Andy Lynes

Hey there Stellabella! Nice post. Look forward to some more.

On the spur of the moment, I have decided to invest some of my annual bonus, such that it is, on a short trip to New York next week. I would love to say hello to my American chums, so if anyone is up for a get together of some sort I would be delighted to have the opportunity to meet up and "sink a few brewskis" as I believe the common argot has it (sorry, I seem to have come over unnecessarily British all of a sudden. Don't worry, I'm not really like this). I'm arriving Thursday pm and returning home Sunday evening and am looking forward to meeting you.

It could well be time to give this thread a rest until there are further developments printed in the press. I certainly do not wish to see any further speculation on Gordon Ramsay's private life in relation to this very sad case. Not only is it slanderous and defamatory as Tony so rightly points out, it is also in my opinion in extremely bad taste. Iventolux, I'd ask you to take a moment and imagine repeating what you have written here to Ramsay's face, especially under the current circumstances. I think it is unacceptable, and whilst I currently have no intention of deleting your posts, you should feel free to do so yourself. eGullet is not a self contained bubble somehow divorced from reality, there is every chance that friends and collegues of David Dempsey and Gordon Ramsay will read what has been written here. I would not feel comfortable if I thought that this site had in any way added needlessly to their distress. This is an important subject and worthy of public debate, but only if conducted in an appropriate and seemly manner.

Please see above (I have merged several threads about this restaurant in response to the above enquiry).

I was nearly right then! I thought it was expensive enough for what it was quite frankly. So what did you think, or do we have to wait for the review?

Please note : some of these links may require free registration to view. Matthew Norman admires JC Novelli's immense....talent. Joe Joseph is at (sung to the tune of "Volare") Benares Woah, Oh, Benares, Woah, Oh, Woah, Oh. As is AA Gill. Jan Moir is content with La Contenta. Matthew Fort stuffs himself at Locatelli and La Famiglia on the same day, the greedy git. Jay Rayner walks down memory lane at The Savoy Grill. Chef Rowley Leigh lays the blanket on the ground and has a picnic, and Andrew Catchpole supplies the wines. Kevin Gould is easy this week, and doesn't care who knows. Nice and sqeezy does it every time for our Nige. Jill Dupleix on the BBQ.

He was recently been extradited from NY and is out on bail in Dublin awaiting trial for the theft of several paintings from the Fitzwilliam Hotel where his "Peacock Alley" restaurant used to be : bang to rights. Gallaghers past is murky indeed, someone ought to write a book about it, or at least a TV movie. Actually, Anthony Bourdain ought to write a book about it.

The food, drink and tourism industry were particularly well represented in the honours list this year, with Jancis and Jamie Oliver being two of the most high profile recipients. Well deserved I think. I am particularly looking forward to this event with Jancis, it should be a cracker. She only has time to answer a maximum of 30 of your most interesting questions, so get in quick once the board is open for business.

For what it's worth, I greatly enjoyed the meal I had at Conrad Gallagher when Black was there. And it was definatley Black in the kitchen, because Gallagher was reading a paper in the upstair bar when I was there! I thought at the time that the food was great but the surroundings lacked a certain something...enough other people for a start. I'll be very interested in your opinion of the place, although I agree with Olly on the "Cafe" misnomer, aren't they charging something silly like £37.00 for two courses? That would buy you a hell of a lot of tea and toast.

this is the only argument that counts here. See Fat Guy? I told you they weren't good enough reasons to have me replaced as UK Co-ord. (To do list : score some horse repaint pentangle on dining room floor take sheep costume to dry cleaners catch up on invoices) .

I understand that the results are due back 9 July.

A bowl of crunchy nut cornflakes. Its midnight. It occurs to me that it might be possible to survive on good coffee, toasted bacon sandwiches with HP sauce and the odd bowl of crunchy nut cornflakes. You might even lose some weight. Maybe I should write a diet book.

An under-ripe and tasteless conference pear and a cup of instant coffee whilst Peter Gabriel 3 plays in the background and I try and concentrate on writing a report for work. Its not working is it?

The night was dark. Black. Empty. Yet filled with a forbidding foreboding. Nothing stirred. Except the wooden spoon in the gravy, which stirred ceaselessly, preventing lumps from forming and sticking to the bottom of the pan like barnacles to the hull of a ship, ruining the sauce in the same way that the barnacles in fact would, should they have ever get near a gravy pan. She stared at her own reflection on the surface of that dark, black liquid (stirring, always stirring) and wondered if he would come home safe this time, out of the dark, black, empty night, into her arms. Would he ever taste her perfectly lump free gravy again?

Just click the "quote" button on the top right hand corner of post you want to quote and all will be revealed.

Nothing to do with me guv, its that Majumdar bloke you want.

It would be if the restaurant actually bought anything there. Fergus told me that they get their meat from a number of different suppliers around the country (can't remember the names, sorry).

Just got my copy and enjoyed it greatly. The Gagnaire is the best film but all are very interesting. Does the La Coste interview have subtitles does anyone know, I can't seem to get them to turn on if there are any, although I note it does state that the interview is "in French" on the DVD menu, but then so are all the films!

Head chef at Amyrilis, cooking One Star food for what, 40 or 50 people a night, maybe 70 a day? Paid £70k to do it? Hardly deplorable.

When was this? When Ramsay left Aubergine and A-Z restaurants, its my understanding that most, if not all of his staff went with him to Royal Hospital Road. The same is true I believe of Marcus Wareing's staff at L'Oranger when he walked out followed him to Petrus. The impression I have got from reading about Ramsay is that his people are incredibly loyal to him.

Do not, under any circumstances, buy Reflexions by Richard Olney unless you really want to know about every single person he ever slept with, every party he ever went to, every ancient ruin he ever visited, every picture he ever painted. I have tried on several occasions to get through the thing and have failed dismally. Utterly tedious.

You're welcome.

Dinner tonight at the Tea Room : Amuse Bouche of Gazpacho - rather under powered and not a patch on the version with crab I had last week at Putney Bridge. Starter of Assiette of Salmon - fantastic fish cake on tartare sauce, smoked salmon stuffed with salmon mousse on braised fennel, smoked salmon on a buckwheat pancake and a tiny tranch of pan fried salmon on new potato with half a head of asparagus. This was great. John Dory with hand rolled macaroni with mushroom and parsley cream was very good although the pasta was a little thicker than at the Square where it appears as a Phil Howard speciality, and the fish was a tad overcooked. Dessert of strawberry jelly, milkshake and tuile with chantilly was very disappointing, despite being heavily sold as delicious by the waiter. I was surprised to see that the yoghurt dessert (another Phil Howard special) was absent from the list. I think they have hired a new pastry chef, who gets a credit on the menu, and who appears to be very fond of Novelli style caramel springs. Only 10 years too late. I didn't have coffee but was disappointed to see that the biscuits had been replaced by boring old chocolate truffles. THe room, in the late evening sunlight, was showing its age and the service was a little slow at times even though the room was less than full. This however could well be explained by several large parties on the main and upper dining areas. €100.00 including a crap bottle of M Charpoutier Crozes Hermitages (white) at €35.00, one beer and service. Quite expensive actually. Lucky I'm not paying. Roll on L'ecrivain.

Unmissable TV. Ed is a star and Gordon shows he's just a big softy after all. David Laris, ex-Mezzo, now with his own restaurant in China I believe, is the main mentor and does all the hard work. Original and quite moving.

Ooh, that could almost be a mission statement for a food network couldn't it? How about "eGullet TV"?