howardlong

I went on Saturday night and took the 'seven' course tasting menu, although it turned out to be a lot more courses than that. 1 Small cheese crackers; 2 Amuse bouche #1 - shrimp in aspic layered with fish mousse on top in cocktial glass; 3 Amuse bouche #2 - duck slices; 4 Course #1 - Selection of pheasant in various forms - terrine, slices etc etc but with a sweet tone; 5 Course #2 - Salmon with green and white asparagus in light creamy source; 6 Course #3 - Monkfish; 7 Course #4 - Sliced sea bass (cold); 8 Course #5 - Beef steak in coriander sauce; 9 Course #6 - Cheese; 10 Predessert - Strawberry based dessert; 11 Course #7 - Chocolate based mousses and icecream; 12 Petit fours #1 13 Petit fours #2 with fresh mint tea. EUR113. Drink: o Glass of house champagne to start; o Bottle of 1997 Batard Montrachet (EUR268) for the fish courses and cheese; o Half bottle of Yquem 1989 (EUR229) for the pheasant, desserts and Roquefort; o Half bottle of Chateau Haut-Brion 1985 (~EUR200) for the steak and cheese. This food was awesome and deserved this kind of wine. It was truly historic. This food is classic in all meanings of the word. Beware: for a tasting menu, portion sizes were enormous! As far as ambience goes, I am unsure as to why they feel they need background music, but tables are well spaced and apart from when I first walked in (when it was silent) there was contented chatter throughout the evening. The only aberration of the whole evening was that until the pheasant arrived I didn't know what it would be like. When it came I immediately realised that it needed a Sauternes and so I ordered an 83 Yquem. After about twenty minutes they came to tell me they hadn't got any left in half bottles, so I ordered an '89 instead. Another twenty minutes later, and they realised that I was waiting for the Yquem to go with the pheasant. This was more due to the fact that I hadn't made it clear, and that my spoken German is non-existent. However I'd have expected them to show some concern over why I hadn't touched a course for forty minutes. Service seemed to take a while to truly get into gear, but once it had things went fairly smoothly. Highly recommended and I will certainly return when in Dusseldorf again. Cheers, Howard [London]

Hi Gavin Interesting comparisons, although I think that some of this might be like comparing apples and oranges. I particularly like Gavroche because of its consistency, especially when it comes to service. True, the food may be considered by some to be rather 'boring' if you're more atuned to the multi-faceted dishes served up at places like Sketch and to some degree Pied a Terre and the Capital. However IMHO the most enjoyable thing to do at Gavroche has always been to do the Menu Excpetionnel. On the few occasions I've veered off this path it's never seemed quite as good, even when choosing the day's Chefs' specials. True, it can seem rather formal in there, but the consistency means that at least I always know what I'm getting. If anything I would say that Gavroche has improved over the past couple of years. I have to agree with you about the Square, but my feelings on this establishment have been documented before. Different strokes I guess...! Cheers, Howard

I would not have gone on that basis. I see no way that you can have an enjoyable gastronomic meal without hurrying in that kind of time. You are continually thinking of how much time you have left rather than relaxing having your meal. To add insult to injury is the amount you're paying for the privilege. I wonder if they were holding tables back for late booking hotel guests, and that was why it was 1/3 empty? I would say 80% of the time I book up on the day. I still find the Capital one of my favourites, although as one of my regular dining companions disagrees with me I can see it's an opinion thing to a large extent. Cheers, Howard

I'll ask him on Thursday. Cheers, Howard

Went to East at West on Friday night. We took the Sublime menu which includes four tasters and a dessert for £40. Plus we took the selected wines with each course. The menus are over-trendy, bound on the right rather than the left. A silly bit of over pretentious design if you ask me. There are three tasting menus, all with five course including dessert. One of the three tasting menus is vegetarian. You can also have the courses individually a la carte at £9 each. I quite enjoyed the food but the portions were rather small. Mostly the house selected wines matched extremely well. After removing the over charging for a non-existent a la carte main course each and for a non-existent extra dessert course each, the bill was £220 inc. for three. Not bad, but how come we were still hungry? So we jumped into a cab with the intention of making up a cheese board at my gaff. Then a wiff of inspiration came to us and miraculalously we were transported to Aubergine, with the intention of having cheese. When we got there, the Maitre d' (Thierry Tomassin) greeted us and suggested we might like something else first, to which one of my fellow diners suggested (tongue in cheek) that a meat sandwich would be nice. Ten minutes later, up came the pan fried Foie Gras burgers from the kitchen. Seriously caremalised and cooked with figs, believe me, I can recommend them. Aubergine is now without doubt my favourite burger joint. We still had cheese too, and finally we were satisfied. Cheers, Howard

