Andy Lynes

Last week I had an informal chat with Vineet Bhatia who is arguably London's leading Indian chef (you can read a round up of the recent reviews of his new restaurant here). I mentioned this thread to him and asked for his views. He is of the opinion that London is 10 years ahead of New York when it comes to Indian food. He is friends with Floyd at Tabla and has sent at least one chef there to complete a stages. He believes food there to be American and not Indian, due to the way food is prepared and the way spices are used. He did not elaborate on this point, and as it was a laid back, informal discussion, I did not feel that I wanted to push him for details. He also pointed out that as far as he was aware, there are very few Indian chefs working at Tabla. As to is own food, he is very clear that he is not cooking fusion, but is producing "modern, elevated Indian cuisine".

Jay Rayner reviewed the restaurant yesterday and it appears that the restaurant has still not 100% committed to being either "moleculary gastronomy" or classical French cuisine. I was interested to note that Jay asserts that the restaurant has been referred to as "The Fat Duckling" in print, but I can nothing of the sort in any of the reviews online, apart from the subtitle of this thread of course!

Ainsleys book is perfect for bbq's. My copy burnt nice and slowly all afternoon and provided a nice smokey edge to the food.

He told me that he paid for it out of his own pocket rather than from the business and says he will pay himself back once the money is there to do so. But you are rigth, there is a fair amount of ice cream on the menu at the moment, although it really is no hardship to eat.

As I type, Bhatia is in Dubia sorting out a consulting deal, but he'll be back on Wednesday and is very much hands on. If you read the reviews you'll see much play is made of the fact that the chef mortgaged his home to purchase the lease. Its his business and there is probably not a lot of spare cash for him to sit back and employ someone else to head up the kitchen.

