Roger McShane

Two other points. First, it is considered rude to point to someone using your chopsticks. As to chopsticks and Thailand, there ar emany restaurants where chopsticks are used but these are usually Chinese restaurants. Most Thais use a spoon and fork to eat their food. However we have to do a reversal here. Whereas it is common in the US to eat everything with a fork, in Thailand it is considered impolite to eat with a fork. The fork is only used to push the food onto the spoon. As an aside, another interesting point of etiquette in Thailand is that once a dish has been placed on the table it is considered impolite to move it. Instead you reach over to the plate to serve yourself.

Well, so far on my search i think that the best i have tried is in suburban Melbourne in Hawthorn. It is at the Penang Coffee House. This laksa is a deep brown colour, coconut milk based but not cloyingly sweet like some and made in front of your eyes. Very, very good. I will keep looking and following up the suggestions that have been posted.

I agree with Steve's comments about Kincaid. We had a perfectly pleasant dinner there. We have also had perfectly pleasant dinners at hundreds of other restaurants in the US, but you could never say that Kincaids was a leading seafood establishment - it's just a good seafood establishment. GW Fins in New Orleans would beat it hands down. I was interested that someone raised a question about Rupperts. I would also like to know if it is still around as we had one of the best meals we have ever had in the United States a couple of years ago. We were very impressed with the standard of cooking and the care and attention that went into the preparation of the food. Just a note of nostalgia - we loved the Red Sea in 1980. Some of the best Ethiopian food we have tried!

Why is 'our' ABC spending money on a TV show that seems to demean the whole cooking process??? Is James Reeson the worst TV chef ever? I mean...making a chocolate beetroot cake with a premade chocoloate cake mix and a tin of beetroot!!! Are there any redeeming features of this show? (I can't bear to watch it any more it makes me so angry).

We spent some eating time in Melbourne last week. We had heard about the closure of est est est (a restaurant we always found to be variable at best). The team has resurfaced in the Republic building in Queen Street but they have renamed the restaurant Ondine. Our meal was about the same as it has always been at est est est. A couple of interesting ideas, a couple of flawed dishes and absolutely nothing that leaps of the plate at you and says 'this is great food'. A tomato consomme had too many extra bits including some very tough clams. A duck, scallop and curly endive salad was good. Overcooked blue-eye was just boring. A rabbit dish was very similar to one we tried at Clichy in 1984 - gimmicky but with muted flavours. A grilled peach that accompanied a bavarois was 'grainy'. The head waiter was excellent. The day before we had been to Sud and had a first class meal. The next night we went to the wonderful Chez Phat where each dish was superior in flavour to those we had tried at Ondine and the prices were much, much lower. Tous, it seems that the Ondine chefs try to 'work' the food too hard and seem to be scared of allowing the flavours to speak for themselves. Does anyone have any Ondine experiences to relate?

To understand Peristyle you have to understand New Orleans dining. If you have been to Bayona then you have eaten some of the best food in New Orleans. Peristyle is problematic. We have been there on a number of occasions in 2001 and were impressed with a few dishes. But it isn't a cutting edge restaurant any more. It's just a good restaurant that you might consider visiting after Bayona, Gerards, GW Fins and Victors (plus a few others).

Oh Simon!! Dear oh dear! Leaving the New Orleans choices to your brother could lead to a major family bifurcation! You must realise that New Orleans is a city frozen in the 1930s. I would beg you to go to Galatoire's to experience dining from a different era. You just cannot get appetizers or main courses (entrees) such as pompano with butter sauce like this anywhere else in the world. All the restaurants doing this in France, London and Mumbai have closed down. There are 'brilliant' new restaurants such as Lilette but these would only rate in the second eleven in other cities. Please let us all know what you find. Those of us who go there often would love to know where we can eat.

Niall Never heard of any of them, but will seek them out on my next visit to Melbourne and Sydney. Thanks Yes, the Assam laksa is quite different isn't it!

