Jay meets Frankie & Benny

I enjoy going out for meals but I’m not someone that has meals out on a regular basis, I’ve also has several meal disasters in the past with ex’s, booking tables and then when I’ve got there my name has mysteriously disappeared from the guest list, among other stories.

Tuesday I went out on a date, it was supposed to be a date at the cinema but there was some indecision over the choice of movie so I suggested a meal, then immediately winced when I thought of past disasters. Come Tuesday I’d got nothing booked (shame on me) and when my date arrived to pick me up I shrugged and said don’t worry about it.

Salvation and inspiration came to me from an unlikely source, my mobile rang and it was my friend Gary who’d just returned back from Hong Kong to see his family for Christmas. In conversation he told me a new ‘Frankie & Benny’s’ had recently opened near him. Seizing on his suggestion I told my date to head in that direction and breathed a sigh of relief.

I was a little concerned as my date is in the running to be a prospective conservative candidate and classy with it (I'm not a Tory!), basically I’d not been in a Frankie & Benny’s before so didn’t really know what to expect. On arriving it looked busy ‘will we get seats?’ I mused – Luckily we did, phew.

Sinatra's hypnotic tones schmoozed and crooned in the background, the menu had a lot to offer and the whole place made me feel like I was sat in a scene of Pulp fiction, we were even sat at the ‘Joe DiMaggio’ table (Mr Tarantino is a film god). I began to relax and so did my date Miss Tory (sounds like Mystery!). The food was excellent, the atmosphere was lively and the service was really good.

Needless to say it was a lovely evening…….. almost.

On paying with my debit card the portable machine that the waitress used for payment twice rejected my card – shock/horror and embarresment.

I know my blogging amigo Pat uses the excuses of ‘I’ve lost my bank card or ‘It doesn’t work’ and now this was happening to me, for real.

I removed the card from the machine and noticed a rough bit plastic near the front of the card that’s inserted first, smoothing it with my finger nail I inserted it back in and to my utter relief it worked.

I tipped the waitress (I said try the Lucky Hobbit in 2:10pm at Ascot) and then I signed some autograph’s for the fans outside. Top evening.

Frankie and Benny – you have a new fan!