Simon Majumdar

Simon - Lindauer cost you fifteen quid? Ouch, shouldn't it be about seven or eight?.... Hang on (checks again), you say it's a Reserve bottling? Haven't had that. What's it like? As far as antipodean fizzes go, I like Pelorus, though it's worth springing the extra three quid for the 96 as against the NV, but the best I've had comes from Piper's Brook in Tasmania - it's called Pirie (after Andrew Pirie, the guy who started the winery), it costs about GBP 17/bottle, and it's quite superb. Well worth a try. Adam No, the reserva is good value at £15. The ordinary which is still pretty OK is £7. The pelorus is also c£15 at Majestic. I am going to have to check the receipts to see what I actually paid S

Aged balsamic, macadamia nut oil and dijon mustard ( with a little black pepper and french marsh salt ) S

Last night was Scallop Corals sauteed in butter with shallots, garlic and chilli Followed by a salad of smoked eel and black pudding on a bed of watercress and mustard leaves Glass of Lindauer reserve to drink S

Great vodkas ( natch ) - try some of their infused ones. They do a great warm plum one which they infuse by placing the bottle in a baby bottle warmer. There is one guy there whose name I don't know, but ask for the Crystal Palace fan! who knows every thing about vodka and if you ask him to suggest, he always comes up trumps. For food, try and stick to a mix of starters which to my mind are much better than the main courses. Stick with beer to drink, they have a great selection S

Continuing the Indian theme of the night before Onion and cauliflower bhaji Tandoored Quail, chicken and lamb cutlets ( marinaded in cumin, fenugreek, saffron and chilli powder mixed with yoghurt) Salad of red onion ( soaked first in iced lemon water - thanks for the tip Suvir ) and Mango with a dressing of lime and kalonji Raita of yoghurt, cucumber, apple and mint I finished with a dessert of Rabri which I made, not in the time intensive classic way, but by reducing a can of evaporated milk and adding crushed pistachios and a drop of rose water.

last night, after a few days indulgence in the US, I wanted simple. So Red Lentil Dhal with a Tadka of Fried Onions, Onion Seed, Fennel Seed and Patch Phoron Cauliflower and Eggplant with Turmeric and Nigella Seed and a little sugar light, nutritious and delicious and a welcome counterpoint to the red meat fest of last week S

Michael, I am not going to claim to know the minutae of the chefs you describe but it seems to me that in cooking as in so many things it is ego that is at the very heart of what we do. Ones ego can drive one on to achieve but it can also limit one from achieving more. In all arts and in this case I will take cooking as an art ( one or more people creating for the enjoyment of others ) it is important to know and master the basic building blocks of that art before one can go on and extemporise, so if you look at Picasso's early work they show a technical proficiency but are derivative. Once however, he had mastered technique he was able to fly beyond the realms of other artists. The same in literature. Without his knowledge of the basic rules of form and technique, Shaw could not have "created "new language nor Joyce deconstructed what he had been taught. In cooking, the true innovators are those who really know the basics but are not prepared to be limited by it. Others use innovation to cover up their lack of basic proficiency. A classic example for me would be my meal at Tabla in NY. The use of Indian spices was crass and obvious. The chef had not learned the basics of Indian cookery to a sufficient level to play around with them as he did leaving me disatisfied and with a bad taste in the mouth. The problem is that many of the immitators are getting more attention and more money than the innovators. It was ever thus S

I wonder what the decor will be like. Will it have any nice pictures hanging do you think? S

I think there is a big difference between those who are excellent because they constantly look to improve and never accept that they should stand still and those who use innovation as a front to their own lack of talent. I will give you some examples. Gordon Ramsay ( warning, I am actually ging to say something good about him ) is one of those who strives for excellence in his kitchen. He is always trying to move forward and from the menu at RHR is pushing himself and his team. sometimes it works, sometimes ( as in the case of the awful Claridges ) it does not. I have many issues with him and the way he runs his places but his skill and development of it is not one of them On the other hand you have Anthony Worrall Thompson who flutters from concept to concept in a futile attempt to hide his own lack of imagination. He leaps from Organic, to Manhattan steakhouse to Six Floor Brasserie ( not necessarily in that order ) while not doing any of them well. Why? Because he does not have the basic excellence. A boxing trainer I once met said to me " Show me a man who has the talent and I will give him the skills and the moves. Show me a man who has no talent and I can still give him the skills and the moves but he is going to get his assed kicked every time" S

