alexhills

Godfrey's in Highbury Organic/Free range meat, I especially like their beef. Unbelivable sausages (especially the Tolouse). Not cheap but not outrageous either. The one next to Steve Hatt in Islington is good too, although I can't remember its name.... I've found their beef a little over-aged once or twice but it is a proper old school butcher with high quality stuff.

Adam - that is a really really lovely looking plate of food. Would that I had some wild boar gammon lying around...

It moves in dark and mysterious ways.....

I love reverse psychology.... Let's hope it works!

All you modernists.... A crayfish sauce with a little brandy and cream is still one of life's great pleasures. Escoffier bound or not.. I made a langoustine + sauce dish with some samphire a couple of months ago that worked rather well I thought, dunno about the feasability or desirability of samphire foam though. I had a stupendous fennel foam with shellfish at Troisgros recently too, that might be a goer.

One should also note the taste tests were carried out on GRATED parmesan.... The stuff that has been grated x-weeks ago and has no taste anyway. Bleh... I'm forgiving about some things, but not kraft pre-grated parmesan. Woodshavings would be no worse.

Yes, thank you for the correction. I should have known better. ← trust me - outside menus my French is NOT so hot.... If only the school french curriculum had stuck to exotic food items!!

yep - rouget is red mullet. had a particularly juicy piece of it at troisgros, yum... bream is dorade btw

Bux - I agree totally with you both about the impact of French chefs on the US and, of course, about the worthwhile-ness of eating in France. For me the difference in the two food cultures though, was more obvious in a meal I had at Villaret and wrote up in docsconz's trip thread and in the markets than in the meal at Troisgros. The level of cooking at a relatively unflashy place, and also the kind of menu - veal tounge, pigs trotter - seem something that isn't matched in America or the UK. The point about people being keen to eat tounge or foot relates to the key to me - the French are much more connected to the means of producing food, and the importance of every last bit of plant or beast, than is the case in America - let alone here in England where most kids would struggle to identify a carrot in its natural state. I once heard a waiter at a superb American restaurant trying to explain what pig's trotter was to some diners without using the word foot... I suspect not a problem in France.

I had dinner here last Thursday, and a wonderful evening it was. The place and people are as hospitable and welcoming as one could have possibly hoped and the food was superb. Me and my companion both took the full summer tasting menu. Starting off in the lovely, slightly Japanese styled garden we were brought 3 canapes on spoons, a piece of cauliflower with Comte in a little vinegar, a chunk of lobster wrapped in unbelivably thin slices of apple and some artichoke heart with kumquat. The vinegar/citrus combinations ran throughout the entire meal and this was a perfect introduction to them. We also got a first encounter with the place's real star, Yuzu - not the citrus but a 2 month old kitten who clearly rules the restaurant and provides much theatre by making the waiters remove her from the dining room about once every fifteen minutes. She will climb on tables once they have been cleared but didn't see her commit any major breaches of dining room ettiquette... One woman in the room had 2!!!!! lap dogs with her for the entire meal and my friend and I we rather hoping the cat would cause an indiscretion but no such luck. Hilarious and indicative of the extremely unstarchy and fun atmosphere in general. The meal proper began with a cold pea soup laced with orange peel and chewy dried corn that had somehow also been flavored with orange. A very fresh, simple but subtle dish. Next, 2 raw sardines, one filled with basil and one with tapenade, with some pickled shallots and white truffle. The truffle was pretty superfluous alas, not really pungent at all, as nice as they are to have around this wasn't much more than pretty looking garnish. I don't understand why restaurants this good bother with them out of season, its not like they have to prove something by having it on their menu. A wonderful dish otherwise though, and the quality of the fish was outstanding. Next up a foam of fennel with mussles, clam, smoked salmon and tiny shrimp. Light and effervescent, would perhaps have liked a bit more fennel taste to come out in the foam, which was dominated by the cream and egg white, but light and luxurious at the same time. Next, a fillet of mullet covered in a dense dense sauce from the juice of the bones (jus d'arette - I didn't fully get the waiter's explanation). According to the menu also with cocoa, but there seeemed to be a good bit of saffron in there to me. Basically a boulliabesse broth reduced to the nth. Fantastic, vibrant saucing and another perfect piece of fish. Accompanied by a few butter beans and a strip of red roast pepper. Next up the only somewhat disappointing dish of the meal, a half small lobster each, grilled, with the tail in the shell and the claw meat on the side. Seasoned with ginger and chilli oil, fine but ultimately a rather dull plate. The tail was a bit tough, although the claw meat was superb. The seasoning seemed somehow too monolithic, especially in a dish with so few flavor components. My friend is chinese and she felt it was basically a version of haute chinese lobster with everything except the lobster left out... The sole meat course was a wonderful piece of veal, I think cooked in some mixture of poaching and roasting, with a citrus/vinegar based accompaniment, including various cut up pieces of lemon and orange and shallots. A rich, creamy, but still clear aubergine puree on the side. The sheer quality of the meat was the real winner in the dish though. Cheese was good although many of the choices were milder than I hoped. I chose a few of my favourites, of which the Roquefort and Epoisse were by far the standouts, my friend asked for whatever was left after I picked that was strongest and got a rather bland plate, maybe the waiter assumed that we weren't up to the challenge, which was a BIG mistake... More likely they just tend towards a slightly conservative selection, both in terms of maturity and style. Enjoyable cheese but I was hoping to be blown away and wasn't - we'd had better St. Marcellin in a simple place in Lyon 2 nights earlier. The desserts were excellent, a fig poached in vinegar with licquorice ice cream followed by a 'summer pudding' that took all the classic summer berries and put them on a fruit syrup soaked strip of bread. That came with a very pungent mint ice cream and a spoonful of incredibly powerful strawberry liquor. I drank a glass of excellent Mersault with the fish dishes, we had a half of 99 Faiveley Nuit St.George 1er cru the somellier was especially keen on with the meat that was very correct and drank well but lacked a bit of edge and complexity to me. An excellent Armangac from the cheaper end of a simply unbelivable list back into the 30s after the meal. The setting and the service are superbly classy without pretention, I especially like how the asian influences in the food are paralled in the decor, also got to see the gigantic kitchen, which looked unbelivably calm and well organized, with massive ranges that people can work on all sides of and smelt like heaven. Michel Troisgros works the room with a lot of charm and enthusiasm, coming across as a really nice guy, and little Yuzu owns the show... Overall I did feel the constant use of citrus/vinegar combinations was a bit unvaried, and I could have done with a richer, more classical dish somewhere along the way. Perhaps the use of luxury ingredients was a little misplaced too, I would have taken a little caviar over the bland white truffle any day. There were also quite bizarrely few vegetables in the entire meal, which is perhaps a result of an approach that is focused entirely on a main ingredient and enhancing seasoning/saucing/garnish rather than more varied plates. I loved the lightness and clarity of everything though, I really felt I tased every component of every dish without things ever getting crowded or busy. It was the first time either of us have eaten in a French 3 star, and I would have been quite happy before the meal to let it totally overshadow my best American meals, which I have to say it didn't. Absolutely wonderful food, and the setting, sense of occasion and service were certainly at a level I haven't encountered before, but I can't say the meal redefined my sense of good food. Perhaps that's an unrealistic expectation to have, but having read so many debates about the relative merits of French haute cusine vs. the rest of the world I was interested to see where I'd stand. More research needed is the verdict, once the bank have forgiven me for this bit of study...

