Simon Majumdar

You and your recessive genes. You come of London with all that fancy talk and we'll bloody well take good care of you. Actually, I do wish I could appreciate Paris more. It is one of those things, like coffee. Everyone adores it and goes on about it and it leaves me cold. give me a nice cuppa anytime La regalade was a particular disappointment as it was recommended by someone whose views are normally 100% spot on ( Magnolia, that is ) so the fact it was so awful just made me whither like a salted snail. I could cope with D'hubert, it was just ordinary. Regalade was actively nasty. A horrible environment, tiny tables, appalling service and food which was considerably the inferior of something I can ( and will throw together tonight ) I think it is just the child like enthusiasm of Americans that makes them seem so breathless for Paris and France in general. Whereas we have centuries of enmity to leven our enthusiasm for the non soap users S

Bringing the banglas into this for a moment Bengalis are obsessed with sweets in all their forms and while my spelling of it may be far from accurate, I can recommend looking for Rabri - A dessert made by continuously boiling milk and moving the skin to one side. After many hours, all that is left is the skin which forms a wonderous creamy pudding which is served sprinkled with pistachio Superb and very makeable at home S

Found out But I really do have fairies at the botom of my garden

Curses!! Chizz ( to quote Molesworth on whom i base most of my posts ) I unreservedly retract my request to have Joe shot. I just ask him not to write about Valentine's. Is that fair S

Maggie I do blame my experience at Regalade squarely on your shoulders. You are a charlatan madam and should be banned from the boards!! Seriously, perhaps we were just not in the mood for their keystone cops variety of service and, as I said if the food had been wonderful ( perhaps it can be but I can only judge on this one visit ) then £87 would not have seemed so stingy, but for such a laughable experience and laughably bad meal, then it is, as I said piss pauvre. BTW - they did have two sittings although they said they never move anyone on. However, if you are being processed at such a speed it is hard to slow down and take your time. They were practically hovering as we took each mouthful. I make it my life's mission to never go to Paris again., although unfortunately I think I have to go back later in the year. Why does God hate me so? S

They had some special breeds names escape me The course we had was a Parrillada(sp?) A mixed grill of ribs, fillet and bllod sausage. Perfectly OK. Not as good as Pampa on Amsterdam ( between 96th and 7th, I think ) S

