fisherman

some nice knives on there, but the good stuff is very expensive, and i don't see anything in the same price range as the shun that i;d rather have... YET! i'll keep looking!

the cleaver and the santoku knives have to be my next purchases, i've always wanted to be a yakuza

the retail prices here (judging by the new nisbets catalogue) are prohibative, but they regularly pop up on ebay.com and even with shipping from the US are a (relative) bargain. I've never enjoyed chopping things up so much since i bought mine! i have a large traditional style chefs knive and a 4" paring knife, and i think i paid the equivalent of £70 for both

It's not that I've had problems with my Globals PS, i still use them for some things, but when i bought a couple of Shun knives from Japan, it was a revelation, they keep a fine edge much longer than Globals. If anyone wants to keep their knives (whatever brand) in tippermost toppermost condition, it's hard to beat the Spyderco 204 Tri-Angle Sharpmaker, a fantastic bit of kit

alternatively, you could go and find a knife that actually holds it's edge!

yeah, use a sheet of that bacowotsit and ignore the smoke

the indestructible thing is a valid point, our curretn aga is 40 years old! one thing an aga will never be beaten on is naan breads, the hot plate is the closest you'll get to the inside of a tandoor without owning a tandoor!

i've lived with an aga for two and a half years and i think i've nearly mastered it, it's in equal parts frustrating and satisfying. we're moving soon to a place with a giant modern range type cooker already in and i can't wait! it's going to be like being born again!

piccolinos was the best italian meal i've eaten since i was last in lucca. great food, great service (they responded to some strange and some would say awkward requests from my colleagues promptly and with good humour, then halfway through the meal when our table for 4 suddenly became a table for 6 they didn't bat an eyelid. foodwise, highlights were the chicken liver starter and the honey and pine nut ice cream. though everything was pretty damn good. and yes thom, they did seat us in the upper area, though i didn't have to resort to using your name

kids in restaurants are fine if they're well behaved, but if they start acting up in any way, i feel i should be able to dispatch them with a quick flick of a steak knife, i mean, what court in the land would convict me?

just called and they're going to 'do their best' probably means we'll be downstairs then!

going tonight thom, if i mention your name will that help me get a decent table? we'll be arriving in manchester quite late, so i think piccolo will be the only place we get to. got a very busy weekend coming up

booked piccolino, will report back......

anyone been to stock lately? out in manchester tomorrow night and a friend suggested going there, but after having read this thread again, i fancy Piccolino.

do you do that crazy laugh she used to do as well?

very good review, not a writer i usually read (don't take the torygraph) but i have to ask andy, why do we 'have to feel' for the proprietors, they clearly can't be bothered to do things properly anymore, surely service like that can't have been going on since the place opened? seems they need a kick up the arse, maybe they just had it.

go on, tell us who was the guilty party!

and there's me thinking he does it all for free, you mean he gets paid for his work? shocking news, i'm appalled. i'n really enjoying the series, one of the better food programs around

i'd go for grilled anyday

i'll second the elephant in torquay, had a fantastic lunch there a few months ago, will be a priority to return there next time i'm in the area

thankfully jay leaves to puns to idiots like VLS and whoever it was who did the guardian review this week, that's why jay is good to read........ ping pong didn't come out of that review very well though did it, i certainly won't be going

slithers of black truffle sounds rather gross, i'd much rather find a sliver on my plate

well, i've just watched the iceland show, and i have to say, i enjoyed it a lot more than the french one, not sure why, maybe i'm getting used to the format, maybe the show is bedding in a bid, whichever, it's getting closer to what i dreamed it would be!. well done tony, i can't wait to see you in jersey now

in other words, change the format, it's not working so they're going to have to do something.

come on richard, tell us what you think, both about our comments and full on food itself....... are you happy with the way it works? are the production team happy?