Friday 8 May 2009

Buddha of Suburbia

No, not the book, movie or anything related to Hanif Kureishi's original creation but I'm talking about the Buddha (buddharupa for the pedants) in the window of the closed down TV repair shop on Central Road. I paused to photograph it in passing the other day and then, it being early and my brain not yet being fully wired for the day's activities, my mind wandered off into pontificating about the metaphorical significance of having a plastic-wrapped deity in the window of a disused Worcester Park shop. Is it a sign that no matter how bad the financial situation on Central Road might get he's there to watch over us and guide us benevolently towards contentment and abundance, or is it that he's merely attracted to Worcester Park by the idea of having his shiny pate waxed at one of the many beauty salons? Being rather sadly enshrouded in a plastic bag does seem to suggest certain limits to his deity though and why he should choose the deserted window of a TV repair shop rather than that of,say, Model Road & Rail is indeed a deep mystery that I shall ponder until at least my next cup of tea.

In other news it looks like the Brazilian-run cafe run as part of Cafe Piccolo seems to have closed with the big "Closed" sign on the front door being the main clue and the lack of tables and chairs combined with the removal of their Brazilian flag from the window as supporting evidence. Someone mentioned the other day that the proprietor of Cafe Piccolo was looking to sell and move on though I haven't had any kind of confirmation of that but it'd be a shame as our encounters with him have always been pleasant ones. Could it be that the two-for-one offer that Pizza Express have been touting recently has had a bad impact on his business?

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Lets home they do close...rubbish food and service.

Anonymous said...

That seems very harsh Anonymous. I've always had good service there, and it will be a shame if WP loses yet another restaurant.

What would you prefer - another charity shop?

Michael said...

We eat there often and find both the food and service very good. It is a franchise so the quality is around the same as Pizza express. It will be a real shame if it closes but I wouldn't be surprised as they are more pricy and less popular then Pizza express.

Worcester Park said...

Michael - I have to disagree about the quality being the same as Pizza Express. It's part of a small chain, rather than a franchise. The quality and range of dishes is very different from the clone Pizza Expresses with their limited menu. Sadly Pizza Express have plenty of promotions on which lure the punters in. I hope Piccolo survives, but I think they took over too many shop units. The rent there must be astronomical.

Unknown said...

I agree with the first comment I'm afraid, its terrible there. I went quite a few times when they first opened and the food and service was fairly good but the last time I went in there with my family, the food and service was quite frankly shocking.