It's that time again! Welcome to June's Photo Challenge. The rules couldn't be simpler: I throw out a challenge and you send me your fabulous photographs (email john[at]johnmedd[dot]com). PC is now well into its third year; shall we have a quick flashback to what we were doing in June last year? Or even 2023?
So, this time I was looking for places where we eat and I think this month has been our best response yet - a bumper crop, 90 pics. Thank you so much. Have a cup of tea on me - tell Charlie & Mick I sent you.
Rol's first up to the counter: "Here's two for you, John: one is me about to tuck into afternoon tea, many years ago in the Lake District. I'm most excited by the giant coffee percolator. The other is the aftermath of the last Saturday Snapshots Christmas party. Your invite must have got lost in the post. Don't worry, so did mine! All the best, Rol." Great stuff, Rol. What if I told you my invite didn't get lost in the post..?
Hawkfall net: This was more difficult that I thought. The best I can do is this humble offering which shows the Colonel-san welcoming in potential customers outside one of his Karaage places in Nara, Japan in 2008." Not humble at all, H. And stay with us, more offerings from the Land of the Rising Sun to come!
Richard's back: "A pic of Chocks Away caff, taken during our visit yesterday. Feel free to include it in your Photo Challenge if it fits the bill :-)." It certainly does, Richard. And what a splendid visit it was.
I can hear Ernie's stomach rumbling from here. "Hi John, so many cafes, so little time.
You will recognise the first one. It doesn't need to be hung in the gallery, I included it as a reminder that we have an engagement to schedule later in the year.
After that: a design classic from far-flung Canvey Island, the Labworth; the Gran Cafe de Paris in Tangier, former haunt of William Burroughs, Paul Bowles, Tennessee Williams etc; an intriguingly named establishment I spotted when I was in Mumbai in March; and finally Dona Carol and her menu in Matagalpa, Nicaragua. Her cornflakes bring all the boys to the yard.
All the best, Ernie." Thank you, Ernesto. Always room for Pellicci's. And yes, we must make a date.
David Cooper has been utilising his Rail Rover again. "Hi John, three from my travels for this month's challenge. An archetypal drinking/eating/gambling corner pub in Brisbane, Australia. A restaurant with quite a range of dishes in Dal, Himachal Pradesh, India. And a Sushi place in Trakai, Lithuania, David." Cheers, Coops. I can see you and Ernie fighting over who's got the most Air Miles.
Our German correspondent, Walter, has been waiting in line patiently. "Morning John,
here is my selection. Starting with a small beach restaurant from Sri Lanka. It's the first one I visited more than once since the last decade.
Second one is also from Sri Lanka. Situated in the hinterland and more than spartanly furnished but in the middle of nature.
The last one is from a trip to Vannes, Britany a couple of years ago - located close to a river in a converted industrial park. Cheers, Walter." I love the green, red and blue in the third one. Thanks, Walt."
The lovely Jo Shreeve has been pointing her Cornish camera in the opposite direction for a couple of hers (and none the worse for that). "This is Riviere Towans Beach, Hayle; The Bluff - best views from a beer garden."
"Puerto del Carmen - Lanzarote beach bar."
"Jumanji - Thai restauarant near Helston. Delicious food and great atmosphere. Love the aeroplane hanging out the ceiling! xx" Thank you so much, Jo. You know what, Cornwall/Lanzarote - I love 'em both!
The Swede never disappoints: "Looking back through my digital archive, it quickly becomes apparent that I have a bit of a thing for documenting the coffees I drink, though only the exceptionally good ones, natch. Theoretically I could flood this month's challenge with shots of some of the delicious espresso, americano and drip filters I've dispatched over the years, but that wouldn't really fulfil the criteria, or be very interesting to anyone. So I hope you'll indulge me as I offer three anonymous vintage photos on the cafe theme that I've picked up along the way. I'd love to provide chapter and verse on each one, but sadly there are no details on the reverse of any of them. Great though, aren't they?" Oh, yes. I love old photos. I've got drawers full of them. Thanks, TS. See you in Brizzle.
Celia from Sun Dried Sparrows: "Hi John, hope you're doing well.
