howardlong

Two of us went to Pattersons last night (15 January) and quite enjoyed it. First impressions do count, and particularly nice was that as we entered two happy smiling front of house staff rushed to greet us. I immediately thought "I'm going to like this". (I must express an interest here as I know one of the chefs). Turns out one of those greeters was Maria Patterson, better half of the chef, Raymond. The a la carte menu was fairly substantial, with about ten starters (£13 to £18) and ten mains (£13 to £20). We both selected scallops with squid for starters. My fellow diner ordered a risotto for her main and I took the beef tornedo with foie gras. The wine list has about sixty entries, mostly in the £20 to £40 mark. In the fine wines, the selection was limited with about half a dozen entries going up to £150 for a Chateau Palmer 1997. We chose a bottle of 2002 Sancerre and a half bottle of what turned out to be a Beaujolais: the menu descriptions are not too helpful, including only the chateau/domaine names for the French wines, nothing else. Had I known what I was ordering on the red I would have made another choice, but it was still fine for everyday drinking, being much heavier than my traditional idea of a Beaujolais. The scallops were well complimented with the squid which was served in a sauce of the ink. The main part of the squid was stuffed with a tangy tomato based vegetable ratatouille thing - very good. My beef main was not bad. The foie gras had been made into a mousse and was served inside cannelloni pasta. Service was farly informal, and always with a smile. I like that. Raymond came over for a chat for ten minutes at the end of the evening. In short, I found Pattersons good for everyday eating, and with their charming, cheerful staff deserves success. Although different food-wise, I'd put it in the same category as Racine. It won't get a Michelin star, but it deserves a mention in the 2005 guide. Cheers, Howard

Of course I don't know the full situation here (ie, how much was charged, etc) but I have had a discussion about no-shows with two maitre d's of Michelin starred restaurants in London, so I guess I see it from both sides of the fence. I would think that a certain degree of common sense needs to prevail in these situations. I find as a regular customer in a number of eateries there is never any problem - they know you, they know you're going to turn up, they don't want to lose you as a regular customer by applying a charge to you. But increasingly there is a really outrageously selfish habit going around where people will book up more than one venue in advance, but of course only turn up to one of them, depending upon their whim on the day. By having a credit card number, at least they have some kind of assurance. One of the worst cases I've heard of is when a restaurant reviewer for a national rag had a freebie meal offered by a Michelin starred restaurant at his convenience and simply didn't turn up. The restaurant has no comeback. One less cover available for a real paying customer. The rest of us end up paying. In addition, third parties who call up on behalf of customers are also notoriously unreliable, AMEX being the worst, with hotels coming in a close second. The restaurant has to make an educated guess from experience as to the no-show rate on a given sitting and I would guess that there is probably little difference between this and the rife over-booking you have on aeroplanes. Also worth considering is that the restaurant in question will figure out how many staff it will need on a given day, and so these no-shows mean that there is a cost associated with it. Either that cost goes on a credit card guarantee or it is soaked up in higher menu prices for the customers who actually _do_ show. One of the maitre d's I spoke to explained that much as they would love to have a policy asking for credit cards, it had a downside effect in that people feel offended at having to provide these details, and will sometimes not make a reservation if they have to provide these details. Perhaps these same people who are 'offended' are the very same who are booking up two or three different places. FWIW, I have never failed to make a restaurant reservation myself. I have had two instances where the booking was placed on the wrong date by the restaurant themselves. I turn up, no reservation showing for me on that day, despite booking earlier on the same day! Then I get a call two weeks or a month later asking if I'm going to turn up. I always call if I am going to be late (over 15 minutes). It's a common courtesy IMHO. Despite this I would have hoped that common sense could be applied to any credit card pre-booking policy. If you booked at 2pm and then cancelled at 3pm, common sense would suggest to me that their should be no charge. After all, any charge under these circumstances is only going to alienate the customer. Cheers, Howard

I've been to the Connaught about nine or ten times since Angela Hartnett took over, enough at any rate for them to know me by name when I go. In general I like it and I am not surprised that it gained a star. It's in my top five preferred restaurants in London. I've had an indifferent course there about six weeks ago and it's still on the menu as of last Sunday. It's a starter with an enormous piece of pan fried foie gras, and three baby toms in a minimalist garnish. Garnish is yummy. The problem is that you can't properly pan fry such a large piece of foie gras, as it's not a slice (looks like it's a whole liver), so you end up with an inconsistent caramelisation over the surface - overdone in the middle, raw at the ends and sides. I love foie gras, but in moderation please! I have also had two bad wines at the Connaught (and a wine has to be really obviously bad for me to send it back), including an Yquem. In my opinion the Connaught also has the best Chef's table of the Ramsay restaurants, although I have yet to try the Savoy. Other than that I particularly like the slightly less formal atmosphere and the service. Regarding Sketch (library/lecture fine dining area), I am slightly surprised they didn't get anything, although I have only been there once - my wallet is not bottomless (£700 for two)! Very friendly service, fairly informal, an unforgettably historic dining experience, but an astronomical wine list (almost nothing in there much under £100), very limited cheeseboard. Perhaps consistency isn't up to scratch at Sketch, or maybe they think they're too exclusive even for Michelin. I refer to Sketch as my Concorde dining experience - you indulge once, but after that it becomes increasingly passe. Cheers, Howard

I know one of the Chefs there, although I haven't been - yet. He is leaving Wednesday next week (he's an Ozzie on a walkabout) and I've promised to make a visit before he leaves. I'll let you know how I get on!

A great shame if Amaryllis closes. I have had two most memorable dinners in there over the past year or so. Most fun was the second time I went when I was recognised by a waiter who ran the Chef's Table when he was working down south at the Connaught. I am sure I will be corrected, but this for me is/was _the_ best restaurant in Glasgow.

Hello Andy Sorry I have never had the opportunity to try Martin Wishart's, although it's on my list. Number One is pretty classic French style with an accent on the use of Scottish ingredients such as venison. I can certainly recommend it. Cheers, Howard

I have been pleasantly surprised by Putney Bridge, although I dislike the jostle at the bar downstairs - but I guess that's what happens when you become a 'grumpy old man'! Similar things happen at Foliage for example, although it's more extreme in that particular meat market. I had a wonderful assiette of pork there recently - pork's not something I tend to jump at usually, but the four or five different cuts where spectacularly yummy. Cheers, Howard

For me, it has to be Number One underneath the Balmoral Hotel. Classical French style with one of the best (if not the best) fresh bread selection in any restaurant I've tried. Don't whatever you do mistake this for Hadrians in the Balmoral itself! Number One has a separate entrance about twenty yards to the right of the main Balmoral entrance going down some steps. Number One rightly deserves its Michelin star and is undoubtedly on a par with any similar London establishment. The menu is not toned down at all, so for the more adventurous it is a delight. For example, the pan fried foie gras is excellent as is the sweetbread. There's also an excellent tasting menu, which can be taken with the sommelier's selction of wines by the glass. The wine list is pretty extensive too. I go there every time I am in Edinburgh. Cheers, Howard