Simon Majumdar

I shall be there. If only because I promised Macrosan a slapping upside the head S

I thought Brit Spice was a bit grim, sorry This recipe is a hybrid of my own marinade for the chicken and a masala sauce from a "Curry Club" book It takes a small amount of prep but the cooking is simplicity itself and the results are, even if I say so myself, fabulous S

No Quorn is a brand of textured vegetable protein for thos who have given up on life S

This is available from quite a few bars in London and from Selfridges. It is my current choice for a Martini and I was introduced to it by the brman at Sosho in Hoxton. I think the botanicals give the Mrtini a real burst S

Sorry. This horror just filtered through the fug in my brain QUORN TIKKA MASALA!! And you are going to marry this woman?? Get off the board you charlatan S

I call this honesty. true, but still rare And, therefore, all the more welcome when it happens S

In the Brave OLD world of Wilfrid , it would be ENGLISH Muffin the Mule now there's one for the kids S

I think your last point is a very strong one. The power of "downselling" should not be underestimated A good example of this is a recent visit to The Gotham where I was hosting a supper for 8. I was on a relatively limited budget and chose two ( what I thought were well priced ) Ribero's to have with our meal. The wine steward came over and not only suggested two wines that were a good $20 per bottle less than I had been prepared to spend, but he also brought be small tastings of each of the four wines so I could compare and be sure they were what I wanted. They were and this probably saved me $200 across the meal. Like you, it also made me overlook some ( admittedly small ) problems with the food and made me more predisposed to going back there particularly for an event of this nature in the end, this is all about selling. It is about meeting the needs of your customer with the product that you have to offer at a price they are happy to spend S

Intersted to see Racine get so many nom's...... particularly for "front of house" where they were singularly shocking. Almeida on the other hand, although not great food, was by far the best of all the Conran places for service ( credit where credit's due ) Also nice to see J Sheekey getting a mention for service. If there was an award for consistency, I think they would win it hands down Cinnamon Club????????? That's some kind of joke isn't it? S

It always amazes me how rarely restaurants at all levels take the opportunity to "upsell". They have a captive audience who are there to spend money and have a good time, but so often they miss the chance to sell more of their product. In any industry that is a crime. Macro ir right. If the staff member has a real knowledge of the product on offer and the needs of the customer, then it can lead to a positively more enjoyable experience for the consumer. We have recently been discussing The Match Group of bars on the UK board. Thet upsell regularly but from a base of extensive product knowledge and by listening to the consumer. So if you ask for a Martini, you will get it made with the house gin which is, I think, Plymouth. But, if you are brand specific, they will suggest one of their premium gins. They always give you a little taster first so you can be sure of what you are getting. It was in this way that I first tasted the Junipero gin which has now become my gin of choice The unacceptable face of upselling is when a sommelier or waiter ignores your request for advice on wine within an given budget and keeps pushing unsuitable but hugely more expensive wines. The Criterion was the worst example I have ever experienced when I asked them to rec a wine for about £30, they were "out" of every one on the list but not of all the ones from £50-70. Well I never If well handled and based on experience and knowledge upselling can be a bonus for all involved S

I am thrilled that you liked it and your Mrs too. I like the idea of char grilling first and blending the sauce. If I had actually liked the people I was cooking for, I may have gone to that trouble. As it was it was well received by all and the remains were even better the next day Let's not get into the "authentic" argument. We have been down that route before and that way lies madness and the unedifying sight of Tony crying.......... S

That's not fair. You do this for a living I was just born there............ Love to see what a pro makes of it and to see how you make it S

