kerriar

This sensible outcome is widely reported this morning - the following comment in the Irish Times says it all: Perhaps it's now time to change the subheading on this thread - the restaurant's attempt to sue did not finally succeed

Small correction to this otherwise accurate article from Les Echos - Chalet de la Foret does not yet have a Michelin star. This omission is in my view more of reflection on Michelin's inattentiveness than on Pascal Devalkeneer's kitchen which certainly merits the star. Sea Grill must also be very close to getting a third one.

Thanks John for posting this - who says the French don't always give the Belgians appropriate recognition. Not a bad article on the whole - Sea Grill (in particular) and Chalet de la Forêt have been well endorsed here in the recent past. Brasserie la Paix and Viva M'Bona will both delight serious carnivores. The former is in Anderlecht, near the world famous abattoir and market (well, world famous in Brussels at least) and is a gloriously old fashioned bistro with very traditional food (lots of offal, can't remember any vegetarian options) and a good ol' wine list. Parking in the area is hopeless so take a taxi or public transport (metro Clemenceau + a bit of a walk which will help the appetite). Haven't been there in a while but its mention here prompts the notion of an early return. Museumbrasserie could not be more different in athmosphere but is also very good. Sea Grill apart, it would never occur to me to eat in a hotel in Brussels so I can't say much about the other recommendations.

According to this week's Phoenix - roughly (well, very roughly) the Irish equivalent of Private Eye - the very negative Doorley review mentioned above has had a predictably disastrous impact on bookings for this much-hyped restaurant. Phoenix goes on to speculate mischievously that if Goodfellas' pursuit of the Irish News for a negative dining review is sustained by the High Court in Belfast (see elsewhere on eGullet), the aggrieved Powerscourt promoters might be tempted to recover their losses by taking Doorley and the Irish Times to law. Perish the thought! Some of the details in the report seem to point towards an aggrieved insider as a source although there is no speculation on what they are paying to Ramsay for use of the name. Anybody been there recently? .

After years of bringing the fine white powder called "bread soda" from Ireland, I finally realised that what is called in French speaking countries "bicarbonate de soude" produces exactly the same result. My German speaking wife tells me that this is probably bakpulver in German but is not totally sure (one amateur baker is enough in any house - she has better things to do). I'm assuming that bread soda and baking soda are interchangeable names for the same thing. Swiss labels normally have both French and German explanations so if it says "bicarbonate de soude", it's probably the right thing.

The main reason to go there was the great wine prices where the mark-up seemed to be closer to retail than the typical restaurant. Food was not memorable - best tactic was always to go with a bunch of like minded friends and work through the great wine list with the menu serving as background noise. Perhaps the winding down in scale merely represents the reality that most restarants need a good margin on wine to survive. Apart from Taillevent (a bit rarefied for everyday) has anybody any suggestions on other places with a similar price/quality balance on the wine list?

Although it does not have a wine list as such, Le Rouge Gorge on the Rue St Paul in the Marais is worth adding to this thread. M Briclot, the owner, is also a wine merchant and every bottle in the cave can be taken at the table for a small mark-up - you simply go down the stairs and pick what you want in the cellar. Wines are invariably from small growers, often from pretty obscure parts of France. The staff in this small restaurant/wine bar are helpful which is very useful as the wines themselves may not be familiar for most of us. I've been there many times over the years - its a great place to go and eat with a bunch of friends who enjoy working their way through a few interesting bottles without breaking the bank. You'll eat very well for under €25 - what you drink is up to yourself but there are no really expensive wines. The capacity is not large (maybe 25 or 30) so best book if you are more than two - telephone is 01 48 04 75 89. Also strongly agree with Margaret about the Auberge du Cedre list - it's such a pleasure just to read the annotations (on the house copy - the online list is a good bit shorter) and the prices even on older wines are very fair, to the extent of leaving you feeling not too bad when you've gone beyond the intended budget!

Production of Westvleteren is tiny and distribution is restricted. None of the following can guarantee anything more than an occasional supply but may have a decent alternative. In Brussels try Bier Circus on Rue de l'Enseignement (tel02/218.00.34) or Delerium on Impasse de la Fidelité. For both, best go with a group and make your own athmosphere. Food is not bad in Bier Circus - it's a Flemish establishment so unless you have the language talk English and definitely forget school French. Even without Westvleteren, the beer list is interesting but this is not a lively bar in any sense of the word. Closed Sundays. 400 Bieres Artisanales on Chaussee de Wavre is really a shop but has a counter at the back for drinking - probably best bet in Brussels for Westvleteren but again little athmosphere unless you bring your own. (Good democratic if eccentric restaurant about two doors away is Le Tournant). You've probably already read the reasonably accurate entry in Wikipedia - best bet may be to ring ahead (they will speak English) and pick up your own case of 24.

Question for Calabria kitchen experts. My daughter came back from a holiday with Calabrian friends bringing a jar of a hot pungent condiment which she said included chili (obviously) and a fish base. Anybody any idea what it was? my local Italian grocer has given me a few products, none of which have quite the same kick. I've gone through this thread without success - but totally in awe of some of the mouthwatering food I've seen.

