YKL

Can't believe that no-one has been to Anthony's since Oct - it was certainly very busy on Sat lunchtime this weekend when three of us went along for lunch. Only time for a quick post but for me, my best dish of the day was my starter of roast scallop, with chestnut custard (at the bottom of the dish) and malt cream. Rich and comforting, yet not so rich that I couldn't finish the generous portion. The onion risotto was a big hit with Mark ("wow, this foam is so cheesy") and Helen's cauliflower veloute from the lunch menu got a thumbs up also. Showing a distinct lack of imagination, we all chose rabbit for our main - the alc choice was saddle of rabbit with butternut squash and a Pedro Ximinez reduction. A surprisingly delicate dish - think I thought I might be getting something a little more butch, but was still pretty good. Special mention must be made of the pre-dessert - was caramelised pear with cardamom ice-cream - but the pear was shredded so that it was reminiscent of their deconstructed apple tatin. The pear was also shot through with ginger which added a lovely warmth - just mmm really. My dessert was pumpkin cheesecake (seemed to have a lot of pumpkin and squash that day - was in the amuse as well!) - two cylinders of the pumpkin cream, one covered in biscuit crumbs and the other in crushed sunflower seeds (I think). I liked the fact that it wasn't over-sweet which can happen. Helen's chocolate delice was delicious but managed to defeat her in its richness, and the cheese selection was as good as ever. Overall, I found the food to be as impressive as ever. And I'll try not to leave it quite so long till my next visit!

friends and I had a v good dinner at Santini's in Festival Square, just by the Sheraton hotel. The air dried ham and cheese which accompanied the bread at our table was particularly good. My starters were venetian spiced scallops on pork belly (sliced wafer-thin and fried to a crisp) and cauliflower puree. Scallops were tender and succulent, and overall a very delicious mouthful. Mains of chicken with pesto risotto and zucchini and tomatoes also hit the spot as did my chocolate dessert. We were in the main restaurant - very glamourous looking room (although some of the girls were left facing a very peculiar shot f a bikini-clad woman on the kitchen wall ...) Lunches were good too - at the old favourites of Cafe Florentin and the Fruitmarket Gallery. All in all, a very good weekend of eating .. Yin

Friend and I had an excellent meal at Harry's Place in Great Gonerby, just outside Grantham a few weeks back. It has one michelin star, numerous AA rosettes and mentions in the GFG, and is also the tiniest michelin starred restaurant in the UK I think - only seats 10! It's not cheap - but perfect for a treat .. Yin X

another quick note - had lunch at the Leeds branch on Sat - v good food, excellent value and I left v v v full! the ma por tofu (aka Mrs sichuan spotty beancurd oojamacallit) - excellent - full of spice and fire - but could still taste tofu and pork - and a ginourmous portion spring onion cakes - v good also - and reheated well at home, in a frying pan so that I could disgrace myself with stove side scoffing The lap cheong rolls weren't bad either .. Right - once work calms down intend to recruit some stomachs for a proper assault on the restaurant ... Yin X

will write something more detailed later on but want to say that if you're reading this in Leeds then I would recommend, nay insist that you stop reading right now and get your coat and money and hotfoot it down to Flannels immediately - you'll be in for a real treat. I went yesterday and amongst the great food, also had what could quite possibly be my dessert experience of the year. An exemplary lemon tart (so lemony it was almost sherbet like on the tongue, but with an oozy custard texture rather than the cloying lemon curd you can get which stops you eating so much!) with some divine ginger icecream - absolute nirvana and next time I go, I want a huge bowl of that please! That was the third act in a set lunch which is absurd value at £15 .... practically free if you ask ,me. And yes, Tony Snr and Chef and Olga were there too - don't they ever get any time off! More shortly Yin X

I can see this developing into a rather dodgy game of daredevil where you have to eat whatever food has been placed in front of you ... when ordered by someone else!

the leeds cafe was opened by simon gueller, with the fixtures and fittings from the late teatro leeds, i believe. ← Used to really enjoy my lunches at Flannels when it was still going - always delivered good food on the plate, at a reasonable price and nice service. In fact, it was actually a Matthew Fort review that first brought it to my attention last year - link here It was always a nice light space, and a window table was particularly good for people watching. I can imagine a pared down version of Anthony's cooking will do very well here ... and since I plan to have lunch here on Sunday (Sat lunch is intended to be Red Chilli as mentioned elsewhere), might have some more specific views next week. I remember Tony Snr saying that there could be a deli section in the Flannels offshoot - which would be fantastic if we could get the black pudding ... Cheers Yin

Have just come back from my mother's and it appears that the watercress is doing rather well this year and so my sister is now looking for new ideas for use of watercress. At the moment, she tends to use it in soups, and can think of various sauces. I also suggested mixing it with linguine and chilli crab. But does anyone else have any suggestions? Any help would be gratefully received cheers Yin

some friends and I are spending a week in Sicily in October - so have resurrected this thread? We'll be travelling round - at the moment the itinerary is Palermo-Agrigento - Siracusa - Taormina - Palermo. Does anyone have up to date recommendations at all? - or does everything written above still apply? Thanks Yin

