Andy Lynes

Bacon and mustard usually, I've never had it myself but a friend had it a while ago and I've seen plates of it being delivered to other tables. Looks very nice I have to say. Probably a variation on Simon Hopkinson's dish where he bones and stuffs the leg with a garlic and butter mixture, then wraps it in bacon, roasts it and serves it with a mustard cream sauce. Works a treat with chicken as well. (Gary Rhodes did a very similar dish in his "Fabulous Food" book actually, a little while after Hopkinson's recipe was published in Great British Chefs by Kit Chapman, in which coincidentialy Rhodes also featured.)

Here's a webpage although the main restaurant site no longer appears to be available. Can't really detect an Asian influence on the dishes quoted though.

Potato? Tomato? You interest me strangely. Tell more of these wonders from affar.

If an English lord of the realm were to become a regular customer of the establishment in question, would he be known as "Sir Mixalot"? (A small joke for all you rap fans out there.)

Can we then apply Scotts more sophisticated definition to the question of Northern cuisines mingling with those from the South?

I suppose what I'm thinking about is the cooking of a cold country being fused with that of a warm climate country. There really is no reason why it couldn't happen today, it's just would anyone want it to?

Thank you for the compliment Chad, and for raising that important question, which I am happy to answer. Yes the beard is new, as I trim it, it regenerates so that it is completely replaced every 2 weeks or so. (I've had it a couple of years now, I grew it a little while after the Sofitel competition shots were taken.)

Scotts rather good post on the definition of fusion cooking on this brief thread regarding Australian chef Christine Manfield's new London project East@West got me thinking why we rarely, if ever, hear about North meets South food. Maybe the thought of fusing the cuisine of Iceland with that of Mexico and coming up with boiled whale meat mole is good enough reason in itself, but has the food of a Northerly country ever gone South of the equator? Has Eastern Europe ever skanked scoff in a rub-a-dub stylee with Jamacia? Has Benelux carnivalled cuisines with Brazil? Have I run out of these ridiculous queries too early to generate a decent arguement? But seriously, are there examples, even within continents and countries of North meets South fusions, or are there socio-economic reasons as to why this rarely happens? (Starter for 10 has to be Tex-Mex.)

Ducasse should be convinced to introduce a choose-your-own-petit-four course and called it Pick'n'Mix. (That's just a small joke for all you UK egulleters reading along out there.)

Hands up, I was using the term fusion in a rather lazy, catch all way to describe a sort of cooking that was popular in the UK about 10 years ago. I really know nothing of Manfield and it will be interesting to see a menu and get some idea of what she will be doing at her new venue.

"Ok lady, this finger is loaded. Stop drowning my dog or the girl gets it, see?"

In his review, Grimes states that "Ducasse and Chodorow, have a bottomless bag of tricks that they are dying to show you at their fun house." and quotes the toasted bread served with peanut butter, Concord grape jelly and salted butter as an example. As already noted, Grimes point is that Mix in some way does not do chef Douglas Psaltis justice. It's interesting to note then that in the NYTimes article "From Short Order to Tall Order for Ducasse's New Protege" by Florence Fabricant Psaltis is quoted as saying "It was my idea. People are uptight when they walk into a Ducasse restaurant, and maybe this will loosen them up."

Apologies to the taxi company, very restrained pricing on their behalf.

Sorry to lower the tone, but 70 quid!! A fiver more than Ramsay. How can they possibly justify that? That's also £26 more than Le Champignon Sauvage and £21.00 more than Pied a Terre, both of which are 2 star establishments the same as Gidleigh. I bet that taxi wasn't cheap either!

According to her website "Since closing the celebrated Paramount Restaurant in Sydney, Christine continues to expand her knowledge and expertise, regularly travelling internationally as a culinary ambassador for Australia's gastronomy." Whatever that might mean.

So do we know what she was doing between the end of paramount in 2000 and setting up this new place? Do we have anyone that has first hand experience of her food, is it really fusion? Do Londoners want fusion in the 21st Century?

Wow, that's some serious company to be keeping. Congratulations to all at Trio.

Monkeyman, do you have a connection with the BBC? Do you work as a moderator on their boards? Or are you a regular contributor? How do you think the BBC boards compare with eGullet.

I have a few hours to kill between lunch and dinner tomorrow, I might just mosey on down to Harrods...

I had cherries on several occassions at Petrus, served with the petit four as far as I remember. A really nice touch I thought.

Now that's funny!

I ate there again on Thursday, but as a guest of the restaurant and to taste a special menu of game dishes. I had wonderful fod, wine and service but that it only to be expected. They did 80 covers that night, with a large table (10 I think) but seemed to be coping fine from a service point of view. I'll write more about the meal later when I have more time.

I have the first book, but it didn't inspire me in the way that say, the Babbo cookbook did. But its a nice looking book adn there are lots of nice recipes in it. The new one "Easy" is pretty good too, even if it does look like a childs book.

It appears not, I'll see if the UK publishers have any idea about a US release date and let you know.

Atelier in the UK. It is rumoured that Gordon Ramsay has had a hand in this.