Andy Lynes

Well there's this one and the Rick Bayliss one.....hold on, let me just check how many of the other 22759 threads "drivel down to a celebrity chef selling out."

Here's the lowdown.

Not a sniff I'm afraid. I'll see if I can come up with something next week. He was meant to be opening around about now. Its not unusual for dates to slip I suppose, but it has been ominously quiet.

He moved to The Berkeley in September 1998, and then got a 2 star rating in the 1999 Michelin guide. There's a Caterer news article about it here.

It all that florid menu speak and the spaces in between the items that make it look longer than it actually is Its only 8 choices per course, the same as he's always done. I wouldn't doubt for even a second Wareing's kitchen management skills and the ability of Ramsay to ensure that a tidy profit is made.

I was surprised they got him in to do it, as Barbara Barry has done the Savoy and the Boxwood.

Its the reports on eGullet that really matter these days, although I'm sure the GFG still helps

Its on at the new Petrus lunch menu (£26.00 for 3 courses) for a £6.00 supplement.

Should have some photo's early next week. Interior design is by David Collins BTW who I imagine would have found ripping out his La Tante Claire interior a bit of a wrench.

Here is the launch a la carte menu : Starters Lobster ‘Arnold Bennett’, a lightly smoked haddock omelette with Scottish lobster, fish velouté and hollandaise glaze Foie gras served on a Sauternes jellied plate with macerated figs in a spice wine and quince purée Pressed terrine of veal head, marinated vine tomatoes, baby gherkin and pickled onion salad with fried capers Golden Osciétra caviar, Cornish white crab and brown shrimps in lobster bisque, crème fraiche, calzone toast Crispy chargrilled veal sweetbreads, braised marrow with garlic and thyme, velouté infused with Amaretto and almonds Ardennes frogs’ legs scented with cumin and lemon confit, served with white onion and garlic soup, grilled focaccia Scottish sautéed scallops with Charlotte potato and leek salad, carrot purée, baby artichokes, truffle cream Carpaccio of duck liver ‘à la minute’, girolles and mango salad with a bitter sweet vinaigrette and brioche Main Course Slow baked sea bass with shallots braised in red wine and port, sautéed green beans, parsnip purée, sauce Matelote Grilled John Dory fillet, roasted pumpkin, caper and golden raisin purée, braised leeks, beurre noisette sauce Braised turbot with Welsh rarebit glaze, smoked cod roe with aubergine caviar and sautéed baby gem lettuce, light turkey jus Sliced spicy monkfish tail and sautéed langoustines, calamari and grilled aubergine, sea urchin sauce Best-end of Welsh lamb, braised lamb shank faggots, honey glazed parsnips, roasted peach and shallots with braising jus (for two) Caramelised Wiltshire pork belly with port and mixed spices, Lyonnaise potatoes, grilled baby leeks, sage cream Braised hare served with creamed savoy cabbage, glazed red onions, and a rich Madeira wine sauce Veal fillet with potato rösti, root vegetable fondant, glazed butternut squash, mustard grain velouté Dessert Peanut parfait with rice crisp crunch, Valrhona chocolate mousse, candied peanuts and chocolate sauce Pineapple pannacotta with fromage fraîs mousse, sugared almond crust and a pink grapefruit and Champagne sorbet Pears poached in aged, red wine vinegar, port and honey, sesame seed tuile with mascarpone and crème fraîche, pistachio ice cream Iced black cherry and yoghurt parfait, coconut cream and ginger caramel crust, baked meringue and cherry sauce Pressed layers of mango, strawberry and kiwi, exotic fruit jelly, lime sorbet and a black grape jus Caramelised banana pancakes, dark rum butter sauce, golden raisins and coconut soufflé Valrhona chocolate fondant with a melting butterscotch sauce, iced Devonshire clotted cream A selection of cheeses from the trolley with a bread basket and water biscuits

Now you don't know that for certain do you? You are really stuck for bars within 4 inch heel tottering distance I'm afraid, apart from those mentioned above, I can't think of one.

Its a bit of a desert in the immeadiate area. There's the Cumberland Hotel on Oxfrod Street right by Marble Arch tube, but its undergoing a re-furb, so is a bit of a building site I understand. Locatelli is part of the Intercontinental Hotel which of course has a bar. The Tapa room in Marlybone High Street is about a 10 minute walk from Locatelli and is a nice place for a drink, as long as its not too busy.

Big thank you on behalf of eGullet.com to Evan for making time in a busy schedule to participate in such an interesting Q&A. The winners of the books and Lobel's gift certificate will be announced shortly and contacted to arrange for delivery of their prizes.

I'm hoping the PR company will send through a few pictures of the interior. Its had a complete makeover. The seperate entrance has now gone, you enter through the hotel lobby into a bar area then through a glass door int the restaurant. the lounge are within the restaurant is open to the dining room as far as I recall. The only divided off bit now is the sort of cubby hole at the back of the room which I image will be the private dining area. I thought the room had a real wow factor and I can't wait to try it out, but I was only in there for 5 minutes or so, very different from spending a couple of hours on a regular basis eating there.

