Simon Majumdar

I am going to go to Fifteen. Who knows? It might be any good S

Heston First of all, thank you for the remarkable amount of time and thought you have put into this Q&A. I am not sure if you are still reading these questions, but just in case, I would love to hear your opinion I recently made a flying visit to Barcelona and was taken by clients to the restaurant of Miquel Sanchez Romera which is located some 30 mins from the city. Miquel is a Neurosurgeon by day and chef by night and predicates his cooking on the effect of different ingredients have on the senses and the synaptic responses foods engender. The meal was remarkable and, despite my worst fears that such a meal would just be a work of artifice, it held together very well indeed. More than that in fact being one of the most memorable meals I have ever had He has also published a book called ( as in the title of this question ) La Cocina De Los Sentidos which expands both on his culinary and scientific principals. While cooking having an affect on the five senses is not new, I wondered if you a) Knew of him and his work b) had done any study yourself into the synaptic effect of ingredients. Forgive me if you have touched on this (or indeed answered it totally ) in other parts of the Q&A, I am still working my way through them. Thanks in advance S

I have made this on one or two occasions ( as part of Christmas Dinner ) My butcher will take the bones out for me and, like, Adam, I use a forcemeat stuffing between the birds or a duxcel ( sp?) of mushrooms. The real issue is on the cooking time. It is hard to make sure that the bird inside is cooked properly without burning the turkey. I usually start the process with the whole wrapped in foil for the first couple of hours of cooking, then remove for the last two hours. worth a try S

On the negative side, I would agree with avoiding LH. my meals there have been not far short of a travesty. I would also suggest avoiding Pied as it can be far too stuffy and on my last visit ( about three months ago ) it seemed to have dipped a notch. On the positive, I continue to suggest Rhodes in The Square to people and few have been disappointed. River Cafe can be excellent. Last time it was not, but the time before it was exemplary. My one trip to the Square was memorable. But, above all of them, I would rate The Capital. it seems to meet all your needs. Sublime food, discreet surroundings and, for the sweet toothed in your crowd, by far the best desserts I have had in London in 02. S

Although I still truly believe that it is us Brits who should be giving thanks for getting rid of you lot, I was fortunate enough to spend last Thanksgiving with a friend up in Rhode Island. For the main part of the meal they injected a turkey the size of a small planet with Sprite and then deep fried it. Although the description of what they were about to do horrified me beyond belief, the end result was incredible, moist and with a great flavour. It was by far the best turkey I have ever eaten. As for the rest of the stuff you serve with it, well that's just disgusting. S

Just been to Lola's for Lunch. The food was pretty much up to standard ( Foie three ways was not great. The Balloltine was woefully underseasoned. The Label Anglais was wonderful though. ) The service was haphazard, but it was ever thus. I am not sure how they will fare without HJ, but rereading my review from a while ago, I said that it would be max 6 months before he got itchy feet and wanted a wider budget and horizons. Pharmacy's gain will be thier loss S

Death by carbs sounds infinitely preferable to that All my worries about Tony are confirmed back on subject, in the days when I did eat this crap ( The Oblivion Years as I intend to call them in my biog "Pensee" ) the best way to cook them was in a mix of Ghee and sunflower oil with a good dash of salt and pepper S

Death by pork? By my own hand and at a time of my own choosing. If that so happens to be smothered by a strippers t**s then so be it. But, it sure as hell wont be involving carbs. S

I think the words "Curried Leek Scones" tells you all you need to know S

Asked Steve Hatt to fillet a large Brill for me and then to cut the two fillets in half lengthwise so that both of us had a piece from the white skinned and dark skinned side. Pan fried all the fish in olive oil and butter after seasoning until the skin was crispy and the fish still a little translucent. Served the dark skinned fish on a bed of warm onion, ginger and grated apple jam and the white skinned fillet on a bed of creme fraiche and dill. Drank a not very pleasant Gewurtz. S

Spuds=Carbs=Death S

Hi Sam One of the best restaurants in Stockholm is the wonderful Prinzen Restaurant. They are an equivalent of the Ivy and the food is teriffic. The pickled Herring is superb served with a wonderful burnt butter and pickles The other is a short ride out of town and is called restaurant J. It is very modern and I think they have two locations in town S

For some reason after the theatre, I have an urge to go Old School and always end up at Mon Plasir on Monmouth St. The food is entirely unreconstructed French bistro, but, is well done and the service is efficient and welcoming. I tend to have the same thing which is Coq Au Vin with a side order of creamed spinach and a bottle of Gigondas. S