I make no bones about the fact that Paris is not one of my favourite cities. Grubby, grey and atrophied in all its theme park splendour. So when business took me there for a few days, I thought I would tack on a few days "pleasure ‘ to try and prove to myself that all my friends who use words like "magical" and "romantic" were not speaking complete tosh and if they were , I would at least get a few decent meals out of it Unfortunately, the city was exactly as I remembered it from my previous trip, except more so. The streets have gotten grubbier, the bars more expensive and, if such a thing were possible, the French have become even more of a caricature. Ho Hum. I at least got some great Parisian cooking out of my visit, right? WRONG. You couldn’t be more wrong if you had taken a course in incorrectivity ( is that a word?) Eschewing the high end places such as Tour D’Argent and Taillevent as I didn’t want to think I was in Manhattan we decided to try Paris at the level at which it is almost universally claimed to excel, the bistro’s and brasseries. I had some recommendations from this board from people whose opinions I value and trust, so I was really hoping to get great food at reasonable prices in a pleasant environment. WRONG AGAIN. With one exception the food was, at best ordinary, at worse woeful. Here we go 1) La Regalade – I had been strongly recommended this bistro as a venue for Robin’s birthday and was really looking forward to it after the descriptions I heard from Magnolia and Sam & Scott F. To say it was a huge disappointment would be an understatement. It stank. First of all I now know where the cast of Starlight Express have gone now the show has closed. They are the wait staff at La Regalade. That is the only reason why they all move so fast. So fast in fact that we were processed, and that is the only word for it in just over an hour. All of this would have been fine ( well no it wouldn’t have been – but I am trying to give them a break ) if the food had been what we expected. It was not. A terrine which abused the term ordinary was followed by starters of a bland boudin blanc and, in Robin’s case, a house special of shrimp which were so lacking in flavour and flesh as to be pointless. Main courses of veal and canard were OK but no more. Desserts were also just about the right side of pointless. With a bottle of Cahor ( well priced at £8) and two glasses of champagne, this meal set us back about £87 which on a cost per minute is right up there with MPW. This is a stopping off point for Hyrams on their "if it is Tuesday, it must be Belgium tours". AVOID AVOID AVOID!!! 2/10 – deserves to be bombed 2) Bistro D’hubert – Again, I got this recommendation from Egullet and from people whose opinions I respect, so my lunch there was doubly disappointing because of that It was certainly more restful that Regalade and we chose the EU37 menu discouvert which is supposed to show the skills of the chef. If really showed them up Starters of nougat of confit du canard were flavoursome but lacking in texture. Robins main of salad of Boudin Noir was bland and measly as was my veal, served cooked to almost leatheriness. Pudding was an ok chocolate fondant With a bottle of Bergerac and coffee, this came to a whopping £97. That is on a level with London and it was far below that standard. 4/10 3) Café Tango De Paris – In need of something gutsy after the disappointments we went to this Argentinian inspired beef place on the rue Mouffetarde. It was fine and reasonable value at £51. 4/10 4) Il Barrone – a work lunch with French publishers . Not my choice and the sort of 1970’s grim Italian places that seem to be Paris forte in all its "veal in Lemon sauce glory" 3/10 – may god have mercy on their souls 5) La Cigalle – by far and away the highlight of the trip. This is a delightful restaurant near Bon Marche which specialises in Souffle dishes. The room was welcoming as were the owners ( Mother serves, Father cooks ) and the food was delicious. Three courses of a goats cheese souffle, a bacon and parmesan souffle and a chocolate and Almond souffle were shared between us and with a great bottle of Medoc came to c£65. 7/10 – so this is what Paris should be like 6) Café Esplinade Des Invalides – Another business lunch at what wanted to be an achingly trendy place but fell way short. The greeter had obviously never got over the fact she didn’t get the part of Betty Blue and pouted at every question. The waiters were almost comically snooty and inept and the food tried so hard but just wasn’t there. A soup of crevettes was over salted and a cote de beouf, while perfectly cooked was lacking in any flavour at all. 5/10 – Nose bleedingly expensive and could have been in London or Manhattan So, along with innumerable Tabacs offering half decent beer, En Zinc and some memorable food markets, that was my Paris. Give me Memphis or Kansas City anytime S

The reason our doggie chums are banned from London and the UK is not Foot & Mouth, but Rabies. The one contrubution of mainland europe to the world since the Black Death having known someone who died of this disease ( Rabies, that is ) and knowing someone who is currently undergoing treatment after being bitten by a dog in Paris ( 20 injections in the stomach - ouch! ) I fully support the policy of our otherwise execrable governmet S

Fat Guy I feel your pain Americans are the only nationality I see who seem to wear primarily clothes made out of furnishing fabrics and with no shame at all. But God granted them the ability to cook ribs, chicken and short rib better than any on the planet, so what he takes with one hand, he gives back with the other S

A ghoti is one of the original occupants of Calcutta and the name is used in a slightly perjorative way now as it can summon up pictures of a Bhudda bellied Bapu with servants and a shining bald head ( hell, I am a Ghoti, whaddya know ) When I am back from the hell of Paris ( see General Board ) I shall happily post some of the things I learned from my Mum and Tarmar S