Here's some trivia. The original founder, Peter Boizot, who is a friend of my father and a mild acquaintence of mine sold the controlling interest in Pizza Express IRC in 1992 or 1993 to Luke Johnson and Hugh Osmond for £15m. Coincidentally Hugh and I hooked up with each other just before the PE takeover at the Prix de l'Arc de Triomph and the Grand National through a mutual friend around April/May 1992: at that time all I knew about him was that he had lost an enormous amount in the '87 crash, and he drove around in a Peugeot 205. Next time I met him about a year later, he was driving a Bugatti after floating Pizza Express. In 1997 he sold his interest in PE for £150m. Nice money if you can get it. He used the money to buy pub interests from Bass and run Punch Taverns. I'd lost touch until about 1999 when I saw his face on the front of the Times business section when he bought Allied Domecq's pubs for £1bn or so. Next time he hit the headlines with such a big splash was about a years ago with a £5bn failed bid of Six Continents. Luke Johnson is now the head of Channel 4, but in between times runs the Belgo chain including the Ivy and Le Caprice. I guess I ended up getting in with the wrong crowd. At least Hugh's hair is greyer than mine, although sadly he has much more of it. Peter Boizot has relinquished control of many of his remaining assets leaving his son to run what remains. Examples of other interests (past and present) include chairman of Peterborough FC, Pizza on the Park and Kettners, as well as a hotel and cinema in Peterborough. Cheers, Howard

Literary, tragic, hilarious. Please let us know how the meal turns out. Chavot and Aikens actually trained together under Koffman at RHR - it's interesting to see now how they've diverged. Hell Moby I hadn't realised the Tante Claire connection. Although you say 'diverged' there is certainly some similarity in both chefs' propensities to potentially spoil dishes with too many different items (IMHO), but it is taken to new heights at TA's. The Capital would certainly be my choice every time, if only for the excellent service and the intimate surroundings of the small dining room. Although if Meryl Streep turned up at either I'd know which was Sophie's choice. Cheers, Howard

I couldn't have put it better myself. Now if he'd gone to the effort of doing a caramelised, pan fried foie gras rather than the terrine I might have a different attitude. Cheers, Howard

Wow prices have come down.... When I was there it was £60-70 for a starter and £60-70 for a main. I wonder what the wine list is like now? Cheers, Howard

Hello Bruce Assuming that you mean the Lecture Room/Library and not the Gallery, the food at Sketch is certainly excellent and entertaining, and the number of different pre starters (eight in two tranches on my last trip) and sub-dishes with the main certainly meant that any chance of remembering everything you had was pretty much impossible. My big downer was the wine list which I felt had nothing in the low or mid range on offer. I spent £750 for two and although I wasn't skimping, neither was I pushing the boat out. I believe that they may have some offers on at the moment. I think I've mentioned on here before that it was a 'Concorde experience': worth going once as a lifetime experience. And I'd certainly go again if I wasn't paying... You can see my review here Howard's Sketch Library Room review The Gallery is the wannabe trendy place, together with its attached bar. As I've never been to Pierre Gagnaire in Paris, I cannot offer you a direct comparison I'm afraid. Cheers, Howard

Hello again Simon My favourite restaurant is Aubergine which just happens to be in South Kensington. I go there about once a week. If you see a guy in a suit slightly wobbly on a push bike cycling up the Fulham Road at about 1:00am, it's probably me on my way home from there. It's classical French food, and I have yet to taste better cooked pan fried foie gras anywhere. The chef there does some wonderful assiettes de (lamb/pork etc). If the main Maitre d' is there (Thierry Tomasin) he can keep you entertained for hours with anecdotes. Some people find it a bit too formal, although I've never had that problem. It is one star. Avoid the table for two behind the pillar at the back unless you're into romantic tete-a-tete's: you can get ignored. Another suggestion is The Capital (two stars, Knightsbridge, walkable in ten minutes from South Ken, two minutes on a push bike!). This is slightly less traditional foodwise, but good nonetheless. I love the intimacy of the tiny dining room (perhaps room for barely thirty in there). Also close to South Kensington is Tom Aikens (one star, Chelsea, ten minute walk from South Ken), and you can see what we've had to say there in a recent thread. Foliage at the Mandarin Oriental is one star, about ten minutes from South Ken. I quite like it except for the clientele who can be rowdy cell phone wielding types after a few too many at the meat market bar attached. Petrus is about a fifteen minute walk from South Ken and is another Ramsay place. Highly recommended, but seems to attract power business diners on expense accounts. For an Indian with a twist (think flavour and not spice) there is Zaika (one star) on High Street Kensington, about a ten or fifteen minute walk from South Ken. Another favourite of mine near South Ken is Racine which has no stars but has real classical French food at astonishingly reasonable prices. Five minute walk from South Ken tube. It's almost next to my gym too, so there's always a chance of a work out when you've finished - or maybe not. Cheers, Howard

