Andy Lynes

That's Bjorn van Whathisface if you don't mind.

I ate recently at Orrery restaurant in London. During the meal I got chatting to the staff who told me that their most regular customer just made his 850th visit. That would be pretty astounding for for any restaurant, but more so when you consider that Orrery has been open less than 9 years. You, as they say, do the math. So, can anyone beat that?

Went in August and really enjoyed it despite a few FOH problems. Ladbroke Arms is a nice spot nearby for a drink.

It's such a souless, dull room. The decor was much nicer when it was Peacock Alley.

It's a funny old catagory, a bit of a tease really. It must be very frustrating for the restaurants, especially if they don't get the promotion the following year. They introduced it in the guide to France last year (Le Meurice for example is a rising three star) and this is the first time they've used it in the UK.

Its a shame you won't get royalties on that phrase - I think we'll be seeing a lot of very similar sentances very soon.

Although Mr H did correctly predict Rasoi Vineet Bhatia (although not on eGullet) and I incorrectly predicted Apicius (who got a Bib Gourmand) we didn't agree a figure so my wallet is safe.

Vineyard and Greenhouse are rising stars so have still only got one star at the moment.

They'll be celebrating in Torquay tonight! Congratulations to ginger chef - well deserved. Also great news for Vineet Bhatia and Brett Graham (The Ledbury) Download the list here.

And all this while he opens a chain of 10 gastropubs in the UK: A Touch of Novelli. A "touch" seems about right. Also, how seriously should we take a chef that employs Max Clifford as a publicist?

The Lumiere website has been relaunched (and not a moment too soon) and now looks rather snazzy. It includes an interesting fifteen minute or so documentary: http://www.lumiere.ca/.

I'm currently figuring out the logistics of dining in 14 London restaurants (a mix of high end and very casual) in 2 days for an article I'm writing. I'm also drawing up a shopping list: imodium, Rennies, Alka Seltzer...

One small step for fatmat, a giant leap for the credibility of British food on eGullet. Bravo and I'm feeling very, very hungry.

My bill was a bit shocking but I can't say that I felt in anyway insulted at Locatelli. How did you find the restaurnt insulting?

Just added Bluebird Dining Rooms to my list for this month which I'm looking forward to. Went to the Orrery on Tuesday. My first experience there since Andre Garret took over the kitchen from Chris Galvin - very impressed on all fronts I have to say.

The restaurant used to Hotel De Clos and Sat Bains was head chef there for a couple of years before he reportedly bought the place (I assume he had backers) in 2004 and changed the name. Sat Bains certainly made an impact on me when I met him at the Roux Scholarship last year. He talked at me very loudly and very quickly for about 20 minutes without drawing breath. He seemed like a nice chap though. Sat Bains website

If you have a look at the site it very quickly becomes obvious that it's Mario's restaurant consultancy services that are the main revenue stream and not the restaurant recommendations. Mario is a member of eGullet (under his own name) so maybe he'll post something at some point on this thread. In the meantime, its well worth getting the free newsletter from the site.

Marco Pierre White - arguably the most talented and influencial British cook of the second half of the 20th Century - has teamed up with Frankie Dettori - arguably an Italian jockey - to open a chain of Trattorias called "Frankie's". Dettori also has a range of frozen pizzas on sale in UK supermarkets. Who says London isn't the most exciting restaurant city in the world?

I know I have given a bad example with my post, but please, no further posting about NY on this thread. The Manhatten forum hosts might feel as though we are leaving them out of things but more importantly, it makes information easier to retrieve from the sites if we keep to the regional structure. Thanks for your understanding.

Matthew, there's a ton of recommendations over on the New York forum. The Michelin thread might be as good a place to start as any. The places that attract the most discussion include Per Se, WD50, Blue Hill and Babbo but you would need to post any further questions on the NY forum.

The crab version are also worth a spin.

I'd go further - South African food isn't exactly renowned.

A great place. I spent a very happy hour or so chatting to the owners and the guy sitting next to me at the bar. Pretty much the ideal wine bar in my opinion.

Here's a recipe I googled for potato filling which features mashed potato and saffron but is a baked dish with eggs and bread in there as well which sounds quite nice. Haven't found a recipe for mashed potaoes with saffron as a side dish as yet - any offers?

The BBC's guide to the seasons isn't bad and its free!