Bloated

I have been to the new shop a couple of times since it opened and bought and tasted many of their chocolates. They are good chocolates- in London probably only L'Artisan du Chocolat are better- but then the selection is more 'boring' there. They charge 60p per chocolate (ie not sold by weight) which works out cheaper than Charbonnel et Walker and Rococo for instance. I can only imagine the £24.99/250g is in a fancy container- but I have not seen this offer in the shop. Fortnum & Mason charge about £55/kg for PM chocolates. The French chocolatiers are not easy to find in London but I have recently noticed Bernard Dufoux available pre-packed in La Fromagerie for about £60/kg. I did not buy though as £32 (525g) is too much to pay without having tasted. PS In Brussels Pierre Marcolini is less than half the price it is here- so clearly the London location is a big factor in the price. The most expensive chocolates I have seen in London are an Italian brand Slitti, £85/kg at F&M.

Does anyone know a London supplier of Rogue Shakespeare Stout- failing that anywhere in UK? thank you

Napule in Fulham Broadway (opp. Barclays Bank) has the same menu as Made in Italy- I think they are a chain of two. Their pizzas are roughly the same standard as Pizza Metro but their antipasti not as good.

Having sampled Michel Chaudun and JP Hervin in Paris and Bernachon in Lyon I was looking forward to Brussels to try P. Marcolini, Mary, Planet Chocolate etc. However looking at the fodors.com website I see that both Wittamer and Mary are supplied by Marcolini . Can anyone verify this? Also does anyone know if they use their own-made chocolate as couverture or a commercial brand eg Valrhona? Are there any stand-out chocolate boutiques I should be aiming to visit besides the ones I have mentioned. I am also going to Antwerp. thank you

I went on Sunday. I thought the Villandry bakery stall was excellent. Their carrot cake is the best.

I saw the Matthew Norman review in the Sunday Telegraph magazine. He was unstinting in his praise of it.

I've been to MVH. The food is not Asian/fusion- more Modern European- or as it calls itself 'Modern Classic food and wines'. It's very theatrical with lots of 'free' appetisers and sorbets but the food was with the odd exceptional dish (notably soup) sub-excellent.

Paolo is an Italian restaurant on Percy Street (off Tottenham Court Road). My guess judging by eg the posts on this forum its competitors are Sardo, Passione and Giardinetto- but I haven't tried any of these yet. I had taglioni (more or less spaghetti) with lightly cooked courgette strips and black truffle- the sauce was pure butter I think- simple but very nice ravioli with ricotta and aubergine sheets of pasta stuck together and then the circles of ravioli cut out- 'pure' tomato sauce to accompany - again simple and very nice pasta twists with sausages was highly rated by one of my fellow diners but none of us tried the meat dishes chocolate (almond?) cake with 'non-green' pistachio ice cream Bread was ciabatta rolls (doubt homemade) served with dipping oil and vinegar. Service was excellent Seating- cramped small square tables. Restaurant was half-empty. (sat night) £17.50 for three courses but another course would have pushed it up to £20.50. Pasta course taken as first course was still the same size as if taken as a main.

Zagat, Harden's, Michelin and the AA guide are all available free on-line. I second buying the Time Out Guide and The Good Food Guide... The Rough Guide claims to be comprehensively rewritten every year but I have compared reviews from earlier years and found them to be the same Very lazy of them...

I am looking forward to trying Chaudun in two weeks time when I am next in Paris. Marcolini is availabe in Fortnum & Mason in London- I was unimpressed, but I do have a bias against thick bars. I have also had Rapp chocolates (Nyon, Switzerland) but they were imported by an amateur so when I visit in person I hope to give them a chance to be at their best. Can anyone recommend other worth-tasting Swiss chocolatiers in Geneva or nearby? I am a big fan of Bernachon- the last time I was in Lyon on a Monday it was closed morning and afternoon which was annoying; according to the 'opening hours' it should have been open. I like the palet d'or from there.

I am a fan of Jean-Paul Hevin. I had the 'pomme de terre' (I think) at the 231 r. st honore shop, which was marzipan around a chocolatey centre. I got that due to a mix-up of labels- I don't really like marzipan. But this particular dessert was full of interesting flavours. The milk chocolate bar was the best I have tasted, better than L'Artisan du Chocolat (London), Bernachon (Lyon) and Maison du Chocolat (Paris). I went to a Herme store but I there was a queue and because I had eaten so many pastries (and macaroons from G. Mulot) I decided not to wait... I too thought Constant was some way off the pace although I doubt I had a 'signature' creation (I can't remember what I had). The store was indeed drab but not dead. Where is Chaudun?