howardlong

I just did Pier for lunch - a really rather pleasant experience. Yes, a $20 cab ride from the CBD but big deal. The pull here is both the vista and the food. And the vista at luchtime today was truly stunning, with the float planes taking off and landing and everything else going on. I was in the restaurant rather than the tasting section. I'd like to add that the wine is pretty darned good too. Had scallops with risotto starter, and Murray cod main. One of my favourite wines, Cloudy Bay Te Koko washed it down. OK, so the scallops were from Newfoundland and the CB was from Marlborough, so not good for the food miles or quite local or seasonal in the produce department. But I had a memorable lunch. For cheese I chose the Savarin, a tangy, creamy brie, and for dessert I can't remember what it was called but it had a parfait between a thin crisp caramel biscuit sandwich plus sorbet and thin fruit slices with rice pudding rice without the cream making it look like fish egg. The pastry chef is to be applauded - but she'll hate me for being so wishy washy about her creation. I asked the sommelier for the best wine/dessert match and went for his suggestion on both the food and the wine. The wine was a light muscat, like a Beaumes de Venise but it was from the Langedoc. I'm a wine lover and the sommelier was truly great to deal with despite being French (sorry, a cheap English xenophobe joke). Off to Rockpool for dinner... not much at the top end is open today being a Monday and a public holiday, but I'm making the best of it. Howard (London, UK).

Many thanks - coincidentally I am staying at the Hilton. Cheers, Howard

Folks, I have a couple of days in Auckland next week, and I am looking to do either dinner on Good Friday or lunch on Saturday. In particular, I am looking for somewhere at the top end that would be open and recommended. I don't have a particular preference on the type of food. Many thanks, Howard (London, UK)

Agreed. Consistently great food and service at Racine, been twice already this year. Howard

I agree. I went there two or three years ago, a couple of months after it first opened, and was really disappointed so never went back. Certainly it was nowhere near M* then, and I certainly didn't rate it as good as the Bombay Brasserie (ISTR it's Quilon's sister restaurant??) and BB certainly doesn't warrant a *. Still things change. Howard

Somewhat of a surprise, although I'm not altogether unhappy about it. I remember Petrus re-opening late in the year at the Berkley after a two year closure but it still managed to squeeze a star. Howard

In case you're struggling Mint and Bon Appetit (both in Dublin) have bagged a star each. ← I thought La Trompette had one before but lost it a year or two ago. I never did figure out what they did to lose it. It's been a favourite of mine for a number of years with or without a star. The wine list in particular is one of its outstanding attributes. H

Do they turn tables at Le Gavroche? If they do that's a shame. I always assumed it was the sort of place that would never be so uncouth... J ← On occasion I have been told that they want the table back on booking, but in reality they've never held me to it, but I suppose I am fairly regular. In at 7pm, leave about midnight suits me just fine. Often they tell me that they don't need it back after all once seated. Certainly dealt with a damn sight better than Ramsay's fast food outlets. Cheers, Howard

I'd change offy! Even the oaked Te Koko Sauv Bl comes in at barely over twenty quid when I can get hold of it. I guess calling it a Bordeaux style white is a fair desciption - well worth a go if you like oaky whites. Perhaps a little more down to Earth in the gouge department is the Littorai Hirsch Pinot Noir I mentioned before, at about £40 off licence price, £85 on the menu. Cheers, Howard Editted due to typo

Interestingly I had one disappointing one on my birthday back in March (the 20th, keep it in your diaries). I had a really bland fish main dish there. Really uninspiring. Maybe that's why I keep to the same thing most of the times I go! The wine list varies. Up until a a couple of years ago they had 1/2 bottles of 1990 Yquem at £130, little more than you'd pay at an offy. A good excuse for a pan fried foie and half a pound of Roquefort if ever I heard it on a special occasion. More recently I agree the list has become rather more frightening, but happily nowhere near the extremes of Ducasse, and there is at least some selection down at the under £40 mark, although not much I admit. The gouge can be shocking - £75 for a Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc (~£17 in an offy). Ouch. Cheers, Howard

I think you're a bit strange! ← Thank you for confirming my suspicions! Cheers, H

I agree that the Capital is not the sort of place you'd have a raucus dinner, although the atmosphere is rather what you make of it. Certainly it's excellent for a romantic tete-a-tete. When there's a party of folks in there on a table of eight, say, the volume level increases. If you mean 'quiet' from the perspective of being empty, then yes, on occasion it can be fairly empty depending on the time of year and time of week. Sunday dinner can sometimes be quiet. Equally, I've been turned away many times on an opportunistic punt. One further good thing is that I've never encountered table turning at the Capital. Maybe I've been lucky in this respect though. Howard

