Andy Lynes

Actually, lets just get Bruce to send the food over to the pub.

Yes, I was going to suggest meeting in the pub before hand anyway, (and possibly afterwards as well).

I too am a cheap git and have always found the prices on the wine list to be very reasonable in the past, with a lot of choice between £25 - £35.00. What are they starting at these days (I haven't been for a few months)?

Ok, look forward to it.

That sounds interesting, don't keep us waiting too long.

I think that would be inadvisiable for a number of reasons (none to do with what was actually said) but mainly because they are Henry's views and not mine. He did tell me however that Pierre Koffmann had dinner at Racine recently and loved it.

I would imagine that chefs joining The Fat Duck brigade have a fairly steep learning curve to go through given that you use tools and techniques imported from the science laboratory. In addition, turnover of staff in the caterering industry is notoriously high. Do these issue present a particular challenge to you i.e. that you invest time and money training chefs in your methods only to have them move on to another kitchen?

Spur of the moment lunch at Racine today. I arrived at 11.50 and had a long chat with Henry, mostly about this site (and this thread in fact). The main room was full by around 12.45, with some tables in the back room also occupied. Sue Lawley was at the table opposite looking very elegant I must say (she was the reason I was a regular Nationwide watcher. Well, it certainly wasn't for Frank Bough). I started with Garbure from the set price menu (£16.50 for three courses), made with white beans, duck confit, cabbage some tripe and the jelly you get when confiting duck. It was a lovely dish, perfectly seasoned and finished with just enough parsley. Next came a freebie portion of jambon persille served with sauce gribiche (very Bibendum/Simon Hopkinson) which was excellent. Main of grilled onglet with crushed potatoes and creme raifort (horseradish. I had to look that up, just to make sure) was my first encounter with this particular cut of beef, and very nice it was too. Cooked rare and served with a very sharp knife, the flesh was very flavourful and tender but with more texture than your common or garden steak might have. Dessert was a terrific spiced warm rice pudding with mango compote. The room was buzzing and service was relaxed and professional. The whole front of house operation seems to have settled down since my last visit and has a more assured and confident air about it. I'm hoping to return in November for dinner.

I have only had the opportunity to work in Shaun's kitchen once about 6 years ago. It was a very enjoyable afternoon/evening which I spent peeling potatos, making canapes, gossiping and generaly getting in the way. Shaun made a lovely goulash for the staff meal which I was lucky enough to be asked to join. The most memorable moment for me realising that in the 20 minutes or so I had spent concentrating very hard wrapping slices of fig in parma ham in a rather cack-handed manner, Shaun had finished all the sauces for that evenings service, including a hollandaise. Amazing skill and speed of execution. Whenever I have been back since it has been to eat, but I do usually nip next door to the Unicorn pub and get a round of drinks in, then stand in the kitchen, quaffing lager like the complete heathen I actually am until Shaun turfs me out and I stagger back to the B&B.

You wouldn't get that in London would you? Look forward to all the details.

When you first opened The Fat Duck , I understand that your food was quite traditional French bourgeois cooking. What sparked the change in direction to your current experimental approach?

We are delighted to welcome Heston Blumenthal, chef/patron of the renowned 2 Michelin star "The Fat Duck" restaurant in Bray, England who will take part in an eGullet.com Q&A on 23 and 24 October. You may begin posting your questions at any time but please note that, for this session, they will be previewed. There will therefore be a lag between the time you submit a question and its appearance on the boards. Heston will try to answer all questions but may need to limit himself if the number of submissions gets too high. Questions will be locked after Heston has provided an answer. Please feel free therefore to start a new thread on an appropriate board if you wish to debate any points raised. We hope to obtain copies of Heston's first book "Family Food" to award to lucky participants in the session, who will be drawn at random. More news on this soon.

