Currency costs
Oh dear. I enjoyed a really good meal of dim sum at the Chuen Cheng Ku in Wardour Street (tasteful décor shown above). As ever, the dumplings and dishes came in endless succession and the bill to pay at the end of it was satisfyingly small. It was when we went off afterwards for some Grant Burge 10 year-old tawny that we noted the steep price increase. The explanation is simple: the pound has dived, and GB10 is imported from Australia. A pound which used to buy two US dollars does not quite buy one-and-a-half now. And one that used to buy 1.40 euros now buys 1.14. All of this makes imported goods more expensive, and wine bars have no option but to pass on the increases. The last case of GB10 I bought cost me 50 percent more than the previous one. I dread to think what the next one might cost…