I disagree! Maybe it's changed, but everything at the Square is in a foamed sauce, so it's probably been sitting on the pass for ages before you get it (foamed sauce = no skin). Staff including Maitre d' don't know the cheeses, and on one occasion the Maitre d' was full-on rude when we snubbed the cheeses after even he couldn't describe them. I remember my fellow diners and I looking at each other stunned with open mouths when he said "hard, soft, goats, blue, now what do you want?". My two disappointing trips to the Square were enough for me to give up. And that's one reason I'd always go for the Capital. Another reason is that unlike The Square, you tend not to get wide boy city loudmouths in the Capital. In fact at one point I believe I referred to The Square as "the Quaglino's of the noughties", referring to the heavy Essex contingent in residence (sorry Essex!). For the record, I certainly don't have a problem with the Nigel Platts-Martin chain at all: I love La Trompette, The Glasshouse and The Ledbury. Cheers, Howard

LOL! I totally agree it's a keep it to yourself kinda place. Oops. Seriously, it's the kind of place that grows on you. Its understatedness is part of its attraction. After my last post, I got the pang for the Assiette Landaise and Saddle of Rabbit so badly I went there that evening to do it again. While the food was perfect, the only mistakes made were mine in the wine department. No gewurtz by the glass on that day, so had a Sauternes which was OK but not quite as good as the old favourite. I also went off course and chose an easy drinking German pinot noir, against Fabien the sommelier and my own advice above (the Littorai Hirsch Sonoma is really the one to go for). Still, as I peddled back home on my push bike I was satisfied in the knowledge that life doesn't get much better than this. Only one weird thing that keeps happening at the end of service. The wonderful chocolates they do at coffee are all too often forgotten, despite the crockery being placed on the table in anticipation. Am I strange in this regard, or does anyone else return to a restaurant repeatedly and have exactly the same thing on most occasions? Howard

I found myself misreading this quote from a blogger: "the Michelin guide is a travesty of a sham of a calamity." I think it was 'a travesty of a sham of a farce". Woody Allen in Benares. Subconsciously it added up, probably because the last and only time I saw Woody Allen was in the Bombay Brasserie one Sunday lunchtime. He had a la carte while everyone else had to settle for the buffet. Somehow the thought of lining up in a buffet with Woody Allen seems rather more surreal than his films. Cheers, Howard

I am not sure Le Gavroche will regain a third star, although I have to agree that it beats both the Waterside Inn and RHR. I have often compared the two Roux restaurants and certainly don't understand the disparity in their star awards. Predominently however I don't see what has changed at Le Gavroche over the past year or two that makes it better. Not that it needs to get better. If they do make three, to me that says they should have had three for the last five years. Someone mentioned Aubergine. Aubergine has undergone a lot of changes recently. Some fresh-faced bean counters, armed with the catering experience of purchasing a Big Mac at lunchtime, have been in and only chef Billy Drabble seems to be left. Certainly the front of house is completely changed. Despite the new crew they still know not to ask for my credit card details, although I was half expecting it on a recent booking. And at least I still get my usual table. And there's still salted and unsalted butter. But it's not the same as it used to be front of house. Regarding Galvin at the Hilton, I really don't think it deserves a star. Nice enough, but not quite star material. More a Conran sort of place. But then if Hakkasan can achieve a star, who knows? Tom Aikens' food is a Marmite thing I guess. With a million different ingredients on the plate, trying to match the menu description with the dish is as impossible as trying to match a wine. And finally, Ducasse deserves a special award for taking the p. Cheers, Howard

After a shaky start here about six years ago, the Capital has become without doubt one of my favourite restaurants. It currently has my two favourite dishes in London on the Dinner menu, namely the Assiette Landaise starter and the Saddle of Rabbit main. If you are a foie gras lover, then the Assiette Landaise is to die for with both pan fried and terrine as well as a number of different duck cuts. The only drawback I find is wine matching, so I usually order an Alsace Gervurtz by the glass for the foie and a big chard or a Sonoma pinot noir for the rest. The Saddle of Rabbit is a selection of rabbit done in different ways with a side of beans with lardons, rice wrapped in bacon and grilled calamari. Works well with the rest of that Sonoma pinot noir you ordered for the Assiette Landaise. Becaause the Assiette Landaise is a big starter, sadly I rarely have much room for much else. Personally I find the lamb main dish the only disappointment on the menu, and being a lamb lover I think that's the reason why I had a shaky start there all those years ago. They always insist on serving it with cous cous, my pet hate food. Service has always been excellent, but with only 35 or so covers, you'd be hard pressed to be overlooked. Maitre d' is Christophe Thuilot, who has recently returned to the Capital after working at Soho House's Chiswick outlet, High Road House, for a couple of years. Previous to that he was Maitre d' at Aubergine. Cheers, Howard