Heston Blumenthal is a totally self-taught chef. His passion for food was kindled at the age of 10 by a family visit to Provence and as a teenager he started to experiment in the kitchen. As a young adult he spent his holidays on gastronomic pilgrimages to France and his nights were dedicated to his twin obsessions, kick boxing and cooking. In 1995, aged 29, he opened The Fat Duck in Bray which has received many very favourable reviews and guidebook recommendations. The Michelin Guide awarded The Fat Duck its first star in 1999, and a second star in 2002. The Good Food Guide voted Heston "Chef of the Year" in 2001 (and he retains an 8/10 score in the 2003 edition). The AA Guide 2002 voted The Fat Duck “Restaurant of the Year” and Heston ‘Chef of The Year” in 2002, along with 5 rosettes. Heston opened his second restaurant, The Riverside Brasserie, in Bray in November 2001, with business partners Lee Dixon, Alfred Hitchcok, Nigel Sutcliffe and Garrey Dawson (his sous chef). Heston's style marries the French bourgeois tradition with experimentation born of boundless curiosity e.g. cod with cockscombs and liquorice, foie gras with marinated salmon and cuttlefish cannelloni of duck and maple syrup. His recipes can be seen weekly in the Guardian Magazine on Saturdays. Penguin will publish his first book, Family Food, in November 2002. Heston's TV series Kitchen Chemistry, aired on the Discovery Channel in August 2002. This series looks at the latest scientific research on food. He has been profiled by a number of publications including Caterer & Hotelkeeper and The Independent. Recently broadcast by BBC Radio 4, Kitchen Cornucopia was a three part series presented by Heston. He has also appeared on the new BBC show Ever Wondered.

Steve - on the Arperge thread you said "There is an intangeable element to the meal that makes it worth a price that doesn't correlate with what the ingredients or preparation times might add up to as a function of some mathematical equation. Call it an artistic license the diner has to pay for. But the other side of that coin means the meal is limited to only the most discerning diners who "get it." Is it possible that you don't "get" Gagnaire, and that the audience for his food is a relatively small one in comparison to other 3 star chefs? (I ask as someone who has never eaten his food).

That Paul Bell, he's rubbish! He comes round here, starting new threads, and he knows there's already one about Locatelli, he just can'be bothered to find it. I mean, how lazy? And then he just moans! Some people! (How's that?)

mrs Woman - thanks for finding this story and for editing your original post. Can't be too careful about these things!

I think it's a matter of finding the appropriate level of dining where the presence of children is generaly deemed acceptable. The trouble is that views will differ greatly as to what that might be. I do think that children misbehaving is an entirely seperate matter from adults "misbehaving". Kids stick out like a sore thumb in certain restaurants and therefore their activities will be magnified because of the attention they will attract. This is not the case with adults, unless they are very loud and/or very drunk.

Well, I think the question begged the debate really, and Samantha has provided an answer (thanks Samantha). Right, now back to the griping......

I am with Tony and Samantha on this. A child that is perfectly behaved for 2 or 3 hours and does not impinge in anyway on the pleasure of those around them for that duration of time is one in a million, and should be treasured. As a general rule however, young children should be kept well away from "fine dining" restaurants in my opinion. Adults need a break from their own and everybody elses kids once in a while, and I personaly relish those rare occassions when my wife and I can put childish things away for an hour or two. I would be less than happy to walk into GR and be greeted by the site of a small child. Even if they were well behaved, I would be just waiting for it all to go off, which it surely would.

Vanessa, great post thanks for taking the time. I had heard that Riva is no good unless you are a celeb or a regular and your story seems to bear that out.

Quite an interesting piece in yesterdays The Times magazine where I learned that the lovely Helena Hell, formerly if La Trompette is the restaurant manager at Menu. I have had to cancel my reservation for next tuesday, but on the basis of this bit of information will be re booking as soon as I can. Who cares what the food is like!

I noted that the sample menu on the site lists grouse with no supplement which must be the cheapest in the land. I had grouse the first time I went to the Merchant House, which Shaun roasts in the traditional way, it was fantastic.

Jan Moir has reviewed The Merchant House in the telegraph off the back of this award and there is a link to the restaurant website in the piece as well : click me

I would certainly agree with The Glasshouse. It's been refurbished since I went earlier this year apparently. Anthony Boyd is a very talented chef, great wine list, great cheese and very charismatic service. Its a busy, noisey room however. I would also heartily recommend McClements in Twickenham. I have had two near perfect meals there, although the last was more than 2 years ago. It's a "neighbourhood" restaurant but the standard of cooking was sky high. The AA award it 2 rosettes, but give it a 3 rosette review http://www.theaa.com/restaurants/77683.html . Hugely enjoyable in my opinion. They have a website http://www.mcclementsrestaurant.com/

AH was on Woman's Hour this morning. Wasn't desperately interesting, but I did note that she has quite a deep and husky voice, possibly from shouting at her chefs. Her favourite food is sandwiches and crisps you'll be pleased to know, along with cheese and biscuits.