magnolia

gotta add my two cents, loved every minute of it...all five hours, not kidding - arrived for lunch at 13h30 on a Sunday, left at 18h30. At the time I didn't mind so much, was catching up with friends and drinking lots (oh, if I have one thing to complain about - and it's a tiny peeve, it's that their wine list is too limited and not very inspired - i.e. not in line with the food which was terrific - but prices are good for what they have ) but if I had someplace to be, I suspect I would have been very annoyed. They would not have been able to cope - there were two waiters for the whole room and the chef was pitching in. I didn't notice the back catalog of red guides, but I did note the very upmarket bathrooms, linen hand cloths= high overheads on non-food related items, which does speak to Michelin I guess, but seems a waste to me...I'd rather use a hot air dryer and have an extra snail ravioli :-)

What a happy ending, gives me a little faith that good customer service, while scarce, is not totally dead. I have to say I would have completely freaked out at the bill, I don't know how you held your tongue ! (maybe the wine put you in a magnanimous mood?) It was completely out of order. By the way, any info on the mystery behind the claim that they have never carried the wine in question?

I disagree. I think in terms of Italian restaurants, London has a good representation. Locanda Locatelli, Assaggi, Harry's Bar - what more could you want? Umm...at the risk of being disingenuous (and I'm American so I reserve the right not to recognise irony)...I don't believe that THREE Italian restaurants is a good representation for a city as cosmopolitan and large as London (over 7 million I think?) - with such a critical mass of Italians (and Brits who spend a lot of time in Italy)! I haven't been to LL so I can't comment; Assaggi I agree is very good. And as the food at Harry's Bar, where I also haven't been - if it's related in any way to the ones in Venice or New York..it's bound to be a joke. I know there are more good ones - perhaps even 10 ! I would just expect there to be a lot more, and I am frustrated that enterprising individuals are constantly trying to sex up the restaurant scene by coming up with cockamamie pseudo-cuisines...rather than opening restaurants that showcase food that can be so incredibly exciting and varied in its own right. (Steps off soapbox)

The headline is the best part... Seriously though, Shumi smacks of desperation - fusion for the sake of fusion - something born in California that would last a couple of weeks in New York. Why, why, why, when it's hard enough to have a good Japanese restaurant - or Italian, for that matter - London lacks critical mass of either. Then again...London has I-thai... So what do I know?

When will you be making the fortified garnacha again? Lately I have been dreaming about it...

I think there would be, so think carefully before you get yourself into something ! I know at least three people from this board who would definitely be interested...start another thread to gage level of interest & also solicit suggestions, I think there are other people who have organised 'hands-on' cooking get-togethers...they may have some ideas.

Sandra - do not make offers we cannot refuse !

Maria Pia & Sandra - this probably deserves its own thread - in fact I know we've debated it before...but where, oh where, can we get decent Mexican food in London!? Jon - you know us too well. When Enrico gets fussy, watch out.

Smidge - if you like middle Eastern food, you're onto something (I see Alounak is on your list - I believe that's Iranian) - there are always kids at Maroush (Lebanese, there are several branches) - particularly the one on Edgware Road, and Yas (sp?) which is also Iranian, it's in the nether regions of High Street Ken. If you want something a bit more upscale, but well-priced - 'modern european' - nothing pretentious but very good wonderful service and an excellent wine list, I'd say Ransome's Dock. There are always kids there during the day so I don't think they'd mind in the evening either. But they are not open for Sunday dinner (not sure when you are planning to go). I may be in the minority here but I don't like Halepi or Lemonia, I've been to both twice and I think the service is appalling and the portions, miserly for the price. The atmosphere has been chaotic at both places, I don't remember what it was like to be five months old, but these places made me want to throw a tantrum. However - I kind of agree with Janice - with a five month old, I don't think you should have to be concerned - he/she isn't mobile, can't make a fuss about the food, etc - it's toddlers who seem much more difficult.

The only thing decent about the 'nouveau' Pharmacy (under Hywel Jones's reign) was the food -- when it finally arrived. Other than that I cannot say enough bad things about it. My money's on Starbucks as the new tenant. ... Oops, just saw the bit about M&S.

