The inimitable Loyd Grossman hosted a lunch on Monday afternoon in The Cellar Restaurant at the luxurious Merrion Hotel which was well attended by a variety of familiar faces. After a champagne reception in the hotel gardens, guests were treated to a gastronomic feast which included foie gras for starter followed by roasted sea bass. It was rounded off with creme bruleé and petit fours accompanied by a glass of delicious desert wine.
As I was sitting at Loyd's table I couldn't resist asking him if he had found any secrets from his time presenting Through the Keyhole! He did share some interesting little tit bits but unfortunately I'm not at liberty to divulge as the conversation was strictly off the record. A wise move Loyd.
Present and correct were FMI and top model Andrea Roche, who is busy with plans for this Friday's Newbridge Silverware sponsored Miss Ireland contest in the City West Hotel, TV3's Alan Hughes with Mary Irwin and her daughter Victoria, socialite Gavin Lambe - Murphy, Ray Shah of Big Brother fame, social diarists Joanne Hegarty and Melanie Finn and PJ Gibbons of Social & Personal magazine.
As it was a beautifully hot day a number of us including Frances Winston, Fergal Breen, Richard Kavanagh and GL-M retired to the Unicorn for a glass of vino, or 4. Among those enjoying a late lunch there included socialite Dr. Robin O'Reilly, Law and Order actor Christopher Meloni (who's in town to star in a production of "A View from the Bridge" at The Gate theatre), Simon Carmody, fashion stylist Sonia Mohlich with Alan Bruton, who has just opened another branch of his Reds hair styling emporium in the Four Seasons hotel, and publicist Sarah Jane English with Aoife Jones of O2.
Good company, good wine, good weather. Life doesn't get much better.
