Bapi

We had an excellent meal there back in October, but I have been a little remiss in not completing my half written report. Wholly agree with the comments made above in the main. I thought the Sunday Lunch was remarkably good value for money, especially for the level of execution of the cooking and quality of the ingredients provided. But the service, in particular from the Maitre' d, we actually found to be exemplary and the table- the large one above the entrance- was excellent too.

Now if only you could do the same at your place Adrian I totally agree, hugely refreshing to see that comments are taken on board. This place has been recommended to me before, not least by circeplum; but the worries about the service have thus far dissuaded me from trying it. Not so now, I'll certainly give it a try in the New Year.

Has anyone actually been to the Bleeding Heart recently? I ask as I am dining next Tuesday and it will be my first time there.

I understand its the size of a small South American country. Great review B

Gary- Make sure you and Sarah have fun at the Yorke Arms this weekend you sod ! Its not fair, I tell you, everyone is going away as some other friends are off to the Crown and Castle, Orford today as well - Bah Humbug. Think of me dipping into my toad in the hole, whilst you are stuffing your facewith Nidderdale lamb faggots won't you ?

Tom G - On that side of the River you could go to St Katherine's Dock and try Lightship Ten, which I think is the place that Tarka may have visited. There was also a place called The Aquarium at the dock, but yesterdays ES stated the owners had moved on. On the same side of the river is The Don , or alternatively as Tarka writes- take a cab up to Farrrigdon and you have Moro, St John, The Eagle , Sutton Arms and the Bleeding Heart tavern to choose from. Alternatively, as Sandra suggests, cross the river and its Terence Conran central, with La Pont de la Tour, Butler's Wharf Chop House and the Cantina all in a row . Round the back is the Blueprint Cafe. I haven't tried any of these places, so can't comment on them, but I will be going to the Chop House in late December. Alternatively , if you walk past HMS Belfast to Hays Galleria , there is an adequate Thai place called - Kwan Thai - I think. Hope that helps Re New Tayyabs- If you go expecting salubrious surroundings and silver service, you'll be disappointed. This place is a wholly functional Pakistani restaurant serving top notch food at monstrously low prices, primarily for the local community. The fact that its so popular with the rest of us is a testament to the quality of the food, and the lack of concession towards amending their spicing to suit western tastes. What you'll get is fantastic grilled meats, authentic flavoursome curries and moist buttery breads. The only problems are that because it is so popular- queues both inside and out of the restaurant- the starters and mains can arrive all at once. As its bring your own alcohol, once you have finished your meal and stopped ordering, they may have a tendency to place the bill on your table, since they want the table back. But so what. Re cleanliness, I have been there about ten times in the last six months, with different groups of people and we have never had anything complain about. Have a look on the "New Tayyebs" thread on the Board- I know its spelt incorrectly, but there is a lot of information there. Or send me a PM and I'll let you know what to try. But good god man - Do go PS Its not open again till 27th November

New Tayyabs is closed now until the end of November for Ramadan. I second- Mela( Shaftesbury Avenue) or its sister restaurant Chowki( 2/3 Denman Street) just off Shaftesbury Ave. Both headed up by Kuldeep Singh. Very reasonable, well cooked food for the West end.

Paul Bell and myself are in no way slighted by the fact that our posts failed to prompt you into action. Ah, yes - I meant most recent excellent post All sorted and a window seat confirmed to boot.

Mathew's excellent post prompted me to book a long belated Sunday Lunch with friends at PB in a couple of weeks time. I did, however, neglect to ask for table by the window, so I will need to rectify that tomorrow. Hopefully, I will have the same luck as those of you who have asked specifically. I'll let you know how we got on.

According to the new Good Food Guide - Hibiscus does have a web site at www.hibiscusrestaurant.co.uk Unfortunately, I can't seem to get on to it , but you may have better luck. Incidentally, how did you get on Nicola? B

Nicola, I am afraid that they don't have a website as far as I know. I am not too sure that your friends would have too much choice to be honest at either Hibiscus or the Merchant House. There maybe one choice per first course( Roscoff Onion ravoli at Hibiscus and the risotto at the Merchant House), although I can't really remember a Vegetarian main course at either of these places. Might be worth giving them a ring though. Uncannily enough- Ludlow and specifically Shaun Hill was featured on the Rick Stein programme last night

