of house mates, nights out and uni gossip – the good stuff. Being privileged, we had to be careful not to act too keen, hungry or judgy about the juice. Asking too many questions can lead to a slamming shut of the yarn door.
After the meal, when we were all stuffed with good food and conversation, the staff brought Sadie a vanilla ice cream with a candle and we all joined in with Happy Birthday in one of those aren’t-we-all-having-a-good-
After dinner, we headed to The Black Lion in West Hampstead for the Sunday night pub quiz. We love quizzes. A few weeks prior, Sadie and I came second in a really fun music quiz at The Lexington in Islington. The 1% Club on telly is one of the only shows, if not the only one, that the four of us sit down in the same room to watch. One of us usually gets the last question right (as long as the screen is on pause :-).
The Black Lion quiz tests general knowledge, making it ideal for a family team, with Mum, Dad, son, daughter and Zach providing a wide breadth of expertise across sport, politics, music and science. In addition, my son has that rare, enviable skill of being able to recognise celebrities from childhood pictures of them. He was right – it was a young Lady Gaga.
During the question-calling, the quizmaster’s mic or speakers (or something) didn’t work, causing the older ones to shout, “WHAT DID YOU SAY MATE?” or “COULD YOU REPEAT QUESTION NINE?” at uncomfortable volumes, resulting in major telling-offs in vicious stage whispers: “Mum! You cannot shout like that! Dad! Stop shouting!” These didn’t work because we are the parents, after all.
After an enjoyable (and argumentative) few rounds, our team came fourth out of 20, narrowly missing the bronze. We cooled down in the pub’s breezy beer garden, where Archie paid a rare compliment to his sister and her boyfriend, calling them a “most wholesome couple”, just to get them to buy him an extra bag of crisps (result).
The next day, the actual birthday, we headed to Art 4 Fun on West End Lane to paint ceramics. The basic set-up is you select a bowl, plate, cup, egg cup, ornament or, in my case, a tiny teapot, and sit and paint it. Afterwards, it goes into the kiln, and the results can be collected a couple of days later.
We weren’t sure what to expect, but after the pub quiz and buzzy meal, Art 4 Fun was a calming, mindful activity, and I didn’t realise I hadn’t looked at my phone for two hours. We chatted quietly about nothing in particular.
Sadie’s Greek art painting of Achilles and Ajax playing a board game was super impressive (that GCSE Art wasn’t wasted) and Zach’s seascape-painted bowl was also truly wonderful. As for Mum and Dad, well…we did our best.
Archie took a more abstract approach, pouring the contents of his brain into his painting. The result was a hilarious and brilliant bowl covered in explosions, snakes, portraits of Sadie, Zach, himself, Super Mario, a flower and, of course, a Bart Simpson’s invitation to “Eat My Shorts“, which surely must reside in a corner of every person’s mind.
Art 4 Fun was the highlight of Sadie’s 21st for me, and a genius idea by her to have the family together, doing something we wouldn’t normally do, wiling away the time by dipping brushes in each other’s water and sharing paint colours.
We ended the birthday excursion with an incredible gelato from Amorino – I recommend the chocolate sorbet – and ate it in the sunny NW6 street, transporting ourselves back to Rome, where Sadie and I had enjoyed a gelato in the sun six months prior.
A few days on, we collected the ceramics from Art 4 Fun and laid them out on the table. I felt an immediate affection for these priceless little family gems. Created by the people closest to Sadie, they are practical 21st mementos that she can cherish (and use!) for years. It really was a special 21st adventure, arranged by the most mature grown-up in the family.
Julie Hamill writes novels, appears on Times Radio and does lots more. Follow her on Instagram.
OnLondon.co.uk provides unique coverage of the capital’s politics, development and culture with no paywall and no ads. The vast majority of its income comes from individual supporters, who pay £5 a month or £50 a year. They receive in return bespoke newsletters, bargain London event offers and much gratitude. Details HERE.