Andy Lynes

Moby - very nice looking dish. How did the oil work with the bearnaise? Can you tell us how you prepared the lentils? Thanks.

These sound excellent - are the olives stuffed with the chili, mint and orange (a kind of a riff on gremolata?) and then battered, or does the batter have those flavours incorporated into it?

He's moved on from Moscow then?

I think it was time for Ollie to move on from La Trompette and I hope he does well at The Dorchester although I have to say it seems like a strange move to me. Do let us know what you think of The Ledbury.

Well, not quite actually. The Square has "fillet of aged beef with a saute of snail and morels, bone marrow and bordelaise sauce" while The Ledbury's version is "fillet of beef with red wine sauce and a croustillant of snails, oxtail and celeriac". Beef, red wine sauce and snails present in both however so I was nearly right.

Do let us know - I may have to take a late summer break in Wales to come and watch!

Good call. I know he was at The Restaurant, Hyde Park Hotel but I didn't realise he was at Harvey's. Richard Neat is another one - he's in Moscow now. Possibly for a similar reason that Conrad Gallagher is in South Africa. They both like to travel, obviously.

I'd like to add to those major revelations that I've met Angela Hartnett on several occassions and the real truth of the matter is that she's great company, very funny and highly unlikely to be saying anything nasty about anyone, let alone Gordon Ramsay. Oh, and she's a bloody good cook. Her restaurant's a bit pricey mind.

Yellow/orangey looking puree type stuff (mango looking but definately passion fruit flavour) with creamy (white chocolate?) topping.

My chances of dining anonymously at The Ledbury on Monday lunchtime were blown the minute I walked in the door and was recognised by the receptionist who used to work at La Trompette. I was also recognised by The Lovely Helena Hell which, apart from being a treat all by itself, meant that I was well looked after. I was one only five tables that day, a fact that may be partly explained by the presence of builders and scaffolding (passers by might easily assume the place isn't even open yet) and that they have only been serving lunch for a week or so. The 24.50 set menu offers an either or choice at each stage, although the full al a carte is also available. I plumped for a soup of Jersey Royals with morel tortelloni over a girly-sounding tuna with cucumber, avocado and radish salad; followed by rump of veal with mousseron risotto, broad beans and white asparagus instead of the sea bass option (which didn’t sound at all girly, but was slightly similar to a John Dory dish I’d had at The Square a month or so ago.) The Ledbury is the sort of place that serves amuse bouches, and mine was a preparation of diced lobster served with watercress mayonnaise and a tuile-like crouton. I know that some people can't stand these little extras, but I am a total sucker for them. I appreciate the gesture and the extra effort made by the kitchen; they put a smile on my face, and not just because I’m a greedy bastard. The dish went very well with the Australian Colombard Chardonnay I was drinking, which at 17 pounds was the second cheapest bottle on the list. Why, you may think to yourself, would you make a soup of that great British spring delicacy, the Jersey Royal? However, if you were able to capture the vegetables earthy elegance in a delicate creamy broth that was the perfect accompaniment to some very fine mushroom pasta, you wouldn't ask yourself that question. A sprig of watercress and some chive flowers added exactly the right amount of pepper and allium character to complete an excellent first course. An unordered but gratefully received roasted foie gras with a tarte fine of figs came paired with a glass of eiswein, which added some much needed acidity to a dish pushed a little too far in the sweet direction by a fig and port puree. This was swiftly followed by a pair of panko covered, spinach stuffed frogs legs served with a pot of watercress mayonnaise, a combination that normally accompany the lobster terrine. I could have eaten a bucket of them (which, thinking about it, gives me an idea for a fast food chain.) After all that food, its going to sound disingenuous if I start banging on about the appropriateness of eating from a set menu at lunchtime, but the veal main course was just perfect for the time and place. Thinly sliced, pink roasted meat laid over a creamy risotto of mousseron mushrooms, broad beans, asparagus and possibly some grains of pearl barley was topped with a single spear of white asparagus, a dusting of parmesan and a frothy mushroom sauce. Lovely. The pre-dessert was in fact made with passion fruit and always has been apparently (sorry Matthew!) and turned out to be the warning shot that preceded a full on dessert attack. I nearly ran for cover as first yogurt parfait, blueberry ice cream and churros, then a full assiette of mango and finally a chicory crème brulee with coffee ice cream was laid before me. A late harvest viognier from California was a first for me, a stunning wine that went particularly well with the yoghurt dessert – a wholly successful riff on Phil Howard’s famous (at least in my house) yoghurt and donut pre-dessert. Although chicory crème brulee sounds like a doubtful proposition, it’s a triumph on the plate. The chicory lends a subtle layer of slightly bitter flavour while keeping its vegetal qualities all to itself. Assiette of mango was composed of a mango upside down cake (not a tatin) a sort of mango cannelloni fashioned from what I can only assume was a sheet of mango gel, a terrine, sorbet, ice cream and mango crisp. The chocolate fondant madeleines served with very good espresso sat unloved and unwanted on their plate, but were I’m sure very good. Service was exemplary, sommelier Dawn Davies was a delightful fount of knowledge and expertise and Helena Hell her usual lovely self. The room is one of designer Claire Nelson’s very best efforts, the elegant white crockery is stunning (I especially liked the little beret-style “pips” on the lids of the pots) and the chairs are incredibly comfortable. Given the almost universal rave reviews (with more to come no doubt), its not exactly going out on a limb to say that The Ledbury is one of London’s most exciting new restaurants to open for a while. Considering it’s just five weeks old and that this is 26 year old Brett Graham’s first head chef position, I think this place has the potential to be one of London’s very best. Tom Aiken watch out.

