Andy Lynes

which no chef could ever be accused of...

Matthew, were you really there for nearly 5 hours? Wasn't your arse killing you after sitting on those stools for that long?

Breakfast at The Wolseley www.thewolseley.com A few glasses of Guinness and a plate of oysters downstairs at Bentley's - www.bentleys.org Afternoon tea at Sketch (or just tour the building and visit the exhibition during the day in the Gallery, they'll happily show you around) - www.sketch.uk.com Tapas at Barrafina - www.barrafina.co.uk Lunch or Dinner at Arbutus - www.arbutusrestaurant.co.uk Lunch or dinner at Tom's Kitchen - www.tomskitchen.co.uk Do the gastropub thing at The Ladbroke Arms www.capitalpubcompany.com/ladbroke.htm. No one ever seems to talk about this place but its absolutely my favourite pub in London. A real locals place (albeit locals talking about their property developments in the Middle East) and the food is reportedly very good from an ex-Bibendum chef in the days when Bibendum was at the top of its game. Alternatively, The Princess, 76 Paul Street, EC2A 4NE (020 7729 9270) is also very good. Splash out at The Ledbury, 127 Ledbury Road, W11 2AQ (020 7792 9090) - one of the best value full on fine dining experiences in London or The Greenhouse www.greenhouserestaurant.co.uk, expensive but worth it.

Gosh, what a little ray of sunshine you are sunbeam - you brighten all our lives.

50? I'm surprised that are that many ← Forums, blogs, "how to" sites and online shopping.

But only one follows the true Messiah of modern gastronomy.

A little more info will be available in the 50 Best Foodie Websites in the 17 February edition of the Independent's The Information supplement.

I can't agree about the bread - they bake their own, twice a day if necessary, and as I recall it was delicious. However, I've got a copy of the wine list in front of me and iI have to agree that its not the most impressive document I've ever seen, with quite a lot of names familiar from the supermarket. Not on a par with the quality of the food for sure, but then I'm sure they'd argue that " we're only a pub" star or no star.

Or maybe not. Last night Gregg criticised the use of pak choi in a dish as he said it released a lot of water and washed away the flavour of the duck, then applauded its inclusion in another contestants dish because it washed away the richness of a sauce. Make your bleeding mind up.

It's the speed at which the third restaurant has been announced which prompted my JC comparison, especially given that Tom's Kitchen was far from bedded in when I ate there in December. Maybe the last month or so has made all the difference.

To which Gregg replied...

I had a fabulous meal there just before Christmas, everything we ate was delicious. The baked alaska for two, flamed at the table was a highlight.

What did he order - three puddings?

You're only a 15 minute drive fron Marlow and the wonderful Hand and Flowers (incidently head chef Tom is a big fan of the Hinds Head).

Was this title not invented by the brothers Galvin ? Has Arbutus taken their crown ? ← Bistrot De Luxe is the Galvin's phrase - did they invent it?

Could he improve on these? - Cod loin with garlic, basil, rosemary, thyme and garlic infused oil Cod loin with tomato, vanilla and aniseed infused oil Salmon Fillet - with coconut & lemongrass extracts in a coriander and aniseed infused oil Haddock Mornay - on a bed of spinach topped with a rich cheese Mornay sauce (serves one) Prime Cod fillet tower - topped with spinach, tomato sauce and Emmental cheese and served on a bed of creamy mashed potato Lemon & Honey Roast Chicken served on a bed of creamy spring onion mash Lasagne Novelli with a creamy camembert béchamel sauce Mediterranean Rigatoni - with chunky aubergine, red onion, peppers, courgettes, fennel, olives and cherry tomatoes with a blue cheese glaze Apple & Raisin Crêpe Crumble with white chocolate brandy sauce & toasted oats White and Dark Crêpe Chocolat

Tom Aikens - the new Jean Christophe Novelli?

Nice to hear that Catherine. Just in case anybody is confused she's referring to The Apologist, which is my previous novel. ← Glad to have that cleared up, I thought she was comparing you to Plato for a moment there.

I find if that if a restaurant's decor isn't precisely calibrated to the food, then the dissonance between the two makes me nauseous.

Whoever wrote the text for your website needs to be hung, drawn and quartered...very slowly.

You could try posting about it on some of the foodie message board that all the UK food writers and critics read...

So we've established that there are public conveniences that are now restaurants and bars, but does anyone know of former restaurants or bars that are now public conveniences?

Speak to most restaurateurs and they'll tell you that punters will book for 7.30pm and 8.30pm and then all roll up at 8.00pm anyway. This sort of booking policy is partly damage limitation against customers who think they should be able to get what they want when they want it and fuck everyone else. Same principle as taking credit card numbers as a protection against no shows. All the sort of behaviour that we as caring and aware types never exhibit ourselves of course and we rightly feel unfairly penalised as a result, but that's the reality. My last meal out was at a more than half decent restaurant (albeit outside London) and we got a table for 8.00pm with no problem.

easy - Arbutus ← This is a Tony H "It's Monday afternoon, I'm bored, lets see if I can get a rise out of Matthew" post and I claim my £10.

Nobody loves a smart arse.