Charlene Leonard

We got married at Westminster Registry office, London and afterwards had a lunch for 30. I had a quail and lentil salad followed by swordfish, and I really can't remember more than that!. In the evening we had a buffet for about 90 and the star of the show was the wedding cake -100 mulitcoloured individual iced cakes. I ate half a stick of celery and despite drinking copious amounts of wine was as sober as a judge. Next day went to Whitstable and drunk Krug with fish and chips on the beach.

not at all, but if you have a close friend who is one it just makes life easier when eating out. On one hand I think "Sod it, can't spend my life worrrying about damn veggies when selecting restaurants" but it is a bit unbearable if all they can have is a goat's cheese starter and a salad.

were the beaks still attached? I'm going here on Sat for my birthday and there are 2 veggie's coming, I hope they can eat more than just eccles cakes.

how out of place does the 50g of Sevruga caviar @ £90 look??

"ferrets" "up north" - very good!

We could always try these, although not too sure if they all deliver in London. Organic Food Awards

snap, snap and snap! I use Abel and Cole and really do believe that they are one of the best; great variety and nearly always excellent quality. I have seen others who deliver stinking, rotten veg in a brown paper sack . However, like you we are just moving out of a flat with a porter so I've just had to cancel the Abel and Cole order as I don't fancy leaving my spuds out all day, hopefully Egullet can help...

Perfect boiled rice

thanks lxt for such a comprehensive review. The menu sounds almost exactly the same as when we went 2mths ago. Couldn't he be a little more seasonal? Otherwise I really can't see anyone wanting to go back and try the same food more than once.

very nice review Bapi. Yet another one to add to my very long list of places to go.

glad to see you get a good mention and Stein is completely brushed over!

Edera is a 10min walk towards Holland Park and is fab value at £16.50 for 2 courses, I thought is was fantastic. Egullet Edera reviews

Walnut is opposite Gourmet Burger Kitchen - overall the food is average to good but they do a bloody fantastic broccoli and stilton souffle served with a little pot of creme fraiche and chives. It has a very extensive range of veggie food and friendly service and for NW is not bad.

mercifully, the magnificent mermaid is still alive and kicking. it was the rather inferior blue dolphin that copped it. m I'm a complete idiot.

Best overall meal experience: Gramercy Tavern Worst meal: Sardo Best value: Edera Worst value: Rick Steins Seafood Restaurant Best ethnic: New Tayyab Best fish n' chips: High Street, Whitstable Best burger: GBK Best new opening: Bodeans Best starter: Broccoli soufflé @ Walnut, West Hampstead Best meat main – Beef cheek at GT Best desert – Chocolate delice @ Fat Duck Best cocktail – Light Bar, St Martins Lane Hotel Best service: Gramercy Tavern

cappers - GBK stands for Gourmet Burger Company which IMO are the best burgersin town. Here's a link to discussion we had a few months back Egullet Best Burgers

sorry chaps but Mermaid Inn has burnt down

Jasmine tea Black tea Marmite Salt and pepper Multi vitamins, Vitamin E and Cod Liver Oil Wild Berry Smint And at the moment - a small bottle of Evian which I'm using to water the plant on my desk!

what amazed me most was that he was so blatant about doing a review with notepad and pen for all to see - is this common practice among food critcs, surely a little more discretion is needed?

she was indeed, put lots of salt on her food.

Grandly presented with a lattice of crispy potato piled high on top? Mmmm, I wonder what wine goes best with pants. ok, ok so I'm no AA Gill but my challenge still holds! and does anyone know the name of the critic from my vivid description?

did you read his article with the man from M&S in The Observer yesterday? - in the first paragraph he mentioned that he was "only 36" - Sorry Jay!

I was going to say that it wasn't Jay but I was trying to be kind!! but I know I can always rely on you Simon.

Went here on Friday for dinner. The room is long and narrow, quite dark but with good sized and well spaced tables. OK, rant out of the way first. We were sat next to a food critic (can’t remember his name - tall, fat, floppy hair, 50 odd) who couldn’t wait to get his notepad out for everyone to see. Unsurprisingly, the waiter’s were around him like bees round a honey pot offering him the specials which they never offered to us - 3 youngish not smartly dressed, very un-Holland Park types - recommending wine which they never did to us etc. When they brought over the breads and some fabulous olive oil, I wanted to make note of the name of it so I got out a scrap of paper to write the name down. Cue – floppy haired critic eyeing me suspiciously and complete change in waiters treatment of us, hmmmm. Anyway, as circeplum said the menu is £16.50- £22.50 with some supplements for the more luxurious items. The breads were served the aforementioned fantastic olive oil called Col D’orica. I started with Stuffed Squid with parsley salad. The squid was tender and stuffed with pureed aubergine and olive and served with a well-dressed piquant parsley salad that was a perfect foil to the squid. Pig’s Head terrine with prawn was superb, the terrine was moist and succulent and really tasty, wasn’t too sure about serving with prawn but my husband said it went well together. We also tried the chicken carpaccio that I had reservations about – raw chicken anyone? - but it was also very good. For main I had roast loin of pork with apple strudel – bloody fantastic. The pork was the tenderest piece of pork I have ever eaten. It was grandly presented with a lattice of crispy potato piled high on top – Atkins hell but nevertheless delicious. It was also served with a little puddle of pureed potato, the apple strudel (which was more like stewed apple between two layers of filo pastry) and a little slice of black pudding - divine. Others had Rump and Shank of lamb with semolina gnocchi and John Dory with aubergine and tomato, both excellent. For puddings the men had Caramelised peaches with yoghurt and basil sauce – I found the basil a bit overpowering and Crunchy chocolate with pistachio ice cream – not as good as Fat Duck Delice of Chocolate but pretty damn fine. We had a very pleasant Pinot Grigio for £24. We didn’t order coffee but they still gave us some biscotti (more like shortbread) and some gorgeous chewy almond things. This place is the bargain of the century – if you can find a better-valued dinner in London I will eat my pants

good for you! the service you received sounds appalling.