isidore

well, I have some homework for this week-end, shopping around in London. I am not too fussed on farmer vs game this time. In the end, it all comes to traceability. Surely the Sainsbury's "labels" will give me details of the origin of the rabbit . My expectations are not high but if I can get a decent price for a wild type: hurray.

I agree Bux. My wife made me discover the "chevres" as she is from Romorantin. I knew some goat cheese, but when I discovered Selles sur Cher, and some of its "states", I fell for it. Selles sur Cher can come in almost 4 main forms: frais ( fresh), cremeux (creamy), sec ( dry ) or fort (extra dry). Personally, cremeux is heaven. A strong flavor. creamy outside. dry inside. You can buy easily frais and sec ( fresh, and dry ). For the others, it depends on the "affineurs" and sources. If you are lucky, and leave a "frais" for some time, it can become creamy, then dry. My recommendation for wine: a Touraine blan, or a fruity red, like Chinon.

ok for borough market. I will have a go. Finchley road. Do you mean the Golders Green area, or closer to O2 ? cheers.

just a question. pardon my french. whenever I go to the supermarket or butchers in London, I have never seen rabbit on sale. Do people eat rabbit in the UK ? It may seem a stupid question but rabbit can be found easily in France or Spain. regards.

Welcome to London then. London has an amazing diversity of restaurants and food. If it were not on price, London can beat most European cities on diversity. ( being French, I still reckon this and discovered many asian dishes in London for example) My first recommendation would be to buy a guide on eating out in London, as it could help you have an overview of the types of food, and some initial reviews. The big downside of London being: it can get dificult to find a calm, "ST Valentine's like" quietness, without paying a hefty price. Then, my sample recommendations would be ( all subjective) : not over-expensive: - Busaba Eathai, thai food. Wardour Street. their scallpos are great. - Wagamama - japanese: try the chicken katsu curry or a ramen. - La Bota , spanish ,crouch end - Galicia, spanish, portobello road end ( Ladbroke Grove ) italian: - mediterraneo ( Notting Hill, close to Ladbroke grove ) english ( but middle age type recipes ) - Veronicas there are many wonderful and cheap chinese in Chinatown. Then you can go for super chefs venues: Gavroche, Petrus ... Never tried as I am sampling those in France and Spain first. enjoy your time.

Hi all, mixing wine and coke has been existing for so many years in Spain: this is called calimocho or kalimotxo. my grandmother has been doing this with basic vino tinto ( table wine) in Basque Country since ages ( at least the last 25 years ). Actually, you use table wine. I would not do that with a nice wine estate It just dilutes the wine and many young people do that in Spain. I tasted it twice. Not worse than other alcopops you find around in Britain for instance. This habit does not exist in France. regards, Yann

Hi all, I fly to the Loire Valley about 3 times a year ( in Sologne in fact, to pick mushrooms and for fishing), and these are some things I would recommend you sample or bring back ( take care to the importation laws if out of Europe though): - Cheverny, Domaine Philippe TESSIER, 3 voie de la rue Colin 41700 Cheverny, France. 02 54 44 23 82. ( take care of the address as there is another TESSIER producing wine in the same area) - sample the goat cheese, they are excellent: selles sur cher, valencay, puligny saint pierre ... - if you are on sweets, pay a visit at the patisserie Jacky Chichery, in Valencay. - if you fancy hunting, there is a lot of game. - if you are tintinophie, Moulinsart is the Chateau de Cheverny without 2 side towers. sorry for girolles lovers, this year, there are no girolles to be seen in the woods. regards.

By the way, I can share a french recipe for frogs legs with garlic, ( the way we do it around Lyon ). As I am new to egullet, is there any area where I could send this ? cheers.

Hi, The range of cuisine in London is amazing. However, whenever I am in need of typical French dishes which I cannot cook or eat at a decent price in London, I catch a flight to Lyon or Paris ... And have a treat. London is such a wonderful hub ! Unfortunately I have not found "cuisses de grenouille a l'ail" in London. yet. So, a tip if you ever fly to Lyon: try "frogs legs" at Chez Michel, Lyon ( this would be a main. The whole meal with starter, main, dessert, pot lyonnais and offerted digestive goes for 8 to 9 gbp ... ) and the frogs legs could be from the Dombes region. I don't think they serve it all year round though. regards.

Dinner spoilt by an appalling service: Had dinner 6 months ago at Putney Bridge. I would say it is seems good value for money as far as the type and taste of dishes they serve are concerned. However, my experience there was really bad. We booked for a group of 8 people on a Thursday evening. The restaurant was quite crowded. It took so long to order, and then it took ages to have the food served. We got wrong dishes, then they brought mains for 3 of us out of 8. Took them 15 minutes to serve the others. The latter dishes were cold. So they took everything back. Came some 15 minutes later. Such a mess. Maybe it was a bad day, but I have never seen such an appalling service. I would not recommend this venue if you are a group of more than 6. Or then try a non busy night. All in all, this was such a disappointment that I would never go back. regards.

Hi all, I got a bit puzzled by the initial email. The website and events at Librairie Gourmand are still on currently. So, from my records, Librarie des gourmets is out (98, rue Monge), and Librairie Gourmnade still alive. Adresses of interets for gourmet bookshops in Paris: Librairie Gourmande, 4 rue Dante, tel +33 1 43 54 37 27, metro Maubert-Mutualite Remi Flachard, 9 rue du Bac, tel +33 1 42 86 86 87, metro rue du Bac Once I find the time I will verify and call ( I am French and living in London ). regards.