If you put all the words written about Rasoi Vineet Bhatia since it opened 7 weeks ago end to end, you would be a very sad person indeed and almost certainly in need of some sort of councelling. A far more intelligent thing to do would be to cut and paste them into a word processor and discover that the likes of Terence Conran, Marina O'Loughlin, Carolyn Stacey, Jan Moir et al have penned 6,729 words between them about this Indian restaurant. You'll also discover that they have pretty much said all there is to say about the place and that you are left with a lot of dead intelligent observations about what could turn out to be the best meal you will eat all year that have already been articulated. So while I try and figure out something interesting to say, lets look at how this diminutive chef has made a big splash in the UK food press. It is not unknown for AA Gill to use up 800 words of a 1000 word column talking about anything but the restaurant he is suppoing to be reviewing, and then dismissing it entirely in the last paragraph; Rasoi Vineet Bhatia gets 679 very positive words out of the 1088 available. In my Daily Gullet article The Stars Are Going Out I said "...(Michelin) has achieved generic status, such that restaurant critics, who don't even feel comfortable acknowledging each others existence in print, will quite happily confirm that a chef is Michelin starred." As if to disprove that statement, Terry Durack begins his review "I would love to say that I don't care what any other restaurant critic thinks about any other restaurant, but the sad truth is I do. I pore over Fay Maschler, nod happily at Jan Moir, and laugh out loud at AA Gill." Gill and Durack broadly define the critical response to what is arguably the most ambitious Indian restaurant London has seen so far. Gill adores it, going so far as to declare a personal fondness for the chef and admit that he was not allowed to pay for his meal. On the other hand, Durack feels that it is simply "ambitious mucking about" and that "by aiming for the top, Bhatia has doomed himself to competing for rich customers, rave reviews and Michelin stars against some of the biggest kitchens and budgets in town. I don't think he and his modest kitchen and means are up to it." Further afield, there is much wringing of hands about what is or isn't "authentic" and whether that should impact on one's enjoyment of the food. Jay Rayner weighs in on Bhatia's side "The cult of authenticity is one of the greatest culinary red herrings there is, never more so than when I hear critics attacking the food of acclaimed Indian chef Vineet Bhatia" and Marina O'Loughlin apparently agrees: "Culinary authenticity is all very well but it's pointless trying to track it down outside of its native habitat". Terence Conran, subbing for Fay Maschler appears to be less convinced however, "Vineet is trying to escalate Indian food into a category which might be loosely called "international haute cuisine" ....Sometimes it works but very often it doesn't". In true Conran "lets keep it simple" mode he continues "Don't disguise the flavour of a delicious scallop (in Rasoi's case) with all sorts of other flavours; instead, spend the money on the very best ingredients and save money on chefs primping and ditzing the food and presenting it like a BritArt work rather than a plate of food that makes you hungry to look at it". He finishes on a positive note however by saying "very good luck to Vineet - he is trying, along with a few others, to alter our perception of Indian food and restaurants, and he deserves to succeed." Cost is highlighted in a number of the reviews. Rayner: "Was it cheap? God no, but the idea that Indian food always must be by dint of provenance is as bogus as that bankrupt notion of authenticity. Good food costs, and the cooking at Rasoi Vineet Bhatia is very good indeed" O'Loughlin: "But, be warned, even with entry level wine, it doesn't come cheap." Conran: "Our first courses were the scallops....expensive at £16..." and Durack: "Ah yes, the sea-scallop trio; £16, it is a lot to pay for three scallops adhered to the plate by squishes of mashed potato and topped with crushed herbs" So all of this rather takes the wind out of my sails, but the real knock out blow to my hopes of saying something of my own came in yesterdays review by Matthew Fort in the Guardian, who not only ate the same meal as I did (the 9 course tasting menu) but drew the same conclusions. "This is bravura cooking of the very highest order, creative in a wholly and purely individual way"; "The dinner had an effortless rhythm. The contrasts within each dish and between each course were as interesting as they were seductive" ; "it is better to judge Bhatia's cooking against that of Gordon Ramsay, Tom Aikens and Richard Corrigan than against that of conventional Indian restaurants, and by the standards of those masters, Vineet Bhatia must be seen to be at least their equal" Shall I tell you about the wild mushroom khichdi, mini papad and makhani ice cream? No need, Fort has been there done that "The creamy khichdi had something in common with an Italian risotto." Well, thats what I would have said, and might have added that it is thickened with yoghurt rather than butter or cream. "The mini papad was a neat, crisp barrier between the hot khichdi and the cold, intense makhani ice cream. The khichdi proposed a kind of easy-going comfort and the papad released a breath of spice before the rich, creamy tomato base of the ice cream swept all before it." Well, I would have said something similarly as enthusiastic whilst informing you that the ice cream is a version of the sauce that you would be served with a classic Indian butter chicken, frozen in a pacojet machine. What I can tell you is that if you have the tasting menu, you will be eating it from £250 worth tableware with crockery partly supplied by Little Red Hen in Staffordshire and cutlery by Guy Degrenne that would not have looked out of place on the set of David Cronenberg's Dead Ringers. So, a stunning meal, a sequence of one highlight topped by another, some of the best food I've tasted in London so far this year. Not authentic, not cheap, but if you love great cuisine, whatever its stripe, you better go now. Restaurant Website As menus are not yet posted at the above site, I thought you might enjoy reading the full tasting menu (spellings as per the restaurant): Watermelon and ginger shot Grilled spice crusted scallop, chilly mash Wild mushroom khichdi, mini papad and makhani ice cream Spiced crab and lentil soup, crispy crab cake Grilled lobster, curry leaf and broccoli khichdi, spiced lobster jus, bried broccoli florets, sour spices and cocoa Tamarind glazed quail, masala mash and basil naan Aspargus, mustard and curry leaf ice cream, tomato-ginger juice Lamb and morel korma laced with truffle oli, steamed rice cakes, coconut chutney Chilled mango and cumin lassi, coconut ice cream Crispy marbled chocolate, chenna and roasted almond samosa, Indian tea ice cream

Two examples of the Guardian Weekend magazine's, intelligent, serious and well thought out food coverage: Menus Salads

See this thread for my amazing powers of prediction. BTW its Toby Young isn't it? He of "How to Lose Friends and Alienate People" or "isn't it hilarious how crap I was at my job and that everyone hated me." No Toby it isn't. Sad and embarrasing yes, hilarious, no.

I second that. A copy lives by the side of my computer, along with Larousse Gastronomic, both of which I find invaluable for all things eGulet and beyond. Surprised by that Andy - I think it is a great beginners cookbook (So good for me!), but thought you'd be beyond it. Recipe wise, anything by Simon Hopkinson is worth having and in terms of a reference work, the purchase and preparation of food section is excellent in any number of areas. Great for beginners I agree, but useful to have around whatever level of skill and experience you have attained. Even better is the Time Life Good Cook series edited by Richard Olney which does a similar job but to much greater depth. Out of print but worth grabbing if you come across any in second hand shops.

I second that. A copy lives by the side of my computer, along with Larousse Gastronomic, both of which I find invaluable for all things eGulet and beyond.

Ah, good old Anton, of course we go way back. I've always admired his books and TV appearances whilst he has always... been completely oblivious to my existance.

CLANG!!!! (Was that a name I heard being dropped...) I hope you told him all about eGullet

Quote from my interview with chef Andrew Turner of 1880 which bears out Conor's post: "We know what people are going to eat and we have the portion sizes right, so there's no waste," explains Turner. "It's also easy for the kitchen to serve the food this way. We did a private party for 60 cooked by three people. We know when the different sections of the kitchen will be hit so we all move onto them to get the food out."

