Jamsie

Oh no no no no Stop ruining my dream Wifey and I have recently spawned and haven't been out in months, the one night we're going out is to Ducasse in a couple of weeks as a treat The way you guys are talking about it sounds like we'd be better of spending the money on a cot for the little one and maybe some nappies

HRH Lady Maschler of the Standard reviews it in todays paper, she gives it luke warm review but is narked by the waiting

Next year 'Cooking For God', whereby chefs compete to cook................. ←

There was a write up in the standard by simon davis but i can't find it online, and Jessia has done a write up with photos (google Gourmet Gallop and it's the first listed) but am aftraid i didn't take take any.

OK so where were you guys? It was a foodie competition, it was really difficult and I was figuring one of you guys would have been there. So the deal was you had to answer 8 questions in the Evening Standard, a few that they tried to google proof so only foodies would win, then with a tie breaker of I should come along because….. to get the winners. Anyway so none of you guys were there, I was really hoping there would be some egullet people among the 10 winners but it was an assortment of foodies and people who are good at winning competitions. The deal was 4 courses at 4 different restaurants. Starting with canapés at Sketch, fish course at Scotts, main course at the Greenhouse then desert at Locanda Locatelli. I have to say it was great. I can’t tell you about the canapés at Sketch as I didn’t really eat them, I was really nervous, room full of ten strangers that I was supposed to make conversation with, it felt a bit like a singles night, so I just necked as much champagne as I could which helped me stay there. I’m not so long out of university that I have got over the, if there’s free alcohol bag it before it runs out, school of thought. I spoke to Reg, Fay’s husband who was really cool. Faye intimidates the hell out of me, not for any personal reasons, she’s petite and lovely but I didn’t know whether or not I should curtsey when I met her or whether or not I should call her ma’am. Anyway she was really nice but I didn’t get much chance to chat to her other than try to bore her with a convoluted theory equating molecular gastronomy to techno music pushing boundaries, it’s a crap argument too. So we went on to Scott’s for the fish course, I had baked spider crab which was beautiful, and lightly spiced, those that opted for the oysters got 12, of 4 different varieties, which I managed to pinch some of too. Main course at The Greenhouse I had sea bass, which was the fattest chunk of sea bass I’d ever seen. By this time I was quite drunk and talking rubbish to a woman who works for a charity and so was essentially a decent member of society, anyway the food was fantastic. Dessert was at Locanda Locatelli and was incredibly generous with dessert after dessert coming, including and ice cream tray which must have had at least 15 different ice creams including some of the most beautiful I’ve ever tasted in my life and I’ve eaten lots of ice cream. Also Giorgio Locatelli is a lot thinner than he looks on TV and has the proper stressed look about him of someone who’s been cooking in the kitchen all night. Oh yeah and the Canadian PR woman was really cool too, I want to get her really drunk so she’d start slagging off some chefs but I didn’t get the chance I think she was too smart for that, anyway she was ace too, I think I’d like her to be my glamorous aunt or something. And also, I’ve never really been to an event like this before and you get loads of goodie bags at the end with cheeses in them and books and pictures and I’m starting to understand why ligging is an enjoyable past time. After drinking brandies with this really decent lad who worked in IT in the city and managing to annoy some Americans through me being an idiot finally I got home absolutely leathered to inform my wife that I think I had a crush on Giorgio Locatelli and that I wanted Fay to adopt me.

What are their foodie snobs like compared to us? Come on we can take'em

Can anyone recommend somewhere decent to eat in the Cheltenham area, we're down this weekend and CS is booked up Cheers

i wonder how he'll go for the PR photos to promote the show? I've got a great idea, what about him smoking a cigar whilst reclining in a chair and looking into the far distance? He'd never go for it though

Where's old sulky balls gone?

My prediction Petrus won't get 2, not cos it doesn't deserve it, just because they do it every year and i think they do it to wind up Ramsay. TA will get 2 though

Thanks guys much appreciated

Could you guys help me. I've got one night in Paris and it's a saturday. I was looking for something top end and cutting edge and have tried to book Pierre Gagnaire and L'Astrance but both are closed on saturday evenings. Is there any restaurants you could reccomend of a similar ilk that i would be able to get a table for at 10 days notice. Thanks for you help

Ah good call, just started work round the corner discovered it today, that's a proper sandwich

Where have you been? i realised the other day that i missed your tales of extravagant dining and caning the wine lists Did you have that Aubergine £5k meal?

Agree totally with the theme of this thread and think it's been a long time coming. It used to be good and now is shite. I used to buy it, now i don't

Yeah it was Atelier, the sit at the bar one watching the kitchen, there's also some seats to the side for couples and a few tables for 4 but still on bar seats/high seats. We didn't queue as the last time you can actually book for was 7pm so we went for then. The tasting menu was £55 but most of the a la carte tapas size courses are about £6-£10. Watching the skill in the kitchen was superb though, especially if you like food as much as the people who knock about on this site do.

Went last night and really enjoyed it Started off with cocktails in the bar upstairs, where they match the drink with a little treat like a lime sorbet Downstairs had the tasting menu which was really enjoyable especially the sweetbreads and a superb gazpacho set soup. A lot of the dishes had hidden surprises in them which i'll let you find out about. Met Mr Robuchon too, my french only extends to "welcome to london", unfortunately i couldn't strech to "The Ivy is where c-list emerdale stars eat gastropub food". He mentioned he was over for a couple of weeks. Was very friendly too, it was refreshing to see the interaction with the chefs in the kitchen and the customers.

Here's an appearance prior to him winning big brother http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlhJF7qVcNA

I've always found Defune on George Street in Marylebone to be superb. Not cheap mind, but some of the best sashimi i've ever tasted.

Would definitely recommend a taxi. Get a card from the guy who drops you off and the restaurant will call them when you are ready to go. Most important thing i would say is to just relax and enjoy. There are so many expectations and thoughts with a restaurant with such a reputation but it is very friendly so just go with an open mind and savour the ride.

Bentleys on Swallow Street, Picadilly & J Sheekeys on St Martin Court, Covent Garden are couple of very good fish restaurants where you can sit at the bar and enjoy some pretty decent food

Great photos Tamzen and great report. Interesting so see how many dishes were different from when we visited on May 18th

I visited for the first time on may the 18th and had many of the similar courses with a few differences later on, notably avocado tempura, a parmesan ravioli/boat floating on a broth to be scooped up with "basil air"/foam, bone marrow and the deserts were very different. I thought the meal was fantastic, the overall theme of the meal seemed to be seaweed, which was present throughout many dishes, as was thai basil that made a few appearences. The meal came to approx €450, the wines they recommended were only €30 and they must of refilled my Cava 4 times but charged me once, though this could of been down to the fact the sommelier being delighted his team Barca had won the champions league the previous night. I thought the place was a bargain for what we got and the whole experience superb and well worth the effort. BTW the yellow spheres were egg yolks

Sweet Jesus! I'm afraid i may have to pass as i always find the 29 Latour doesn't agree with my stella and crisps honed palate

I read the book last year and really enjoyed it. I think the guy sometimes posts on the US forums or maybe used to I like the way the book was split into the 3 different sections to show chefs in 3 different environments and each was very interesting. The French Laundry was the most interestinmg i thought. That exam seemed like a extremely difficult test to give you the right to wear a nice badge.