Hicks Brasserie Bar got a very nice write-up by one of the bods at Waitrose Food Illustrated (July issue), they don't seem to be online so I will paraphrase here: "This delightfuly informal brasserie and bar is a great place for a casual supper in the pretty Cotswold town of Chipping Campden. it's part of the gorgeous Cotswold House Hotel, though with a separate street entrance and, in contrast to their more formal Garden Restaurant, offers simple fare with a Modern British accent. It is an especial favourite of restaurant editor Liz Marcy. "The star dish for me was an open lasagne of artichoke and mushrooms with a vivid green pea 'foam' ". Ginger Chef, how would you like to share the recipe for this dish with us?? I am scared of cooking artichokes. {NB I have never seen the word "especial" in print before, and have only ever heard it on "I Love Lucy" but my spellchecker doesn't seem alarmed so I'm willing to learn...}

Then you would have to have named him Chippy or Cam...

Hi Jancis, I'm a fellow wine writer (female), I've been studying/writing about wine for a couple of years so I'm a relative newcomer. But I love it and plan to make a serious 'go' to develop my expertise and a niche. However I'm also of an age where I have to make some critical decisions about when to start a family - sooner than later - which would of course mean scaling back for a year or more any sipping, spitting and swallowing. I'm American so perhaps a bit too alarmist about alcohol consumption during pregnancy & breastfeeding but my feeling is, why take chances? At the same time I don't want to lose momentum in my career, so it's a real dilemma. Frankly I'm afraid that if I stop drinking, I'll fall way behind because tasting, tasting, tasting is really the only way I will learn. Even if I stick to sipping, some always slips down the throat...and I sometimes sip a lot more in a day than the average person drinks in a week. If it's not too personal a question, how did you handle this? Any/all advice, suggestions, etc. would be most welcome. Thanks for your insight !

A friend has asked me to post this, it's a great opportunity for you young 'uns to get those creative beer juices flowing...I would be so proud if someone from eG won!! If anyone has any questions not answered herewith, PM me. Coors Brewers announce the Young Voice of Beer Competition > >Coors Brewers announce the launch of an exciting new competition, 'The Young >Voice of Beer', which aims to encourage 18-28 year olds* to give their >personal interpretations of the pleasure and beauty of beer. > >Prizes will include £3,000 for the winning entry, with £1,000 for second, >£500 for third place and with ten runners-up each receiving an international >selection of beers. > >The 'Young Voice of Beer' is seeking competitors from all over Britain via a >wide range of 'arts' centres including Music Colleges, Art Schools, Film >Academies, Acting and Media schools, Performing Arts establishments and >Journalism courses. > >The new competition is open for entries in a wide variety of formats >including poetry, song, music, video, short film, prose, TV, radio, website, >photography, animation, advertising, painting and performance art. (See >Terms & Conditions, below). > > Paul Hegarty, External Communications Manager for Coors Brewers, comments: >"For me, beer is the ultimate four letter word. It is brewed all over >Britain and in practically every country of the world. It comes in a >kaleidoscope of colours, flavours and textures and from ingredients as >diverse as barley, hops, wheat, oats, rye, rice, heather, spices and fruit. > >"We are hoping that the entries we receive will mirror that eclectic mixture >and that the final judging process could see a work of art, pitted against >examples of photography, mime, music and the written word. > >"The National Union of Students are fully supporting the competition, which >aims to encourage younger people to see beer in a new, far more colourful >light, whilst having a bit of fun at the same time. This more thoughtful >approach to beer links with the NUS's responsible drinking campaign." > > >To enter the competition, fill out an on-line application form from >www.coorsbrewers.com <http://www.coorsbrewers.com> or ring 020 7384 1333 to >request one by post. Entrants should send completed application form & entry >to: > >Caitlin Smith >R&R Teamwork >The Basement >754 Fulham Road >London SW6 5SH > >or caitlin@randr.co.uk > >The closing date is 17th October 2003 and judging will take place in >mid-October. The winners will be announced in November at an awards ceremony >in London. > >For further information, please contact Caitlin Smith on 020 7384 1333 > >* Terms and Conditions > >1) Entrants must be over 18 and under 28 years old on the closing date of >17th October 2003. >2) On this date, entrants must not be employed by Coors Brewers, or as a >beer trade journalist. >3) Entries will be considered in any format that expresses the wonder and >beauty of beer. However, the judges will require entries to be available on >one of the following formats: >a) paper/card/photographic paper or canvas, no larger than A1 and >unframed >b) CD or DVD >c) audio casette or mini disc >d) email file, ie. MP3, JPEG, MPEG, gif etc. >e) video cassette >4) A maximum of 3 entries will be accepted per person >5) No correspondence will be entered into >6) Entries will not be returned >7) The judges' decision is final >8) Coors Brewers is a member of the Portman Group - promoting responsible >drinking"

