Simon Majumdar

You are SO right Andy. It did kinda work in Corporal klinger kind of way. Not many people can carry off that Six foot Tall wirey Noo Yorker cross dressing look, but he did it with some aplomb. Perhaps his next move should be as the new Rupaul. Then Andy, he could be both your mummy and your daddy. S

I have to say, from my one brief encounter that Mr Bourdain's obvious butchness was slightly offset by his insistence on wearing a gingham frock. Still each to his own.

You would get a fat child who put the cause of black people back a hundred and fifty years

I can second the recommendation of Moustache. Not least because the lady who runs it and its sister restaurant Mamlouk in the East Village is the mother of the very special person I mention in my review of Jo Jo's in " The Majumdar Brothers Do Dallas" on the General Boards. I have had many wonderful meals at both places and both have a place of affection in my heart. I am sorry I will not be able to join you at Dimple. It is excellent. Perhaps on my next visit in August S

She speaks very well of you though, Ron

Can I just add, apropo of nothing that when my ex-wife submitted the papers for our divorce based on unreasonable behaviour ( moi, unreasonable ) she cited an occasion where I had called her "Rubenesque". And I thought it was a compliment. Women, go figure? I have no great feelings either way about La Lawson. I think Steve P hits it on the nail when he says she adds nothing to the hobby of cooking but she does no great harm and she is a ways less irksome than the fat tongued one. I am sorry Tony, she is not the real deal. She is a one trick pony, again as Steve P puts it, she is Naughty Posh and while she could give me a stern telling off any time. I wouldn't respect her at dinner time

This is in fact a "classic" Goan Vindaloo ( The Vin coming from Vinegar which was, I believe a legacy of the Portugese occupation of this region. My recipe is Goan Pork Vindaloo 1 tbsp cumin seeds 2 tsp black mustard seeds 1 tsp ground turmeric 1/2 tsp black peppercorns 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp green cardamom pods 1 tsp black cardamom pods 1/2 tsp cloves 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg 1 onion chopped 8 cloves garlic chopped 1 in root ginger chopped 1 tsp paprika 6 dried red chillies, soaked in 1 tbsp cider vinegar 2 tbsp oil ( normally it is palm, but I use nut oil ) 8 fl oz cider vinegar 1 tbsp brown sugar 3 lbs lean pork, cubed ( I also use a hand of pork on occasions but this is more fatty ) Dry roast the spices in a pan until lightly coloured then grind them together with the onion, garlic, ginger, paprika, chillies and soaking vinegar. Blend in 1 tbsp of the oil, the cider vinegar and sugar. Add the pork, stir until well coated, then cover and marinate overnight in the fridge (or however long you've got). Heat the remaining oil and fry the meat over a medium heat until browned. Add the marinade and stir for 5 mins, reduce the heat and simmer gently for 45 mins - 1 hour, until the meat is tender. It is a great fiery dish with a sour sweet undernote. Hope you like it S

My favourite take on summer dishes is to go for the Goan and southern dishes which combine ( particularly the Goan ) both heat and sourness which is remarkably refreshing So I shall be making pork in vinegar Boney fish ( whatever the market has ) in a coconut and chilli sauce infused with lime and corriander. Shredded vegetables in a hot pickle Fresh Lime soda with salt The only problem I have is that I try to avoid Palm Oil as it is so unhealthy and yet nothing else matches ther taste Suvir can you suggest something? S

I have not tried this rather wonderful sounding dish, but I have been known to make a paste from chilles fried with a little turmeric and cumin in vegetable oil and then ground down with a few garlic cloves. This can make a fairly useful starter paste for many indian dishes particularly Goan dishes which need an initial fiery impact. It is also good smeared on the insides and out of fish which is then sprinkled with lime juice and then grilled. fantastic S

I am not going to sit on the fence here as I truly despise this man's writing and his style of reviewing He may well be an estimable man who buys his famous father flowers and that, but he should not be allowed to put pen to paper And I loathe him more, for that in low simplicity, he is ludicrous enough to have his gurning image on the header of his column. Smart heh? Critics on the whole are in the "first against the wall" category. Some, like our own Mr Rayner are brave enough to acknowledge the incosequentiality of their "craft" and also have proved their worth buy writing other books ( I am forced to say that Jay's new book is an excellent piece of work - BUY BUY BUY) This man, however is a sap, sucker and ne'er do well. A poltroon of the first water S

Suvir I was for a while a member of the Tolly in Calcutta. have you been? Is it still the slightly strange place it was? It sounds so like the Gymkhana. S

Knowing West Yorkshire very well, my only suggestion, unfortunately would be to take a packed lunch

Suvir I have been a member of various "gentlemen's" clubs of some ancient standing ( a legacy of my time as a priest ) and finding the members to be no such thing ( particularly in their treatment of women) I have left all of them. I am now a member of a mid range professionals club called The Agency, which offers good food, meeting rooms, billard rooms etc with none, of, quite frankly, the bollocks. There are many of these springing up all over London. Some, like the Groucho or Soho House are to be avoided like a plaque carrying rat, others; The Green Room, Two Bridges, and the afore mentioned Agency are really quite nice and a way to escape the shiny suited yobs that seem to populate the heart of central London for a very bizarre experience in London, go to The India Club, which used to be the canteen for the workers at The Indian Embassy in The Aldwych. It is ostensibly a member's club but is, shall we say, a little run down. The food however is dependable if not spectacular and the place itself was described by Egon Ronay as being like " The porter's lounge at Bangalore railway station"

