Andy Lynes

Cab fare into town isn't cheap (approx £20.00 if I remember correctly, but the express bus service is good and doesn't take much longer once you are on it). There a quite a few threads about Dublin already on eGullet, a list of which you can find here.

Dublin city centre is aproximately a 30 minute cab ride from the Airport. I'm not aware of anything of interest closer. How much time will she have?

You are 50 minutes by train from Stratford Upon Avon. That would be a great way to spend a day and you could take in a matinee at the RSC if you were in the mood.

Michel Bras is well worth a look

I spent 21 years in the telecoms industry in the UK before giving it up at the end of last month to chance my arm at the writing game (and with cliches like that a mere tap of the keyboard away, how can I fail?) Unlike Monica, there was no pressure from my family not to change profession, only the pressing need to keep my kids fed and clothed. My ability to juggle a full time and very demanding career, my family duties and my writing had basically failed over the last 6 months or so. I was doing a very bad job of all three and it had been, shall we say, "noted" by one or two people, not least my wife. I felt like the decision had already been made for me a long time ago. A voluntary redundancy deal has simply enabled me to implement it. I am taking a short break over the Easter period and the enormity of what I have done hasn't really sunk in yet. Its like I'm on holiday. The fact that I will never have to go back to my old office and swallow all that endless BS still seems like a dream. Equally the uphill task of getting some paid writing work is not something I have fully contemplated (although I have of course have a plan of sorts of how to achieve that goal). For the moment at least I feel happy. Content for the first time in a long time. A very long time. Whatever happens in the future, it will be worth it if I can keep hold of that feeling.

Monica, reading that made my scalp tingle in the most unusual way! I'm glad you felt brave enough to publish it.

I cooked Mama's Meatballs on Saturday night (excuse the delay in getting back to you on this but the show has only just aired in the UK) and I have to say that they turned out very well. The mixture was quite wet, but did hold a spherical shape. I set them in the fridge for about 30 minutes, and then had to re-roll them as they had flattened a little. I then fryed them off in half an inch of oil or so before placing them in the sauce to cook for a further 20 minutes, basically following the recipe and the method demonstrated on the show. I thought they were great, but a little eggy in flavour and consequently slightly spongy, I would have prefered a firmer texture. I'd also underseasoned the mixture. I should have fried off a small tester ball before cooking the whole batch. Not bad for a first try however and it has made me want to try out more Italian-American classics. Pass the Coors!

That answers my question about the cost - £4.75. About the same as my local chippy.

I just finished my lunch about 20 minutes ago and my mouth is watering reading this thread. Jason, you've got to take me to this place next time I'm over.

Good lord! Get that man a dozen unpaid stagiaires immeadiately.

Some of wine pairings were gorgeous, particularly the pinot blanc with the lobster and the Mas Amiel with the foie gras. Andrew Turner himself is a very likeable bloke and I couldn't fault the cooking technically. The flavours of the main ingredients were very clear and obviously of the highest quality. However, I didn't like the over elaborate presentation and structure of some of what we ate, for eample the apple couli in a shot glass and apple crisp served on the side of the foie. The foie, gingerbread and beautiful little salad were enough for me. I'd love to eat Turner's cooking in a more relaxed setting, one where perhaps he might feel more comfortable in knocking out a more relaxed style of food. But I agree with Moby, if you can accustom yourself to the milieu in which Turner currently plies his trade, you can enjoy a bit of a bargain.

I loved reading this, looks really nice as well, a very interesting use of the medium. A similar experience to reading Gagnaire's "Reflections on Culinary Artistry". More enlightening and enjoyable than a straightforward Q&A format.