Lunch has now gone to €80 - not bad for somewhere at that level if you have an occasion to treat yourself. Are MobyP's photos really from this lunch menu? If so, it's something of a comparitive steal.

Going on John's recommendation, we had dinner last Tuesday night in Michel Rostang's Jarasse on Ave Madrid in Neuilly. It was a foul night in Paris – start of the transport strike, raining cats and dogs with every driver seemingly in vindictive mood. Parisians at the wheel of a car have an endless capacity to advance into every open space they see and intersections, ronds-points, etc rapidly become clogged and tempers become frayed. All slightly stressful but a call to the restaurant to say that we were running late brought a re-assuring response – "ne vous inquiète pas monsieur, votre table vous attend, venez a votre aise." The place is not very large, probably 40 covers maximum, but relaxed, warm and discreet with good space between the tables – it has the easy confidence of a restaurant that knows exactly what it's doing. What followed was the kind of meal that confirms what Paris eating should be and why this remains one of the best places to eat in the world. Oysters from Oleron were even better than the ones I had on the island a couple of months ago – fresh, unctuous and singing of the sea. "Would you like some oursins with your oysters" – oh yes please, we'll try six of those and they were also superlative. Main course for two was a bar de ligne (a kilo and a bit in weight), flambéd with fennel – presented at table, rapidly and expertly filleted and served with a simple beurre blanc and a bowl of purée. This was just a marvellous fish, perfectly cooked and devoid of unnecessary ornamentation – I eat a lot of fish but I'd have to go back to a year or two ago in Kolias in Athens to think of anything comparable. This was heaven This is a place for fish and the wine list emphasises the whites – a bottle from the Languedoc (name not recorded but cost about €50) drank well. Rostang's folk like to flambé things (discreetly of course) and I had a soufflé flambé au Grand Marnier which my old dad would have recognised – the other desert was a tarte aux pommes. Both were superb Be warned however that this is an establishment where departing from the fixed menu and wandering around the carte is putting your credit card at risk. The bill stopped just short of €300 (no aperitif, one bottle of wine, no digestifs - ouff!). I'll go back but next time sticking to the €38 menu.

Since Alsace seems to be featuring here, I will throw in my own reliable hotel choice for Strasbourg - take a look at the Hotel Du Chateau d'Andlau which is in Barr, about 20 minutes from the centre of Strasbourg. The times when the European Parliament sits in Strasbourg can be difficult for accomodation and way back in the early 90s I ended up in Barr because it was the nearest place with rooms. Its been my first choice for Strasbourg hotels since then and, unlike most of the places I stay in for work-related trips, its also a good week-end destination. The rates are reasonable and the rooms are warm and comfortable. This year, the Parliament is in Strasbourg from 10 to 13 December so reservations (hotel and restaurant) are essential on those dates. Alsace, and Strasbourg in particular, have the best Christmas markets outside Germany and the unique Franco/Alemannic mixture comes into its own in the coming weeks.

Re Gusto, the wine bar is a useful place to while away a few hours, listening to some undemanding live jazz and above all broadening the horizon of knowledge by drinking some unfamiliar Italian wines which are invariably well chosen. Sunday brunch is not bad - but nobody would really rate a brunch as a test of a serious kitchen. Slightly off the main topic but still on Gusto, the kitchen utensil shop (open on Sunday) is well stocked and has damaged my credit card more than once - but I always have the impression that things are much cheaper elsewhere and there is a stiff premium for the hassle-free convenience of having a kitchen shop linked to a wine bar. (Here Gusto is probably operates a good example of what the Germans call Trottelsteuer, a tax on the indolent.)

. The general perception here on the mainland, backed up by a few Thermomix users around me, is that these things last forever and never go wrong - for this reason, they are generally considered a good second hand buy and the usual advice from users to anyone considering buying is to look on eBay.

Probably just a footnote on this discussion but it's worthwhile drawing attention to Jack O'Shea, the butcher HB worked with on this week's BBC2 programme. He is a dedicated professional craftsman who has had one of the best high-end butchers in Brussels for some years (3 rue Le Titien, near Schumann), putting enormous effort into sourcing prime dry aged beef, organic pork, lamb from salt marshes, seaweed fed organic chickens, etc. About 18 month ago, he opened a second shop in London at 11 Montpelier Street (near Harrods) carrying essentially the same stock. That Blumenthal works with him is sufficient confirmation of his seriousness - but he is also a charming and creative guy who has worked hard for his success.

I think John's Sarah Weiner also has a career as an Austrian singer - or maybe she is a third one. She is on Arte again tonight (À l'école des crustacés!) so perhaps things will become clearer - does she have an Austrian accent in French?

Any ideas on somewhere in Paris to take a group of 15 or so people for an informal lunch on Sunday 30 September? It's a mixed group of adults and teenagers (who will probably be looking for steak frites) on their way to a 5.00 pm rugby World Cup kick-off in Parc des Princes. The main constraint is that the cost should be around €25 and they should take reservations but also have some athmosphere. Ideal location would be anywhere between Trocadero and Porte d'Auteil but this is fairly flexible. Perhaps somewhere like le Congres Auteuil or indeed, any one of the classic Parisian brasseries, would seem to be the obvious answer if there is some discipline about what is ordered. Has anybody any other good suggestions?

