they walked down to old compton street , on the edge of soho , where the tawdry and the chic sit side by side to the benefit of both , and they ate at la reache , filling up on couscous and dozens of marvelous plates of exotic food , which covered their table and spilled over onto an unused table nearby , and they walked from there to a small pub sylvia liked in nearby berwick street , and they had a few drinks , and they chatted .