Hi Simon I've been to the Connaught about 15 or so times since it opened 18 months ago, so I guess you could say I like it. I've dined in the Grill three times, once for lunch. In the Grill there is no smoking, and the menu is the same as Menu except for the addition of some of the traditional 'old favourites', reminiscent of the old days at the Connaught before Ramsay took over all the food and beverage there. There's seating for about thirty in there. The main dining room, Menu, is where I usually dine and seats about fifty. Smoking is allowed, but the tables are well spaced and I've never been bothered by others who do smoke in there, even if they're sitting at the same table (I am not a smoker). I prefer the main dining room because of the ambience in there. The Grill seems to be less popular, and often appears to be overflow from the main restaurant. If you can make up a party of six or more, the Chef's table is enormous fun, and you dine right in the kitchen as well as having a go cooking some of the eight courses on the menu. Nice touches include an antipasto freebie with bread as you browse the menu, and a wonderful ice cream and sorbet selection as a pre dessert. My favourite items at the moment include the pan fried foie gras with baby tomatos for a starter, and the sweetbread for a main. Lamb is always good there. If they have a risotto starter, it's highly recommended. The cheese trolley has a good selection of French and Italian cheeses (twenty or so of each). For dessert, the warmed Gorgonzola and Pear is to die for, especially with a sweet dessert wine. The wine list is extensive, concentrating to a large degree on Italian, but there's still plenty of French as well as a significant number of other European and New World selections. Since gaining their Michelin star I have found it increasingly difficult to get in during the evening at no notice, however they gave me their 'private number' last week when they asked why they hadn't seen me for a few weeks. Whether it works or not I have yet to find out. In general I like the slightly less formal service at the Connaught, but it's still professional, and very well timed, although it's not up to Gavroche standards. I would find it difficult to find significant fault with the Connaught in any of my trips there. Cheers, Howard

Now that figures. I was trying to place his accent. I thought he new his onions though. Cheers, Howard

I booked up a week in advance for four for lunch on this last Easter Bank Holiday Friday. Because I love Gavroche, I was looking forward to the opportunity to try the Waterside Inn for the first time with my regular crowd of four gluttons for lunch. I would have tried it before, but sadly as a townie I seem to struggle getting excited enough these days to venture much further than the North Circ! Slightly unusually, although I was up for it, my co-diners couldn't get excited enough on taking the Menu Exceptionnel. So we all did our own thing and went a la carte. The food itself was certainly excellent, certainly on a par with Gavroche, though subtly different at the same time. Certainly this kind of clasical French gastronomy is just my cup of tea. But.... Although the wine list is extensive, the sticker shock was almost enough to choke on - I would say on average it's about four times what you'd pay in the Offy. As an example, we had a '97 Pichon Baron which normally retails for about £25 to £30 but it cost £120 at the Waterside Inn. In comparison the same bottle is £85 at the Connaught and £60 at Racine. The service was nowhere near as spectacularly clean and well executed as Gavroche. Several pregnant pauses, and we had some difficulty in attracting the attention of the waiting staff on a few occasions. Worse was that a £110 bottle of dessert wine we'd ordered turned out to be out of stock, but still appeared on the bill. It must be said in their favour though that when we pointed out the error, the service manager Diego Masciaga rushed over immediately and was most apologetic. So although the food was excellent, and the ambience was good, the service experience was sloppy and certainly not what I'd expect from a three star establishment. Based on my experience, what I can't figure out is why the Waterside Inn maintains three Michelin stars but Gavroche only has two. Indeed, I'd give the WI only one star based on our experience. Perhaps it's the picturesque setting that gives it the edge. IMHO it's recommended, but only if you happen to be in the area. I'll go again, but I won't be making a special trip to do it. :-( Cheers, Howard