This question really splits into two 1) What keeps the chef happy and motivated 2) What keeps the punters happy and motivated I would imagine that any chef worth their salt ( er?) would want to keep moving forward, originating and pushing the boundaries of their abilities. Just as a musician or artist would do the same. On the other hand, many consumers would want the chef to keep producing the dishes that drew the plaudits in the first place. If I was to go to certain restaurants and the signature dishes that I had heard about or tried on previous visits were not there, I would be very disappointed. I suspect, as in most things, the answer is balance. Menu's should develop and show growth in the chef's skills and ambitions, but they should not throw the baby out with the bathwater by ditching the things which make them appreciated in the first place. I have a dread fear ( based on Spinal Tap ) of going to Gary Rhodes for the Lobster Thermidore Omlette and having the waiter say "welcome to the rebirth of Rhodes in the Square. Tonight we will be presenting Chinese Fusion Night. We hope you like our new direction" What do you know? 1000 Posts. S

just finished Michel Houllebecq ( Sp?) - Platform - phallocentric and entirely inconsequential mainly, I suspect, down to a slightly bizarre translation. Managed to snaffle a copy of the new Michael Connelly, Chasing the Dime which seems up to par. Have on my bedside table to read. Nickel & Dimed Jolie Blons Bounce ( James Lee Burke ) And, a copy of Revolution: The Making of The Beatle's White Album ( published by my good self - I always like to read the finished books when they come in, a lot more satisfying than staring at the pages of a proof ) S

You are right. Maybe rare was the wrong term. The finest sweetbread dish I have ever had was at Foiliage in London where the sweetbread had a crust on the outside but was soft inside in texture. At Veritas, they were tough and chewy which can't be how they were meant to be. S

I have just returned from my supper at Veritas with a dear chum. I had really been looking forward to going here. Particulalrly since I had looked at the link to their extra ordinary wine list. I had heard mixed things about the food with some people going as far as to say that this was a wine bar that served food, but I was pleasantly surprised with the menu. I started with a martini, which despite a very specific request was neither dry or cold enough. Drinking luke warm neat gin has not been a habit of mine since I left the clergy and I see no reason to take it up again now. We were served amuse of a snow crab mayo which was a little bland but very fresh. Starters were an exemplary seafood salad which again displayed all the hallmarks of very fresh ingredients. My starter was sweetbreads served on shitake with a glaze of 30 yr old balsamic. It was to be perfectly honest very poor. Sweet breads should be ( to my liking anyway ) seared on the outside but rare in the middle. This was not. It was over cooked and tough. A crime to what was otherwise a very good ingredient. Main courses were a lamb loin with a rosemary crust which was one of the best lamb dishes I have had in the us and a dry aged strip which was cooked properly ( black & blue ) but lacked flavour. Desserts were marginally interesting. A "12 textures of chocolate" was a mix of torte, sorbet, beignet etc and was fine. A Concorde grape soup with tapioca was nasty in the way that only school food has a right to be. THe real raison for Veritas is of course the wine list which reads like most people's wank fantasy. I marvelled both at the list and thye prices, but my guest and I decided to try and keep under $150 for a bottle. We ordered ( badly ) a northern spanish Sardon Del Duego ( 1996 ) which, like the English cricket team, opened well and tailed off horribly. At the end it was just like drinking coloured water. Our fault not the restaurant's although I am not sure a wine of this minor level needed decanting. Service was efficient but perfunctory and a bill with service of $300 ( £220 ) was pretty steep for what was in the end a definingly ordinary meal. I can see why people go here. The wine list is a miracle and some of the "great" wines seemed to be sold at no mark up at all. For a dining out experience though, it was a grave diappointment 5/10 S

If it wasn't so obviously true, one could almost blush. I loved meeting everyone ( again in some cases ) Nina remains the scariest individual on planet Earth, no wonder Bourdain did a runner taking a jug of schmaltz with him The food ( Chopped liver aside, though not smooth enough for the little goy in me ) was pretty nasty, but hey, I lived and it is one ticked off the list. Thanks Nina and J&R for the lift And Fat Guy, one hell of a dog!! S

I have made no judgements about The Connaught. I am depressed about what they will do to the room which I loved in all its old style glory, based on what they did to the room at Claridges ( fine old dining room to whores arsehole in one easy makeover ) Claridges was shockingly bad. By all accounts, we were not the only one to think so. My one experience of RHR was superb and I have always said so. These two guys can cook. No argument. I ate at Harveys and it was one of the great meals of my life. I have also eaten at numerable other MPW places and they have all been grim, every last one of them. Kinda colours my judgement. I suspect your views have been coloured by Gordo's offers to take you ringside at a big fight ( probably on a night when he should be overseeing the kitchen ) or MPW's promise to lend you his "insto pimp" outfit. I will give The Connaught a try with an open mind. Given that I actually had a good meal at The Almeida this week ( a Conran place ) then anything can happen. See you next time around at The Wenlock. The only place where the words "Bourdain" and "mild" are used together.