From my (admitedly brief) time in holy orders, you are missing the most scred drink of all Pink Gin It has given me many moments of spiritual lucidity S

It is interesting how different a take you can get on the same things, for my view Zaika - redefined ordinary. A sham. I actively hated this place Chutney Mary's - I kinda don't count this as it is Anglo Indian - a valid food form but I don't think you can judge it along side the others. FWIW, I found it ordinary. Red Fort - The regular menu is OK, it is much better when they have guest chefs. But, it is hugely expensive. Port Des Indes - Now this is where we disagree as I had one of the single worst meals of my life in this place and also had food poisoning that night. Now that may have been a coincidence but I wont be going back I would add in the Rasa Chain of Kerulan restaurants. The one in Stoke Newington is best and the Kerulan Christian ( serves non veg dishes ) is also very good. Rasa samudra, the fish restaurant is very expensive and OK and the Bond St branch, Rasa W1 is good but expensive. I also had a decent meal recently at Chor Bizzare ( that's how it is spelt! ) which was very expensive. S

I think the average High St Curry House is unrecognisable to anyone who knows Indian food. I would disagree about the high end. I have found them all wanting. The mid range is where it is at. Individual chefs taking real pride in what they do. I mention Kuldeep Singh at Mela ( Shaftsbury Ave ) again as he, to me is everything that is good about Indian food in this country. The menu is based on the snack foods of Bombay and you can select from a wide range of wonderfully fresh dishes all of which are bursting with all the right flavours. If you have to try one place in London for Indian food, this would be my choice. He also takes time to make rabri fresh every day. A sign of a true artist I know that Tony Finch is very fond of The New Tayab in Bethnal Green which is Pakistani. I have not yet been but will soon. I can't comment much about south of the river as there are not enough hot needles etc etc to get me to cross over to the Swamp

Suvir I will mail you my dates, it would be great to meet if not next trip, then another time The Lahore Kharai has two branches Wembley and Southhall, both serve simple food in a canteen surrounding and do it quite well S

Suvir What a shame, we are going to cross in the skies. Maybe next time I can show you the haunts of the motherland Hamsi - London is neither the mecca of India food that it is professed or professes to be, nor is it a shabby as say the offerings in North America It works on a huge number of levels High End - Zaika, Bombay BRasserie, Red Fort. All of these have things to offer but I find them empty experiences as they transmit none of the joy that such food deserves Mid Range - Meela etc. This is a much better bet and Mela itself is a great place with simple food prepared with great care by a talented chef ( Kuldeep Singh ) Canteen Style - The India club, YMCA etc. These are great standbys, not superb but reasonable I also like to visit areas outside the main drag, so I go to the sweetshops in The Northwick park area which are by far the best in London and the Karai houses in Southhall and Wembley The only places I avoid are Brick Lane ( Bangla Town and all the theme park that suggests ) and increasingly and increasingly sadly, Drummond St, which used to have the best Dosa Houses in the world, but no longer S

If I recall correctly there was a wonderful Ice cream shop in Dheli called Snowmans. I used to go and buy snow cones there regularly. I suppose it too has fallen prey to multi national market forces S

Although it is not exactly a storefront joint, don't dismiss the Salt beef bar in the Selfridges food hall. It is usually packed and on the occasions I have tried it, it has been very good. Not Gaby's but very good S

Summer foods to me mean Lightly spiced Grilled meats. Lamb cutlets tossed in roasted cumin and then grilled is a fave. Chutneys. Onion and mango ( I hate to tell you Suvir, we get exceptional mangoes from India here ) is a good one and goes with cheeses and snacks Dhals - particularly a slightly sour lemon dhal with tamarind pulp mixed through it. I am not a fan of Lassi on he whole, but one cannot neglect the restorative power of a salty fresh lime soda. I also have a strange, almost perverse hankering for Thumbs Up Cola. I have not seen this in years apart from a dusty bottle in a store in 6th ave on my last visit to NY. When I get back to NY next week for the book fair, I may have to go and hunt it down. Perhaps they may even have a Limca S

Shame about Locanda. I kinda loved it. Still, not at that level but my two faves are 1)Passione - Charlotte St 2) Vasco & Pierres Pavillion - Poland St Both reasonable and very good S

jay I have unearthed an interesting biblical manuscript which you may find fascinating as it features you. Please see general thread S

I have eaten at Clarke's but not at Chez Panisse. Sally Clarke is an acolyte of Alice Waters and, I believe worked in the Kitchen there. The cooking I experienced at Clarke's was indeed, as Tony says, delicious. But and it is a but as big as J Lo's ever expanding ( and if the gossips are to be believed, surgically enhanced ) butt, it is a one trick pony. So not much is done to the ingredients. Fine, but with no choice, this makes it a very hit or miss experience. S

Strange, I was thinking the same about you and Ransome's Dock I just wasn't shallow enough to keep score. S