howardlong

Had two trips here in a week. Food is OK and tasty enough, although it's not going to win any prizes. It's part of the Brinkley's chain. What is welcome is the price of the booze. Maybe 15% over off licence prices, and there's quality stuff on there too. I had a delightful 2000 Petaluma Chardonnay for £21 on Saturday. Last night I had a half bottle of 2000 Saint Aubin (£13) white burgundy and a half bottle of 1997 Saint Julien (£12). Food-wise so far.... Opinions were split over a avocado, mozzarella and tomato starter - one diner thought it ordinary, the other loved it. (£5) The Mezze plate with pitta bread, humous et al was a simple yet tasty option. (£6) Thai green curry main was deemed adequate. (£9) The grilled fillet steak I ordered medium rare and was definitely very medium in my book. Cut was not the best. Still, tasty all the same. (£14) I can recommend their cheese plate even though it doesn't come off a cheese board. Four quality Italian cheeses including a Gorgonzola and sharp Peccorino. Honey in addition to walnuts made for a good combination with the soft cheese (£5). Selection of sorbets went down well. (£3) So not a culinary masterpiece, but the wine value and selection will have me returning. Cheers, Howard

Phone - I finally found a use for the camera bit. Pics are about 12 to 20k in size so not too bad. Cheers, Howard

I'd expect to pay perhaps £30-£35 for the Gruaud Larose in an offy. Not a fantastic wine, but good enough in my book. At £60 in the restaurant, not too bad a gouge. Haven't been to the Pont de la Tour for ten years, so I can't really comment on that. Like you, I tend to avoid Conran. As an exception, Orrery is worth considering. Cheers, Howard

No, there were quite a few more, but still eight quid for some mange tout and tatties on top of the 24 quid for the steak is rather taking the p in anyone's book. Cheers, Howard

No, I just have a problem expressing myself ;-) Half bottle 2001 Jean Noel Gagnard Chassagne Montrachet white Burgundy, £45 Full bottle 1994 Gruaud Larose Bordeaux £60 Half bottles were rather limited, but no more so than I'd expect. There was a lot of New World stuff on there at the expense (or not depending on your preference!) of French and other European stuff. Cheers, Howard

I had a glass from each bottle and took the rest home as I was driving. Cheers, Howard

Folks I went to Plateau in Canary Wharf for my second visit yesterday, this time for dinner rather than lunch. First time I went I quite enjoyed it, and was mildly impressed considering it's a Conran. But this time I was dissappointed. Let me explain. As you can see, minimalism is the order of the day. Nice enough, but as with my previous visit I felt like I'd walked into IKEA. (Interesting to re-read my comments on London Eating back in May). I had a couple of hours to kill (on taxi duty), so I arrived at 6:15pm and shown to the table. I was the only person in there until about 7:15pm, so atmosphere perhaps wasn't what it could be. No amuse bouches. Bread consisted of micro small fresh warm bagettes and those dry bread sticks. Bagettes were OK. For starters, I had scallops in a light capuccino'd mustard sauce (£12) for a starter, and this was OK although not as good as I remember from a few weeks earlier - scallops seemed rubbery. I had a glass of 2001 Chassagne Montrachet from a half bottle I'd bought (£45). For the main I ordered a fillet of beef (£24), medium rare, with white asparagus with garlic mash (£4) and mange tout (£4). Again the main ingredient was not up to scratch, especially for this kind of money. The beef looked more medium than medium rare to me. The mash was very yummy with a definite cheese overtone. White asparagus tips were enormous and very tasty. I took a glass from a bottle of 1994 Gruard Larose Bordeaux I'd bought (£60) which turned out to be a real gem. I took cheese which came on the trolley, although it was somewhat bare. Fifteen or so including an excellent Comte, a supermarket quality Brie, unexciting Reblechon, and excellent Roquefort. Together with the remains of my other glasses I took a glass of Jurancon for the Roquefort and my dessert. The most disgusting part of the meal was about to reveal itself. Recently I've become partial to tarte tatin, so it was a no brainer when I saw this on the menu with vanilla ice cream. It was awful - before I'd even tasted it it looked pre-fabbed. The bready part of it looked like a dried out thin pizza base. When I tasted it it was the most bitter and awful thing I can ever remember. Yuck! I gave up after one mouthful. The petit fours looked rather dissappointing, so I didn't even try them. Service was competent enough, wines were good, especially the Gruard Larose, but tragically the whole thing was let down somewhat by the quality of the food. If you're in the area, and want something special, I'd recommend you consider Ubon as a serious alternative. Cheers, Howard

Hi Paul I'd certainly put Longueville Manor up there as World Class, although I've not been for a year or so. Although I wouldn't call it cheap, it is good value traditional French, and is certainly haute cuisine. Cheers, Howard

