Disclaimer: I Don't Own Doctor Who, George Auguste Escoffier, or his recipes.
Episode 2: A Date Gone Wrong (Part One)
Inside the TARDIS…
"How about a fantastic dinner from one of the modern French cuisine pioneers? George Auguste Escoffier, one of my favourites! What do you say, Lucy Sinclair?" the Doctor asked with a wide smile. "A little treat from me."
"Is that right? Well, invitation accepted! I'm so calling this a date…" Lucy is super excited about this, even though she doesn't know why the Doctor is taking her to dinner.
"Great! " the Doctor's grin got wider, then suddenly disappeared as his frowned with teasing confusion. "Did you say date? I said dinner…a treat…where did you get date from? Speaking of dates, 1892, hear we come!"
"Are you really that ancient? When a man and a woman have dinner together…alone…it is called a date…" Lucy teased back.
"Whoever said we will be alone? Ah, here we are! France!"
Winter snow welcomed the Doctor and Lucy as they stepped outside of the TARDIS. The crisp coldness delightful and the air refreshing.
"You didn't tell me to get dressed for the weather! " Lucy pretends to be angry. She lightly slapped the Doctor on the arm, then sneaked back to the TARDIS to get dress on for the date, with all that teasing she forgot to wear for the occasion.
"Hey! What was that for? " the Doctor turned with a silly face of objection. "Lucy? Where are you?"
"Just a sec! I'm changing…" Lucy's faint voice floated into the Doctor's ears, then coming closer and sounding more whining than accusing. " You didn't tell me to get dressed for winter…"
Lucy is dressed in a classic purple gown with white fur cuffs, her wavy blonde hair pined up and her delicate figure shown to perfection. She smiled back at the Doctor's stare, and laughed as she saw his Adam's apple moved up and down in a swallow.
"You look nice…beautiful…" the Doctor stumbled, then returned to his cool self. "So…shall we?"
He offered Lucy his arm and they strolled leisurely to the restaurant of Chef Auguste Escoffier, taking in the scenery.
As they arrive at the restaurant, Lucy's attention is drawn to a lone plump man in a chef hat, who looked translucent and quite blue.
"Is that…oh my goodness, an ice sculpture! I didn't know they existed in 1892."
"Yup, meet Chef Auguste Escoffier, my old friend…"
"You mean the sculpture? Is it alien? The Chef is alien?"
"No…of course not…" the Doctor gently grabbed Lucy by both of her shoulders and turned her to the other plump, opaque, and quiet rosy gentleman, whom the Doctor smiled at apologetically. "Désolé George…well, glad to see you again."
"Why I haven't seen you in ages! What brings you here my friend?"
"You know how I always loved your new recipes, well, today I'm going to have dinner at your lovely restaurant with my companion here…who you've met earlier. Lucy, Chef Escoffier. Chef Escoffier, Lucy."
"Please, you can call me George. You are a very charming lady. The Doctor is very lucky to have you…"
"Ya…we're not married…no…." the Doctor cuts in before the Chef could continue any further.
"Oh! Well…come in come in!"
The pleasant chef rushed them into the tidy and cosy little restaurant, and seated them at a table for two with candlelight. Looking into the window from the darkness of night outside, the Doctor and Lucy seemed like an unusual couple.
"How about your latest recipe, George?" asked the Doctor without even glancing at the menu. "I love the taste of something new." The Doctor winked at George. "Surprise me!"
The plump man laughed heartily and went to the kitchen. He came back with an entrée of artichoke soup, an main course of roast with veggies, and a dessert of Peach Melba.
"If I remember correctly, you like them all at once, right?" Escoffier said thoughtfully.
"Your absolutely correct! That's a brilliant memory of yours." The Doctor answered with a beam. "Well, Lucy…Bon Appetite!"
"Mmm…This is delicious!" Lucy slurred as she stuffed herself with the roast. " The dessert just looks beautiful...I can't wait to have a bite."
"You know, between you and me, that Peach Melba is going to be one of his most famous desserts, from hundreds of recipes!" the Doctor never gives up a change to show off. "Oh and don't wait to eat the Peach Melba, you never know, something may happen…"
A scream interrupted the Doctor, who was in mid sentence, and Lucy, who had a spoonful of the Peach Melba, topped with fruity sauce, almost into her mouth.
The Doctor smirked, "First, you can't say I didn't warn you, second…" The Doctor grabs Lucy's hand, forcing her to drop the ice cream, "let's go!"
Though Lucy's heart skipped a beat when the Doctor's hand locked with hers as they ran, she couldn't stopped herself from complaining about that spoonful she was about to taste. The Doctor, who is completely oblivious to it, led her to a crowd, which in the centre of lay a dead, but luxuriously dressed man, with pale, bluish skin, frost on his brows, and opened eyes with full of fright.