Thread for QC is here.

I agree with Moby 100% (although I still thought the Square was very good indeed so there). Chez Bruce was also very good and The Fat Duck did about 20 of us an amazing 15 or so courses. But it will never be the same as a table for 2 or 4 or 6 in the main room, its just got to be a different experience.

Caterer claims Putney Bridge is for sale. I spoke to chef Anthony Demetre on Thursday after a spectacular lunch and he hinted that he might be staying put. He also said he might go to France. On previous occasions he has told me he has been looking at alternative properties in London to do something inspired by a visit last year to New York's WD50 (in style of room and service rather than food). If you follow the London scene, you'll be used to chefs catagorically stating one thing is true and then doing another (recent example: Gordon Ramsay says no way is Fleur closing, two days later, Fleur is closed). Maybe its a game they play with the likes of Caterer and eGullet, maybe its driven by paranoia or its just clever business practice. In this instance, I've no idea. Perhaps Demetre has his eye on a certain property in London and doesn't want it snatched away from under his nose, but whatever the truth of the matter, I'll await the result with interest.

They are definately aiming much higher than your average suburban haunt. Those sound like valid complaints to me rather than a winge. The last time I was there, it was for a 7.30 table early in the week (Tuesday I think). Although the place was packed when we left, we got the opposite experience to you, a little too much service: bread offered many times and water endlessly topped up. This didn't really bother me and in fact I came away with the feeling of having been looked after rather well, but obviously the ideal would be the appropriate amount of service no matter what time you book. One thing that makes that difficult to achieve is the patio seating, which is apparently very popular. It can't be booked, so the restaurant can be hit with an extra 20 covers over and above a full dining room. I understand there are queues out the door on a Friday and Saturday night. Thats got to have an impact on what the kitchen and the front of house can achieve.

I interviewed sommelier Matthieu Longuere as part of the process of writing the website and he told me that there is a maximum mark up on the wines of £40.00.

They did tell me but I had never heard of the band before ( although I use to follow the punk/alternative music scene pretty closely in the late 70s and early 80s) and have promptly forgotten.

I was there on Thursday and had a wonderful (if expensive) meal. I'll write it up over the weekend, maybe you cuold do the same for your meal on this thread.

I've been meaning to try Brasserie St Q for ages but everytime I'm in the area I end up in Racine, partly out of loyalty to Henry Harris and partly because his menu always sounds so bloody good.

No, they were trying to tempt me but I just couldn't. I now have some idea of what gavage feels like. I'm very glad you have enjoyed it. I really had no intention of writing nearly 10,000 words about my trip, this was really only going to be a sort glorified aide memoire for me. But once I started, I felt that I wanted to do some sort of justice to the people I met and places I went. Given that this has taken me a little longer than I planned, the OK Valley is going to have to wait until after I have met a few deadines, but I'll post again as soon as I can.

Day 4/5 - Bin 941, Skybar, Congee Noodle House, White Spot Bin 941's owner used to be in a punk band in the early 80's which maybe one reason why the place is so cramped, crowded and noisy. If you're looking for a more comfortable experience, why not try the mosh pit at a Metallica gig, or Oxford Circus tube station at 5.30pm on a Friday evening? I've had more relaxing times slam dancing in the front row of a Stupids gig than trying to drink a pint of beer in Bin 941. But people love the place. In fact they love it so much that they are willing to form an orderly queue by the toilets for the chance of a seat. It's a scene to be sure. Final destination was to be Skybar, the trendy Downtown nightclub. The last time I went to a trendy night club was in 1980 (London's Heaven) and then it was only to see A Certain Ratio. I just don't do trendy. Unless of course I'm invited by 3 gorgeous women, then it just seems downright rude not to go along. Just to keep them company you understand. We blagged our way into the VIP room which was, well, a room with some seats and a bar and music was playing. Quite similar to the rest of Skybar really. I was deflated to find that the open air terrace was closed, as I had planned to dance myself silly until dawn. A crushing disappointment. My last day in Vancouver began later than I'd planned and with a great deal more pain than I'd expected. Turns out that champagne, wine, saki and beer don’t mix. Who'd have thought it. Help was on hand however in the form of writer Nathan Fong (who had accompanied me to Tojo's the previous night) who whisked me down to the Congee Noodle House for a restorative breakfast of pearly white congee with sablefish and cilantro and noodles stuffed with savoury Chinese donut. This is the only hangover cure I have found that works, and fast. More classic hangover food in the form of a terrific White Spot Triple 0 with fries and chocolate shake (thump: the sound of McDonalds/Burger King et al being well and truly knocked into a cocked hat) on the way to the airport and my Vancouver adventure was over. As I flew to the Okanagan, I repeated the official "isn’t Vancouver great, but don't go and tell everyone about it" mantra in my head: "It rains 12 months of the year, the natives are not only somewhat surly but unattractive to boot and the food and wine sucks."