This is interesting. On my visit, the guy who turned up with the Champagne trolley was not good. Not knowing their normal Champagne selections, I asked if they had a blanc de blancs by the glass and it went over his head. They had Billecart NV and Bolly 96 from memory, but he spoke extremely rapidly and his pronounciation was awful, so I misunderstood what he had said, and he knew it. Rather than repeating more slowly what he'd said he lost his patience with me. Perhaps a trait he'd picked up from Mrs A! Luckily I didn't have to deal with this chap again. The sommeilier I dealt with for the rest of the meal was helpful, although I kept with my own selection. He was pretty chatty too which I like when I dine on my own. After having all the courses of the tasting menu, it was going to be extremely difficult to select much at all that was going to work well with all the courses. As it turned out I didn't make a bad selection after all. The alternative was to try a couple of halves, but then your selection is of course far more limited. A shame you were dealt with in the way you were, although sadly I'm not surprised. Perhap Mrs A should open a school of Patience, Diplomacy and Tact as she seems to be rubbing off quite well on her people. Cheers, Howard

Neither. Real Englishmen use dishwashers. Cheers, Howard

In my short experience, she is certainly not the sort of person you'd want to pick a fight with. As an example, during the meal last Monday, I had to take a short call from the better half who I'd taken into hospital that morning for an op under general anaesthetic (hence why I was unusually had an opportunity for lunch). My phone was on vibrate, and when it rang I immediately walked outside as I usually do to take the call rather than subject the other diners to my phone call. Missus Aikens was not overly amused and was rather blunt about telling me that my sea bass was ready and what should they do with it. I don't know what the fuss was about - it was a cold course anyway. I hate to say it but I ended up finding myself apologising to her. I don't think she knows how to deal with things tactfully. Not the sort of lady I'd contemplate messing with at all. Cheers, Howard

Finally made it into TA's for lunch on Monday after many attempts trying to get in in the evening. Not sure what all the fuss is about on this place, except to say that the food certainly has plenty of fuss. I took the £70 tasing menu. For me, too much is going on with the food. The fundamental ingredient of each course is smothered with too many other taste sensations. It's OK, but I don't know what everyone's raving about - I can easily see this place being a two or three year flash in the pan (excuse the pun). Just my opinion, you undertsand! Cheers, Howard

I wonder why Michelin didn't give it even one star (I haven't read anything bad about the place anywhere)? Robyn ...apparently he didn't return the questionaire Michelin provide, with things like opening times, holidays etc. I wonder if the wine list will be similarly toned down? Cheers, Howard

Peter Andre? Kerry? Lord Brocket? LOL keep abreast of things will you? You don't have to believe everything you read in the Cleavage. Howard

Etranger is another place I like, although it's at the top end of Gloucester Road so not really Knightsbridge but perhaps could still be considered South Ken. The Anglesea Arms (Selwood Terrace, off the Fulham Road) isn't too bad, but sadly they no longer do the fantastic real pork scratchings in the bar. My favourite pub in the area is the Nags Head on Kinnerton Street which was a serious local of mine for several years until my body and mind could no longer take it. A proper boozer oozing both character and characters. Don't go there expecting anything special in the food department though. I am rarely in the area for lunch during the week - 99% of the time I do dinner. Many of the decent places are shut on Saturday and Sunday lunchtimes. I have walked past the Swag and Tails many times over the past twelve years or so I've lived there, but never been in. Never realised it had quite such a following. Thanks for the suggestion. Howard

As a resident I should resent that remark, but you are right! It has taken many years of disappointments to find my favourite locals. Racine is the most obvious exception to spring to mind, but then at the top end of the scale you also have The Capital, Foliage and Aubergine of course. Even the Cadogan Hotel used to be quite enjoyable (Sunday Lunch brings out the local blue rinse set), although I had an awful service experience a couple of weeks ago in there. At the bottom end I do have a penchant for Ciro's pizza joint in Beauchamp Place. Probably not for the food, but for the string of models from the agency upstairs who are between jobs working as waitresses there... ;-) True, Escargot and Richard Corrigan. Although the food is OK, I always found the service in there awful - lots of people serving, but no-one was in control. You could easily ask, say, four times for another bottle of water and still fail. Not just once, but several equally irritating service blunders each time I went. Most frustrating. Hence I haven't been there for about seven years or so. Maybe it's changed. Cheers, Howard

I quite like Quo Vadis - pre theatre menu is pretty good value. I have no problem with your decision to pass Mezzo by... a poncified fish and chips joint with a meat market attached as I remember it. Ah, those were the days ;-) Cheers, Howard