Here are three eateries from that London: the beautiful restaurant at the V&A Museum, a groovy wall inside The Buck's Head, Camden and the eye-catching exterior of Gold Restaurant on the Portobello Road. No prizes for guessing which is which!
C x." Did you do them all on the same day, C?! Thank you.
Tim's been out and about filling his belly: "Hi John, here's some (seven) caff based pics: "Copenhagen - just love the chilled evening vibe & inviting aura, bit of food, chilled beer don’t mind if I do!"
"Dishoom London, rules are rules. But I’d really been looking forward to ‘consorting with feared sons’."
"Pie & Ale breakfast & watching the world go by, what’s not to like?"
"High Tea (20 Storeys), Manchester & Low Tea."
"Food of the gods - dark beer & street pizza; open air restaurant(?), stretching the brief a tad!" (Not at all, Tim!)
"Refuge, Manchester - more rules of the house. I approve!"
Restaurant, Kotor. Unique decoration, though I don’t think it’ll actually work in rain - but an impressive job all the same. As usual select/discard as you choose. (Don't worry, Tim: they're all winners, chicken dinners!) Looking forward to seeing the results, take care, Tim." Thank you, Tim. Impressive caff game.
Khayem from the Kotswolds: "Hello John,
A fistful of fotos for you, starting with a work's Christmas meal in Bristol, 1997. It's a scan of a photo with a note on the back: 'Possibly the worst restaurant I have ever been to'. Definitely one to avoid for #BlogCon25!" (There's also some pretty scary people in the photo!)
"Bang up do date with The Boat Cafe. I love the juxtaposition of a sign proudly proclaiming 'Authentic Nepalese Food' on a canal boat permanently moored in Gloucester Docks."
"....which was followed by (not on the same day) coffee and cake at a chain I affectionately refer to as Caffe Nerd. I rarely have cake and I’m nearly always disappointed. This was no exception."
"Lastly, from Clan K’s visit to Valencia in 2023; the sad truth is that we continue to find amusement from puerile humour. Best wishes and looking forward to seeing you very soon! K x." A great portfolio, K. Keep 'em comin'.
Pete Zab: "Hi John, here's a few - starting with three in Nottingham: Cured Cafe Bar, Mowgli. and Dolce. Then Costa in Liverpool and finally, Montmartre in Whitby." I love the way push bikes appear a lot in your photography, Pete! Good work.
Matthew & Sam: "Hi John,
A taverna in Agios Nikitas, Lefkas, Greece
The Versailles restaurant on the NCL Star
and a cheeky collage of the Grand Central Market, Los Angeles.
M&S x." Thank you, both. More GCM acton below...
Dave's a bit of a networker: "For June's Photo Challenge it had to be one of our Property face2face Curry Clubs! This one is Nicco's in Derby." Was this taken pre or post-curry, Dave?
Claire's up next with something of a Spanish flavour - "Hi John, all taken in Soller, Mallorca. Spanish cuisinrary experiences and a holiday curry! Some content to explain the cross of St. George and crecent moon flags which festooned the town during the May celebrations and reenactment (as seen below): May brings the Es Firo Festival to Soller. This is also known as the battle between the Moors and Christians. There are various bays in Mallorca that claim to have had a 'Moorish' invasion but Soller celebrates the one that happened in 1561. This was when Algerian invaders landed on the beach in the Port of Soller and marched to Soller town to claim it for the Arabs. The valiant women of Soller were very cunning and this time were ready for the pirates as they sauntered into town. The path was covered in treacle and the women were ready with their catapults. So basically Christians (1) - Moorish Pirates (0.)" Thank you so much for the explainer, Claire, and thank you for capturing, on film, a rare snap of Johnny Legs - looking very mean & moody (as you'd expect)!
Charity Chic who, sadly, won't be at #BlogCon25 next week. Wounder. "Hi John, where the Boss goes for a roll, square sausage& patties scone whenever he's in Glasgow!" Square sausage, you say? I love square sausage!
James and Natalie are just back from Japan with a photo roll positively bursting at the seams; I thinks it's a safe bet that they went to all of these establishments...
