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Stephen, Menu you had looks nice can you tell me how it tasted? Thanks Sean

Perhaps the local lamb, beef, poultry, pork...etc. suppliers can rustle-up a few pennies to entice Lumiere to use their ware's in his next PR event, new menu seems to be lacking the local emphasis. The shorelines are exploding with wild Claytonia(miner's lettuce) at the moment, with very attractive pink flowers.....fresh & tasty!

Wow Suzi, Way to back up Dirk's argument! Did you Google him aswell? First time i heard of HB was when i worked at Michel Bras. I managed to pick up a copy of Food Illustrated(pre Waitrose), which contained an article on Fat Duck with pics of Heston with Michel's book under his arm. Indeed a number of the featured recipes had a distinct gallic influence. I guess HB then was further influenced by Adria & MG. All the top chefs are using science to develop technique, textures & perceptions after working at Bras & visiting the labs at Arzak(friend works their) & Berasetegui the import & influence of technology is obvious. MG in the hands of a chef who does not fully understand or sympathize with the nature of an ingredient can be as flawed as traditional food disasters, however it seems that the weight of opinion can rationalize the flaws of MG because at least it challenges us(marks for effort!). Whilst at Arzak i had a dish of Sole that had thin sheet of agar over the fillet, a sauce was poured over it & it vanished! Cool but from a chefs point of view i find it amusing that your job could be to produce this item, the line between food & entertainment is obscured. Thankfully i managed to make the Sole disappear under my own steam. I have not eaten at FD but would like to- i would also like to see HB use more local/seasonal ingredients(i guess i relate to Gastroville) because i do not need science to dictate the logic of this rationale- just a bloody good chef!

Hi vmilor, Just a couple of questions: Your earlier post make's the inference that the bass was not overcooked because it was cooked "a la vapeur", can you explain what you mean. I had the Bar aux huiles florale, which was excellent with the Vouvray we had, & i think the fish was cooked in a low temp. oven (70/80degrees)with a bain marie in the bottom to add a little moisture, you have more control than steam because the temp. you operate at with the oven is very similar to that which muscle protein coagulates(you dont want to go any further with fish) Also my menu does not include the origin of the lamb that i had , it tasted so bloody good anyway!, so did you ask where it was from? If so perhaps you could of asked a number of questions pertinent to your meal i.e. freshness of the fish, false description of fish & spicing etc. I found the staff to be knowledgeable & efficient as you would expect of an espoir(seems Rolly has been espoiring since before michelin introduced the category- rubbing some of that sea salt into the wound)Generally i think restaurants of this calibre have been more careful with how they write their menu's since the Jean Bardet affair, so a little more questioning can be necessary. Oh i ate their in June, on a sunday, but had no quibbles with the freshness.

You lucky bastard, Tony i worked their when he received his 3 star, & it was an incredible experience.....food lifestyle would be an apt description. Good to hear he is still hitting the right notes. You should of stayed & ate a la carte, cepe tart then some beef......Oh the coulant was prepared by making a mould for the "nut", filling the mould with whatever coulant flavouring, allow it to freeze & then press out from mould. The biscuit mixture was then piped into cylinder's, the frozen nut center added & a little remaining biscuit mix was piped to seal in & then frozen. Bake at around 180 for 20/25 mins(from frozen) Thanks for sharing, cheers sean

Nice to see Rolly doing well, oops for the bro's though!

Hi ann, Saw lovage(one of my faves too!) in Granville island a few days ago. I thunk the vendor, he moves around a bit, is from Easyacres herb farm, or something like that. Also seen it at the garden shop next to I.G.A (Broadway & Arbutus)If you want to scrump some it grows along sixth avenue, amongst the veg. plots, just keep it secret & dont get caught! (If the herb gestapo catch you i will feign transferred embarassment & try not to heave)

Trotter is a friggin hypocrite, he serves moularde duck breast on his menu. Not to mention caviar, also like to know the provenance of the abalone served. I think the journalist provided the rope & Trotter duly obliged, Tramonto was being honest- i side with neither, except Robyn..new,inventive, delicious & honest stuff please!!

"If everyone just posted anything they like....." Then it would be like the Vancouver forum!

