Andy Lynes

I've been to Fiore twice recently and been very impressed. True, they were press do's, but for different reasons put huge demands on the kitchen and the front of house, both of which seemed to cope admirably. The room is always going to be a bit of a corridor, but I actually prefer it now to its rather more somber incarnation as Petrus, which nevertheless was one of my favourite restaurants. Umberto's food is delicious and inventive and you couldn't hope to meet a nicer chap. He even let me borrow his office and laptop when I needed to file some urgent copy from the restaurant - what a gent.

Jamie, this has been a Herculean effort on your behalf which has been greatly enjoyed and appreciated. Its bought back wonderful memories of my summer visit to Vancouver, the Okanagan, Victoria and Harrison Hot Springs and showed me some more places I need to get to on my next trip. Now looking forward more then ever to Rob Clark of C restaurant visiting the UK in February to recreate (and maybe even try to surpass) the Sustainability Event in that happened in Vancouver in June this year. I believe he may be accompanied by a familiar face or two?

Everyone he's ever said unpleasant things about makes a b-line for his door with the express intention of slagging him mercilessly on the internet the next day! This really is great news Gary, many congratulations. If the food is as good as it sounds then you are certainly on to a winner in that department. As someone who spends a great deal of time trying to extract information from restaurant websites, yours is a model of well designed restraint. So who's going to make it there first? Bapi?

Back in July 2004, I was fortunate enough to have a tour of Mission Hill with Michael Allemeier which ended with a tutored tasting of wines paired with some small plates led by the chef himself. I can't lay my hands on my notes so I can't give you a blow by blow of what we ate, but I do recall eating the most flavoursome oyster mushrooms I've ever had, grown locally of course. I do have my tasting notes and see that I was particulalry taken with the 2001 Chardonnay Estate, 2001 Syrah Estate and the 2001 Riesling Icewine Estate - it must have been a good year. My respect for Michael increased immeasurably when he revealled that he has a sweet tooth and every Christmas he is given one of those huge Toblerone Bars you only ever seem to see at airports and that one year he ate the whole thing before lunch! Respect due not only for the act itself but for happily admitting that even as a top chef, his appetites extend beyond the finest ingredients to more mundane delights. Good man!

Macho posturing with photos of 25-kilo New York strips and Kim's chocolate-coated behind is all very well, but I hear rumours of this year's hockey strike causing the Canadian male to explore his more feminine side. So is it true - do Canucks bake?

Unseemly self promotion alert - The current (January) edition of olive magazine features a two page "premier league" article on Le Champignon Sauvage written by me. Alert over - normal service has been resumed.

Shaun Hill on savoury, Anja Hill on puds, KP - Gordon Ramsay.

Call me a tight-fisted philistine, but I hardly ever think its worth paying such whopping supplements for truffles, white or black. I've had a number of dishes with them in this year and none of them have even remotely blown my socks off. Its interesting that you had issues with he food and not the service, its been the other way round for me on my two visits. Was the place busy? Do you think the kitchen might have been stretched hence the over-cooked mousse?

Oh dear! Don't tell me - a room full of snobs/minor celebs that wouldn't know a decent meal if it asked them for an autograph to sell on eBay who were nevertheless being fawned over by the staff.

No, Bonds is part of the Eton collection (which includes Quebecs in Leeds) and Apex is a family business which until now has been based solely in Scotland with hotels in Edinburgh and Dundee. Having seen the rooms and restaurants at both, they do share some similarities although of course they would each say they are completely unique!

Only some savoury and sweet canapes which were OK but no basis at all to judge the kitchen on. The room was not that packed but nevertheless there was a fair amount of glass smashing and spoon dropping going on by the staff. At one point I was showered in champagne by a bar person opening a bottle from behind the bar, so I think the service could probably do with some tightening up!

Just the press night...just! My god, don't you know how important it is to have a bunch of freeloaders swilling champagne and shouting at each other in your restaurant? I'll be reporting back from this major event of course...if I can remember it. ← It was a pretty low key affair in the end, despite the vodka luge, DJ and reiki treatments. It was also very easy to find - cross London Bridge and turn right at Monument. The restaurant is very handsome indeed. It has that masculine feel essential to all city restaurants - investment bankers can have lunch with each other without feeling gay about it. But its also intimate enough for a more romantic occassion. The menu reads well. I was particularly taken with the idea of squab pigeon pithivier, light creme lentils & sauteed ceps as a shared starter for two people. Chef Tom Ilic (pronounced ill-itch) has revived braised pig's cheeks & chorizo, garlic & parsley mash which was something of a signature when he was at Bonds restaurant just down the road. Full menu and a picture of the restaurant can be found here. I'm looking forward to returning for a lunch sometime soon.

I haven't been to Pied a Terre but if your interested I had a wonderful lunch of scallops and chicken wings, then pheasant pudding and knickerbocker glory to finish at The Belvedere recently. Billy Reid is not a whizz-bang-check-out-the-foam-on-that sort of cook, he's just really bloody good. The room is gorgeous and they've even got one of the senior staff from the old La Tante Claire on the floor. Magical.

The Hardwick, (Formerly Horse & Jockey Inn), Old Raglan Road, Abergavenny Monmouthshire, NP7 9AA. Not open in Cardiff as yet.

Bear in mind that RHR will probably be closed for a refurb around March time.

Well, whichever chef cooked Tony's scallops seems to need some refresher training! Tony posted above that he is kicking himself for not complaining. I'm sure the restaurant would have replaced the dish if he had, but it's nevertheless an unusual thing to happen in a 2 star where consistancy is key to winning and maintaining that rating.

Easily - its getting back that will be the problem.

I believe it's top of his to-do list.

No, it was always RHR - that's just a cock up on the paper's behalf.

I always thought that old spiel about how you can't make money from a 3 Michelin starred restaurant was cobblers - give the staff rabbit heads for dinner, as (Koffmann reputedly did) and you too can own a 3.4 million pound house! Bloody good news though.

Just the press night...just! My god, don't you know how important it is to have a bunch of freeloaders swilling champagne and shouting at each other in your restaurant? I'll be reporting back from this major event of course...if I can remember it.

That's right and I believe he's on the look out for another pub to convert as well.

The add is a drop down from the banner just above the article and should only appear when your cursor passes over the banner. It looks fine on Mozilla. Nice article - look out for whoever wrote it, he might just have a future.

If every professional kitchen I have been in, portioned fish and meat go straight from under-counter fridges to the pan when the order is called away, so there is no time it to come to room temperature. Scallops are cooked over a searingly high heat for a matter of seconds each side which is usually enough to heat them through perfectly. Monsters that size could easily come out cold in the centre if not allowed to come to room temperature before cooking. David at Le Champignon serves the biggest scallops I've ever seen and they've always been perfectly cooked there. I wonder how he does his?

I was there on Friday along with Claudia Schiffer, Bryan Adams, Andrew Neil and Rebecca Loos. I wan't actually with them you understand, but was dining with a number of food writers and industry types to eat one of the white truffles Marco bought at auction the previous weekend. The restaurant appears to be a big hit with the great and good and perhaps his most significant opening since The Mirabelle. I enjoyed the truffle based set menu, but found the windowless room just a bit bloody noisey for my tastes - although, as my current prefence is to be alone in a silent room with a Raymond Chandler novel, a cup of tea and a homemade fruit scone, that opinion may not count for much. website