<TABLE bgcolor="white"> <TD> <br> <font size=6>Star Grazing</font size><br><br> <font size=4>An Interview with Chef Andrew Turner</font size> <P>Chef Andrew Turner cooks haute cuisine in posh hotels. Whether alongside Albert Roux at Hanbury Manor in Herfordshire, or as head chef at The Berkeley or Browns in London, that is what he does. Installed in South Kensington's gloriously over-the-top "The Bentley" since October 2003, Turner continues unwaveringly along that path. In conversation, Turner comes across as determinedly unpretentious and keen to open up what he does to the widest possible audience. His "grazing menu" concept for example appears to be an attempt to democratize fine dining. <P><BR><TABLE ALIGN=right border=0> <TR><TD WIDTH=320><IMG SRC="http://images.egullet.com/u10/i4806.jpg" WIDTH=320 HEIGHT=259</TD></TR></TABLE> <p>"I first saw them in New York around the time of Nouvelle Cuisine. I wanted to do something that wasn't French, so rather then have a "menu exceptionale" or "menu prestige" I wanted to make it more accessible, which is where grazing menus come in." In a note on the restaurant menu, Turner explains the idea further, "there are many choices available on the a la carte and sometimes it is difficult to choose. That is why I have created a unique dining experience inviting you to graze through in miniature the a la carte selection". <p>With many restaurants now offering multi-course tasting menus, its perhaps an over statement to describe the grazing concept as "unique". However, Restaurant 1880 is unusual in that its grazing menus constitute 98% of its sales. This enables Turner to keep his prices relatively low for cooking of this level in London (6 courses for £40.00 climbing to 9 courses for £49.00). <P>"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." Ideally, Turner would like to see 1880 move completely to the grazing concept, but a la carte remains essential for hotel guests who just want one or two courses. He is planning however to add 5 and 10 course menus to the 6,7,8 and 9 course versions currently offered. <P><BR><TABLE ALIGN=left border=0> <TR><TD WIDTH=310><IMG SRC="http://images.egullet.com/u10/i4807.jpg" WIDTH=310 HEIGHT=249</TD></TR></TABLE> <P>"Seared Celtic Scallop, Cauliflower and Courgette, Capers and White Sultanas" is typical of Turner's style. Inspired by New York chef Jean George Vongerichten (whose "Vong" restaurant occupied the front dining room at The Berkeley when Turner was head chef of the Knightsbridge hotel), the chef describes it as "a European version of sweet and sour". Turner uses diver caught Orkney Islands scallops for the dish, "Unlike dredged scallops, there's no sand or grit trapped in the shells. That means we don't have to wash them and can retain all the natural sweetness of the meat". The dish is sauced with a classic beurre blanc, finished with some lightly whipped cream to which salted capers (washed then soaked in vinegar) and white sultanas are added, the sweet and sour elements. Further sweetness is derived from thinly sliced cauliflower florets dusted in icing sugar which are sautéed from raw. It's presented in a bespoke made, wide rimmed dish, playfully embossed with the chefs thumbprint. <P><BR><TABLE ALIGN=left border=0> <TR><TD WIDTH=320><IMG SRC="http://images.egullet.com/u10/i4808.jpg" WIDTH=320 HEIGHT=259</TD></TR></TABLE> <P>Turner strongly believes in the importance of wine at the dining table and confers with sommelier Patrick Salles to ensure that his food works with the bottles on 1880's list. "Although it's a team effort, I create the food. Patrick will pick four or five wines he knows will be available when a particular menu is on that will be a good match. I get feedback from Patrick on the food and may tweak a recipe because if that. I try to avoid vinaigrettes and tomatoes for instance, and things like apple couli can be a problem." <br><br> <BR><TABLE ALIGN=right border=0> <TR><TD WIDTH=320><IMG SRC="http://images.egullet.com/u10/i4798.jpg" WIDTH=320 HEIGHT=282</TD></TR></TABLE> <p>Other factors can affect the food and wine pairings; "Ingredients can change during the season. We get asparagus from Germany in May and that will change over the 6 weeks it's available. We started off serving it with truffles, but the asparagus became more acidic, so we baked it with Emmental to counteract that." <P>Turner says that he "cooks what he wants to cook" but will visit the dining room and ask for feedback. He keeps a close eye on every plate that comes back to the kitchen to see if it has been cleared or not and will increase or reduce portions as necessary. The chef describes his cooking as Contemporary European. "A deconstruction of classic food followed by a reconstruction of those same ingredients, but in a contemporary style." <P><BR><TABLE ALIGN=left border=0> <TR><TD WIDTH=320><IMG SRC="http://images.egullet.com/u10/i4799.jpg" WIDTH=320 HEIGHT=209</TD></TR></TABLE> <p>Although he is firmly in the classical tradition and is "unsure what signals Molecular Gastronomy is sending out", he is not adverse to a little experimentation of his own. Trimmings from a starter of port cured foie gras are blitzed in a Pacojet machine to make an unusual ice cream, and a pre-dessert of iced lychee is served with a sprinkling of chili that has been first fried, then confited in stock syrup. <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <p>The following nine course grazing menu was created for eGullet.com by chef Andrew Turner with wines matched by sommelier Patrick Salles: <P ALIGN="center"><b>Smoked Salmon and Blue Cheese Beignet</b><br> <i>Champagne Tattinger</I><BR><BR> <B>Rabbit Veloute, Olive and Ginger Baton<BR> Pork Rillette Spring Roll with Truffle and Truffle Jus</B><BR> <I>Craigow Reisling 2003, Tasmania</I><BR><BR> <B>Lobster and Avocado Salad with Squid Ink and Pistachio Sauces</B><BR> <I>Pinot Blanc, Benwirth, Marcel Deiss 2001 Alsace</I><BR><BR> <B>Port Marinated Foie Gras, Gingerbread, Mesclun Salad<BR> Green Apple Sorbet, Apple Crisp</B><BR> <I>Mas Amiel SW 2000, France</I><BR><BR> <B>Celtic Scallop with Cauliflower Puree, Caper and Raisin Sauce</B><BR> <I>Soave Classico superiore “La Rocca”, L.Pieropan, Veneto 2001, Italy</I><BR><BR> <B>Cutlet of Lamb, Beignet of Lamb Breast, Sweetbreads<BR> Pomme Parisienne and Tarragon Sauce</B><BR> <I>Chateau Teyssier, Grand Cru 2000 St Emilion, France</I><BR><BR> <B>Cheese</B><BR> <I>Chateau Teyssier Grand Cru 2000 St Emilion France</I><BR><BR> <B>Iced Lychee with Chili in a cone</B><BR><BR> <B>Chocolate and Orange Pannacotta, Orange Sorbet, Orange Crisp</B><BR> <I>Golden Cut Riesling 2003 Clare Valley, South Australia</I><BR><BR> <P> The Bentley Hotel website </TD> </TABLE>