Thanks for all of this ! Bibendum seemed like it was a great idea...except I think the prices at dinner are a bit high for one or two in this crowd, and I don't want anyone to feel uncomfortable. I might try Racine though...what do you think Andy? I know it's a favourite of yours... I haven't been there. Would it be conducive to a party of six or eight? Perhaps I shouldnt tell anyone it's a hen party, just a girls' night out -lest they get "the wrong idea". Circe - this bride-to-be has been to Trois Garcons, but I do like the Italian idea...and I'm intrigued by your post, on the dinner with a view thread, about Babylon. Now I have some good direction to go in. Thanks all ! And keep 'em coming.

I went last night in fact, and I thought the food was very good indeed; the service sweet, but dizzy (we arrived when the restaurant was empty, didn't like where we were seated, and asked to move...our waitress said she would ask the manager and then she disappeared so a few minutes later, I went and asked the manager myself who obliged; then the waitress came back three times to verify our order, and seemed totally flummoxed by the fact that one of our party - see below - was a veg-and-fruit only vegetarian. However, my real "problem" is that the portions are incredibly small, for dinner anyway...which makes the low prices deceptive. Round of appetizers consisted of miniscule vine leaves (dolmades) which were in fact the size of grapes; gigantic fava beans in a delicious tomato-based sauce..there were big for beans, I'll admit - but there were only a few on the plate. A tiny portion of three matured cheeses in red pepper sauce; and a very small bowl of olives. They charge for the Greek flatbread, which is somewhat like pita - and comes pre-torn into small triangles. One person could polish off an order. So in fact we ended up ordering more appetizers. Mains - the guys ended up ordering two mains each - and they're not exactly he-man types. The only main that was a normal size was the fillet of fish. The souvlaki is a short skewer of lamb cubes or chicken, on a very small piece of bread. There is an option for a 'double' which would be two short skewers on one piece of small bread. The women ordered yet more appetizers. One of the women was a veg-and-fruit only vegetarian (ie. no fish, chicken or meat) and she had a lot of trouble finding something to eat. We thought there might be a dinner sized salad, but all mains consisted of meat, fish or poultry. There were four starters that fit the bill but she had to order two of each @ £3-4 apiece in order to take the edge off, then lots of bread. They had one vegetable salad that was about half the size of a normal dinner side salad. Wines - and there are a nice selection of Greek ones - come in a choice of bottle; 500 cl; or 250 cl carafes. The latter resemble salad dressing cruets (we thought our red & white were actually oil & vineagar before we realised this was the wine!) and as the glasses they use are water glasses, even though this should be more than enough for two wine glasses' worth, it *seems* much less. Puddings: I had the heavenly yoghurt with honey & walnuts but would have loved twice as much; but at £3.75 a serving I felt silly ordering a £7.50 dessert consisting of yoghurt, honey and walnuts. As mentioned, the prices seem really low - £3-4 for appetizers; not much more for some of the mains; and desserts at £3-4 or so. Cocktails (we didn't order but they seem to consist of punches & Martinis using Greek spirits, juices & liqueurs) were pretty reasonable too - in the £5-6 range? Didn't see any wines for more than £30 I think. We ended up spending £120 for four people and not a lot of food. We had thought, looking at the prices, that we would be in for a nice surprise in terms of price/quality/quantity ratio. No dice. As mentioned, the quality of the ingredients was high. And of course I'm much happier to be served small portions of decent food than large portions of crappy food. But I'd only go back for lunch.