Part 2 at the Merchant House On Friday, after a great day sampling, slurping, munching (and in Rosie’s case -sleeping), at the Food Festival, we ventured down to Lower Corve Street for a meal at The Merchant House. We popped into the Unicorn next door first and decided to sit outside by the small river, enjoying a G&T. We noticed that from where we were sat, one could see Shaun Hill pootling about his Kitchen in a very relaxed manner. We then walked around the corner at the appointed time and asked to have a drink in the lounge. Actually, I forced my friend Dan to have a cigarette, just so we could sit in the lounge. A small quiet room at the back of the House with a hotchpotch of chairs and an eclectic mix of sculpture. Over a bottle of Beaumont des Crayeres N.V brut- Champagne, the four of us perused the menu which was as follows: Artichoke and parsley risotto Sauteed scallops with lentil and coriander sauce Grilled seabass with aubergine fritter and spiced beurre blanc Calves brains with sorrel ………. Roast monkfish with mustard and crème fraiche sauce Roast wild duck with celeriac and morel mushroom sauce Saddle of venison with foie gras Rack of lamb with herbs and red wine sauce ……. Plum tart with amaretto ice cream Crema catalana with raspberries Orange cake with lemon ice cream Blackcurrant ice cream Cheese: Brillat Truffe; Isle of Mull Cheddar, Fourme d’Ambert After choosing our courses, we were taken through into the small dining room to be seated. Its a small unfussy room with a delightful old fashioned charm. As others have said there is no particular frippery at the Merchant House, since there are no tablecloths to be seen. This place is about good food honestly and simply cooked. To start we had a tiny amuse of Salmon tartare, extremely fresh and served with a singular dressed lettuce leaf. For our first courses Rosie went for the Seabass. This was a huge piece of fish which would have been enough for a main course. It was excellently cooked, with the skin having crisped up, with tinges of blackened bits on parts of the golden skin. This was partnered with a simple aubergine fritter and a rich beurre blanc. Nuria opted for the scallop dish. Again, simply presented translucent thin disks of scallop placed upon a small pool of the lentil sauce. I didn’t try one, but did try the sauce, which was delicately flavoured with only a hint of coriander. The chaps both opted for the calf’s brains. In a sort of oafish attempt to emulate Steingarten – I always try to choose dishes that I have never tried before or would at first balk at. I am not sure what I was expecting, but it arrived as a half lobe of the brain, surrounded by a pool of the sorrel sauce. The outside having crisped up in places and I found these the most enjoyable. As much as I hate and despise using this word it was “perfectly” cooked, I think perhaps it was a textural thing, as the insides were – how can I put this? – perhaps a bit too blancmangey for my liking. I struggled a bit, but I am still glad I tried it. Main courses were an excellent piece of Venison and Foie gras- a previous favourite of mine. A duck with a splendid morel mushroom sauce and I opted for the lamb. This was pink and tender and neatly served with a small amount of dauphinoise potatoes and a small mound of fresh runner beans along with a moreish sauce. Nothing too fussy, just well sourced ingredients cooked in a restrained and intelligent manner. To drink we had a bottle of an excellent Ailon 1998- a beautiful silky smooth Ribero and a half of Langar de Cervera(2001), with a straw for Rosie to sup it. Puddings were three Crema Catalana’s and a Blackcurrant icecream. Our fragrant friend Nuria is from Barcelona , so she was immediately comparing the crema catalana (spanish crème brulee) to her mother’s recipe. She said it was nice but that they tend to eat it when it’s a little hotter. A great meal, which we rounded of with tea, in the lounge. I noticed during the meal that a table of three were dining to my left. Later I noticed that one of the party was tucking into food again ! His friends had left but he thought, what the hell, so asked for another main course,(and wine) which Shaun Hill provided. Lucky us- Tim nice but Dim, came and joined us in the lounge, obviously half cut, and then proceeded to interrogate Nuria about Spanish food. She is a feisty bugger and he has no idea how close he came to death!!. Then, he regaled us with how he had bought a £600 satellite navigation system just to get from Norwich to Ludlow! It’s not exactly Paris to Dakar now is it? Apart from him, a great evening and we will be returning in March.

I went to Royal China ( Canary Wharf) with my colleagues last week. A young couple came in with their baby and the staff were practically fighting with each other over who would be allowed to walk around with the baby, whilst they ate.

I had a quick lunch with colleagues at Royal China in Canary Wharf today. We opted for the three course Lunch, Dim Sum, followed by soup and then a choice of generic dishes with rice or noodles, for £10. The Dim Sum were easily the best part of our meal, well recommended and they have a separate dim sum menu on offer as well. I will definitely be going back. No too far from Greenwich so may be worth a go.