Petrus at St james Street had 50 covers, whilst the new restaurant has 60 in the main dining room, private dining for 12 and a chefs table for 8. So given that the private dining and chefs table may not always be at full capacity for every service, and may well be dining from a set menu when they are, it shouldn't be too much of a jump up in terms of scale for Wareing. And if his kitchen brigade is even half the size of the front of house team, he should be able to do it standing on his head. Or even standing in the kitchen of the Savoy Grill, which he may well be from time to time.

I don't really know the ins and outs of it, but wasn't it more that the relationship between Koffman and the hotel never worked, rather than the space? Maybe he wasn't really up for a bigger restaurant at that point in his career or just didn't want the hassle of dealing with the hotel management. Wareing is still proving himself, still trying to win his second and third stars, whilst Koffman had done all that by the time he made the move. I have no doubt that Ramsay is more than match for the men in suits who run the Savoy group and that Wareing will be allowed to get on and run the place as he wishes. This is all pure speculation and I have no inside track on any of it but my bet is that the reviews will be sensational, Wareing will get his second star in January and Petrus by Marcus Wareing will not only become a London institution to rival RHR, but also a perfum and a diffusion range of designer clothing. Or something.

Please note : some of these links may require free or paid registration to view. Restaurant reviews Lucy Bannell spins us a Jaan. Matthew Fort at Osia. Jay Rayner eats at Union-Undeb, but fails to name check eGullet member Paul Bell who joined him for dinner that night. Bang goes your 5 minutes of fame Paul. Nevermind, maybe this is some small consolation for you. No, probably not. Giles Coren eats at the entirely unpronounceable Fakhreldine The much discussed AA Gill is at The Gate Richard johnson is content with La Contenta. Ramsay reviews restaurants. Food Whats that eggy smell? Best ask Henry Harris. Gordon Ramsay shares some of his secrets, which turn out to be surprisingly similar to a bunch of recipes. Jill Dupliex on Caesar salad. Amazing what you can get away with these days isn't it? Mark Hix minces his words. Tom Conran is in a pickle An extract from Madhur Jaffrey's excellent new Curry Bible. Heston proves that he's a fungi to be with. Drink Jane McQuitty does the oaky-cokey. Superplonk Tim Atkin on bloody expensive wine lists. Terry Kirby tastes the best batch yet.

0207 627 5800 - tell them eGullet.com sent you.

It was very nice to meet Oliver Peyton, who can talk for England. He claims to have only recently regained his passion for restaurants, but on last nights form, its difficult to imagine him anything other than fired up and talking 15 to the dozen about his ideas and plans. He put me in mind of Danny Meyer (a deafening clanging noise is heard as Lynes name-drops with little or no compunction), a man on a mission with a need to explain it. Mark Broadbent was equally entertaining, but I would guess that he would usually be too busy to be taking orders and chatting with guests as he was last night.

Be very interested to hear what you think. If I was Gordon Ramsay, or even Mark Askew for that matter, I think I would be green with envy for the set up Marcus Wareing now has at the Berkeley. The room is much nicer than RHR in my opinion and there is a great deal more space.

If you search for this phrase and variations thereof on eGullet, the server crashes from the sheer number of returns.

I've no idea who the PR company is, I haven't had a press release for this.

You could probably get away with slacks and a shirt in Fleur in St james Street (was the old Petrus).

145 Knightsbridge Knightsbridge London SW1X 7PA 020 7838 1044

eGullet, in the form of myself and Jonathan Day were invited to the launch of Isola's new antipasti bar, a PR bash with all food and drink on the house. The bar is situated downstairs in the what is now the main restaurant (upstairs is a bar only) and is arranged around the open kitchen. It was completed only 30 minutes before the 6.00pm kick off and it sems that it will require a few tweaks. As a larger man, I was unable to get my legs under the tables, but was relieved to see that most people were struggling to squeeze themselves into the bench seats. Legs may have to be sawed off. Whether from the furniture or the customers is yet to be decided. The menu is divided into Verdure, Forno a legna e griglia, Pesce, Carne and Formaggi. You can order as many or as few of the small plates proced between £2.50 and £5.00 as you wish. There are also "gran piatto" available for each menu heading at £9.00 - £11.50, and formed from a selection of the smaller plates. We were able to taste a selection of just about everything. Although there were one or two make-weight dishes such as roasted peppers and some field mushrooms, most of what we tried was delicious. I am not expert when it comes to Italian food, and have never visited italy, so will leave it to JD to fill in the details. However, highlights for me were some thinly sliced and fried pigs cheek (not yet on the menu), sardines al guazzetto, the lardo (in fact all the cold meats) and some truely exceptional cheeses, in particular a full flavoured mozzerella. British chef Mark Broadbent seems to be doing a fine job, despite having visited italy for the first time a matter of a few weeks ago. Wines are all priced at £3.00 for a 125ml glass. I tried a Pinot Grigio le Zuccole" Giovanni Puiatti 2002, a vermention "Tavaoes" Giovanni Cherchi 2002 and a Barbera d'Asti "Fiulot Alfredo Purnotto 2001, all of which were great. The venture seems like a good idea and fills a whole in the market for casual, quick and inexpensive dining in the area. A journalist I spoke to a the end of the evening was far less impressed with the food than either Jonanthan or I had been, so not everyone was equally thrilled.