Yvonne Yes, Tasmania is quite large (of a similar size to Ireland). Unlike Ireland, however, the landscape changes dramatically as you move around the island. The West coast is very rugged and has some of the most beautiful rainforest in the world. You can experience this by catching a ferry up the breathtaking Gordon River from the small fishing village of Strahan. Where crayfish (lobster) and abalone are brought to shore. Below Strahan right to the southern tip of the island there is a massive reserved section measuring about 70 miles by 80 miles where there are only walking tracks - no roads and no buildings! This is pure wilderness. On the east coast the climate is much more temperate and there are lots of sandy beaches. Around the south-east coast there are lots of fish farms where Atlantic salmon, oysters and mussels are farmed. There are only about 450,000 of us sharing this tranquil place!

Yvonne I visited K-Paul's this year and was very disappointed. It seemed 'tired', as if they were just working to a formula for the tourists who line up outside. I ate at his restaurant when he temporarily relocated to New York in 1985 and the food was fresh and vibrant and interesting. The food I ate this year was lazy, lacked flavour and was terribly uninteresting.

It is so good to see the wonderful Ardbeg getting the praise it deserves! This is truly an amazing drink. But everyone is quite right to exercise caution in recommending Scotch to others. While I thoroughly enjoy the 'big' malts such as Laphroaig, Lagavulin and Talisker (from Skye) they are not right for all occasions or for all palates. Someone in this thread mentioned another classic, namely Highland Park which is more approachable but impeccably well made. There are just so many great single malts .... and so little time!

We are just working on the next edition of the book now but we will be putting some updates on our Web site over the next couple of weeks. New places to try include Stillwater in Launceston, Tonic in Sandy Bay and Sens Asian in North Hobart. There is also a pleasant coffee shop in North Hobart that has just opened called Cafe North. There is a good place for coffee in Burnie called Cafe Europa (don't go there for dinner the food is very ordinary). Try the deli in Launceston called Luscious. they have some excellent 'take-home' food. Drop in and see us while you are in Tasmania. Our office is in Salamanca Square.

I suppose these lists reflect the views of people about what they consider important in the dining experience. New Orleans, to me, is a problem city. Just to put it in perspective I have formed these opinions over the past year and I have just added up the number of times I have dined out in New Orleans and it comes to 70 different occasions this year. I was pleased to see that neither list contained an emeril's restaurant. My experiences there have been terrible. I agree with Gerards Downtown being in the list - it serves excellent fresh food expertly prepared. There may be some changes given that he has also taken over the former Artesia. Galatoires and Arnauds are real problems. Perhaps people should visit one of them in the same way that you go to a museum to get a feel for the past. But if you think you are going to get food of the quality of Gramercy Tavern or the Chez Panisse then forget it. The best Creole food that I have tried is at Commanders Palace. Mr B's is also good in a 'hearty' sort of way. For an upmarket dining experience Commanders or Vistors are my first choices. For bistro dining then Rio Mas serves very good, innovative food. The best seafood is clearly served at GW Fins. Much better and more expertly prepared than at the proliferation of crab shacks and oyster houses that serve generally second rate seafood. Bayona, August and Rene are serving good food with Creole touches. If you want to try good Italian then stop off in San Francisco on the way. I didn't like the food at Mothers and the shambolic surrounding are off putting. I also cannot understand why national magazines have written about Uglesichs. The food here is very ordinary. For good Japanese food try Horinoya in Poydras. It is more authentic than most. The sashimi is prepared with skill. The Vietnamese restaurant Pho Tau Bay gets close to the authentic flavour of Vietnamese pho. Well, there's a few comments!

Steve Adam is absolutely right about the treasures of Australia, namely the Rutherglen fortified dessert wines. In my experience there is just nothing in the world to match them. The wines produced from the old 'shed' at Chambers are just mind boggling. The entire region produces some of the most amazing muscats, tokays and frontingnacs (as well as some very old ports). My only problem is that for the last thirty years I have been buying these for the equivalent of about $US10 a bottle, but now that they have been 'discovered' I am going to have to move to other fields. At least our rielslings are still affordable and also world class - I wish I hadn't said that!!

Rosie, My experiences at the French Laundry have been very positive. The food is carefully prepared and intelligently constructed. I also like the underlying humour. I would rank it the equal of Tetsuyas in Sydney and only slightly behind Ducasse in Paris and Monte Carlo. (I haven't eaten at Ducasse in New York so can't comment.)