I am sure I am top of their list for an invitation, Tone. S

fake basmati flooding the market The bastards. Let's nuke em Adam- If I ate rice or bread, which I don't as we all know CARBS = DEATH I would, as a good ghoti have both a paratha and some plain boiled rice. Being a Brahmin means you can have it all .

just a question Peter in the piccie of you in your avatar, is someone goosing you or is that your natural smiling face?

Is sounds like fun Pity it's not in London S

Are we talking a pissed smokey or a pissed Bryan Ferry Both did exemplary versions S

For a lot of people it is a treat. Simon should have known better. It is not the fact that people choose to eat in a pub that matters. It doesn't matter if it is a treat or not My criticism is not of the customer but of the company that treats a captive audience with such disdain. When people are settled in for a night in the pub, they tend not to move on ( based on no other research than my own drinking habits ) and they pubs chains take advantage of this. You could argue that the food is cheap. Looking at the menu last night, the main courses were around £8. I suspect you could have found something more edible than the aforementioned Thai Vegetarian Schitzel for less than that somewhere. I think the reality is that in all things in life, you get what you pay for You also have to ask yourself that if a fully staffed kitchen in a restaurant can offer a menu of , say, 6-8 items in each course twice a day, how can Wetherspoons have a menu that offers what looks like approaching 75 items all day? Simple, it is pre-packed/Boil in the bag/vacuum sealed/portion controlled and can be prepped by any member of staff with little or no training. It is I think the same argument as that of people eating fast food from McD's etc. I can understand why people eat there ( supposedly cheaper, easier etc ) but that does not make the suppliers of such food any less cynical. S

Now In am not talking about places like The Eagle/Fox/Sutton Arms etc etc which are to all intents and purposes restaurants that are located in pubs. I am talking about bog standard pubs offering food ( although that is a loose description ) which has been portion controlled ( thanks be to God in some cases ) vacuum packed and pre cooked. It is always nasty and rarely edible even after a few pints For example, last night I had the misfortune to go to a pub called The Cardinal in Francis St, Victoria. The pub itself was a typical identikit Sam Smith's pub but the beer was reasonably well kept and not ludicrously expensive. After a few pints, I was hungry and drunk enough to consider looking at the menu. One item leapt out at me and made me recoil in horror A THAI VEGETARIAN SCHNITZEL I do not think there are enough words to describe on how many levels that is an offence against humanity. I was almost tempted to try it just to see what appeared. Main offender in this area seem to be Wetherspoon pubs whose menu's can only appeal to the turps drinkers amongst us as they know they will throw it up later in the evening so it will not do any lasting damage Why can't pubs stick with nuts and of course Pork Scratchings? Am I missing something, surely there must be ordinary pubs that can do decent food rather than ripping people off with this crap. S

Not all but it is a wonderful addition to desserts. It is great in Ice cream and, if I am in need of a Bengali fix but can't be bothered with the rather labour intensive requirements of their desserts, I make Rabri by reducing a tin of Carnation evaporated milk with green cardamon and a little cream. I also put some ground cardamon in a little fromage frais as a nice mouth cleanser between courses S

Paneer is a soft curd cheese. Suvir ( where is he btw?) posted some recipes for making it on the board and very good they were too The final pudding has the texture of a tapioca or rice pudding but is much richer and typically Bengali S

Er, no it bombed!! From my recollection of the series, it was shown at an increasingly late hour on BBC2 ( the equivalent of PBS ) and disappeared after two or three series Now if you wanted a great "food related" comedy series from Britain there was a series called COLIN'S SANDWICH which starred Mel Smith ( One of the stars of Not The Nice O' Clock News in the '70's and the director of the films Mr Bean and The Tall Guy ) In it he played a foodie who worked for the British Rail complaints deptartment and spent his days dreaming of restaurants in France and writing bad Sci Fi short stories I wonder how close to some egulleters that is? Still, a little remembered but excellent series S