Simon Majumdar

NEVER EVER DOUBT A MAJUMDAR BROTHER AGAIN

Er, no. Im just looking for a displacement activty from what I should be doing which is working up a proposal for a book which will drive you nuts if it's ever published.

ok, take us through what it consists of.. Here you go I am a particular fan of The Olympian S http://www.little-chef.co.uk/

Methinks the critic doth preotest too much. Are you fighting for your own honour or that of the rag. In both cases a lost cause, no? Jay, sweetie, you are using the wrong analogy. The equivalent would be to say that although I am paid to produce wonderful books, I have a penchant for really crappy novels, badly printed and bound and fit only for air travel. Which as it happens, I do. I think most people are being very unfair to The Little Chef All Day Breakfast. Such uniform egg frying must take years of training as a short order cook, surely? S

I know. I was making general comment rather than specific ones

You see, I was going to offer to mule in some Bengali sweets for you both on my next trip to the US, but since you have doubted me, I shan't bother

Fortunately Jay, writing for The Observer, liking Yo Sushi! makes you the perfect choice for restaurant critic.

It wasn't saliva ( c Frankie Howerd 1973 - Whoops Bhagdad )

Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha may you never eat a free lunch in this town again. far worse than a Little Chef or a Golden Egg Actually, Jay you have so many other things to be ashamed of, I should not let it worry you ( Remember, POINT IT!) S

Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha may you never eat a free lunch in this town again far worse than a Little Chef or a Golden Egg S

There was a shack en route from NOLA to Tyler, TX that sold nothing but deep fried chicken skin. Unfortunately we had already chowed down on 1lb of pork scratchings from Billy Bob's Gas Stop and Cracklin Shack or I would still be there now I like asking the guys at Popeye's to give me the bits at the bottom of the heater, like scraps in a good northern chip shop S

Suvir While I think chefs from different countries should be applauded for immersing themselves in new cultures, the "mocking" is usually the result of the hamfisted use that many people make of the ingredients they discover or the misuse of ingredients to make them more palatable to different audiences In the UK, there is a much lauded restaurant called The Cinnamon Club. It is a "modern Indian restaurant running along high end french lines. I found this restaurant dishonest. A harsh word, but I can think of no other for a place that debases foods to make them more acceptable. If you are going to make a Dhansak, but are not sure if people will appreciate the sublime tastes and unusual textures, then your aim should be to make the very best you can with the best ingredients etc. You aim should not be to dumb it down or make it with ingredients that are less challenging. I am all for people taking ideas and using them. On this Board A CAPED CHEF has said that he is collecting ideas we have shared. I am thrilled by that, but it has to be done with subtley and intelligence. S

I bite my thumb at your Burger King On the occasions I had to head back to Harrow on the Hill ( well someone had to ) and was the worse for wear, I would look forward to a Casey Jones "Steam Burger" Life seldom got much better that that S

I am only a Little Chef All Day Breakfast Fan because they discontinued The Golden Egg's Pirate's Platter. Now there was some good eating S

Five Words Little Chef All day Breakfast I am most awfully sorry S

Don't be such a pompous twat Peter. S

thanks all I am going with the spiced corn on the cobb and Fat guy's cucumber salad I knew I could count on all of you, but who knew Fat Guy would turn out to be any use?! S

Hi I am making my very healthy oven baked "fried" Chicken this evening ( secret: roll the chicken in spiced flour then egg whites before cooking, fantastic ) I usually make a salsa of some sort to go with it, but want to try something different but equally as light and delicious. Any suggestions? S

There are three shops in London where I would buy these. 1) The Pradip Sweet Mart - Northwick park Rd ( about 5 mins from the station ) by far the best sweet shop in London and a bag of fresh jalebee (Sp?) from there is something to treasure. Go first thing on a Saturday morning. They open at 9.30am. everything is piping hot and the smells are so wonderful you could die. 2) Ambala Sweet Shop - Drummond St - less good for Bengali sweets, but you can still find a good selection 3)Gupta Sweet Mart - Drummond St - Again good for some sweets I do believe that other regions of india make sweets, but when you can have ones as good as the Bengali ones, why bother

The last time I went I did the trad' thing of Potted Shrimp Dover Sole Steamed pudding & Custard All were exceptional. The wine list, while not cheap, is full of some wonderful "old world' wines. S

I will not bore anyone with my reasons as I have vented my spleen on this man far too often and I am sure it is boring I will happily PM you if you really want to know S

Why thank you for noticing Wilfrid S

One of the best bars in London, so no questions there. You are not too far from The capital which is much discussed here. I hads a superb meal there in May. l'oranger on St James is wonderful ( or was when I was there last year I have not been since then.) The much discussed Locanda Locatelli has divided opinions on the board. I am in the "fan" camp. we had a great meal there and I admire Locatelli's passion. He has none of the cynicism of many of the others Go to Embassy beFore Hollihead buggers off. That is also superb Avoid all MPW places as if they had big signs saying "beware leprosy" hope this helps S

I have been to many ( if not most ) Chicago steakhouses, Ruth Chris's/Morton's/Magnums/Smith & Wollensky's(?) etc. I am a great lover of Steakhouses in the US as it is one thing we truly lack here in the UK I think the Weber Grill place is aiming itself at a different market. Service is not quite as faux formal and the prices are not as high. It is a little like the downstairs bit of Smith & W's That being said, I found their preparation of the Steak ( which is what they are all about ) to be of an equally high standard, in some cases better. They are right in that hellish tourist trap area and the large Weber Grill on the front of the building made me wince as I thought that they were in the same T-shirt selling business that you hate. In fact, I don't think they have any retail. I was pleased but not shocked to see that they had not fallen into that trap. While they are sure to attract tourists in that part of town, they told me that they had already got very good notice from locals. In the end I just liked it because the food was good, they made great drinks and the service ( all people trained at the Weber school of grilling or something ) was spot on. I can only judge these things by one thing. Would I return if it was on my nickel and I was not a guest? Yes I would

JFK You don't say where you will be staying. It looks like the higher end places are what you are after. St J's is not in that category, but is ( still ) in my opinion a must visit. In the same area Club gascon is also a "must go' place I hear that RHR is still good. I had a horrible experience at Claridges, but others have spoken better of it Tante Claire remains excellent Sheekey's ( part of the same group as the Ivy ) is one of those places that gets overlooked and should not. It is excellent. I hear nothing but good things about Trompette although it would take something special to get me over to Chiswick I can make my own first hand rec for Rhodes in The Square which is right at the top of the tree. Of course, if you want to rough it, you can always join me at The Wenlock and then off to mangal for some Okabassi action. Ask Stellabella, it's good for what ails you colonials hope this helps S