152 replies to this topic

[Gary Marshall]

I though it was interesting Alan Murchison letting the cat out of the bag to a certain extent re water baths, which we are led to belive are the best thing ever to happen to the diner, especially on GBM commentary, but actually their real use is consistency and ease for the restaurant, not taste for the diner.

Can't think of any one else publically outing this on TV /elsewhere.

And I'd rather not have my dinner glued (transglutaminase-d) together, thanks!

enjoyed it so far, Paul Foster has some interesting ideas and Daniel Clifford showing why he's a 2* chef.

[Simon_S]

I'm enjoying the cooking very much this year, but I'm really struggling with the monotony of the format. Do we really need that "deliberation in front of the window" bit EVERY EPISODE?

I'll definitely give it a miss for Corrigan week. That's just a bridge too far.

[david goodfellow]

I'm enjoying the cooking very much this year, but I'm really struggling with the monotony of the format. Do we really need that "deliberation in front of the window" bit EVERY EPISODE?

I'll definitely give it a miss for Corrigan week. That's just a bridge too far.

Agree wholeheartedly about the food, especially this week, and there are some more really great chefs left to feature.

Personally I think if this program was new to our screens we would perhaps be a lot more enthusiastic about it. Shame about the repetition but I for one will miss it next year if this is the last one.

Btw Simon, I met Richard Corrigan at Dabbous. He was at the next table with three of his top guys. His television persona is different to the real him. He came across as a really nice guy, fairly quiet and low key but certainly fun to be with.

[Simon_S]

Btw Simon, I met Richard Corrigan at Dabbous. He was at the next table with three of his top guys. His television persona is different to the real him. He came across as a really nice guy, fairly quiet and low key but certainly fun to be with.

I've every reason to believe this to be true, and that's exactly why I can't stand watching him on TV. The television persona is just so forced.

[Toufas]

Daniel's chicken dish looked exceptional. Did he sous vide the chicken breast first before frying it with the potato strings?

[Prawncrackers]

I'm glad that it's on. Where else are you going to see such standards of cooking on your tellybox? It's the perfect antidote for the usual "Easy Shit Made Easy" cooking shows fronted by wannabe celebs. Yes the whole GBM format is familiar now, maybe too familiar, but it's still very watchable. The voiceover is terrible, but without it you'd have no reason to shout at the telly! Another annoying bit is the footballer style interview after the tasting, walking-in shot shaky camera - hilariously contrived.

Over the past couple of seasons Daniel Clifford has come across as bit of a tool but that chicken dish is truly olympian, he's trying a lot harder than the other two and deserves that 10 for sure. I think the brief this year favours chefs like him who push the boundaries; note Murchison's success last week, poor Aktar looks lost. Also where did Clifford get his asparagus from in the middle of winter, or is this just the magic of telly, don't ask questions?

[Harters]

Also where did Clifford get his asparagus from in the middle of winter,

Peru. Like everyone else.

Last year, my local Sainsbury even had Peruvian asparagus at the height of our growing season.

[MaLO]

Daniels food is looking very good. It is somewhere I will give some serious thought to going later in the year. Both Daniel and Alan seem to have toned down the alpha male routine they had in other series and come across much better for it.

[david goodfellow]

Daniels food is looking very good. It is somewhere I will give some serious thought to going later in the year. Both Daniel and Alan seem to have toned down the alpha male routine they had in other series and come across much better for it.

There is a certain humility in this weeks kitchen and its better for it. In previous years Aktar has been accused of being a bit of a cock. Nothing could be further from the truth on this showing. He comes across as being a top notch guy.

Daniel is so rounded, he's almost unrecognisable.

Paul seems just an all round nice guy.

Not so sure I could bear much of the ultra competetive Alan Murchison, he's so full on he could implode.

For me the kitchen comaraderie works so much better than the dog eat dog winning mentality.

And yes, Daniel's food looks amazing, including tonight's photogenic dessert, eye candy of the highest order, which I hope to be eating very soon.

[KaffirLime]

But is this television good enough for Olympians?

[Gary Marshall]

Don't forget the tone of the show is set by the producers, they have deliberately tried to build confrontation in the past, very possible this year it is all more touchy feely team spirit olympic ethos.

The chefs know it is 'viagra for the reservation book' and that is why they put up with it and appear, in private you'll find a completely different story.

[KaffirLime]

Pretty predictable result really but I am pleased for Daniel. I have to say though, Paul's presentation must have let him down as much as his cooking - did he buy all of his plates in a charity shop?

[david goodfellow]

Sorry to say that on paper and with this evening's poor showing I really can't see any of these guys progressing. Four out of ten is abysmal.

Hope it improves dramatically. Fingers crossed.

[Gary Marshall]

It's an odd collection of chefs when the area is not exactly short of talent.

