Gary Marshall

got a good review in the independent on sunday about two weeks ago tracey mcleod. i wouldn't have any worries about sending anyone there given his track record, i tried to go myself in summer but travel difficulties scuppered it.

dulicate

the private opening party is saturday 22nd, i have the invite here i assumed it would be business as usual after that as it is a 7 day a week operation but i'll try and find out, especially as i was planning on going on sunday on my way back from liverpool.

well 2 months later on a freaking cold day and armed with some insight into sichuan cookery i went to red chilli leeds yesterday for a quick lunch, i didn't want to force my dining companions into the far reaches of the menu and at £8 for 3 courses they were very happy with the lunchtime menu, whilst i went straight for the poached lamb broth with some spring onion bread, and by god it was good. i'm not one for super hot dishes and found this very manageable, yes the heat builds up, but in a warming way, not in a omfg how much chilli is in that? way, despite the fact that there are f*ing tonnes of the blighters in the soupy sauce. previously i would never walk past akbars in york to go to red chilli but at the moment armed with a little knowledge courtesy of Dunlop, i'm more than a little keen to go back. Friday probably.

It is opens on saturday 22nd November with a grand opening, which of course is the only saturday night in november i have a prior engagement, but gives me an excuse for lunch on sunday on the way home.

must be a very strange set of circumstances that leads these two to be the final list! try the don

Tony and Jason Atherton and chef from noma copenhagen talking abou their time at el bulli on radio 4 last week. can't seem to copy the link but it was callsd the el bulli effect on the food programme, available on iplayer until tomorrow. The El Bulli Effect Sheila Dillon explores the influence of the famous restaurant El Bulli. How, from its base in north-east Spain, has chef Ferran Adria been able to influence a generation of chefs? Broadcast on:BBC Radio 4, 12:32pm Sunday 2nd November Duration: 25 minutes Available until: 12:59pm Sunday 9th November Categories:Factual, Food & DrinkGo to Food Programme site

just noticed the group website has been vastly improved and incorporates the piazza...... http://www.anthonysrestaurant.co.uk/piazza/

no, i've only got to know them through going to anthonys a lot I was just nosing in there after lunch at pizza express with a couple of colleagues when we saw Anthony snr and he offered us a tour round. there's a chef recruited already and restaurant manager too, they're all getting stuck in with the refurb at the moment, much like the early days at anthonys when they all got stuck in painting and decorating, i thought it was unusual to see female electricians doing the cabling at the piazza when i eventually realised it was tony's sister Holly, usually FOH at flannels helping out on her day off! Tony still at anthony's in the evening and when it's all up and running i'm sure that's where he'll spend his time, don't worry i'm usually pestering them to change the menus so i can go back! i still go to york place regularly and the cooking is very good, it's actually not that dumbed down and there's a few of the old dishes creeping back in, its just a lot cheaper and must be one of the best quality/price places in town. oddly enough some colleagues are going to 44 tonight, but only because the guests are staying at 42 the calls, otherwise they'd be at No3.

Had another tour around the piazza on friday, it is certainly taking shape now and attracting a lot of attention and passers by wandering in for a nosey. When i last went it was an empty unit and a plan of where it was all going, now it is structurally pretty much there, with the kitchen extraction in (a very cool vented ceiling of sort normally seen in 5 star hotels) and waiting for the big range to go in, which will be all plancha's with seperate sections for fish/meat etc and no frying pans. restaurant area looks like it will be a pretty stunning space on an evening, the roof is like a mini st pancreas station, studded with lights (at £75 a pop supposed to last 25 years!) and the fabric of the building has been sympathetically restored by the landlords to the original spec. although tony is keeping the menus under wraps it's going to be a casual offering rather than fine dining - given there's 118 covers easy to see why! and prices are expected to be keen, taking on the bar & grills/living rooms etc i assume. nice private dining rooms, sizable bar area plus a big rottiserie and open kitchen means it should be a buzzy place. opens november 24th i believe.

get there early take your beer/wine and sup it in the queue if there is one, they don't hang about service wise so you won't wait too long. have the lamb chops/sheek kebabs, things like the dry meat curry are good too.

crikey tony, glad you added that caveat it is indeed worth the trip.

fraiche on the wirral, so you'll only need a bus/taxi! you won't go far wrong with your list. j bakers in york perhaps (as it is easy to get to by train from liverpool) there's others but they are not easily accessible eg the star at harome, yorke arms.

it looks like this is a continuing serialisation of his book, which i bet a large sum will never mention his administration

foie , sweetbreads, veal, salt caramel.... looking forward to my lunch there now (though not for a few weeks)

i don't think factoring/invoice discounting etc is a 'good look' for a business, you end up giving away precious margin to advertise the fact your cashflow is sh*t and you're probably undercapitalised. a few of our suppliers used them when we had the pub, i expect they won't survive the downturn, if you can't get paid in the good times, what hope have you in the bad?

anyway some good news, i was in akbars york last night and they were on target to do about 400 covers! (and my mate who was also there the night before said it was equally as busy then too, (their lamb chops are historic btw)) and my local had its busiest ever saturday night last week.