Nope, but it is my intention to. I've tried a couple of times on the off chance but tables weren't ready until 9:30pm which is a bit late for me - I like to get my money's worth! Billy Drabble told me the other day that he and Tom Aikens were on the same chef course. Cheers, Howard

> 1. Fine Dining at Gordon Ramsay at RHR (How is it compared to say Alain Ducasse or Jean Georges?) GR at RHR is very good although I find the tables too close together and they like to turn their tables way too quickly for me. Also I found the maitre d' to be a bit patronising and pretentious. Booking up is difficult in the evenings especially. Basically, call up at 10am one month before you want to go (they don't take bookings beyond this). Alternatives I use regularly, and often I can call up all of these an hour before to gain a table... Aubergine is my favourite, but then I go in there so often (about once a week) I'm almost part of the furniture. Can seem stuffy if you're not a regular, but it needn't be so: Maitre d' Thierry Tomassin (ex Gavroche) always has billions of anecdotes ready to tell. I really like the food that Billy Drabble puts out there - classic French style with enough variation to make it exciting, but not too off the wall to turn you off. Wine list is quite good, but the gouge is rather high. When it's very busy service can be a little slow. IMHO the best pan fried foie gras in London - perfectly caramelised on the outside, melts in the mouth on the inside. An astoundingly good truffle tasting menu when in season - the best tasting menu I've ever had. Snail Tortellini starter highly recommended at the moment, as is the gingerbread foie gras. Good table separation, but wooden flooring can make you feel like your voice can be heard everywhere. Avoid the table for two behind the pillar unless you like romantic tete-a-tetes: you may get overlooked by service... in fact, I'm going there tonight. Gavroche is excellent in general, and I recommend the eight+ course Exceptionel menu every time (£80), and the somelier can match wines by the glass with it for each course (£40) which is astonishingly good value. Service is perfection itself. I contest anyone to find fault in this respect. Chef Michel Roux Jr does a couple of tours each night, and he's a really charming guy. Fantastic wine menu. Some find it a little too formal. Surroundings are rather eighties, but you're coming for the food and the booze, right? The Connaught is fairly new, with an Italian bent on the cuisine. Fairly classic fine dining, and some like the slightly less formal atmosphere. Run by chef Angela Hartnett, one of GR's proteges. I prefer the main restaurant rather than the grill room. Lamb is just out of this world at the moment. The Chef's table is awesome - lots of chances to have a go yourself. Sample menu at http://www.nezbrun.com The Capital is wonderfully understated. Food is perfection, wine list good. Favourite tables for me are those by the window. Service good. Never failed to please. Petrus has recently moved to the Berkeley hotel. Run by Marcus Wareing, a GR guy, some of the menu can seem formulaic in the GR style. Still very good. Chef's table is good, but there's no hands-on. Atmosphere can be rather power crazy with movers and shakers doing their deals. Service has always been excellent for me, but not quite up to Le Gavroche standard. Sample menu at http://www.nezbrun.com Other favourites of mine - Glasshouse (Kew), Pied a Terre (Fitzrovia), Escargot Picasso room (Soho), Savoy Grill, Orrery (Marlebone), Putney Bridge, 1 Lombard Street fine dining restaurant (City), Sketch lecture room (Mayfair - make sure your credit limit is up to it), Foliage (Knightsbridge), Richard Corrigan (Soho). More downmarket, but nevertheless deserving a go is Racine. Quite exciting French food at a very reasonable price. The best steak tartare in London IMHO. Where I avoid... o GR at Claridges (service bad, two hour table turning, formula GR food) o The Square (service bad, chef has a cappuccino fetish with his sauces) o Club Gascon (service appalling, atmosphere way too loud, they know a milllion different ways to mess up foie gras) o Mirabelle (nothing special about the food or anything here) o Hakkasan (way too up themselves, perhaps I'm getting too old, but food is good) o Any Conran place (except Orrery) o Anywhere where Jamie Oliver has an interest o Anywhere with a long waiting list o Anywhere with a line at the door o Anywhere with fast table turning. > 4. Need best authentic indian food Not sure if you'd call them authentic, but my favourites are Zaika (try the eight+ course tasting menu with selected wines), Tamarind (for Michelin starred kebabs!), Bombay Brasserie (Sunday brunch buffet). > 6. Trendy,young places...heard about Nahm, Hakkassan..or others? I avoid them all, but then I'm in my late thirties. I stopped queuing to get into places ten years ago ;-) The only trendy place I regularly go is Ubon for lunch. Cheers, Howard