I am not sure (jhlurie, that is ) if I agree with all you say. Maybe it is the level of American I meet ( well educated, well travelled. I wont say well dressed or no one would believe anything I write ) but there does seem to be an almost breathless excitment amongst some Americans ( perhaps just the ones on this board ) for matters European and particularly French. This does not just extend as far as food and travel but into fashion, literature, culture in general. Perhaps it is because of the paucity of these offerings outside the coastal enclaves ( and no, the fact that Fairfield, IO has an opera company doesn't count because I have seen them and more unfortunately, heard them ) It may be a sense of finding their place in the world order as you and Adam say, but how would that explain the throng of African Americans, Oriental Americans, Asian Americans who fill the streets of London and Paris. I suspect, to use one of Steve P's words, the supposed "superiority" ( cultural, nothing else ) is enculturated into Americans from a very early age ( Julia Childs teaching French cookery etc ) in the same way we in Europe grew up with images of Elvis, Diners, and Thunderbirds. In both cases, impossibly glamourous and seemingly unobtainable in our own environment. But in my view both equally valid. Seeing Graceland and having a burger at The Hound Dog Cafe meant more to me than seeing the Eiffel tower or The Tower of london. Why? Because for me it encapsulated the US in one event as meaningful and special as any Royal Wedding or trip to Boccuse S

Steve Interesting take on it. I had not taken into account the affect of 9/11, but it is valid particularly for those Americans who while quite rightly outraged, grief filled and for a while vengeful, took the opportunity to look at America and what it stands for, good and bad and saw how much it had to offer Coming from a city which bears its history with extraordinary ease ( this I think London does even more so than Rome. Paris, not at all, it shrieks its history at you ) I maybe take for granted the pleasures of such places and fail to appreciate Paris, which I really do find grindingly slow, not being a reflective person. For a european, the sheer scale and diversity of the US both culturally and in a culinary sense makes me want to return there again and again. I am in the US every three to four weeks on business and yet I still choose it for every vacation. It is not even the language thing. You can imagine how a slightly plummy english accent is received in Haiti Missourri ( hell, I even loved that place although the only thing they could say on their town sign was "we have a Pizza Hut" They seemed so proud ) it is the fact that at every turn, I can see something iconic which has defined the way we live/eat in the 21st century. Much more important to me, at least than ancient history, however well we do it here. S

I have just been having a discussion with someone in my office ( in London for those of you who don't know who the hell I am ) and they were saying how lucky I was to be heading off to Paris this evening for a long weekend of work/pleasures. They couldn't believe it when I said that I could really care less if I ever went to Paris again, but give me a trip to Las Vegas or Memphis or Nashville, and I am the first one on the plane. Now, sure I will be going to some, hopefully, great restaurants ( thanks to egulleter, Magnolia in particular) but I would be just as happy with a braised short rib in Kansas as any Bistro or three star in Paris. As a city, I find it slow, rude, and grubby ( and that is saying something by London standards ) I have a real affection for American cities and eating out there in and would and do choose them for every vacation, the next one being Texas and New Orleans, over any european city I think it is just a sense of other ( tall buildings etc ) and think this is why Amercians tend to love London and Paris ( narrow Sts, old buildings etc ) Does anyone else share this view or is everyone in love with european cities? S

Listing Bengali food in London is difficult. It is a home food and although many of the restaurants in London are run by Bengalis ( bangladeshi's from East Bengal rather than an old Ghoti like me )the food they serve up is rarely acceptable Much better to try and cook it at home yourself. Bengali food benefits from minimal spicing and the mustard fish my mum makes is made with only powdered mustard, ginger, the ever present tumeric and a dash of mustard oil. Other dishes like fried neem leaves, fish rolls, fried pomftret, can be done with little or no effort in the home and to amazing effect Happy to post the recipes

On the contrary Thom I spend much of my day pouring over proofs and speaking to repro men who tell me it is "gonna cost yer" every time I tell them an image does not have enough contrast. I suspect I am on few "interflora"lists unless they have suddenly started doing triffids or nailbombs. Still none of this should detract from the fact that the magazine does seem to be finding its feet and was being passed around the table at the dinner last night. If only to see how pompous Andy sounded. S

I am sure Joe is a wonderful fellow who sends his mother flowers on every possible occasion. He shouldn't damage his rep with poor articles or at least he should make sure he has judicial editing. S

