Since our chances of seeing Hamilton for a reasonable price were slim to none, Ben opted for the next best thing- tickets to An American in Paris in its last week of showing in the West End! As big of a fan of musicals as I am, I wasn't all too familiar with the show. But knowing that the score was the music of George and Ira Gershwin brought out my inner music geek (my final piano performance ever was Rhapsody in Blue).
So on a chilly Wednesday night, we set off for the West End ready to be whisked away into the jazzy music of the Gershwin brothers, complete with song and dance. But not without something to eat first. London is bursting at the seams with pre-theatre set menus. Of course, you don't need to be going to a show later on to cash in on these deals, but you will have to eat on the earlier side. After a little bit of sleuthing, I decided that the Ham Yard restaurant had the best deal and was in close proximity to the venue.
The Ham Yard restaurant is attached to a hotel of the same name. Located off of the main street and in its own little courtyard area, you're greeted with twinkling fairy lights in the trees. The perfect way to start off a magical night of music. The restaurant was already buzzing by the time we arrived at 5:45. Clearly, everyone else was having the pre-theatre deal. That, or there was a large cohort of post-work cocktail seekers in the restaurant.
Ham Yard's pre-theatre menu, while limited, is packed with flavor in every dish. Seriously- there's no plain food around these parts. I've been on a real goat cheese kick lately, so I started with a light option of grilled goat cheese and endive salad. I'm not really a salad gal but the combination of crunchy hazelnuts with creamy, tangy goat cheese really hit the spot!
My second course was a coq au vin. While I'm not usually one to order chicken at a restaurant (I hate to say it, but I find chicken super boring) but this dish elevated the often-bland chicken to the next level. The red wine jus and creamy potato mash made this the ultimate comfort dish.
We skipped out on dessert (we had pre-emptively bought some ice cream for later) and, if you noticed in the photos, we opted out of the complimentary glass of prosecco. We're doing a semi-dry January, so we went for soda instead (it's a tragedy, I know). That being said, the two courses with a glass of prosecco normally comes to £19.50 on the pre-theatre menu- such a deal! You can find out more about the deal here.
After filling up on our meal, we headed to the show. Now, I don't want to give away too much (and a detailed synopsis probably wouldn't be too interesting), but I'll fill you in on a few highlights of the show. As I said earlier, I didn't really know the plot or the songs from An American in Paris. But the second the show started, I immediately recognized the first song- "I Got Rhythm." Even as the show went on, this continued to be my favorite song!
Plot-wise, An American in Paris is a simply-complicated love story. In post World War 2 France, Lise, an elegant young French woman and aspiring ballerina, is pursued by three men- a Frenchman, her long-term partner, and two American expats. As always, drama ensues. I think the best, and perhaps most unique part, of this show is the dancing. It's largely a ballet-based show, so you're really getting two-for-one!
While An American in Paris is unfortunately no longer running in the U.K., keep your eyes peeled because I have a feeling it might come back by popular demand! In the meantime, you can always check out the film ;)
My second course was a coq au vin. While I'm not usually one to order chicken at a restaurant (I hate to say it, but I find chicken super boring) but this dish elevated the often-bland chicken to the next level. The red wine jus and creamy potato mash made this the ultimate comfort dish.
We skipped out on dessert (we had pre-emptively bought some ice cream for later) and, if you noticed in the photos, we opted out of the complimentary glass of prosecco. We're doing a semi-dry January, so we went for soda instead (it's a tragedy, I know). That being said, the two courses with a glass of prosecco normally comes to £19.50 on the pre-theatre menu- such a deal! You can find out more about the deal here.
After filling up on our meal, we headed to the show. Now, I don't want to give away too much (and a detailed synopsis probably wouldn't be too interesting), but I'll fill you in on a few highlights of the show. As I said earlier, I didn't really know the plot or the songs from An American in Paris. But the second the show started, I immediately recognized the first song- "I Got Rhythm." Even as the show went on, this continued to be my favorite song!
Plot-wise, An American in Paris is a simply-complicated love story. In post World War 2 France, Lise, an elegant young French woman and aspiring ballerina, is pursued by three men- a Frenchman, her long-term partner, and two American expats. As always, drama ensues. I think the best, and perhaps most unique part, of this show is the dancing. It's largely a ballet-based show, so you're really getting two-for-one!
While An American in Paris is unfortunately no longer running in the U.K., keep your eyes peeled because I have a feeling it might come back by popular demand! In the meantime, you can always check out the film ;)
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