Jamie I imagine Bibendum staff probably know who Nigel Slater is, big fish/small pond, which of course you can empathize with in your own little pond. I really appreciated the Asimov Q&A, the way he conducts reviews of restaurants where he is recognised seems a fair approach. However service ,obviously, shouldn't discriminate & perhaps a more widespread acceptance of the tip-out doctrine will encourage higher service standards. Me thinks not! Diners in London pay enough. The adoption of tips to supplement(& maybe replace) wages should not be overly encouraged. I personally think that some people take advantage of this situation to dictate their own agenda i.e. to get what they want. What's wrong with that?? Well it is generally hard enough to service a busy restaurant with a professional, dedicated staff where the diner respects the capabilities of a Kitchen that work's tremendously hard to bring together the threads of their experiences & encapsulate it all in a menu that has sourced incredible ingredients from incredible people. If you want to encourage culinary excellence, as the French say...The Chef is always right!!(but in french..unless they are on holiday)Also why ignore the supplier of the great product you are using ,too often the tip-out remains in the hands of service staff, it should just be possible to demand a fair price for a meal where the entire chain of conception, production & service are respected for their valuable input(with factors such as experience, education, performance etc. are considered...not just big tits & a smile). Suppliers & staff are generally squeezed the most financially because the owner/s can, but how does this encourage further development? Diners should pay more for their food to help in the realisation that the general food industry is a false economy, but reward those that endeavour to produce the best quality products in a sustainable way( welfare of animals, environment etc). When i see a waiter/ess shove a pile of cash in their pocket i don't necessarily believe that the greater good is being served(excuse the pun!) cheers sean

What does not kill us, only make us stronger! You should be concerned at what your customer thinks about your meal, only problem is when it becomes the concesus of feeling. Listen & if valid change things!! problem their could be financial so it's a bit of a bind for some.....It's difficult to gauge the clientele so why bother & try doing what you want but it's kinda personal don't you think?. cheers sean

David, You are only as good as your last restaurant concept! There are plenty of other chefs who are as talented but without the exposure, & who do not seek the same kind of exposure, ego can get in the way sometimes! but he can be good as his resume suggests!

I can understand that we can be defensive about restaurants that have provided positive memorable experiences & of course the converse can also be true. I enjoyed a fantastic meal at Hibiscus in their early days, however perhaps as part of the territory of climbing the ladder follows increasing levels of expectation; i.e. pressure, which i am sure Claude & Claire understand & utilize in their sober moments to be self critical, an essential quality. Of course bad experiences can be motivated, or just bad experiences but it seems that PWeaver in this instance provided his side of the story as he saw it, really has egullet become such a monster to believe that it can affect the hearts & minds of the restaurant going population, or is it understandable defensiveness. It really was a shame that we have lost the insight & input of such contributors as gingerchef & maybe we are losing the insight of floaters out there! On the other hand, it is the lot of restaurants to stir the emotions both negative & positive. After moving to Canada i really miss the debate(qualified by experience & understanding) that can help move things forward, but it is moving that way, just that we are further behind unfortunately. cheers sean

Recently bought some fresh Hake(atlantic) from new wholefoods store in Vancouver- tasty merluza!! & some really good ling cod(fresh, not fresh frozen)I agree with leslie about the overuse of halibut on menu especially considering that the results are not that satisfying(specifically the pacific variety).The general food trend has considered more recently the use of cheaper cuts & offal ,hopefully this going back to basics will involve fish species previously under-appreciated. sourcing/farming of heritage pigs,bred for flavour(i cannot be the only person who appreciates a good pig!) is long overdue, afterall how can you make good charcuterie otherwise-this would help brighten up lunches & picnics no end. I find that the development of cuisine in the west is very much driven by popular eating trends from NY/europe which helps speed up the process...Last year cheese finally has started to make an impact(i dont mean the rubbery square stuff from safeway)hopefully it wont be a fad! Cheers sean

Hi Gavin, Recommend that you try a boulagerie located between plaisance & gaite on the left side as you walk to gaite toward montparnasse. Dont remember the name ,something like "fournee....",always a crowd waiting. They were awarded best baguette 2004 & you must try their tradition(baguette) & any pastry.The best chausson aux pommes was at BE (ducasse joint with Kayser doing the bread,pastry) I lived in the 14 for 4 months this spring, liked it alot but it was so freaking expensive but i did spoil myself at Gagnaire & Roellinger. cheers Sean

sure, that's your choice ! every kitchen is different. And if you fucked up, well... no excuses. But there are limits. Stagiaires shouldnt be treated like shit. For many reasons, et a smart chef should understand that : there's a lack of staff in France, You gotta pass on that passion and that love, you sometimes gotta take some time with an employee to explain a few things. Yelling and bitching at someone and going away isnt likely to serve both the employee and the chef's interests. Look at a chef like Veyrat. I wasnt allowed to have trainees for a couple of years (if i recall correctly), because he was going nuts on stagiaires... He got a bad rap amongst professionals, as well as amongst lycees hoteliers ( to a certain extent). Who wants to work 100 hours a week, be insulted all day, eat your staff meal in 2 mn (gone off produce will do) on the line and have a shithole as your staff accomodation ? Anyone ? Well, maybe you'd still get spanish chefs. It's amazing how much crap they can put up with ! I got insulted too. I took it, most of the time. But i was 18, new to the job and had alot to learn (still have !). Your choice anyways ! Bonne continuation.

