Dan Ryan

There are genuine flavoured grappas (infusions, like flavoured vodkas) as well as grappa-based liqueurs like mirto. They are very popular in Slovenia and Friuli, and I think in the Veneto too. Dalmatia's travarica is another example. In the coastal area of Slovenia and some parts of Friuli they will bring a bottle of rutica (rue grappa) to your table as a digestif. You help yourself. A lot. For free. For some reason I seem to take my time leaving the restaurant... Another favourite of mine is lustrek (lovage grappa; sedano selvatico in Italian). A gorgeous digestif. Anybody else tried these?

You can't get Zubrovka in the States? Now that is poor. Zubrovka and apple juice (real): superb. And I'm going to do something brilliant with Zubrovka and quince cheese one day...

You should make time for a trip to one of the sherry bodegas. They are amazing inisde and out. And drink sherry.

Pedro Ximenez sherries or montillas are great with chocolate. And vanilla. And skin.

A truly magnificent summer drink that beats the shit out of the trendy mojito (which is nevertheless decent enough). I've always made it by muddling the mint leaves in the glass with sugar syrup. Made it with peppermint once, with reduced quantities to account for the extra strength. Beautiful.

So what about those 50 Unjustly Overlooked Restaurants then? Anybody care to start? (not me, obviously...)

Was it really time off, of was he working outside the UK? And is he going to be in London or outside?

Fantastic course. I understand you planted your own quince tree. Superb idea, I can't believe you think you might have too many. What about making some booze infusions? In the Balkans they use quince to make a delicious schnapps, but as home distilling is frowned on (ok, illegal) in the UK, perhaps baking and infusing is the way to go. I make quince cheese myself, and have started experimenting with it as a cocktail ingredient. Zubrowka bison grass vodka seems the obvious partner.

Jack, do you mean The Curious Cook? How is it? I've got On Food and Cooking, which is good, but I prefer Barham's as he gives more practical applications. Are you planning to do any material on the confit-style cooking of fish steaks, using flavoured oils heated to 40-whatever degrees? As for the formulae, absolutely, don't hold back.

In the east of Slovejnia (Stajerska, which is Styria in Slovene) this oil is seen as a firm element of regional identity, and to dress your salad with olive or sunflower as they do in the west is a heinous crime. The seeds are delicious roasted btw. The pumpkins are often fed to pigs, but many are left to rot. They are not worth eating, but there are other varieties in central Europe. You should find some decent squash.

Jack, I take it you're familiar with Peter Barham's The Science of Cooking (great book btw). He suggests using a blowtorch to cook whole fish as it browns the outside very quickly. Really enjoying the course so far. More to come?

Surely Andy's your man here

Seems my regular consumption of bloody marys, bullshots and bloody bulls (tequila, tomato juice, beef stock, spices) had slipped my mind. There's a lot of useful stuff on umami out there on the web (for those who aren't familiar, fermented soy, seaweed, parmesan, dashi, mushrooms, peas and tomatoes all have umami character), but I didn't know about grapefruits, which are one of my favourite cocktail ingredients. E.g. the mainbrace (gin, triple sec, grapefruit juice in equal measures, a lovely pale pink colour if you use ruby grapefruit). I'm still interested in the tamari martini though.

First posting on this section, but not last. Just a quick query asking if anybody has tried incorporating the fifth taste umami into their recipes. We're all familiar with sweet, sour, salt and bitter, and indeed it's vital to be aware of thse factors when balancing drinks, but I'd be interested to know if anyone has got further than my recent experiment of a couple of drops of tamari (japanese soy product) in a martini. There's potential there, for sure.

No, I'd thought about it, having mentioned it to a friend when he was over in London a few months ago, but I think St John will beckon me the next time. Is it still going strong?

Thanks. I don't even live in the UK at the moment, but always stay with friends in Islington (Newington Green actually) when I'm in town. She-friend works over the road from Moro, so we had dinner there last time I was over in March. Great atmosphere and decent sherries, although I had just come from Jerez...

Been lurking for long enough now, time to get posting. Thought I'd start by dragging this thread to the top. I've eaten in Lola's a couple of times recently and been impressed on both occasions. I never tried it under Hywel Jones, but there's some good stuff there now, including the fixed price lunches. The maitre d' is a top man, as are most of the front of house. Standout dishes for me were the ravioli of teal and a quince lasagne. Winelist includes a very reasonably priced Viognier, Flagstone South African red and several good stickies, although the special mention must go to the flight of sherries. Seven different glasses for 9.75: the best bargain in London? Tell me there are other sherry fans out there...