I am organising a surprise bridal shower for mid-to-late July. The bride-to-be would not appreciate the subtle brilliance of Blackpool, Brighton et al. Logistically it's too difficult to organise a trip out of town. The lady in question is not a terribly adventurous eater, but as the organiser I am hell-bent on a place where food and service are top notch. So...I would really appreciate ideas for place in London where a group of six to eight can have an elegant dinner somewhere really beautiful and girly, where the chef & staff would take good care of us. Thanks !!

Went to Osia last night, and I really liked it. I would definitely go back - there were several things I would still like to try. In fact the food is not as odd as the descriptions would make out, and I think the unfamiliar terms are just one of the ways in which the place does itself no favours: there are several items that may distract from both the cooking and wine list which are both quite accomplished. First impressions: I can't recall which restaurant occupied this space before, but I think it has been a cafe and a three-floor quick-to-fail trendy bar. The venue's original entrance, located catty-corner to an alleyway, has been sealed off, and the main entrance is now down the side. But as there is no indication of where the new entrance is, every first-time diner tries the original door, and finding it locked, is confused until they figure out where to go. This is a tricky one to fix: It was wise to seal off the original front door, as Haymarket is noisy and crowded in the summer, and in the winter, this kind of door would let a lot of cold air into the dining area. But they can't really cover it up altogether, because that would cut down on the restaurant's main natural light source. However they have to do *something* as it makes everyone feel silly. Main dining room was comfortable, tables are well-spaced. I can't tell if it will be noisy or not whenit's full because it was pretty empty last night. We therefore only had to share the staff with a couple of other tables. The servers are, as has been mentioned before, knowledgable, helpful and eager to please. Next up: the menu. The appetizers (starters) are divided into two sections - 'cocktails' (not to be confused with the alcoholic kind, of which Osia has many - and they are good) - and 'starters'. The 'cocktails' range from around £7 to £10, and consist of some ceviches and some liquidy things. The starters may begin and end a bit higher but not by much, and consist of some cooked and uncooked items as well. Two of us ordered 'cocktails' - I had a langoustine & buckwheat (a la soba) noodle cocktail, and my friend K. had a ceviche. E. had a 'starter' of prawns wrapped in pastry (it's as something a lot more complicated than what it is). All three were fabulous. The cocktails are basically smallish starters that would, under other restaurant circumstances, be called amuse-gueules and be free of charge. You are, of course, encouraged to order both a 'cocktail' and starters, which is fine if you don't plan to have a main but if you do, they add up to the cost of a main and are not as filling. If I were king, I'd just combine the two and call them all starters, and dispense with the gimmickry. The mains we chose were wonderful. I had perfectly cooked - i.e. juicy, not dry - quandong-glazed pork. My quandong was actually dark orange rather than blue, and tasted like a kumquat, and no, I had no clue what it was before - or after - reading Adam's explanation. But it sounded good so I took a punt This is true of some of many of the ingredients, which turn out to be perfectly acceptable/recognizable once you know what they are. Dorrigo=pepper. Etc. Again, a tricky one because if they 'translated' each ingredient, the menu would be a lot wordier and wouldn't allow a certain species of smug world-traveller the satisfaction of saying, loudly, 'I had the best kumara in Cairns' or whatever. On the other hand, I think the menu gives the impression that the food is going to be a lot weirder than it actually is, and that's what some people will remember. K. had halibut with some kind of sides, which disappeared before I had a chance to taste it - and E. had veal fillet in walnut cream with asparagus which tasted suspiciously like vitello tonato, I'm not kidding - the walnut cream tasted like tuna. Go figure. Anyway it was very good and I had to fight for my taste. And there were a lot of other things I would like to have tried. I think there was only one main that was £20, all the rest were in the range of £17 or so. I think they've been especially careful about not exceeding £20, as the sides (some of which may come with your main anyway) are £3. I'd say the sides are the best value, you get a lot for your £3. We were pretty full but opted for a roasted granny smith with eucalyptus rosemary butter. I was dying for someone to share the Callebaut chocolate soup with vanilla pepper ice cream but had no takers. Next time. The roasted granny smith turned out to be a pastry-less tart, and was really nice - I was afraid the eucalyptus butter would taste like Vick's Vapo-rub or Bengay, but it was much more subtle. The nicest surprise was the bar, which I only found when looking for the loos. It's at the back, and is warm and friendly, with lots of floor space and some tables. They also display all the wines there, and I'm a huge sucker for that. I think you should be able to see the wine before you choose. I have to go now so I will describe the wine list another time but it is really well done, with some good selections by the glass and lots of interesting new world options at decent (for restaurant) prices, though there are some weird pricing anomalies like the Chateau d'Yquem which at £225 is a better value than Inniskillin Gold at £95....