It's all really buttermilk. What is sold as lait battu in Belgium (also called karnemelk in Flemish) is essentially the same as the lait ribot you find in France - this has it origins in the waste product left over after making butter from milk. The commercial product is probably homogenized as raw butter milk easily separates and looks less attractive. The Dutch seem to consume a lot of karnemelk - a "working lunch" even in the board room of a large Dutch multinational consists of sandwiches and pitchers of karnemelk with perhaps a few cans of coke for the foreigners if you are lucky. It seems to be a taste acquired in childhood!

Thanks for posting this - this part of France is producing some great wines but the list of really good local restaurants is short (details elsewhere on this site). Even though Magalas has a slight "middle of nowhere" air, O Bontemps looks like a real find. Website is still under construction so its a bit hard to work out the essential details (opening times, directions etc), especially as no phone number is given - but your enthusiastic comments encourage me to keep trying.

You did not mention anything about prices but you could try the Cour des Loges if your pocket is sufficiently deep. I'm afraid I really got no further than the door as it cost more than I wanted to pay - but thought "perhaps some other time". This hotel is like a luxurious Venetian palace in the heart of Vieux Lyon - so plenty of good spots to eat and drink in the neighbourhood and somewhere soothing to recover afterwards. Maybe the place crops up a bit too frequently in anglophone travel and style magazines but it is quite stunning.

L'ere celeste gets favourable mentions on resto.be but recently this site has lost its objectivity - I think they systematically delete negative reviews to keep their advertisers happy. Sensum.be is also a commercial site but seems to be a bit more selective. They have a few recommendations in the general area of Namur although nothing in the town. La Bergerie in Lieves-sur-Meuse has a good and long established reputation and is not far from Namur (10 or 15 minutes by car - Belgium is compact) - it has (or had) a Michelin star and, for what its worth, is supposed to be a favourite of the royal family. This dubious endorsement notwithstanding, it has some serious following and may be worth trying and has been on my list of "serious addresses" for a while. If you want somewhere particularly good and don't mind paying a little more than average, then this may be it.

Pity that Les Tourelles seems to have seriously lost its direction, as least as far as the kitchen is concerned. It had been recommended by the people who run Auberge du Cedre, one of our long time favourite destinations for a break and also an established eGullet favourite in the Languedoc. Les Tourelles seemed to operate on a similar business model except, and this may be a big factor, the owners are not sur place but operate as a group of hands-off investors. Perhaps it is One great benefit about eGullet however is that when negative feed back knocks somewhere off your list, there are always several other well-informed and reliable endorsements to fill up the gap. Margaret and John are always dependable here - now has anybody got a steer on a nice auberge in the flat lands between Paris and Brussels?

Abra - since this seems to be an all-time lousy summer in northern France, the only advice I can give is to go as far south as possible which would seem to say Uzes. However I've just heard on the radio that several of the events at the Aix festival (en Provence rather than la Chapelle) have been rained out.

John, Les Tourelles itself is a magic place, slightly out of time but with a strong sense of its own style. When we spent a few days there last summer with the kids, we ate very well in the hotel's own restaurant. It's main stream French bourgeois cooking drawing firmly on local ingredients - nothing at all wrong with that. There's a fine terrace (with a damn good day-time menu) where you can simply sit with a glass of wine and a book and watch the amazing tides of the baie de Somme - if things get a bit windy, you'll find plenty of comfortable nooks and crannies to retreat to. As for the other restaurants in the immediate area, I can't say much but you should be sure to buy a few bags of local sea spinach and salicornes from the salt marshes - perhaps even some of the local agneau de pré salé from the butcher in St Valery if you travel by car. Further afield, Le Cheval Noir on the route national 925 at Petit-Miannay, just to the west of Abbeville, has proven to be a reliable lunch spot en route. It's run by a French/North African couple and is very popular with locals - even in summer usually we are the only "foreigners" there. Best therefore to book (03.22.24.20.17). It is good and unpretentious - the kind of place you hope to stumble across in rural France. I had always meant to give the place a recommendation on eGullet but probably felt it was a bit off the beaten path. Hope this is now useful to Margaret.

Le Fourneau is on the Place St Catherine - the former fish market, today a hive of mainly unexceptional restuarants which make a living generally from passing tourists and out-of-towners. Le Fourneau seems a bit different More details here. - the menu changes daily but can include: Le veau du Limousin, son jus stressé tout simplement, Raviole de homard, coulis decrustacés à l’estragon, Asperges de Perthuis à l'échalotte et parmesan, L'Obus de crabe royal à la braise, Prices are reasonable ( under €10 per plate) but this is achieved through small almost tapas style portions - the place seems very popular and word of mouth reports having it living up to its ambitions. One local blog report describes it as tapas meets sushi with the option of picking the size of your portion. All of this however is being written without having been there yet - it's been on my list for a while now and I'll report back when I actually make it. By way, Sensum.be looks like a very good site, aprticularly since resto.be has gone to the dogs.