Hi Steve, The reference you made to Bras' non-salting of the fillet was slightly incorrect. Because he opens the fillet with two incisions to insert the fat he does not salt the interior, as this would indeed cause the meat to bleed & dry the meat out. However the exterior is salted immediately before cooking. Bras' philosophy is entirely linked to his place,region,terroir...whatever!This makes him distinct from Gagnaire whose talents were accepted more readily in Paris than St Etienne.A visit to Michel Bras is an immersion in the Auvergne culture. The sous chef mentions an anecdote from Gagnaire, that the place & the people working their resembles a cult. Michel's honest food & immense work ethic reflects this tradition. It is almost possible to state that a lack of connection with the restaurant is alack of connection with the place.Your dissatisfaction with the fact that your cover was not changed after each course arises out of your expectations, were you to visit local restaurants it is entirely common to view auvergnats pull out their Laguiole knives. I think it is just one more effort to offer the diner an experience of the culture.The relative international success of the Laguiole forge has been closely tied with the success of the restaurant. Reading the Bras website & parts of the DVD the descriptions & portrayal of his ideas can lead to the charge of pretense .However Michel is very quiet & reserved & his expression is essentially not vocalised (unlike Gagnaire, would you agree?) & so the food is sublime & deeply thoughtful although I am aware you do not agree. I guess we are comparing apples with oranges. I look forward to this winter when I can try Gagnaire's food for myself.

Steve, could you elaborate on how the fat was raw on the outside of the lamb ,I would infer from such a statement that the meat actually never came into contact with any heat. Did you send it back?? I am sure a chef of his calibre would cook it to your liking if you specified what that involved. I quite liked the knive's , I am surprised that they would set dirty cutlery it must reflect a degradation of standards. Just to confirm also, Gagnaire is taller than either Bras or Roellinger but not necessarily a head & shoulder length. Please elaborate further on your comments about Bras, Gagnaire & Roellinger for instance how viewing the DVD may have affected your opinion (either negatively or positively) of the two establishments/personalities you have already dined at. And what particularly was it about the DVD that enthuses you about Roellinger .I think that such information ,however subjective, provides a useful alternative or addition than personal dining accounts, or maybe I just like watching documentaries on interesting restaurants.I guess the more source material I can acquire then the more informed opinion I have. cheers!

I visited MB & Arzak last year. MB does speak french & his cuisine is very much aligned with contemporary french, he has worked in a number of top french kitchen's (Troisgros i think) & every year he sends a brigade member to Michel Bras to stage. The french connection makes sense considering the close proximity of the border, when i dined their the majority of diners were french. So ginger if you are well versed in kitchen french or spanish you will have no problem. I understand your choice of MB over el bulli, MB is more transferable to the general UK kitchen & MB has got some really interesting ideas, which could very well have been influenced by the whole el bulli movement(Arzak has a stronger link to el bulli which can be seen in it's lab, ask to see it ,Igor will show you all the gadgets. ) but is translated along far more classic lines. I'm sure you will want to rotate around the departments but work garde manger & fish, I was not wowed by the meat or pastry but it was a year ago so things may have changed.Good luck.

Just thought that I would alert those interested in these three chefs to a DVD just acquired in France from their Amazon. Paul Lacoste, the director, does a capable job of introducing these three creative & different personalities.The film endeavours to reveal what inspires the chef to create & explain this process through relevant examples e.g. Bras- Gargouillou etc. There are some fantastic scenes throughout, I especially enjoyed a conversation with Michel & his son where the son provides Michel with some paper which has the information pertaining to a garnish for a dish.The son is asking for the approval & advice of Michel who completely ignores the question & highlights a spelling error made by the son & refuses to budge until the son recognises the error.The scene was a tender moment but also highlighted the particular attention to detail of this chef. Another great scene that involved Gagnaire that was particularly insightful involved his pastry chef, whom he had just spoke of respectfully & affectionately, & a dessert creation. Gagnaire looked over the dessert & then tried it, firstly mentioning that it had good flavour he suggested that they could work on its presentation. Gagnaire then proceeds to deconstruct & reconstruct the dessert so that it looks phenomenal by comparison to the initial effort. He was later interviewed on a different matter but somehow he was engaged elsewhere, there was a slight pause & Gagnaire apologised to the interviewer he was thinking about the dessert he worked on earlier. All in all a very interesting look at the creative forces within, arguably?, France's most creative Kitchens.The DVD is subtitled in english.