Thanks for the great report, but I must also add that the bread served at Number One is worth a special mention. They have several different loaves wheeled about on a trolley. They're always very fresh, and worth a trip just for them. Can't think of any restaurant that has better bread. Cheers, Howard

Thanks to all for the heads-up. We all eventually arrived at 17:40, and I promptly put us down on the list. I ordered a bottle of French Sauvignon Blanc at the bar for the four of us for £14 which was OK but not really cold enough. Sorry I wasn't concentrating so I didn't get the region, but I would stab an educated guess at it being Longuedoc purely from the way it was specifically described as being Sauv Blanc on the bottle itself - very unlikely for a Loire. It was also very much more in the Marlborough style rather than Pouilly Fume or Sancerre. At 17:58, about a dozen folks in about four different groups huddled expectantly at the restaurant entrance in the bar: reminded me of waiting for a soup kitchen to open! I am lost as to why they were doing this, after all the staff come around to where you're sitting and invite you into restaurant when they're ready for you. Lining up isn't going to help. One annoyance was that a guy who was obviously well known to the staff waltzed in at 17:55 and was first in - still, we all get preferential treatment sometimes. Arriving on a football night was the best stroke of luck I ever had. The four of us were shown to our table at 18:05. We told them we were due to go to the theatre, and they took that into account. Although I was up for a starter and main, the other diners were not so sure due to the timing, so we ended up having a single course. Two had a deep fried squid starter (£6), one had a spanish ham starter (£6, like a Parma ham salad) and I had a pork special main (£12). He had a couple of green salads too. I think that you could still comfortably managed two courses and make it to the theatre. I have finally discovered that cameras on cell phones do have a function, for here is my pork dish... I stumbled upon an excellent (for the money) French Longuedoc Chardonnay (Toques et Clochers Limoux Haute Vallee 2000). Well balanced, not too oaky and more than a hint of vanilla. For £21 well worth every penny, although I see it's only £9 on line. My fellow diners were all very pleasantly surprised at how good the food was, especially the squid. The squid was not like your usual heavily battered rings. It was very lightly deep fried, and was the whole small squid body, together with the ink. My pork was yummy, in particular the scratchings! Sixty quid (they forgot to charge us for the Sauv Blanc) plus service for four. I think that the haphazard booking arrangements are a big let down. It's not at all clear what the drill is. Two diners who'd plonked themselves down unawares in the restaurant were marched out. I think that expecting your customers to guess what the esoteric dining etiquette is is not at all condusive to encouraging new clientele. I am sure I'll return as I often pass it on the way home from work, but I'll choose a football night again. Cheers, Howard

Sorry I got that wrong - for some reason I thought she was at The Square from my conversations with her in the past (she knows The Square has never been my favourite!). She's on vacation back home in Sweden for a couple of months before returning to help set up this new venture. To be cheeky, perhaps this would make it Hell's Dining Room, but not in the bad sense. She has always been very friendly whenever I've been greeted by her, and especially recently has always made a special effort to have a chat with me during service. Just occasionally something will happen on the ground that tells you that she runs a tight ship on service. Cheers, Howard

Seriously considering going to the A&H tonight for the first time on my way home from work. Should get there at 5:30pm. Two questions... 1) A colleague of mine is intending to go to the Royal Festival Hall for a 7:45 perfomance after eating - is this do-able if we get lucky on an early table? 2) Is it mostly meat or is there much fish on the menu usually? Cheers, Howard

I understand that the lovely Helena Hell (The Square, and most recently the Connaught) will be Maitre d' there. Cheers, Howard

Definitely up for that. Whether I make it to the gym afterwards is another matter. I suppose they could grease the door frames to squeeze me in.

...and very handy for Racine is my gym (Aquilla) almost nextdoor to work off that boozy lunch ;-) Great review, have to agree with you on your summing up. A wonderful antedote to the toursit traps of the area. I hadn't ever really thought too much about the age of the clientele, but in retrospect you're right. Cheers, Howard

If it happens to be a weekend, and you don't mind a hanger-on, let me know too. Cheers, Howard

I've never done lunch here, only dinner. I like the food and the service. But... having to fight through the ajoining bar (read: meat market) to get to your table is quite off putting. Not to mention the occasional table of obnoxious folks in the restaurant who should've held back on their boozing next door before sitting down in the restaurant. Cheers, Howard

Interesting! I tend to think of it the other way around - that Stateside, everyone eats very early. Top restaurants over there seem to have folks arriving at 5pm and often have last tables at barely 8:30pm or 9pm. Regarding cabs, it's a perenial problem here. In a lot of ways it's perpetuated by the 11:00pm pub closing time, so you can easily find a cab any time until about 10:45pm. After that it's difficult, particularly on a Friday and Saturday night. You should try getting a cab in Rome at any time of day, or in Sydney on a Friday evening... Cheers, Howard