Johnny Legs, after being deported from Spain, sent me this: "Festival dining at Bearded Theory." Is this where Iggy Pop gets his chips, Johnny?
A newbie: my old mucker, Lee: "Hi John, an authentic slice of Greek cafe cuisine & culture in the heart of Worcester run by Spiros. Their Pastrami breakfast is amazing." Not a million miles from Khayem's manor - I should put you two in touch. Cheers, Lee. Come back next month, won't you?
Kate next: "This was a tougher challenge than expected. So many food photos, so few premises pics. I found this one though. Kanu Poké in Shrewsbury. Decorated to be bright and cheerful, like the food and the staff!" Superb. Does it turn into a night club after hours, Kate?
Swiss Adam with a twofer & a lovely anecdote to open with: "Hi John, my dad is 84. Every Saturday he and my Mum go to the Staffordshire town of Leek, his birthplace and childhood home, and potter round rhe market. They always have lunch at The White Hart, the oldest food servery in town and they always have the local delicacy, Staffordshire oatcakes. We meet them there sometimes and the last time we went this corner caught my eye, a table for two with a single flying duck." (This is England, right here.)
"Meanwhile, the most memorable place I've eaten recently was at this restaurant by the river Ourika in the Atlas mountains in Morocco." Thank you, Adam. Wonderful stuff. I know of what you speak: I once had a Staffordshire Oatcake supplier in Alton!
A is for Alyson: "Most people know that I'm a great fan of alphabetisation and spreadsheets (indeed they do, Alyson!) and back in 2018 Mr. A and I decided to 'eat the town': over the course of the year we visited 23 restaurants for lunch - in alphabetical order - and I took a photo of each one. There were no local restaurants at the time starting with Q, X or Y but we managed the rest. Here are our first three pit stops." A brilliant idea, Alyson. And, most importantly, brilliantly executed.
Riggsby's dialling in from San Diego: "Hi John, this taco place is the one that comes closest to being a regular haunt and is only 10 mins from home. It's pretty cosy with high tables and is always packed when we've been. To go with the Tacos they have a great selection of salsas and pickled vegetables. And the top shelf tequilas are literally out of reach. The trouble and strife limits me to three fish tacos each visit, despite my protests and pointing at the sign in the window!"
"Something of a San Diego institution, you pass the Aero Club when you go north towards the I-5 Freeway from the airport. I went last Saturday to take these pics, and at 6 pm the place was packed. They boast a huge selection of whiskeys (possibly a thousand) and Boddingtons amongst the beers. The bar and the decor are quite amazing." (Richard, the Aero Bar gets in cos you told me they've gots nuts & pretzels on the bar. Get in!)
"To conclude this month's contributions, some pics of San Diego's British Pub & Grille, The Shakespeare. The outside isn't much to look at and behind the pub is a Corner Shoppe selling stuff such as sweets, pork pies, and tea cloths. I went there last weekend while out for the evening to see The Damned on their second visit to San Diego in two years (May 24, see below). I had their version of fish and chips, something of a taste of home. There was a Stella promotion going on. While not very British, the two young ladies running the promotion wrestled with an erratic etching machine long enough to generate an unusual souvenir of the night for me." Thank you so much, Richard; a mini letter from America. You're like our very own Alistair Cooke!
A couple of mine to round things off. Firstly, the Star Cafe in Sherwood with their sexy new signage. They used to spell it with 2 As. I had a very long conversation with the owner asking her what she'd done with the other A. She looked at me like I was mad.
Bobbers Mill Transport Caff - where everyone looks like an extra from The Long Good Friday.
Three more from the Grand Central Market in downtown LA. Matthew & Samantha must have been following me around!
Nottingham's Greasy Spoon; like a lot of spoons, sadly no longer with us.
James and Sam outside the best curry house in Nottingham. Don't @ me.
Snap. Another Saturday morning breakfast haunt of mine.
And finally, Bronte: where you'll catch me on a Sunday.
That's all for this time, see you next time. If you've never left a comment before why not break your duck? I'd love to know what you think. And I'm always up for ideas for future challenges. If you think you've got a good idea for a topic, lemme know! J x