I had a lunch at Villaret this Tuesday, at the end of a very nice week all over France which also included a meal at Troisgros I'll post about shortly. I think it really is a very good restaurant and the lunch prix-fixe a utter steal. Also had a cold shellfish soup for the amuse, perfectly concentrated but still light. I had the seiche (cuttlefish rather than squid I think) salad and my friend a veal tounge salad as entrees. Both lovely, traditional bistro ingredients in clean, modern, interpretations. I had a wonderful gallette of pieds aux porc with ceps, the cake crisp on the outside and full of rich, gelatinous trotter flesh on the in... Lovely, and sitting on a big mound of excellent mushrooms. The mushroom components of the meal were strong in general, my friend's tuna, as exccedingly bleu as she'd asked for, was with some great trompettes d'mort. cheese to follow was fine, excellent condition if not extremely exciting, and I love that they leave the little cabinet for you to choose and cut your own. Next time I'm in Paris I'll try the tasting menu in the evening. The Troisgros meal was fantastic, but in a way this seems to me more a reflection of what I want from French restaurant food.

Following an excellent time with a grouse at St.John last year I've been wondering where might be a good place to try this season, although I've heard that its been a very scarce one so far. I've got a friend from America visiting next week and thought it would be a good English food experience for her. Has anyone had one so far this year? I guess they are only just beginning to be mature now, although the one I had on the 19th last year was quite ready. More generally, on the topic of quintessential English eating, has anyone tried Rules recently? Never been but sounds like it might fit the bill... Thanks!

I've tended to avoid the food at the Fort. I probably had my about 3rd ever pint there as a 15 year-old so it has a soft spot in my heart.. To give you an idea of the general atmosphere, ordering a mix of Abbot and St.Edmunds Ale - a combination favored by East Anglian teenagers who have no desire to be able to stand - the barman replied 'yep, one brain damage' (its colloquialism)... and I really did look 15 too... Actually a very attractive building and a nice place to sit out when it isn't overrun by current versions of my past self....

I had a really nice lunch at Villaret last month. 25 euro prix fixe, had a langoustine bisque and a poulet fermiere with Girolles, fun rasberry soup for dessert. Incredibly good value I thought. Modern, light, clean food. Not earth shattering but extremely enjoyable.

I was imagining your scores in the current American academic grading context - 100-90 an A etc.... In that same environment, an F is an achievement in itself!! The scholastic equivalent of putting a plate of rancid mashed potato down would secure a B+ at some of he fine institutions I've encountered!! There is something deeply entertaining about reading accounts of really really terrible meals, just very glad I'm not the one paying for it.