having received an ice cream maker as a christmas gift, ice cream is now my new favourite thing to make. I will look at home in my various ice cream books to what they use in their pistachio ice cream - also you might want to look a this following website, which has a whole section on ice cream and is very interesting and useful in general. It's called A La Carte - I don't know how to link it, sorry. http://www.hertzmann.com/index.php

So what did you get in the end? I have only had a handful of decent kosher wines in my whole life, two of them last night. I can't understand why so few people bothers, as in the long-term, I don't think it's that much more or expensive, from an infrastructure point of view, than producing organic wine - or certainly biodynamic - wine, and a lot of people seem to be falling over themselves to do this. Plus those who are kosher are a captive audience and therefore probably willing to pay a premium for it as they can't have anything else, whereas there are far fewer people willing to pay big money for organic wine because fewer are obliged to drink it...so organic is in competition with non-organic, while Kosher is not in competition with anything. Discuss.

I have to agree with Balic here. I think what you are all reacting to is the natural unease caused by the unfamiliar..viz. the wording on the press release, whose writer decided on a strategy - misjudged in my opinion - of 'let's impress them with the what they don't know'. Rather than listing these 'new' terms, she could have simply said 'exciting Australian/Pac Rim/Asian ingredients that haven't been used in the UK before' or something like that, and leave it at that. Putting something like quandong on a press release provokes ridicule, and on a menu, causes intimidation. That aside, I'd be more alarmed if the PR described the decor before the food (though perhaps Andy's described things out of order?). Likewise...is a food cocktail by any other name not something you would find on the menus at....none other than The Fat Duck, Hiramatsu, Mju, Arpege, Astrance...just to name a small handful. What, after all, is a vodka and lemon grass liquid nitrogen-flash frozen 'meringue' than a food cocktail? or a shot glass filled with quail aspic with pea puree? or the ubiquitous martini/shot glass filled with chilled puréed veg of one kind or another, with real or aubergine roe? Chilled beetroot cocktail, you surely realise...is just a fancy shmancy name for BORSCHT. My bubbeh would die laughing. I'd be curious to try this place, the prices seem right, and everyone raves about the food in Australia...

I'm yet more intrigued, and still want to try it. Do you think it would be good for a birthday celebration? Or is it to business-y?

Hmmm...I'm not familiar with pistachio paste. Is it something you'd use for a dessert, like almond paste (for marzipan)? or for a savoury - if the latter, sounds like something that might be available in a Middle Eastern or North African grocer. The people at Books for Cooks in Notting Hill seem to know where to buy almost anything, their phone number is 7221 1992.

I have just seen announcement about political discussion...so I have removed a joke that was at best in poor taste, and at worst could be considered politically incendiary. Apologies if anyone was offended. Now back to our regularly scheduled programming...

In a word, probably. But are there any wine shops in or near Hatton Gardens? Before you start running around, best to call ahead. For example the supermarket just across from Holborn station might have some - (this is not an educated suggestion) - it's either a Sainsbury's or Tesco. I know Selfridges has a kosher section. There's also a kosher restaurant on Wigmore street called Six/13, if you call them they may be able to suggest to you where to go in central London. Otherwise I fear you'll have to try parts farther North...perhaps the huge Sainsburys at the 02Centre on Finchley Road has some, and definitely the supermarkets around Golders Green will. But I can tell you that the Waitrose at Finchley Road, just at the border of the "MOT belt", doesn't.