Even though it is about as Indian as Alec Guiness in Passage to India. I am making this for friends tonight and thought I would share the recipe. It is delicious and works really well Anyway INGREDIENTS For the chicken 4 chicken breasts cut into big chunks 1 large piece ginger 7 cloves fat garlic 4 green chillies 1 bunch corriander 1 large tub yoghurt 1 tsp turmeric 1 tsp ground corriander 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp ground red chilli powder 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp ground fennugreek Juice of one lime For the sauce 1 tin tomatoes 1 large onions chopped 3 tsp ginger garlic paste 1/2 tsp turmeric 1/2 tsp ground corriander 1/2 tsp ground cumin 1/2 tsp ground red chilli powder 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp ground fennugreek 1 small carton cream Method blend the ginger and garlic into a paste in a grinder with some salt and a little water. Put half over the chicken and keep some for the sauce. In a blender, mix the yoghurt, corriander leaves and chilles and lime juice and pour over the chicken. Add the lime juice and the dry spices and mix throughly. Cover the chicken with plastic wrap and put in the fridge for at least 5 hours ( better overnight ) When ready to cook, place the chicken on a foil layered baking tray and cook for 25 mins. For the sauce just sweat the onion and ginger/garlic paste in oil and add the dry spices. Cook for one minute to allow the spices to lose their rawness. Add the tomatoes and a tinful of water and allow to cook for about 20 mins making sure it does not go too dry. When reduced to quite a thick sauce add the carton of cream and cook through gently. Mix in the chicken chunks ( which should have been kept warm ) and warm through Before serving, add corriander leaves and squeeze lime over the top Very very simple and delicious Hope you like it S

Go on. Move the goal posts! Adam is right Wilfrid and Plotters have bred a monster It is always correct but extra smug S

The B method is much more similar to the Welsh Cawl than any Irish stew I have tried ( see link ) http://www.britannia.org/recipes/showrecip...cipeID=00000085 both sound pretty good though S

Dunno about that. I have always bought it in this form Do ask your cutter and find out S

A hazardous presumption. Is Lancashire hotpot not called that in Lancashire? I have just asked a Lancastrian in my office and her family calls it "hotpot" So there S

Not when I have bought it. it is usually a 6-8 inch strip about 1-1/2 inches wide That's not to say that it doesn't. I just have not seen it S

Interesting, no mention of Best end of neck, which is the cut of meat I always associate with Irish stew. I prefer to have meat on the bone for this which is why cutlets work so well The best end, is I find, great for lamb curries S

It certainly does not look like any Irish Stew I have ever seen. That is not to say that it might not be good eating S

I think its the deglazing the pan juices with the Jamesons.... That certainly helps S

The Player and M&H are not "Members Club" in the sense of the word that we have in London. That would be places that operate just for the benefit of their members and guests like the upmarket Athanaeum or the more mid market Soho House. The two bars are, as Thomas quite rightly states, using the club laws as a way of providing a welcome "after hours" drinking hole for people who are prepared to pay for the chance to drink after chucking out time S

Andy I am not going to comment on the cream thing but, is the fact you don't brown the meat and then deglaze the pan the thing that leads to a lack of flavour? My, more simple I'll grant you, recipe doesn't seem to need stock as water works just fine S

you have lived in London too long S

Awbrig Irish Stew ( every one in the Uk will now say " in the name of the law" ) is a relative of The Lancashire Hotpot and, my favourite, the Welsh Cawl. They all use very simple ingredients and long cooking time. They can be gussied up, but I think they are better in the form in which they were created ( slow cooked one pot meals using local ingredients to feed the workers ) My recipe involves ( i don't eat it so much now because of all the starches. Ho Hum ) 12 lamb cutlets 5 potatoes Cut in big chunks 1 large white onion sliced 6 carrots cut in thick chunks 1 Swede ( rutabaga sp/) cut in big chunks 2 pints water I bunch parsley finely chopped Salt & Pepper 1 splosh of Jamesons or Bushmills I fry the cutlets in lard until browned on both sides then remove the meat to a collander to drain off excess fat. I then soften the onion in the remaining lard and when soft but not cooked, add in the whisky until the booze boils off and the bottom of the pan is deglazed Then add in the other vegetables and mix in with the onion. Add salt and pepper and the water and lay the cutlets on top. Cover the pan and cook for three hours on a low heat. When the cooking time is over, remove from the heat , allow to cool and pop in the fridge for at least two hours or better, over night The next day, skim the fat off the stew and warm through on the hob for about 30 minutes. Finally throw in the parsley and serve with bread or mash It is, as I said, incredibly simple, but it is by far the best recipe I have tried. Oh and never, ever thicken the sauce. I am not sure what your original picture was of, but Irish stew it aint S