I went to Tobia - 2 Lithos Rd, in an ethiopian community center off Finchley Rd - last night, overall definitely the best Ethiopian I've had in London. Lamb stew (I think Yebeg Watt is the proper name) and Gored Gored again, this time rare verging on raw, which is the way it should be. I also found the seasonings more differentiated than at any of the other London places I've been to. Relaxed and very friendly service, as has been the way at every Ethiopian restaurant I've ever been to... I had a nice meal at Zigni a couple of weeks ago but I'd put Tobia a way ahead of it or the Caledonian Rd and Kentish town places.

There was a TV show earlier in the year - Dragon's Den - where various largely clueless wannabe entreprenuers pitched ideas to rich and rather snarky investors. One of the few that did get any money was someone who had apparently found a foolproof way to cultivate truffles in the lab for his Phd. He was asking for money to buy land in Perigord to use these seeded or whatever it was trees in. he said something about the kind of bedrock there being the best... Apparently it will take a good 7-8 years before they get any yield. I've eaten cultivated US truffles from Oregon, good but not like the best French ones.

Bistro Elan is a pretty good upscale French/California restaurant on California Ave. Can't say I was stunned by the food, but its certainly decent. There's also a place called Zibbibo I ol;y had tapas at but left me pretty dead. I think it might be a Spago spin-off, but I'm far from sure abotu that. I lived in P.A. for 4 years and was never that impressed with the eating there. Too many expense account places that don't take care of the food. Los Gatos is about 30-40 mins drive south and Manresa is definitely more than worth it. I don't think there's anything comparable in the south bay at all, although good things have been said about 451 Ellsworth in San Mateo (that's not much less of a drive in the other direction.)

The Draper's Arms is good gastropub food, I've had 2 nice meals there. Not unusual things but always well cooked. Despite its Conran-ness I've had rather good experiences with the Almeida too, bistro French, especially liked the Charcutrie trolley. Mains maybe a little bland, the set menu is excellent value (18 for 3 courses I think). If Morgan M isn't to be, I'd guess those are the 2 best very nearby options. There are also the 2 semi-deli Italians, Ottolenghi and the Carluccio's, and Lola's further down upper st. of course. That said none of these really count as seriously interesting I fear, although I haven't been to Lola's and they might be a bit more unusual.

Andy - I think you (or Shaun Hill) are certainly right that 'globalization' or whatever you want to call it has changed the sense of what's seasonal, but there are still some things which seem innately tied to the time of year to me. The preserved and/or summer truffles I've had are simply vastly inferior to the ones from the right time and place as it were, likewise I wouldn't want to eat skate in the summer, it just goes off too fast. With degusto on dried vs fresh morels too. Game seems quintessentially Autumn/Winter food to me. Also I do prefer to eat differently depending on the season, and its nice for menus to reflect that. A related issue is of course the 'terroir' one, which has been hashed out abouve and I'll largely leave. I think its unreasonable to expect English haute restaurants to produce food reflective of hyper-regional specialities as much as French ones do, of course- we don't have the tradition to make that possible. That said, California has developed local specializations incredibly quickly, and very seasonal ones at that.

Having not eaten at either the Fat Duck or the other restaurant I'm about to mention somewhat critically I'm very loath to say too much here, but I can't totally restrain myself. I'm not at all bothered by unchanging signature dishes, but the lack of seasonality that's been talked about does concern me a lot more. When I was in last weekend Cambridge I walked past Midsummer House and the menu was EXACTLY the same as it had been the last time I'd done so, at Xmas. In the restaurants I've eaten in at equivalent levels in the US this would be pretty much unthinkable, even if you have a core of staples that are on the menu year round, some dishes would always reflect the time of year. It seems a shame not to do this, not least as one does miss out on the chance to make the most of certain kinds of produce. Is this year-round menu a particularly English phenomena in high-end eating perhaps?

Big Mouth on 24th and Valencia was a fave when I was living there. GOOD meat...

I think it was probably Marathon I went to. The Kitfo - very rare minced beef - was very good, as was the Gored Gored (another beef dish, with cubes of sauteed meat). I think we had a very nice spinach dish and something aubergine based as well. In the US I've had Kitfo basically raw, a heavily seasoned steak tartare effectively, but so far all the places I've been to in London cook it more. It's an excellent dish though, and makes a lovely contrast to the more stew like things. I'm rather ridiculously writing a piece of music that's based on the idea of Injera at the moment, so I've been thinking about this kind of food quite a lot.....

Aaaaargh, I can't remember the name of the Ethiopian I went to on the Caledonian Rd. a few weeks. Very large inside and really lovely food. I absolutely adore ethiopian I have to admit. There are a couple of others in Kentish town, one large 2 level one I haven't been to and a small one I also can't remember the name or exact location of that was excellent. Noty being musch use here. The Guardian Guide also adoring wrote up this place last week - Tobia, 1st flr 2a Lithos Rd. NW3... Need to try more of them here and will report back when I do, with actual names and locations...

the Rhodes tough-guy thing really just reminded me of The Weakest Link, so put-on... and the Novelli stereotyping just as blatant. I can see how it could become addictive thoug....