FWIW, on my bill the menu items including VAT were as the menu prices, although VAT is separated out on the bill itself. Not that as a UK resident it's gonna help me. Cheeky gits do leave the the tip space open on the credit card slip though. I also managed to find a glass of NV Rose Champagne for £14 too. I would guess the 1999 Bolly they're poncing is the £25 stuff. Cheers, Howard

I called up yesterday (Friday) at 5pm and was offered a table either at 6:30pm or 9:30pm. I took the 6:30pm offer, and then had to suffer that annoying table turning clichee "we need your table back by 8:45pm". Once I'd found the restaurant after fighting through the hoards of afternoon tea eaters in the hotel lobby, I was immediately greeted by name and shown to my table. I would normally go for the tasting menu at a first shot at most restaurants, but on this occasion I went a la carte choosing a chicken and sweetbread pithivier starter, scallop fish dish and steak main. The raw veg cruditees arrived with an anchovy based dip and choux pastry cheese balls. These were OK and quite a nice light start, but not hugely exciting. Indeed, 'not hugely exciting' pretty much sums up the entire food experience for me. In complete contrast the wine list is extremely extensive. But only if your budget is over £250 and preferably much higher. In fact I'd call it truly shocking, and a huge disappointment for anyone who would routinely choose wines at under £100 a bottle in a restaurant. I think that easily sums up 99% of us. After discussion with the sommelier, I chose a 1998 Leroy Nuit St Georges aux Lavieres at £220 (£80 in the offy if you can find one that stocks it) to go with my starter and main, and a glass of Alsace Riesling to go with the scallops at his recommendation. The chicken and sweetbread pithivier was tasty and well accomplished but that's about it. Before the scallop course arrived, I had a chance to try the Riesling and the first thing to hit me was grapefruit. At this point I was wondering how on earth this was going to work with the food. Well I wasn't disappointed with the match, as the pan fried scallops were done in a very citrussy fruit sauce. While the match was good, the sharp bitterness and acidity of the food wasn't really my cup of tea. The steak is a fillet with chips (constructed Jenga style) and a kebab of fresh salad leaves. The chips were superb, based on the consistency I would guess they were slow simmered first. The salad kebab was quite tasty having been lightly 'pickled'. The fillet was served with a very strong peppercorn sauce. Although good, I have had significantly better fillets from a number of less well appointed establishments. There was nowhere near enough sauce. I tried the cheese, but I'm afraid I much prefer a cheeseboard. That way I can finish off my wine with the right cheese. It's always a dissapointment to be presented with a plate of cheese. On this occasion there was a light goats cheese, a chedder, some 3 year old Comte and some stilton, each with a matching fruit accompaniement. The only one that worked well for me was that with the cheddar which really was very good. The rest of it wasn't very inspriing. For dessert I chose a coca thing (top one on the menu) paired with a sweet Condrieu. Although the food and wine match was good, the dessert itself was awful. Three different very tart citrussy items, including a marmalade, a sorbet/ice cream, and a caramel topped pastry. I gave up with it after a couple of tries of each item. To finish off a small cleanser/amuse bouche of devon cream icecream with, yet again, a very tart chopped grapefruit dressing. At least it was better than the dessert proper. Service was excellent, and in particular the sommelier knew what he was doing, as he should do with a list like that to maintain. It's not clear why they were so picky about when I could arrive. Perhaps they keep tables back for the hotel guests. It was completely empty when I arrived and only half full when I left at 9pm. Foodwise, generally very well accoumplished, but way too much citrus everywhere for my tastes. At times, such as in the case of the steak, not really up to scratch. The total was £450 for one. Disappointment would be an underestimate. Shocking is more like it. Value for money? 2/10. Like the Library Room at sketch I can't see a return any time soon if ever. How other reviewers manage £250 for two is beyond me unless they don't drink anything except tap water. I'll leave it to the hotel's over-monied clientelle with money to burn. Cheers, Howard

Kinda confusing - my understanding is very clear that prior to the closure of the Connaught for refurbishment earlier this year, Ramsay serviced _all_ the food and beverage requirements for the Connaught. I have since found references to this, including Ramsay's own website, "Gordon Ramsay Holdings Limited took over the whole of the food and beverage operation at The Connaught Hotel": http://www.gordonramsay.com/corporate/theman/biography/. To me that most certainly includes room service. Like the closure of Amarylis, I fear we are getting a jackanory dreamt up by Ramsay's PR agency and this is not the genuine reason. Cheers, Howard

You are right that the lighting in Amaya is darkened to a subterranean level. I too find it most annoying, especially if I am in a restaurant on my own and trying to read the paper or a book. Worse, how are you meant to read a wine? In fact Amaya in this respect is particularly bad as there are no white table cloths either. There is probably a good reason that Amaya is so dark: many of the clientele are most definitely conducting illicit liasons there, when they're not busy chatting away on their cell phones. I will never forget seeing one oriental 'lady' in there with one Arab gentleman old enough to be her grandfather one night, and again in Gavroche the very next night with another different although similarly senior chap. If it's Amaya's level of cooking you're interested in, rather than a Brick Lane ruby, Rasoi Veenit Bhatia in Chelsea and Zaika in High St Ken spring to mind. Cheers, Howard