Mamster Thanks for the detailed response. I had to return to Australia earlier than I thought. However I did have a memorable chicken soup that had been simmered with Parmesan rinds in the traditional Italian manner at Cafe Juanita and a dull meal at Palace Kitchen. I am returning in a couple of weeks so I will try your recommendations then and will try to catch up for a meal where we can swap eating experiences in both Seattle and Bangkok!

I just happen to be in Seattle at present. I saw the Seattle magazine when I got off the plane so immediately booked into Rovers (which got the accolade as the best dining experience) for the next night. On the first night, I dined at Brasas. It was reasonable but ther ewere some severe shortcomings both with the service and the cooking. I ordered a whole tilapia which was cooked very well. It was served in an enclosed container and the juices had that awful 'winey' taste of wine that hasn't been evaporated properly. At Rovers the service was good without being at all engaging (they are doing you a favour by letting you dine there). As for the food, it was good without being exciting. There was no 'wow' factor. A dish of guinea fowl showed a complete lack of understanding of the relationship between the delicate (yes, delicate) flesh of the bird and the highly over-reduced sauce. So, I look forward to trying some of the other Seattle mag recommendations. As it is Sunday night I decided to drive up to the wonderful Whole Foods supermarket and buy some ingredients for a risotto which I am currently preparing in my apartment. Mamster. Where do you think I should eat??? (Edited by Roger McShane at 5:09 pm on Oct. 22, 2001) (Edited by Roger McShane at 5:10 pm on Oct. 22, 2001)

Jason You should be nominated for some sort of award for raising this topic! Can your chest stand any more medals? The overuse of bad balsamic is a pandemic which must be halted. Cheap balsamic is a truly awful product. We find it on menus everywhere. I would like to join with Jason to form the DABO society (Diners Against Balsamic Overuse)!

And seeing that I am currently sitting in a hotel in New Orleans (I have to earn a living!), I must give a plug to the local brew. Just north of Lake Ponchartrain is a little town called Abita Springs. They brew an amazing dark ale which they call Abita Turbo Dog! It is one of the best beers in the USA!

Beer is such a huge topic to comprehend. I am pleased that everyone seems to be zeroin gin on Belgian ales as the finest. There is no doubt that Belgium gets two things right - beer and chocolate! I am surprised, however that the venerable Chimay has not been mentioned!

Come on everyone!!!! Asian desserts are wonderful! Black sticky rice puddings beat the pants off souffles any day. It all gets back to what we have talked about on many other threads. It is what you are raised to enjoy. Asian desserts have complex flavour interactions and you need to spend some time to understand them. I have just tried a dessert on a street corner in Bangkok. It was one of the most complete flavour combinations I have ever experienced! A crisp pancake, cooked with almost religious devotion, rolled up like a taco and filled with sweet coconut cream and green mango. Absolutely delicious! This discussion reminds me of an argument I had recently with a 'Europhile' who maintained that German music was the highest expression of civilization. When I asked him about his appreciation of Indian Ragas, he dismissed them without even knowing what they were! I am going to make him listen to some - over and over again! We so often forget that India and China (and Africa) had (and have) incredibly advanced civilizations when France, Germany and England were still living in bogs! Now how did I transform a discussion on desserts into that diatribe?

We are so pleased that you enjoyed your experience in Melbourne, Danielle. The Flower Drum certainly is a very special restaurant and should be on everyone's visiting list for that city. I wouldn't worry about not having eaten kangaroo or crocodile - most Australians don't eat them either! A sad fact about Australian restaurants is that, in general, the further north you go the lower the quality!

I want to follow up on Robert's comment about Pre Catalan. We went there recently after a rave review by Patricia Wells. We wanted it to be good because the setting was wonderful and the day was perfect. Unfortunately the service was indolent and the food was totally unworthy of any stars under any system of ratings. It was just extremely disappointing. We put it down to an 'off' day - but maybe they have a few??

It certainly is a recent creation. But 'seafood vegetarians' should note that many of the recipes for XO sauce include ham as well.

I was given a plastic bag of pretzels on a flight from Dallas to LAX recently. The plastic was the most flavourful part of the deal. I counted forty 'ingredients' on the package. Apart from good old salt, none of them seemed to bear much relationship to food.