Did you enjoy the restaurant? (Don't leave writing your report too long or you might lose enthusiasm for the idea!)

Might be worth extending membership if you can get away with charging them £58 for two people.

Smiths of Smithfield have "Islay Cote de Boeuf (For Two to Share) (58 pounds) - Aged 24 days - Supplied by Gilbert Mactaggart of Islay Butchers". Nearly 60 quid seems like a lot of money.

Quince was getting a lot of good word of mouth when I was there in February. Aqua is a great scene and some very fine food to boot.

Glad to see that whoever wrote this has the latest edition of the Bumper Book of Restaurant Review Cliches to hand. (BTW - Although Robin's Nest was transmitted in the early 80's, it began in 1977, so would more properly be referred to as a late 70's sitcom. Just a small point, but as it took 2 seconds to google that fact, it might have been worth the reviewer checking it for themselves.)

Very interesting - do you know when this was? Is Frith's still there, I have to admit its a name that completely passed me by. And what is Carla up to now?

I'm in complete agreement with you and have taken exactly the same position. I do feel slighted when I spend several days preparing a meal and don't get a return invitation. It's not about expecting payment, its about building relationships and its about good manners. The fact that I might enjoy cooking has very little to do with it.

I can usually be relied on to be half-blotto the majority of the time, but it was lunchtime and I had an annual general meeting to attend that afternoon. I made up for it at Menu that evening though. I ate at The Peasant quite a few weeks ago yet that mouthful haunts me still.

Snails with chestnut puree, crispy kale and quail's egg is possibly one of the strangest dishes I have seen listed on a gastro pub menu. The fact that The Peasant’s head chef Giancarlo Vatteroni has worked with the nabob of unusual grub, Peter Gordon, goes some way to explaining its presence. I didn’t order it, but did get a small taste which was quite enough for me. Call me reactionary, but garlic and parsley butter, as unadventurous as that may sound, would have been a more successful pairing than the chestnut, which just seemed to bang heads with the snails. The decor of the Peasants upstairs dining room is cobbled together, albeit in a studied sort of way, from circus memorabilia which I have to assume is a passion of owners Gregory and Patrick Wright as I don’t think the site has any connections with that particular branch of show business. I found it a bright, attractive space in a busy and bohemian sort of way, although all it received from my dining companion was a disapproving look. Which is pretty much what I gave my oily and overdressed braised globe artichoke salad with baby capers, flat leaf parsley and black olives starter. It’s the sort of simple dish that an inexperienced commi should be able to get right without too much trouble, so to get a poorly prepared version of it in a near empty dining room (i.e. the kitchen was not under pressure) was a big disappointment. A main course of monkfish and prawn spiedini (brochette) came with an overpoweringly sweet sauce and overcooked fish. Two “fondant” potatoes appeared to have been boiled and looked a bit sad and out of place on the plate. Smoked paprika roast pork fillet with new potatoes, bok choi and mango kasaiundi (and before you ask, no, I’ve got no idea) was a more successful dish and enjoyed by its recipient. A good dessert of rhubarb and custard was a hit, as was a plate of homemade fudge. Service was friendly and efficient. Three courses here will set you back around 25.00 and wines start at a very reasonable 11.70. The pub is a nice place for a beer or two, but overall, The Peasant is not a patch on places like The Gun or The White Swan. Pub website

I think its meant to be sophisticated. Its a shame actually as City Cafe's are nice spaces (I've also eaten in the one in Birmingham) and if they sorted out their services issues and calmed the menu down a bit, they'd be quite an attractive proposition.

Fruit features in a total of 5 of the 11 starters on the a la carte menu I ate from. As well as the rabbit and lobster, king prawn cocktail with avocado salsa came with pink grapefruit; chicken liver and foie gras parfait was served with pear and apple chutney and cured venison came with apple carpaccio. The set menu featured carrot, almond and orange soup, and the apple and pear chutney made a re-appearance with a duck salad.