A recent edition of Caterer mag. on critics(reviewers, take your pick!) provides an example of the fallout of such dirge.David Moore, proprietor of Pied a Terre, recounts that Coren's antipathy cost his restaurant a decline in business, apparently it was a wine issue.The 5.33 ranking(I think the fractional marking scheme could be an E.U initiative) may have been warranted had the sommelier's suggestion for alternatives been ignored.Coren does admit the cooking merited 8(I think at least 8.34) but the effect of the review adversely persuaded potential customers to have voted with their feet(I suppose the letter F would be more appropriate in this circumstance than X)."Critics should be educating the public," insists Moore(he should qualify the statement further in terms of culinary education) "If something goes wrong, why not say something, & then at least we have a chance to do something about it." I fully agree because surely this provides for a more wholly accurate assessment of a dining experience as sometimes things go awry & the measure of good/bad restaurants is how they deal with them.I hate it when reviewer's drag along their groupie friends & waste print on their inconsequential(as far as the review is concerned)foibles/anecdotes,blah,blah,blah....I do not buy the Times either.

Robert, I am not the American that you connected with in '88.I worked at Bras '98/'99(In an earlier thread I think I may have given the impression that I worked in the town because of my stating that MB had input on the design of the new restaurant,which of course he did,but was actually referring to the upgrading of the restaurant in '99 in association with Eric Raffy)& for my sins hold British papers. Bux- I completely understand what you mean about the local ingredients being all part of the mystique of the experience, perhaps I didn't make myself clear due to being as much surprised as yourself to see fario trout on the menu as I believe it has been absent for a number of years.You are correct in assuming that MB wants you to enjoy the product of his region, but I propose chefs enjoy using & experimenting with other high quality products as much as to offer choice to their clientele.

Thanks for posting the menu, I remember that the regional chef's idea of rare is a tad different from U.K/U.S interpretations hopefully the meat was at least tepid.Michel does possess a tank to contain lobsters(Breton) & I do remember occasionally freshwater shrimp sourced regionally.Peter Graham recounts in his book(Mourjou),v. enjoyable read, stories of such creatures that are amongst protected status due to the dubious practices of farmers which have diminished their numbers considerably(I imagine that can also account to some extent for the farmed/wild nature of the fario trout served at Michel Bras. I did not mean to suggest that Michel focuses on ocean fish, if my memory serves me correct he would generally provide one ocean fish, such as bream,turbot,sea bass etc, at any one time with the addition of Zander,from the Loire, or possibly salmon.I would suggest such an addition to the menu provides variety & balance that may entertain a wider client base but never compromising quality & never affecting too adversely the regional bias of the menu.

"I cannot condone this sort of behaviour" I believe you 'will drop pants for food' but here's another quirky piece of behaviour I've noticed in Vancouver,waiters/waitresses sticking the leather bound bill thingy down their pants & next to their arse's.Is this to encourage quick bill payment & thus rapid table turning???or perhaps to give the mock leather more authenticity(I never order steaks in such places!!)

Hello Bux, It seems you enjoyed the meal,your observation of the complexity masked by simplicity is appropriate & I believe intentional.By the way the creamy espuma is in fact a mousse made from seasoned condensed milk & powdered gelatine whipped-up in KitchenAid that michel has done for a number of years & pre-empts the el bulli craze with siphon. Could you tell me more about the dessert,were the rice cakes dry or bound together with caramel ?,I seem to remember a similar dessert but served with basmati rice ice cream did you have such a garnish??(do you think it could have benefitted from such??).The cheese was a local tomme fraiche(I probably spelt that incorrectly) that was added to the aligot. When you say the beef was "as rare & uncharred as the center" I conjure up images of raw pulsating muscles, was the outside as insipid as such an image suggests.Kasha is the e. european term(namely Russia) for roasted buckwheat ,I suppose a French equivalent would be sarrasin roti (or something like that!!)the roasting of the grain brings out the earthy nuttiness that I think you describe in your post. The trout thing seems to be a relatively recent phenom perhaps induced by popularity elsewhere,I know when I was there fish such as monkfish & bream were being utilized more I hope that the recent scarcity of numbers(monkfish in particular)are dissuading chefs from their use,although a if a recent visit to Spain is any indication the message is not being received. Thanks for the post,are you planning on the degustation menu??? ..hope so...