Jump to content

Simon Farrow

participating member
  • Posts

    21
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Posts posted by Simon Farrow

  1. Just a bit of goss fo you. The Punchbowl at Crosthwaite/Drunken Duck people have bought The Plough at Lupton, just off J36 M6 heading towards Kirkby Londale. It has been shut for the last few months, hasnt really done anything in the last few years. Its a good site as its only about 3 mins off the m6. Nice bit of competition for the highwayman.

    Thats good news such a prominent pub lying empty for so long was a sad sight.

  2. We've been living in Harrogate for a month now and I still haven't found anywhere decent in the centre to eat, anybody got any ideas for lunch tomorrow? I'm aware of all the places nearby, but need somewhere in the centre. I know it's short notice, but someone save us from Loch Fyne please!

    I presume you have tried the Hotel Du Vin et Bistro. We have had a couple of Sunday lunches there which have been pleasant enough if not exactly setting the world on fire. Why does everybody seem to insist on offering roast beef on a Sunday?

  3. >>Is Sous Le Nez any good any more?

    I dont know when you were last there but I had a very pleasant lunch about a month ago, pigeon breast starter and a well executed belly pork main. I know this is not a place that has garnered much praise on egullet and its not a "fine dining" experience but nevertheless IMHO, it is still a good, relatively reliable, spot with an unpretentious approach and an extensive wine list.

    Another place that I have found to be reliable is 4th floor Harvey Nicks. A changing, varied and imaginitive menu and probably the best value purchase in the building! As long as you can cope with the hordes of "ladies who lunch" with their designer sunglasses perched on their heads. Again this is not Anthony's or No3 but in the main I think its still good cooking with clear flavours and the nowadays obligatory nod to using local produce.

  4. Food lovers in Britain have an endless problem. There are a relatively small number of people who want to make good food and a large number who regard food as entertainment. Any place that's good enough to attract the food lovers will ultimately attract the rest, who tend to take over by their sheer numbers plus the depth of their purses.

    It's much the same thing that has always happened to artist colonies. First, they attract the artists because they are both picturesque and cheap; then the avant-garde tourists discover them and start hanging around for the ambiance; then rich transients start buying up the property; and finally only the rich can afford to remain. It's the story of Le Baux de Provence, St Paul de Vence, Carmel in California, Provincetown on Cape Cod, and any number of other places I have loved but to which I no longer return.

    I don't yet have a problem with the Borough Market. The stalls where I have always bought are still there; I ignore the rest. I go on a Friday at around 11:30, when the tourists haven't arrived and the lunchtime nibblers haven't yet descended from their offices. Practically every stall I want is open or will be by the time I leave. And I get first pick of the crabs.

    Is it wrong to find food entertaining?

  5. If cab drivers are good judges, Masters on Waterloo Road (behind the Old Vic) is pretty special. They do use fresh fish, not frozen, and fry in vegetable oil, not drippng. There's rarely fewer than a dozen cabs parked out front after 7pm, but one can usually find a table in the dining room.

    CD interested that you imply that veg. oil is preferable to dripping. In my neck of the woods beef dripping seems to be considered to be the best way to cook chips!

  6. Their web site says "Dress is smart casual; men are required to wear a jacket."

    This is good news. It tells me that at least I have not yet reached the age where my definition of casual starts to include jackets.

    I remember trying to get in there in the eighties. We arrived in out best bib and tucker (corduroy sports jackets etc). The maitre d sneered at us and said something like "non, you must understand the queen mother eats here". We were summarily refused entry.

    As a young man keen on exploring new food experiences this was an unexpected slap in the face. I began to realise the degree of snobbery and elitism that *can* unfortunately be sometimes associated with good food. I am sure Le Gavroche is now far more welcoming to people who are not members of the aristocracy than they were then. probably....

×
×
  • Create New...