Andy Lynes

I keep on popping into the downstairs bar at odd times for a swift half or two and haven't yet been back to eat upstairs (had dinner at the oyster bar when they first opened and Corrigan was still shucking the oysters himself). I must prioritise a return visit.

Who they gonna call? Jon Gilbert!

I haven't been since just before Christmas when I had a terrific charcuterie plate a speacial of black paella which was lovely and some fabadas which were great. The place is tiny, you can't swing a cat in it hence the need for the microwave which I don't think is a huge problem as the food is properly cooked in the first place. I had a large glass of some really good Rioja reserva (96 I think) for about a fiver. I just loved it. I'm going to check it out again tomorrow after work and see if my memory is playing tricks on me.

I'd vote for Gingerman at Drakes or the original in Hove over Seven Dials where I've had two very disappointing meals although I must admit that my last was about 2 years ago. I would heartily recommend Bodega D'Tapa in Church Street, a tiny tapas bar run by a Spaniard. Click for review. Pinxto People is also worth checking out. I'd go downstairs in the tapas bar but you can opt for the posh restaurant upstairs where the service is excellent and food variable.

I'm stunned that Caines's lobster didn't make it through, it was one of the best dishes in the whole series. It would also have been far more appropriate as a fish course in a four course meal. Although the other two do look great, they are basically fish main courses. Caines dish appeared lighter and more interesting - a perfectly judged halfway house between starter and main. If I was Queenie, or indeed one of her guests, I'd be mightily pissed.

I had no problem with the table either, or the mat on it which someone else on this thread found to be slippery.

I had the pork cheek and chorizo on Tuesday night and it was one of the best things I have ever eaten in a "fine dining" restaurant. The cheek comes in the form of two small faggots of the braised meat en crepinette and then wrapped in wafer thin slices of chorizo. All this sits on a splodge of the garlic and parsley mash and a jus so clear that it looks like set caramel on the plate. I don't know exactly what is in the faggot, but I think it must be more than just the braised meat - whatever; it was fantastically savoury and delicious. It's also a very well judged dish - it's rich but they serve just enough so that it doesn't make the meal top heavy. There's no butter in the sauce and the mash isn't one of those butter, cream and a bit of potato jobs. It's a simple dish but incredibly well executed. It reminded me of the excitement of eating out in the early 90's in London and why I got hooked in the first place.

I ate at Rhodes and Co in both Edinburgh and Crawley and had enjoyable meals both times. Both restaurants are now closed however (the Edinburgh branch was a record shop the last time I passed it) as Rhodes parted company with Sodexho who financed them, although I think Edinburgh closed while he was still with Sodexho. I haven't been to Rhodes W1 as I thought I'd wait for the fine dining restaurant to open. I'm still waiting with apparently no date for opening yet set, which is odd.

I went to the launch party. The location is probably the best in London - the views are stunning as is the re-furb. Looking forward to eating there next month

Not at all, actually. Paul's freezer has arrived and the ice-cream is here. You get a scoop of ice cream and then molten chocolate poured over the top. ← Got the wrong end of the stick, apologies. Sounds lovely.

I missed it on the newstand, confident that I could read it online. Guess what? Its not bloody well online! How did that happen. I thought all of Fay's reviews were online. Damn, and further more, blast.

Sharp as a needle yet still pointless.

There are no moderators on eGullet, only forum hosts.

I think the dish you are refering to is the white onion risotto - which would actually work perfect for 200+ guests. Have you had it? ← I haven't had it, but I do know that risotto is one of the easiest things to over cook and that I wouldn't want to have to serve 200 portions of it in one go. If you didn't finish it in 200 seperate pans (which would be impossible) and just had one big vat of it, the last serving would have turned into congee by the time you got around to dishing it up. Maybe you could vac -pac each serving and re-heat in batches - that might work. A lot of faff though. Would the air hold long enough to get from the kitchen to the table in that situation? It could be a long way from the pass to the furthest away table, unlike at Anthony's where I would guess that the dining room is close to the kitchen. Is it a bit like trying to serve 200 souffles?

Boring and safe - not sure I would agree with that, but can you really imagine parmesan air for the Queen and 200 guests (or however many it is) at the Mansion House?

Luckily there's still people aound like you Mike, with taste and standards, for the rest of us to look up to and learn from.

At least it not all the usual suspects - Wareing, Corrigan, Caines, Kochhar - you can't dismiss names like those. Who would you rather have seen?

Well Oliver has definately had that green jacket on in every episode. It makes you think that they filmed the whole thing all in one go over a very short period of time.

Because its actually not that bad? Serious chefs cooking some nice food and visiting suppliers, talking about produce and how they use it - what's not to like? The format is astonishingly irritating and Jenny Bond needs a slap around the chops with a wet fish but for an early evening tele programme it'll do for me.

I've had a couple of good experiences at Fiore in St James Street. It's what was the original Petrus so its still that long, narrow room but the Italian food really is very good and the service is very switched on. It would meet you budgetary demands as well. I'm interested by your comments about Le Caprice. I've never been but have been to the Ivy (both part of the same group of course) a couple of times and had perfet service both times and never felt second best in the celeb packed dining room. Do they do things differently at Caprice?

"At least four of these schismatic forums have been following the Arbutus life cycle" Four? I can think of three off the top of my head (and I'm sure you know what they are) , but what's the fourth one?

I had a very enjoyable, and very cheap, lunch at Are-bew-tus (anyone else been saying Are-but-us? Just me then) on Thursday. I'm looking forward to going back for dinner at full price when there are a few more people in and I can get a real sense of the place.

Exactly - I feel like I've eaten there 5 times already. All I need to know now is what colour the maitre'd's shoes are and I can cancel my reservation. (Taste the food? Oh no, I don't need to do that. Think of all those calories!)

They should do away with the restaurant entirely and just have a phone line where you ring up and they explain the food to you while you eat a corned beef and Branston pickle sandwich - the foodie equivilent of phone sex. Far less hassle all round, you feel full up and you don't have to miss New Tricks on the telly.

Bigger tables=less punters= higher prices. Do you want dinner for £25 a head in central london or a side plate? The choice is yours.