The door creaked loudly as it opened but Nick didn't want to judge the place on appearances and entered curious about what he may find. The lobby was a small area with merely four old wooden tables with four wooden chairs each and a counter with a cash register on it and a doorway leading to the back of the store. In that doorway an old man with short silver hair , a thin but healthy body and a slightly hunched back wearing a robe walked out. "Welcome! Please sit wherever you like and I'll bring you todays menu." the old man said with a happy expression as he waved his hand and a sheet of paper flew from behind him into it.-
Nick's eyes bulged out slightly at this as the man hadn't used a wand for that nor did he recite a spell. For anyone not aware this was not a big deal as literally all wizards used magic but Nick was aware that wandless silent magic was not part of what the general public was capable of casually doing. Nick knew for a fact that even people like Dumbledore struggled to use the stuff and yet this particular old man had done so casually.-
'I was merely interested in seeing what this place was about before but I never would have expected this.' he thought as he sat himself down at a table near the window. The old man walked casually to the table and placed the menu on the table in front of Nick. "While waiting for your food is there any particular beverage I can interest you in from the list there?" the old man asked while pointing out the list on the paper. Nick looked over the list and was surprised to see that it wasn't the usual selection of british drinks but included things from all over the world.-
"I'd like a cup of Qishr if it's not much trouble." Nick said seeing that on the list alongside a description of the drink. The old man smiled widely "An excellent choice please look over the menu as I get it prepared." he said before walking back into the doorway at the back of the store. The description said that Qishr was an infusion made with coffee husks , ginger , sugar and cinnamon served hot and sweetened.-
Nick had never even heard of the drink before but it sounded fantastic and as a result wanted to try it. Looking over the food portion of the menu he was surprised to find that besides a single british dish the rest were all from somewhere else. There was Thai green curry , Ropa Vieja , Bobotie and a few more dishes that Nick didn't know. They had descriptions however much like the drinks that made choosing easier. Nick personally decided on the Bobotie that was apparently a casserole type dish made with spiced lamb mince , dried fruits and an egg based crust on top garnished with bay leaves.-
Once again Nick had no clue if this was a good idea idea but the dish sounded great for dinner. After about ten minutes the old man returned with a pitcher of steaming orange tea looking liquid and a glass. Setting the glass on the table he poured in the liquid from the pitcher before setting the pitcher down on the table. "I take it you have decided on a dish?" he then asked with an expectant look. "I apologize if I butcher the name but this dish here , Bobotie , was the choice I had made." Nick said while pointing at the dish on the paper.-
The old man nodded with a pleased look "This dish should pair wonderfully with the Qishr , give me a while to get it made and I'll have it right out." he said before taking the menu and heading back to behind the doorway. As the beverage was hot Nick carefully sipped on it and was quite please to discover that it was a wonderful mix of sweet , spicy and earthy. Another ten minutes later and the old man returned though empty handed this time. "Forgive me if I seem like I am prying but can you tell me what made you come here of all places today for food?" he asked curiously.-
Nick shrugged " Not much to pry into as I saw it was near dinner time and happen to notice your restaurant and decided to give it a try. So far I am quite pleased by this spur of the moment decision of mine." he said honestly with a small as he sipped his drink again. The old man chuckled "Sometimes a random act means all the difference." the old man said mysteriously before leaving once again.
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