Whether its chefs declining or not hamming it up sufficiently for the cameras in the screen tests, I know not, but it would take me a long time on a desert island to come up with the present list.

Not say i didn't enjoy it, Charlie (?) came across well and interesting comments about Colin McGurran's food lacking seasoning, seemed a pointed comment.

[Simon_S]

The 4 points for Colin seemed very interesting alright, especially since he himself had called it "perfectly seasoned" in the aforementioned footballer-style interview. I also wonder if the brief of pushing the boat out is at odds with some of the veterans' tastes and sensibilities.

[Gary Marshall]

You mean that cooking a Lancashire hot pot and sticking a couple of lamb chops into it isn't cutting edge?

I fear you are correct though, Fort seems to get modern cuisine but I think the others would cross the road to avoid it, if at all possible.

[antdad]

I do find these early rounds rather forgettable, please tell me Murchison didn't make the cut.

[RDB]

Nigel H just could not contain himself last night at the sheer absurdity of wearing googles and that nasal constrictor. She should have took it further, and got them wearing boxing gloves, earplugs and some masking tape on the tongue, so no senses were present. The concept being that if you take away all senses the food will taste of nothing, now that is pushingnthe boundaries.

Surely david you must have had a sneaky thought that wearing swimming googles when eating is the next new thing? Have you booked a table yet?

[Harters]

I don't think I've seen anything this week that I'd really want to eat. And I normally like Charlie's food (see upthread and
here

Edited by Harters, 25 April 2012 - 10:42 AM.

[thampik]

Regardless of the merits of cooking sous vide, I was really surprised that a top chef (Charlie Larkin) had never ever used it!

I wonder if this is at all representative of chefs in the UK?

[KaffirLime]

Richard Turner, Michelin starred chef Patron of Turner's in Harborne recently gave an interview to the chef's table where he admitted to only recently embracing water baths. In fact It's worth quoting him directly:

"We’re starting to embrace new cooking techniques and we use water baths now where if you’d told me that two years ago that I’d be using a water bath I’d have told you fuck off out of it"

Sums it up really. I think the take up of them is nowhere near as universal as we are led to believe. Having said that I've had meals in pubs where the meat has clearly been cooked sous vide and I'm like "get the feck out of here, this is a pub"

Edited by KaffirLime, 25 April 2012 - 01:37 PM.

[thampik]

Pubs using sous vide kind of makes sense to me - at a basic level it does take a lot of the skill required (eg cooking steaks to a specific doneness) out of the equation.

Still find the seeming lack of awareness puzzling...

[Simon_S]

Is it lack of awareness though, or just a rejection of the concept?

[david goodfellow]

Not fealt the love at all this week. I'm fed up to the back teeth with "groundbreaking". Where can food go?

To quote yesterday's fallen hero Marco. "Its only food ffs".

Next week is not at all inspiring either. No disrespect to the chefs but the class of the field are there for all to see, very few others can compeat.

Its fairly clear to me now that the classic old school chefs, like cream, will rise to the top.

Sod foraging and leaves, flavour is all.

[Harters]

I'm with David about this week. Twelve dishes and I wouldnt have been in a rush to eat any of them.

That said, foraged stuff can be good - I've had dishes at Sat Bains and In De Wulf (Belgium) that have been bang-on.

And the brother in law brought me back a carrier bag full of "sea fennel" last summer from Mallorca. You pickle it in white wine vinegar. Delicious with stuff like salami

[goodkidwe]

Useful information! I wanna learn British cuisine. I will be a huge fan of the series.

[KaffirLime]

What is beginning to grate with me are all the little asinine comments like 'they've really got to be at the top of their game for this one'. When haven't they? I'd like to think the intelligence level of people who watch GBM is a cut above the average but we are treated to the same script writing standards as Come Dine With Me.

[Simon_S]

I might have to eat my words about Corrigan, or at the very least nibble them a bit. I'm finding him pretty entertaining so far this year.

[KaffirLime]

Well I nearly threw my ipad at trhe television last night which would have been expensive. I know they are all following scripts but Corrigan was excrutiating last night.

OK Richard on the count of three we want you to squint menacingly at the camera and say something negative about each chef.

Er OK....

"Does marrowbone go with skate? I don't know (why ask the question then?)

"That rose petal is very strong. If gets that wrong it could be horrible"

"If he gets the timing wrong it could be disastrous"

So what you're basically saying is it wouldn't be very good news if they made a mistake? No Sh1t Sherlock ,thanks for your inciteful observations!

Edited by KaffirLime, 02 May 2012 - 10:28 AM.

[thampik]

I dislike Corrigan's snide, arrogant television persona (is that what he is really like?) so much so that I am not watching GBM this week. Not much of a sacrifice really

I have to remind myself that I once had a rather excellent dinner at Lindsay House a while ago - maybe he should stay behind the stove!