Bruce, I'm relieved, sounds like you enjoyed it and made your plane.

I still drink a lot of tea and we always have biscuits in for the kids. My favourites are chocolate covered rich tea and chocolate covered malted milk, both of which are ace for dunking. I've lots count of the times a rich tea finger ended up as a soggy mass in the bottom of the cup. I don't like Hobnobs, chocolate covered or not, I find them too heavy and a little over sweet. Pink wafer biscuits are also on my hit list, although caramel wafers are fantastic.

Is it going to be in the same building as the school and deli then?

A starter from Cambridge (UK) to Milwauke? I'm very impressed. Hope you've also read Dan Lepard's bread making course notes here. Dan was quite insistant that open texture is a bit of a fashion and that traditionaly the bakers objective was for an even, close textured crumb, so as long as the loaf tasted great you have nothing to worry about, and it certainly looks great. In terms of what you need to do to achieve a more open texture, I wouldn't like to say, but maybe Jack or Dan have some comments.

Thanks Jinmyo, not bad for left-overs.

Braised Brisket with Tarragon Gravy, Parsley and Garlic Champ, Bourguignonne Garnish. Served with lightly braised root vegetables and Chateau L'Euziere 2001, Coteaux Du Languedoc, Pic Saint Loup from Marcel and Michel Causse.

Chip butty - I hope that's made with Mothers Pride and spread with margarine.

It sounds like your ideal chipper to me, but I'd be interested to know what the prices are going to be like. I think he should have a sign up saying "todays chips today" in honour of Roddy Doyle's "The Van" (what a great book that is).

Fantastic breads and dahl here as well. But can someone explain those horrible stools and tables to me?

Bruce, a pleasure and I hope you enjoy it. I think you'll have tons of time for lunch and to make your plane, especially as you are not actually heading into the city. Just sorry I can't join you (dog sitting over the weekend whilst the rest of my family whoops it up at a ruby wedding anniversary).

...because you haven't taken them to the recycling bin yet? (I expect they are next to a 3 foot high pile of empty scotch bottles, am I right?)

Oh, you little tease, he'll be begging for a copy now.