Went there Sunday for both lunch and dinner, a long story to do with those flakey friends who let you down that I am sure everyone endures. I had the foie gras creme brulee starter for lunch and dinner, and it is definitely a triumph. It's, well, a creme brullee with poppy seeds on top, so it still retains a degree of a savoury nature. I sat there and scoffed it with Pacherenc du Vic Bilh Ch Bouscasse Brumaire Nov 2004 (~£20) and life could not be sweeter. Served with a couple of small bits of toast and lettuce. For the lunch main I had the lamb chops with a Moroccan seasoning. Good, but I must say to me describing anything with a Moroccan flavour reads disaster: food in Morocco is nothing to write home about in my experience. Simple and tasty, although the lemon was a little too much for my taste. Came with mini carrots and a side of new tatties. I took a 2003 Luddite Shiraz with it. For dinner, after the foie gras (with which I finished off the Pacherenc), I had the rabbit pie which was excellent. Trouble is it sounds rather dull, and in truth it doesn't get many prizes for appearance, but it is really very tasty. Served very simply in a gravy (sorry, jus) and a side of perhaps slightly over seasoned peppery lettuce. Used up some of lunchtime's Shiraz with it. OK so the food's generally good. My caveat right now is the service, and I did discuss it shortly with Thierry at the end of dinner. I would recommend giving them a couple of weeks to settle down. For example, at lunch I was offered "more" bread, although I'd yet to get any. At dinner, I was never offered any bread at all, but the tables either side of me were on more than one occasion. I'd run out of water, the waiter knew I had because he looked at the empty bottle, picked it up, moved it six inches, and put it down again back on my table. After half an hour I had to ask twice for some more. I had to ask what cheeses were that were on the assiette de fromage twice, before getting a response that there were three on there, a brie, a goats and a camembert, when in fact there were five on when I saw another diner going for it. I went for an almond panna cotta that was pretty tasty, although the panna cotta wasn't quite the consistency I was expecting. Waiting for the bill was again hit and miss. Had to ask twice at dinner, and at both lunch and dinner I ended up getting up and making my way to the till in the end. Wine list was interesting - definitely more in the real world than that at Aubergine (which was starting to get a little out of my league, although in recent months it seems to be returning to sensible prices). Those that sprang out were the Clos Henri NZ Sauvignon Blanc, and the South African Luddite shiraz at £35 and £44 respectively, so the gouge is pretty reasonable. House Champagne (Dampierre) is £39. Clientelle at both lunch and dinner was predominantly locals: about 50% English, 25% North American and 25% French. I got there late for lunch, about 2:30, and it was about 3/4 full, and apparantly they'd already done two sittings. At dinner it was full. In short, the food is good, the wine list is down to earth, but I would give it a few weeks for front of house to settle down. I am sure that if anyone is going to put that right, it'll be M Tomasin who'll do it. Recommendations: foie gras creme brulee starter and rabbit pie. Cheers, Howard

When I arrived yesterday evening, there were clearly a few last minute bits of construction to complete. For me, this didn't hinder the evening one bit though. I have to say that I am struggling rather desperately this morning after rather too many Champagnes. As an opening, it was finger food only last night, so I feel it unfair to attempt to give it a representative food review yet. As a venue however, it is rather classically done on the ground floor with room for around 40 covers in the front room and a smaller, more casual, lounge area at the rear. Downstairs reveals a private dining room surrounded by the wine cellar, and a chef's table seating five. They will open seven days a week, serving all day. I don't think the intention is to be a Michelin contender, seeming to me to be more a brasserie style. It was joyous indeed to also bump into many old friends from Le Gavroche: Michel Jr, Silvano and their irrepresible sommelier Francois Bertrand helped make it an evening never to forget, despite my excesses. Certainly once I've kicked myself back into gear I'll return and give a much more foodie based critique than I've managed today. Cheers, Howard

Folks, It's been a while. I just got off the phone with Thierry Tomasin (previously, in case you were unaware, Maitre d' at Aubergine & Head Sommelier at Le Gavroche) who informed me he's opening his new restaurant, Angelus tomorrow night. I was delighted to to get an invitation to the opening, and I'll let you know how it goes. FWIW, it's located at the site of the old Archery pub at 4 Bathurst St in Bayswater. I believe it's French brasserie style. Cheers, Howard

oxymoron ← Dangerous! There are people on this very forum right now who are journalists who I would consider to be "pucker". Cheers, Howard