The setting is worthy of a spy novel: the narrow, softly lit Mediterranean joint down a cobblestone Soho street, the bright-coloured curtains draping rough plaster walls, the somewhat gauche posters of West End plays and Renaissance art. I imagine hushed conversations, an agent meeting a source, or luring a recruit, over a kebab and a glass of wine. My guest, Sir Richard Moore, until recently Britain’s spy chief, will not share whether the unimaginatively named Mediterranean Cafe has featured in his clandestine career: “I couldn’t possibly say.” But he is a regular at the haunt, knows Ali, the owner, and is familiar with the Turkish menu.
這情景堪比一本諜戰小說：蘇活區(Soho)一條鵝卵石街上的一家狹窄而柔和燈光的地中海小館，鮮艷的窗簾垂掛在粗糙的灰泥墻上，墻上還貼著有些俗氣的西區戲劇和文藝復興藝術海報。我不禁想象有人低聲密語——一名特工與線人會面，或在烤肉串與一杯葡萄酒間引誘新成員。我這次的對談對象是理查德?摩爾(Richard Moore)爵士，直到不久前還是英國情報首長。他不愿透露這家名字毫無新意、僅叫“地中?？Х瑞^”的地方是否出現在他的秘密履歷中：“我可不便多說?！辈贿^，他是這里的?？?，認識店主阿里(Ali)，對這家店的土耳其菜單也相當熟悉。