Hi Bapi supposed to pretty good - and therefore has been on my to-do list (along with the Weavers Shed) for some time now! If you subscribe to time out - try this link .. I think it's also mentioned in my Michelin guide to dining in pubs if that helps. Yin X

'ecky thump lad ... gone all native on us have you? Yin X

I managed to sneak in for lunch over the bank holiday weekend, and Sat night bookings seem to be pretty much gone for all of Dec, and I think there's only 2 tables or so left on Fri nights between now and Xmas!

another pyrex person here ... in a variety of sizes so that I can beat a few eggs, melt lots of chocolate (e.g. on top of simmering water) or use the really big one (must be about 12 inches across in diameter) for cake mixing. Also have a large plastic one (about 14-15 inches diameter at a guess?) with a pouring lip which I got from IKEA, and has turned out to be very useful for the off occassion when I am doing big cake mixes by hand, and the pyrex ones are too heavy for me to hold for any length. Admittedly the weight issue is less now that I have a kitchen aid mixer! never really warmed to metal ones though ..

nice pics - but is the above Law Pak Goh - known as taro cake? - always thought there should be mention of daikon or mooli in the title Yin

I just rang and in amongst the hammering in the background, was told "hopefully next Tuesday, the 9th" Suspect that's of little comfort to offcentre and scottf though ... sorry

tasting menu?!? jealous? me??! oh nooooo .....! Just kidding. Thanks for the update. Was looking at my diary which seem to be scarily full till September, and now I find my cunning plan for lunch in early September is foiled - curses!! Might have to take a day off work to get there for lunch again at this rate! Yin

I record it so that I can fast forward the really excruciating bits with "celebs" and most of the Merilees Parker stuff - and concentrate on the bits with Richard Corrigan which I do find acceptable and even good. Think it's a shame they lost the Stefan bloke from the previous series, would have rather he stayed on than Richard Johnson who doesn't seem that bothered or pleased to be there. At least then it might have been quirky and mildly entertaining. It's so strange since the bits of writing I've seen from him (RJ) aren't bad .. but somehow it doesn't translate to screen. Also think they should get rid of the audience - if you're not going to get a buzz or atmosphere or interaction from the people being there then don't bother. Sadly can't think of who I'd like to see on the show instead. Is there anyone decent on UKTV food they could nab?

Then apologies from me - clearly my paranoia or self importance getting the better of me this morning ..

Umm, was that directed at me? Isn't it more like trying to get a ticket to one of their last gigs on their farewell tour because you've never managed to see them live before? Actually WF has been on my list for far too long and for a myriad of reasons, still haven't got there. So no, not really borne out of some sort of morbid curiosity ... The greatest hits CD purchase you suggest is more like buying their cookbook at a later stage perhaps ....

Thanks for that. and the AA routeplanner thingymebob tells me it's only 62 miles or so from Leeds to Winteringham so I should try and make some plans ...

gahhhh!!! not managed to eat there yet either ... so according to the article, am I too late to taste Germain Schwab's cooking?

wandered onto their website and found this: "The Star Inn is to be featured in an ITV programme 'Hot Hotels' to start on Tuesday 28th June 2005 at 7.30pm for 30 minutes. The series comprises of 6 programmes each featuring a Northern hotel - The Star has been saved until the last episode on Tuesday 2nd August. Don't miss it!" rather annoyingly it only seems to be on Tyne Tees TV whereas I get Yorkshire .... will have to try and prod one of my northern friends into recording it for me ... Yin X

In every sense of the word ... but specifically, have made my first foray into having a proper garden this year, and amongst the herb plants I have tried was some fresh sage. Clearly this is a plant that responds well to my neglect since from a little plant bought from the garden centre, it has now flourished into quite a healthy looking plant. It has oodles of leaves, some of which are even longer and fatter than my fingers! So, feel I should use up some of this bounty before it dies off or I trim it back. Question is what can I do with it. Guess the obvious things are sage butter for pasta, variations on a salitimbocca theme (e.g. monkfish kebabs with pancetta and sage), and have even seen a recipe for sage sorbet. Not so bothered about sage and onion stuffing. Have done a dish whereby you bake sausages in the oven with lots of sage and a bit of oil, then add some thin slices of potatoes and stock and let it all cook together to make a kind of soupy hotpot type dish. Alternatively - will they freeze well - or will they collapse on me upon defrosting? All help gratefully received Yin X

unfortunately the restaurant had lost its star though, no? In which case, that would perhaps remove or at least reduce this as a justification for a possible premium? There also seemed to be comments made that even as a one-star restaurant in its heyday, there was still a healthy flow of locals who provided a baseload of traffic for the business. So, if you can replace this with a smaller volume of higher spending customers then fine. however, it didn't seem like this was the case? Although your comment has prompted me to wonder whether there is a "set" price level which you expect for 1 star, 2 star, 3 star establishments ....

only time for a quick note right now but wanted to say thanks to all who recommended I Sette Consoli in Orvieto and Taverna del Lupo in Gubbio - my friends and I had two lovely lunches at these places and intend to return as soon as possible! In particular, I Sette Consoli was particularly fine as we were lucky enough to be in the gorgeous garden inder the canopy/gazebo. Just beautiful Will try and compose a more detailed post later Cheers Yin