Unfortunate - although it's staggering distance from home, I've not been for about six months. Usually I've found it to be pretty good, although the tables can be too close together, and sadly it's a breeding ground for cell phone users. Last time I was in, I sat next to a couple who both spent the first three quarters of an hour of their meal taking a multitude of calls on their cell phones making small talk, all of which I could hear. I asked if they'd mind turning their ringers to vibrate, to which I was told that they weren't expecting any calls. So why the h*ll don't you switch them off, I thought! Hardly a particularly nice dining experience if you spend a large proportion of it on the phone. On the half dozen occasions I've been in, I've only ever done the big tasting menu (7 or 8 courses) at £45 with wine at £25. Both food- and wine-wise I've found it good value. I hope your experience only a glitch. Cheers, Howard

I've been to the Ebury quite a few times now, but only to the Brasserie downstairs. I've not been upstairs yet, which is where I'm assuming you had the pork belly: the opportunity simply hasn't arisen. Sadly since March or April they haven't been taking reservations in the Brasserie, so turning up 'on spec' is the only option. To be honest this makes me far less likely to go. Food menu in the Brasserie is a little limited for my liking, although the oysters are always great - hang on until last orders and they come around with the left overs for free. My only disappointment from the menu there was been the anti pasto plate which tatsed OK but it wasn't going to satisfy anyone's appetite. The olives and bread starters are very tasty. Even downstairs in the Brasserie they have a fairly good wine list and they'll bring the more extensive wine list from upstairs if you ask them. It's very nice for a long sit down mulling over things among friends, although depressingly sometimes they can try to move you on towards the bar if they're busy, and you've outstayed your welcome. Although I have no proof of this, I've found you can 'buy' your seat if you appear to be spending enough. If you drink Champagne or white wine there, always ask for an ice bucket with water and ice, and be prepared to give it twenty minutes in the bucket before trying it. To their credit, waiting staff work very hard there, but somehow I just feel they could do with one or two more folks on duty on busy nights. I just read some of the London Eating comments on the Ebury which seem to discredit my findings, although I'm wondering just what they expect from what is really an upmarket boozer (at least downstairs). Ho hum. Cheers, Howard

Hi Gavin You could cab it, but I had a rental car because I had a couple of sites to visit. The town it's in is called Grevenbroich about 30 to 40 minutes away in a car, so you're in the countryside. They have six rooms there too, and I stayed over (there was no way I was driving with all that grog inside me!). I was dining alone, but then I often do that anyway. Very hedonistic, but I find it a pleasing way to pass quality time with a good book, and best of all no telephones ringing. I used to think it a bit strange seeing people dining alone, but after one too many appalling room service meals I've learnt to re-adjust! Cheers, Howard

Your comments on the cheese were precisely what I thought. Just goes to show that although the quality and supplier of the cheese may be good, the way it is served makes all the difference. I've only once had cheese at Racine, on my first trip, and that was after I'd seen one reviewer who was 'impressed' by it. I've never bothered since. The way it's served at Racine, the cheese could just as easily have come from Sainsbury's. I would suggest that they're in a hole of their own making. They don't turn over enough cheese because it's not served well enough to warrant many takers. How they'd manoeuvre a cheese trolley around the tables in Racine could be interesting. Cheers, Howard

Gavin, what disappointed you? the wines on offer, the prices, names you didn't know? Given the style of restaurant, I thought the list perfectly adequate, and the markups very fair. Scott FWIW I would agree with you on the wine. Sure, there's not much in the fine wine department, but I was impressed for a restaurant like this. IMHO the selection includes a good selection of very acceptable mid-range options (£30-£60) and as you suggest the gouge is surprisingly relatively low. Cheers, Howard

Zur Traube webpages The 'normal' winelist must have 2,000 bins in it and is about 4cm thick. The master winelist of 30,000 entries is the size of three large phone books. Indeed, even the normal winelist orders by country, region, red/white and then year. Makes it surprisingly easy to choose. Sadly I have very little knowledge of German wines, which I why I stuck to my tried and trusted French wines. Back to the food, and this quote from the Chef sums it up well for me... "I would basically say “Honest Cuisine”. Simplicity with emphasis on the flavours from the products. The use of various products should be limited to 2-3 per dish. You should be able taste whatever you read on the menu. For this type of cuisine, you have to use only the best products. There isn’t any other choice, you can’t hide anything". So classic food without the fussiness of food from the science lab that seems in vogue at the moment. Cheers, Howard

LOL - now you must tell us how the h*ll that happened. BTW, under duress I made it to Zur Traube near Dusseldorf the next day for a 13 courser so I am well and truly stuffed for the week. The phrase 'have a salad' springs to mind. Cheers, Howard