Adam Lawrence

You'll just have to buy a case of each!

Andy, www.wine-searcher.com (a brilliant resource BTW, strongly recommended) reveals that Bordeaux Index (www.bordeauxindex.com) has three of their Volnays, two Pommards and a Corton at prices ranging from GBP 135 to GBP 265 per case, ex tax. Which wine are you after - I imagine you tried one at a resto?

I think much comes down to cost, and, as you said, mood. I like fancified Frenchified places a great deal too (my Best Meal Ever [tm] was at Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons) but there aren't too many places you'll get three courses of decent fancy cooking for fifteen quid. At their normal dinner prices, I think I'd still have regarded Cigala as good value, but it wouldn't have been an absolute steal. And I haven't been to the River Cafe, but I would need more than just pure and simple to justify their prices. Plus it's down to what you're there for. We were meeting an old friend we hadn't seen for some months, so food, although important, wasn't the be-all and end-all of the experience. The fancier the cooking, the more I feel the need to concentrate on it, and that's perhaps not the ideal atmosphere for a social gathering.

Well, had an excellent Saturday in town. Decided to take advantage of the shortage of guests in London hotels, 'cause the train back to Oxford at eleven didn't appeal, and got a very good deal (courtesy lastminute.com) at the Howard on the Embankment. Upgrade to junior suite made the deal even better. Mind you, however cheap the room, I always forget (because normally when I stay in posh hotels I'm on expenses) just how appallingly expensive the drinks are in such places. Sixteen quid for a vodka martini and a G&T! Did get good nibbles though, so not all bad. Nice hotel too. Cigala: I loved it. Only a short menu available Saturday lunchtime, but fifteen quid for three courses (fiver supplement if you want the paella) is an absolute steal. Restaurant was quiet - only about four tables occupied, one slight service cock-up - another table's revueltos were brought to us (but it was sorted straight away). Stand-out dishes: textbook roast cod with lentils and a cucumber salad and (my order) roast chicken with salsa verde and braised spinach. Chicken was moist and succulent in a way that it so often isn't; simple but excellent. Starters were good - I had a crab gratin with an unpronouncable Basque name that was quite heavily loaded with chili; white bean and olive soup was OK, but not perhaps the most interesting dish ever. Could just be me though - I'm not a soup fanatic, and it was guzzled with pleasure. Puds were a bit disappointing, a fairly nondescript creme caramel and a rice pudding that didn't really excite either. Excellent manzanilla to open and a pleasant-ish bottle of albarino from Galicia to accompany (the lamb eater was on antibiotics which made things easier). Total cost including 12.5 per cent service - £105. OK, this isn't fancy food and if your idea of a good time doesn't stretch beyond the starchy and Frenchy (Andy?) it mightn't appeal. But I love gutsy peasant-y cuisine and this was tip top. Excellent materials throughout. Later that day was dragged kicking and screaming to the Albery for Private Lives. I am not normally a theatre type of guy, but Lucy is a Rickmaniac and it's her birthday next week. Packed full of middle-class middle-aged ladies carrying John Lewis' bags (there for Rickman I suspect). Surprisingly, I had a great time. I felt Lindsay Duncan could perhaps have done with being a little more louche, but Rickman's air of the hangdog roue was just right, and the supporting cast played it well. Certainly more fun than being dragged to yet another musical.

In town Saturday, going to the British Museum, so off to Cigala for lunch beforehand. Will report back afterwards. Now I think about it, I've been convinced (by the lady wife) to stick around and go to Private Lives at the Albery in the evening. Won't want a big meal after a decent lunch, but what would anyone suggest for a light bite somewhere around the West End before the theatre? Ta Adam

Andy, I think Michael's argument is that Blumenthal is a plagiarist - he believes he rips off recipes without crediting their genuine creators, and is profiting from the innovations of others. Whether or not one enjoys eating at the Far Duck is pretty much an unimportant point. I've had lunch at the FD once and enjoyed it very much. I haven't been to El Bulli, nor Michel Bras, and, like you, I would very much like to. And I can see why HB getting all this press - 'most challenging chef in Britain' etc might be pretty galling if you have and you believe that Blumenthal's ONLY trick is imitating them. I don't know whether it is or not (though I do think it's significant that, if all you need to do is rip off Ferran Adria and Michel Bras to get a Michelin star and be full for every service at GBP100 per head, there aren't more chefs doing so). But it seems to me that most people (me included) who eat at the Fat Duck come away feeling they have had a terrific meal and an entertaining time. And that, I think, is the only issue that matters when judging a restaurant.

Hmm... difficult one. My major bugbear with reviewers is how infrequently most get outside London. I'm not sure how the circulation of the Observer breaks down regionally, but I think that, in general, the national press is still too London-centric (This isn't a personal attack, Jay - I've noticed a number of non-Tahn/Tine reviews in your column recently). Connecting this with the OFM topic, I suspect part of the reason is the still-there link between restaurant/food coverage and 'society' stuff - and this is reflected by the whole celeb thang. You see it all over the food press - who eats here, can you get a table at Resto X if you're Somebody, Michael Winner and Adrian Gill wittering on.... And, of course, Society is London-based, except for the occasional excursion to the Country. True, the food culture _is_ far more advanced in London than anywhere else, so a bias in favour of the capital isn't surprising - in fact it's probably desirable, because it helps, even if only slightly, with the trickle-down effect. And, having digressed frantically, I place my vote for Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons as a place you must have been to qualify as a reviewer. Just because.... well, just because. Adam PS. If Michael is a Lord either he forgot about it while on Chowhound or just got ennobled (thinks: must check last batch of life peerages.....) Prince Adam of Azerbaijan

Sachertorte. No question. My sister had a three-tierSachertorte as her wedding cake last year (baked by our great aunt). It was beyond sensational. The bottom tier contained, I think, 60 eggs. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.....