Basildog

I do get the odd customer who asks if i'm Margot..ho ho bloody ho....My answer tends to be "No , she's dead"...now that's funny

I don't introduce myself to guests...they should know who i am goddamit!!!! My one remaining waitress doesn't either, but will correct a customer in a flash if they assume she is my wife(can't think why)

I'm so glad i mentioned this

If he was a friend only, they i could see myself sugesting somewhere else, but hes also a very longstanding customer, it muddies the waters a bit. Anyway, forget i mentioned it

Tony, what can i do???? He was pissed off with me for not having lunch with last time i was in London (Chez Bruce), and he likes it..ho hum Looking on the bright side, a bit of pasta should line the stomach well for the evening !

Not my choice...a friend

Great , just great...i search egullet for sweet basil as i'm going there for lunch , and this is the only mention?

Well the 2004 Guide will be published soon, so if you are quick, you can predict this years winners and losers I predict Ripleys to get at least 6 out of 10 for cooking and fingers crossed we keep our 3.

? i don't eat out much, and certanly not at these levels of restaurants

Leave anything, and i mean ANYTHING anywhere remotely near the edge on any surface as Becky has reached "counter height"...we learn this via the medium of a dropped onion on her toe..no injury but one shocked bubba

If you want to see a show...go see a show If you want to be part of the action..apply for a job If you want to see artists in action..go see a play Artists haha...i think you should stay in the nice room out front...its not pretty back here

Local produce has a better chance of being a superior product , but not always.I don't stock Cornish wine, as i personally don't rate it highly, but i do sell a local bottled Ale, because its GOOD! We don't sell any imported fish, as we have plenty of variety landed from our waters, so why bother? It all depends..."local" is used on menus in the same way as "organic" is, a percived good thing.I buy local when the produce is good.The other benefit is that i try to spend my money in our area, where it has a good chance of coming back to me

On our menu at the moment " Warm Salad of Saute Corn Fed Chicken and Chorizo with Parmesan and Herb Oil" another fave is with Mushrooms in a Risotto Welcome to eg

Bourdain covers this best...maybe you should ask for a non smoking chef to go with your non smoking table...and please ensure he's fully rested, has a happy home life, is alert and interested in the days work, and isn't pissed off at the management for his working conditions....but then, yuou may have beem enjoying a smoking chefs cooking without realising it

Topless Darts is making a comeback????? Kool

But what if they did??? I'm a big believer in that inspectors should get the same as everyone else, otherwise whats the point? If i knew when the inpector calls, and put all the kitchens efforts into one table, hell even i might get a 4 in the GFG

Andy, in that Lindsay review from 2 years ago you said that the age of the celebrity chef was over.Still believe that? As for table allocation, is it really werid to just let the guests pick the table from whats available? This would obviously leave the shitty table till last, but then it would show the resturant where it can improve.

OK my last post was a joke...i was trying to make the point about treating people differently.Ho Hum, must get a better script writer i guess

That really is a shame, as i believe guides now send out inspectors in pairs

You have my blessing to make this a Europe wide game. Big of me i know Greek, yes i have a low boredom threshold

I was just bored...and i thought it was supposed to be a UK restaurant on this thread???? But what do i know..i just invented the game

Serves me right for using Google

A judge has ruled that the East Northants District Council was guilty of "an abuse of process" in bringing the cases against Mr Monks.He stayed proceedings in 2 pending cases and ordered the councill to pay Mr Monks costs. All good news...and then 8 days after this judgment, Enviromental Officers again visited the Snooty Fox, but left after finding out Mr Monks was not there.The next day, Trading Standards Officers paid a visit...and found nothing amiss. All this from this weeks Private Eye, under the title " For Fox Sake"

Waterside at Bray?

Braised Lamb Shanks were one of the dishes that really got Margot's noticed in the early days.Its not a dish we do as much now, but it always makes me smile, because we still get guests mention them fondly Yes we seal in a hot hot tray before braising ( drying off the marinade first).I tend to stick a rosemary stem down the bone.Red wine , Olive oil, garlic, bay , onions in the marinade, and then use the marinade + red wine+ lamb stock to cook