Simon Majumdar

In the Groucho, Laughing at Jay behind his back S

You should go back and , when you have had the meal, call me and I can even tell you what you should write about it S

Just want people to remember this moment if it comes up at my trial S

Plus ca change, plus la meme chose S

I had lunch there about a month ago and posted on the other LOLA's thread. It was very good and I think I called it a "welcome return to form" My last meal there before that was not so good and the place felt profoundly moribund. I think this was when Reid had left and things were a bit confused Not a bad choice for lunch, I would say S

and not a little funny. S

Should ALL restaurants have to provide for vegetarians? S

When he said this to me I thought he was talking about you, Macrosan S

You can use ghee to fry the onions and spices for the sauce, but I think the dish is rich enough with the cream and using oil gives a cleaner taste Not butter. Simon: many, many chefs will tell that finishing a sauce with butter is a great aid to both flavour and texture. I'm one of them and have found that finishing many Indian dishes with butter works a treat. Try it I agree. I just don't think it is necessary in this dish which is pretty rich to begin with. I often use butter or ghee to finish off dhals and other dishes which adds a great extra layer of flavour and texture S

I am not in Moscow as frequently as I used to be, but still enjoy going to the Arbat area of the city where there are some pretty good restaurants, particularly a number of places specialising in Georgian food. S

Not quite so Tone Pork is often found in Goa. That being said it is rarely found in the hybrid menus of the rest of the world or in other parts of India S

I've always got the impression they were quite different, but like you say, never mind S

You can use ghee to fry the onions and spices for the sauce, but I think the dish is rich enough with the cream and using oil gives a cleaner taste Not butter. I do have a great recipe for Butter chicken which might suit the bill if you care to see it S

My mother will be so proud ( for once ) Mind you she will probably find a way to say " why can't you be more like your older brother Biryani?" S

Um...never heard of TGATCCMs. So: What's my (and your) status? I am not 100% sure but according to Debrett's it is Master & servant and you are now my "strumpet" www.goodiesruleok.com S

Well, count my Granny from Lancs as fur free and knickers out the whazoo. Scone like stone makes me wince. Is this some kind of Brit shibboleth...scone pronunciation? Those of us old enough to remember The Goodies & The Clotted Cream Mines will know that it is one of the key deciding factors in ones status in the UK S

The other question that divides the entire nation is the pronunciation of scone is it Scone as in Stone or Scone as in on I am firmly in the latter camp and think that those who say Scone ( as in stone ) are all fur coat and no knickers S

Tony, you saved me saying it. Fricking lightweights S

Not so that you would notice. I will taste better though. Sounds interesting. I will give it a try. Do you use the same amount S

Oh, I forgot about the pigeon. Did we enjoy it? S

Excellent supper in the company of my estimable brother, Robin and the rapidly diminishing Jay Rayner last night After a couple of bottles of Lindauer reserve at our place we then cabbed to St J's Br&W ( Jay has a corn on his tootsies don't you know?) where we found the place packed to the gunwhales with a queue out the door We went straight to our pre booked table and looked at the board where all the dishes for the day are written At first we were a bit dubious as there were lots of lines chalked through things on the menu and there seemed to be a paucity of slabs of flesh ( no veal chop or pork chop to be seen ) Still we decided upon three starters and three mains and asked them to serve them family style The starters were really very good indeed. Foie with prunes on toasted sourdough was a great combination and the stewed prunes gave a great counterpoint to the richeness of the plentiful foie and the crunch of the bread. Soft roes on toast had been sauteed in butter and were superb with a real bite to them. Potted duck and pork ( with some little kidneys in ) was slightly underseasoned for my liking but remedied by a huge pile of cornichons served with it For main courses we ordered Thin Flank - pink strips of flank steak served cold with a delicious horseradish sauce. Great flavour and perfectly cooked Rabbit stew ( the weakest dish for me ) OK, but lacking a depth of flavour Chitterlings - Grilled and charred fabulous We also ordered three puddings Strawberry pavlova - very creamy but lacking a crunch to the topping Gooseberry fool with ginger biscuits Chocolate ice cream. This was seriously good stuff packed with choccy bits and made on site To drink we had two bottles of Pic St Loup, a glass of sauternes and some eau de vies. Bill came to a pretty reasonable £60 per pop I think the cooking here is better than that at the main St J's. Service was good and, if it was close to my work, I could see myself coming in here every lunch time. 8/10 S

ASC This is authentic in no other way than it is a recipe which I know has been used in our family for a very long time and so has stood the test of time. As for other dishes claiming to be "authentic" I don't know. Recipes develop over time, but I would have thought that any recipe which has its origins in an Indian family kitchen has a claim to authenticity I am not sure about the dark sugars. This particular recipe has a gentle yello colour from the turmeric. Would the dark sugars not make it a darker dish? S

The simplest Korma recipe is the one my grandmother in calcutta taught me You can use it for fish, meat, poultry, vegetables or tofu ( one of my faves ) INGREDIENTS SAUCE 1 1/2 cups almonds ( ground ) 1 cup single cream 1 tsp turmeric 1 tsp ginger 1 tsp sugar 1/2 pint boiling water 1 clove chopped garlic 1 green chilli deseeded and chopped For the other ingredients use whatever vegetables you like. I like to use cauliflower and sweet potato which I steam first. METHOD Mix all the sauce ingredients in a large jug and allow to stand for 5 mins to allow the oils to seep out of the almonds ( this is what thickens the sauce In a frying pan or preferably a wok, fry the chilli and garlic in sunflower oil until they soften and flavour the oil. Add your vegetables ( or whatever other ingredient ) and warm through. Finnally add your sauce and cook for 5+ minutes until it begins to thicken ( if it gets to thick, loosen with a little milk or water ) Before serving sqeeze the juice of a lime over and stir in some chopped corriander leaves Er, that's it. It is authentic ( been in the family for generations ) and very delicious ( even better then next day ) S

If Pimm's no 1 cup was the mixer for gin, what were the other ( up to No 7 I believe ) mixers for? S

Golden Scottish rasberries are the best in the world and wonderful in a crachan(sp?) a mix if whipped cream, single malt, toasted rolled oats and the raspberries S