Day 4 Dinner Part Two - Tojo's If there's one thing I'll always carry with me from my time in Vancouver, it will be the imprint of Tojo's right palm after he slapped me, very hard, on the back as we posed for a photo together at the shushi bar of his restaurant. That and the mental scars from the photos taken on his patio. If you dine at Tojo's (and particularly if you are a food writer) and he suggests a photo of the both of you together, run. Fake a heart attack, feint, start abusing his rich/important/powerful/famous customers. Do anything, but get the hell out of there before it's too late. You have been warned. What can I tell you about Tojo? Well, not much that won't get me sued, or shot on sight the moment I step foot in BC again, so let's move onto the food shall we. You'll be surprised when you enter Tojo's restaurant. Not half as surprised as you will be if you foolishly allow him the opportunity to slap your back, but surprised nevertheless. Housed in what appears to be a shabby office block, the dining room is unprepossessing, although does benefit from stunning panoramic view of downtown Vancouver. But its all about the food here and Tojo's highly individual take on the art of sushi. We ate a lot that night, a lot of spanking fresh snapper and tuna; a huge morel mushroom and a couple of courgette flowers stuffed with prawns and then deep fried; the famous BC roll (made from BBQ salmon skin and salmon); the Northern Lights roll of zucchini, prawn tempura, mango and avocado wrapped in cucumber. The dishes and the saki kept coming. It was a highly impressive display and no doubt deserves its reputation as one of the top sushi places in BC. I won't be going back as my aging mind and body can't stand that sort of abuse, but don't that stop you from experiencing a pretty extraordinary restaurant.

Day 4 - Dinner Part One: Parkside A walk back through South Granville and over the Granville bridge afforded great views of the city in a high wind and scorching sun providing me with an attractive all over red-raw look for the evening. A swift glass of Blue Mountain brut sitting at the bar in the Fairmont over freebie spicy fried chicken (a highly recommended pre-dinner activity by the way. It’s a grand and comfortable space with a terrific pianist and I'm told its where the city's movers and shakers come to do deals) before cabbing it down to Parkside for my first meal of the evening. I should note at this point that 2 meals a night is neither good for the health, digestion or sanity, but was the unfortunate result of too many restaurants and too little time. Neither venue really gets the full attention it deserves and it provides for a slightly stressful, but still enjoyable and quite exciting evening. And this particular evening wasn't going to end for quite some time. Now I should say straight up than when I arrived at the restaurant chef Andrey Durbach shook my hand and told me that he reads my articles on The Daily Gullet. (he didn't say that he liked them, just that he read them). I don't know why, but for some reason I liked the man on sight. Sometimes you just hit it off with people, its just one of those inexplicable things. I also immediately liked the restaurant, despite that fact that it couldn’t tell me that it reads my articles, but that's the kind of fair minded, evenhanded guy I am. Like Le Gavroche, Parkside offers Vancouver something a little different. The dining room has a very European feel to it, the dark- wooded interior gives it a sort of mature sophistication that you might more usually encounter in London or Paris. Parkside's menu also has a more European feel to it than others I had seen up to that point, which is not surprising when you learn that chef Durbach has worked in the UK. It reminded me a little of London's Chez Bruce restaurant, where Durbach staged for a few weeks: terrine of duck, potato and foie gras with toasted brioche and spiced apple compote or crispy skin Cornish hen, sauce Colbert, sarladaise potatoes, fresh artichokes, peas and favas, could sit quite comfortably on a Bruce Poole menu. We ate on the patio. Surrounded by shrubbery, you could almost imagine yourself in the grounds of an English stately home. It’s a lovely, peaceful spot, perhaps unique in the city, and a great place to dine, especially on food as good as a fine vitello tonnato or an excellent dish of fillet of halibut, wild mushroom jus, pearl onions and smoked bacon. I should say at this point that my dining companions were less enthusiastic than I was about the food, having experienced better on previous occasions, and we all agreed that roast duck with spiced yam puree, onion tarte tatin and fresh berry eau de vie sauce was a misconceived and poorly executed dish (which does not appear on the current menu). You can drink very well here for very little money, certainly from a British visitors point of view. The wine list leads with "60 under 60" i.e. 60 bottles all priced less than $60 (approx. £25.00), and features younger wines from around the globe as well as decent showing from BC. A reserve and bin end list is mostly priced below $200 with a single bottle of Mouton Rothschild 1983 reaching the dizzy heights of $800 (£329.00 – to put that in context, a bottle of the '82 (a slightly better vintage) at London's The Square restaurant sells for £950.00).