Macrosan You need to get invited to a good Bengali home. We cook the most wonderful fish dishes from fried pomfret to river fish in mustard oil and so on. The reason that you don't see so much of this is restaurant food is that most brits wont eat boney fish, so you usually find it being kept for the bangla staff curry Try asking them what they are eating and have some of that. S

Matthew You have raised one of my great pet peeves. People make allowances for bad service because it is so soon after opening. I even had David Eyre at Eyre Bros ask us to bear with them while the service was crappy ( now much improved ) as they were "bedding in" Why the heck should we? To use the theatre analogy, if you go to see a preview of a play, you pay less as the cast is still blocking and finding its way through. That is fine, you know what you are getting. The same should be true in a restaurant I believe West St had a 'preview" week where they charged less as kitchen and front of house got their act together and while I understand that place has never got their act together, they should be applauded It would also be a great way of getting people to trial the restaurant. If you accept bad or inefficient service ever, you are making it acceptable. S

Maggie I knew there was a reason I liked you. you have such high standards and bring up the tone of the UK board We should bear in mind however that this is Andy we are talking about and they probably found it hard to decipher his words through the alcoholic fug which follows him around like pigpen's dust cloud. So we should as you Americans say, cut them some slack. Much worse crime is the shocking repro on the magazine. I am assuming they are doing it on the cheap with some 1970's flat bed S

Thom This was by far the most satisfying issue of the magazine. Quite apart from alowing Andy to wear his hat at the most jaunty of angles and puff up like a blow fish, the articles on The Perfect Bar, Doing Business, New Orleans and Cassoulet were well written and, shock horror, designed. I am delighted to see that you had the last deisgner shot or worse still eat at GR's @ Claridges Not sure what the point of pictures of people at launches serves but perhaps that is because I loathe parties The article on Valentine's was perhaps one of the poorest pieces of writing in history and Joe Warwick should be cashiered in the centre of your office for crimes against computer keys. 7/10 S

New Yorkers, such a mean lot. I suspect that this boils down to short arms long pockets syndrome and their unwillingness to stump up for a pint:) The worst thing you can ever say about anyone in the UK is that they never buy their round Bringing this thread back to blighty for a mo We have to add O Hanlon's to our schedule So I would make it The Artillery Arms The Wenlock Arms The Jerusalem Tavern O Hanlon's Lamb & Flag Also the Yorkshire Grey on Theobald's Road is a good stopping off point S

American late teen girls huh? Can I quickly add The Lamb & flag to the list? I am assuming that there will be pom poms involved ( assumes Leslie Phillips style leer ) S

I always look out for a pint of landlord after a particularly memorable day spent drinking it in The Spread Eagle in york. The have it regularly at the Wenlock and occasionaly at the MP. I have also had it once at The Head of Steam ( which I think you put me onto ) but was put off as the pub reeked of the old fat they were using to cook with in the kitchen. Ugh S

BUX - I disagree. How often do you go to a theatre production becuse of the director? Sometimes, but infrequently. I would argue you go because there is a great name offering what others have called a great performance and you want to see for your self. if you turn up and the star is off you feel gypped, even if there is a competent stand in. It takes the gloss off the evening. That is how I felt when I went to GR's Adam - Rhodes was not on the kitchen the time we went. That was disappointing, but he had been in that afternoon and the staff seemed to think he would be in later that day. What mattered was that he took the time to be sure his cover was excellent. This did not seem to be the case at GR@C's

Lush that I am, I am totally up for a pub crawl. I would suggest 1) The Artillery Arms ( Bunhill Row ) 2) The Jerusalem Tavern ( not open at weekends BTW ) 3) The Wenlock ( natch!) I am loathe to promote the stereotype of CAMRA but when they do take over the Wenlock, there does seem to be a preponderance of people in Arran with their fingers in their ears singing songs about leaving Liverpool never to return S