TA holdco i think, who could be behind that?

star would fit the bill don't know their opening hours, check their website for availability of rooms as they are usually full. yorke arms v nice, and does xmas breaks as some friends did it a year or so ago. blue lion at east witton has lots of rooms and is quite laid back, try the good pub guide for some more inspiration

Almost didn't believe you at first but here's the evening standard take : http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/art...iers/article.do ← of course it's not true until it's in the evening standard

sorry to hear you're bearing the brunt of this, as is often the case the chefs/owners live to fight another day but these sort of debts can bankrupt small specialist suppliers. so i'm not feeling too sorry for tom and lady bamford at the moment, think there's a few others that are more deserving.

pizzaexpress rocks

Many on here have enjoyed Matt's food at his previous locale, the goose at britwell salome, especially the michelin inspectors who awarded him a star earlier this year, to add to his roux scholar award from a few years ago. Unfortunatley well documented issues meant that matt left the goose and took over at the montague arms in beaulieu, i was hoping to visit a few months ago as i was in the area but unfortunately the menu wasn't yet matt's own, until the brigade was sorted he was utilising the existing menu which worked well with the limited resources he had available at that point . (incidentally on matt's rec instead i went to his old employer ockenden manor for dinner which was superb), but it appears that all is now working smoothly and there is now a 'matt' menu which features some of the favourites from the goose as well as new dishes, reads very well to me so no doubt i'll be jealous of whoever gets in first to try it! Starters Ballotine of Organic Salmon wrapped in fresh herbs and served with Fromage Blanc and Avruga Caviar White Onion and Parmesan Velouté with a Wild Mushroom Raviolo and Rosemary Oil Slow Cooked Oxtail and Celeriac ‘Lasagne’ with Celeriac Puree, Spinach and Horseradish Cream Crisp Croquette of Free Range Pig’s Trotter with Smoked Ham Hock, Romsey Tomatoes and Caper Puree Hand Dived Scottish Scallops with Braised Lymington Cuttle Fish, Lettuce, Broad Beans and Peas Pressing of Free Range Chicken Young Leeks, Prunes and Toasted Brioche Main Course Roast Leg of Cornish Lamb with Fondant Potato, Courgette Provencal and Caramelised Lamb’s Sweetbreads Grilled Escalope of Line Caught Sea Bass with Jerusalem Artichoke Puree, Sauté Potatoes, Braised Roscoff Onions and Smoked Bacon Sauce Pave of Wild Scottish Halibut with Sauté Wild Mushrooms, Hampshire Spinach, Roasted Salsify and Cep Velouté Honey Roast Breast of Beaulieu Estate Wild Duck with Sweet and Sour Cabbage, Confit Duck Hearts, Boulangere Potatoes and Madeira Sauce Roast Beaulieu Estate Venison with Buttered Kale, Braised Red Cabbage, Beetroot Puree and Sauce Grand Veneur Vegetarian ‘Assiette Gourmand’ A Selection of our Seasonal Vegetables and Garnishes with Saffron Pasta Desserts Milk Chocolate Mousse with Lavender Ice Cream, Burnt Orange Syrup and Cocoa Crisp Warm Blackberry Sponge Cake with Liquorice Ice Cream and Blackberry Yoghurt Puree Caramelised Lemon Tart with Blackcurrant Sorbet Raspberry Soufflé with Rice Pudding Ice Cream and Raspberry Sauce ‘Assiette of Pennington House Apples’ with Butterscotch Sauce and Apple Crisp Pineapple ‘Ravioli’ with Crème Fraiche and Mango Sorbet A Selection of Farmhouse Cheeses from our Trolley 3 Courses £48 Coffee and Home made Petits Fours £3.75

bloody hell david where did that come from?! obviously a different conversation from when i left the pub last night chicken kiev, beef stoganoff, black forest gateau, beef wellington, steak rossini, steak au poivre spring to mind but on reflection they may be 70's ?

it is indeed £95 for 4 courses ALC but the tasting menu is £79, or 3 courses £75, 4 courses £95, cheese £18. it's always been expensive and i agree they have to deliver at those prices, their argument will be that they are still using the same ingredients that the schwabs used and therefore charge the same. I'd need to see some firm evidence it was worth it before heading back - not been since annie & germain sold up. note on the website you can apply for a 20% off voucher (sat nights excepted)