I believe the idea of serving little dishes of olive oil instead of butter was introduced to London by Alastair Little way back when. When the pointless addition of balsamic entered the equation, I can't say. Nothing wrong with it per se(apart from the fact that I prefer butter), its just so tedious having a waiter hovering over your table for what seems like an eternity, although it only takes 30 secs maximum I suppose. I much prefer red or white wine vinegar in my salad dressings.

In my former life as a business traveler, City Inn came as a welcome alternative from the endless stream of anonymous Hiltons, Marriots and Thistles. Aiming for similar territory as the Malmaison chain, City Inns are stylish and contemporary without being threateningly trendy - perfect for your thirtysomething Guardian-reading financial analyst. Rooms are spacious and decked out with cd players and flat screen TVs and that all important comfy bed for falling comatose into after too many beers at the bar. Like Malmaison, City Inn put a lot of emphasis on their food and beverage programme. Executive chef Peter Lloyd joined the group in November last year from Bank restaurants and overhauled the menus; the hotel even has its own cookbook. But while the company appears to have nailed the accommodation side of things, they still have a fair way to go if they are to be recognised for the excellence of their restaurants if my recent lunch at the City Café in Westminster is anything to go by. Although the service I received during my meal was perfectly adequate, other tables didn’t fair so well. I’m still wondering what was going through the minds of the waiters who served a table of two with bowls of soup, which they placed in the centre of the table, and two main courses which they placed before the astonished guests. The diners calmly explained that they would like to eat the soup first and then be served their main courses. When the main dishes were bought to the table again, one of them was wrong and had to be replaced a second time, leaving one guest eating and the other waiting for food. At another table, the maitre’d asked a diner who complained of being served the wrong starter if he would like to eat what he had been given or wanted the dish changed. And all this in a dining room not even a quarter full. Other aspects of the service were just plain irritating – laboriously pouring first olive oil and then balsamic into a dish at each table for dipping bread in was a pointless affectation. It offered no theatrical value and diverted a member of staff from the business of actually providing service. Asking diners if they had dined at a City Café before was hauntingly reminiscent of walking into a Harvester (yes, I’ve been to one, and on more than one occasion). Explaining that portions on the set kitchen menu were kept small in order to keep the cost down and that dishes from the “City Café Grill” section “don’t come with too much in the way of garnish” were just a little too honest. I couldn’t help but wonder why the chef hadn’t used ingredients on his set menu that were cheap enough to allow him to offer a decent sized plate of food; and why the grills were priced the same, or more, than the al a carte dishes which were garnished. And I’m still pondering the question of why anyone would serve lobster and black pudding tortellini on a pool of apple puree. In fact, I haven’t yet figured out why you would put black pudding and lobster together in the first place. It was a poor dish with thick pasta, an undistinguished filling and dull lobster sauce that clashed badly with the puree. Far better was a rack of Welsh lamb served with a side order of rich, buttery mash attractively served in a miniature cast iron cooking vessel. Another side of French beans was needlessly gussied up with shallots and parmesan that served as an unwelcome intrusion to the dish. Rhubarb crumble tart with stem ginger ice cream was a disappointing end to the meal; a bland pastry case filled with the sharp fruit appeared to have been sprinkled with the crumble mixture and flashed under the grill. The ice cream was too strongly flavoured for my palate and I was unable to finish it. The coffee that I’d requested to be served with the dessert came long after it had been cleared away. I can’t claim this was the first disappointing meal I’ve had in a British hotel, but it was particularly deflating to have had the experience in a hotel that apparently prides itself on its food. Dishes such as rabbit and pear tarte tatin with almond dressing or monkfish with braised oxtail bourguignon and parsnip puree seem misguided at best, as was the service. With some main courses costing over 20 pounds, the City Inn is not cheap; if it wants to reach out to an audience beyond its hotel guests, then it really needs to get its act together.

eGullet is in no way associated with this discount offer. We have not been approached by the restaurant about this and you will see that the voucher is in fact a general offer and makes no specific reference to this site. I have no problem with a restaurateur joining eGullet and starting a thread for the sole purpose of promoting their business, but I do object to the name of eGullet being used without permission in promotional activities. eGullet do not in anyway endorse this restaurant, we have no connection with it and we have no knowledge of it other than what has been posted on this thread. eGullet is happy to consider making arrangements to pass on discounts to its members, but only by prior arrangement with the management.

Just googled Stephen Terry to see if any detials of his activities in Bath came up, but found this instead. Scroll down to the bit about Ready Steady Cook - Mr Rayner kept that very quiet didn't he? I wonder who won...