This is a cross between a tagine and a Kleftiko The slow,low cooking leaves the meat falling off the bone and intensifies the flavours If you want to you can reduce the sauce, but I prefer it quite rustic it is very simple and delicious. INGREDIENTS 4 kid or goat shanks ( or more allowing one per person ) – if you use goat or kid off the bone then reduce cooking time. 1 x small white onion chopped finely 1 x small red onion sliced 2 x fat cloves of garlic chopped 1 inch of fresh ginger peeled and finely chopped 2 fresh red chillies de seeded and chopped 1 can peeled and chopped plum tomatoes 1 tsp tomato puree 2 apples peeled and sliced in thickish slices ( I use any good cooking apple – one that will not break down too easily ) 1/2 pint lamb stock or water SPICES Saffron strands infused in warm milk 1 tsp of ground cumin 1 tsp of chilli powder 1 x cinnamon stick 1 tsp ground ginger 2 cardammon pods 2 x bay leaf Salt & Pepper 1 tsp sugar METHOD You will need a heavy bottomed casserole dish with a tight fitting lid. You could also use a slow cooker. In the casserole, brown the shanks or cubes of goat/kid in a little oil and butter. When well browned remove from the pan and in the same pan fry the chopped onions and the garlic, chili and ginger until they soften but do not colour. Add the ground spices and the cinnamon stick and sugar and fry for one to two minutes until they lose their rawness. Return the goat/kid to the pan and turn coating with the spice and onion mixture to make sure it is all coated. Add the tomato puree, the bay leaves, the saffron, the can of tomatoes and the lamb stock (or water.) Place the lid on the casserole and seal it in place with a simple dough strip or by painting the edges with flour and water ( just as you would for a Daube a Hydrabad Byriani ) Place in a low oven for 10 hrs or over night ( if using cubed lamb , reduce this accordingly) When the cooking time has passed, break the seal on the pot and stir in the apples and slices of red onion. Return to the oven and cook on a moderate heat for a further 15 minutes or until the apples and onions begin to soften but not break down. Serve with white rice or cous cous S

Homer, Glad you liked RIVA and WELCOME S

Tighe Lamb is one of the most wonderful meats to use in Indian cooking Fresh young spring lamb is wonderful when Tandoored ( very easy to do and there are some threads on this board with different marinades - I made some this week marinaded in yoghurt, cumin, saffron, chilli powder, ginger, chilli and garlic ) Older Lamb/hoggart works well when cooked in a bhuna or in a fiery goan style curry using vinegar, chilli and coconut milk Mutton ( and also Goat ) is tougher but lends itself to very slow cooking. I have a recipe for mutton or goat which is cooked in a sealed pot ( almost like a daube ) for nearly 12 hours then flavoured with apples. Fantastic. Each works in a very different way but all are delicious S

The Honest Cabbage was ever so slightly BLAH when I was last there for Sunday lunch and no longer cheap. I know that they closed the other branch down ( The Honest Goose? ) so I wonder if they are having problems Ma - i- terra was fun by the way. I recommend it S

If it is still going, I can really recommend RIVA in Barnes The last time I went ( some years ago I have to admit ) the food was beyond excellent as was the service. S

sounds fun wot duz etioleted mean? it means they can charge another £5 for it S

Dupleix's writing is extra ordinarily irritating. Very smug. Many moons ago, Weidenfeld & Nicolson did a series of 20 mini cookery books called The Masterchefs. each comprised 10 recipes on a different category from one chef. There were some great people on the list including Rick Stein and Alastair Littlle and others. Dupleix did one on Pacific Rim cooking ( I think ) Not only was it not a very good book, it sold very badly. Durack is fine. Pompous, opinionated and self referencing ( as someone already mentioned ) all qualities to be admired in a man. S

I can't condone vandalism in any form So just as I abhor what some mindless thugs did to The Connaught, I also abhor what GR and his minions did to Claridges One man's vandalism is another man's refurbishment S

The cover looks great for the US market. I am sure it will do exceptionally well BUT They are not really going to release the book in December are they FG? Why not just put all the copies in the basement of a bookshop in the dodgiest neighbourhood in the Bronx in a box marked "beware herpes" the resulting sales would be the same? December is the month where good books go to die. The boxes don't get unpacked as all the staff are running around making sure they have enough copies of The Grinch etc etc and they usually come upon them in January at the back of the good in dept and put them straight into returns. I hope they keep it back to Jan. They are a smart publisher, so I am sure they will have it all worked out anyway. S

Stocks may not be part of the Indian cusine ( apart from Goa ) but broths are. I recall when staying in Calcutta, I became very ill after a meal at The Sky Rooms and could not eat for days. To keep my strength up, i was fed a variety of chicken or lamb based broths which were clear, hot and sour. I think the base was made of ginger, turmeric ( root rather than powder ) and chilli which was sweated off with some chicken or lamb bones. The sourness came from tamarind pulp or juice. It was poured over small chunks of cooked chicken and some scallions It was a wonderful restorative and I think could make the base of a wonderful stock S

of course, of course If its Thursday, it must be bumless chaps night S

I am going to take a date to Baltic tonight for a few Vodkas, then afterwards to the rather nice Tapas place Ma Iterra ( sp?) on Gambia St ( er, I think ) I like this place. There is never a "ping" from a microwave, everything is freshly prepped. The wine list is interesting and they know how to make a proper Sol Y Sombre. After that, I shall no doubt take her to heaven and back. Yeah right, in some bizarro world perhaps. S