A wonderful return to Hibiscus to savour the nine course Degustation menu. I had been looking forward to this meal for months and allegedly, grinned like an idiot in anticipation of it, all day long. We arrived to be greeted by the ever gracious, Claire Bosi, on splendid teasing form. A testament to her memory (and my obvious predictability), she asked whether I would like a martini cocktail. (I had one there last year). In addition, would I like a certain Lebanese wine, that damm Gary Marshall has now got me addicted to? (Funnily enough I haven’t actually tried Chateau Musar at Hibiscus previously. Hmmmm, I wonder where she got that info from). We were escorted through to the lounge area and seated next to a nice old couple of Buffton Tuftons, who were down in Ludlow for the first time in 30 years. A lovely couple from Lincolnshire and a couple of regular foodies, whose local is Winteringham Fields (what a burden!). After wonderful appetisers of spherical croquettes: Ham and cheese and walnut were on offer, amongst others, as well as cheese gougeres; we were escorted down the few steps into the, by now, full dining room. For the first time, we were seated in the second of the two cosy oak-panelled rooms, and just by the side of the two Buftons, who appeared to be having a whale of a time. First came………. 1. Oeuf Coccotte with Veloute of Savoy Cabbage An eggshell, the top of which had been sliced away arrived. This contained a silky smooth amuse bouche of richly flavoured pale green veloute, sitting above an unctuous yolk. It was served with two thin soldiers of caramely brioche, to merrily dunk away with- a nice little touch I thought. The presentation has changed slightly in that the egg no longer sits in a crater of Rock Salt crystals as it used to, but now resided in quirky snail egg cups resting on a small square slate. Think Brian from Magic Roundabout. 2. Carpaccio of hand Dived Scallops, Leek & Liquorice Vinaigrette We had this dish last year, and it was one we both enjoyed again.(So much so the bint had it again on the Saturday night) A hugely generous portion of slivers of scallops sitting on thin strips of leek, deliciously fresh flavours and I noted the liquorice flavour was more pronounced this time. I did think my very first mouthful, was a bit too sharp in terms of rawish leek, but after that, the delicate flavours melded well. The bint advises there was a hint of William Pear to balance the liquorice and bring out the sweetness of the scallops. 3. Sautéed Langoustine tail, Lemon Confit, Black Radish, Emulsion of Burnt Milk God, I loved this dish. A single obscenely large and fresh langoutsine with little pieces of lemon confit, a sliver of crisp radish and a wonderful frothy orangey emulsion of burnt milk. Excellent flavours and an acutely timed langoustine. (Can I have more than one next time please?) To drink, we wanted wine to complement each of the courses. So Claire suggested three very reasonably priced half bottles. The first of which was a Lagar de Cervera Albarino 2001. Very light and drinkable and an ideal foil for courses one to three. Following that we had a pleasant Pouilly Fume Villa Paulus 2001, with courses the next few courses. 4. Warm pike Quenelles, Smoked Cauliflower & Sunflower seeds A very light but texturally firm quenelle, delicately flavoured and surrounded by a warm emulsion of smoked cauliflower made an interesting combination. The dish was given an another texture, with the addition of sprinkling of toasted sunflower seeds. 5. Confit of Eel in Salted Butter, Crispy Pork Belly, Pineapple & White Bean Puree, Froth of Coconut milk A moist rectangular fresh piece of eel poached, and hence seasoned, in salted butter, was paired with and excellent piece of pork. The latter had just the right amount of crispiness and chewiness. God knows where he got the idea to pair these two items with pineapple (!), but the slight tartness of the pineapple worked very well as did the very delicate addition of coconut milk. A truly standout dish and beautifully presented. This chap knows his onions … speaking of which .. 6. Ravioli of Roscoff Onion & Summer Truffle, Veloute of Almond Butter & Potato Last year we tried the ravioli of white onion and broad bean dish at Hibiscus. I had remembered it especially as Mathew Fort had written that the dish was “enough to make a grown man weep”. I think its probably beneficial to the upholstery and carpeting at Hibiscus that he hasn’t tried this current version as he would no doubt have wet himself. Two delicate ravioli containing the sweetest of subtle, caramelised onion and flecks of truffle. These were surrounded by a pool of velvety almond butter and potato- bleeding marvellous. To drink with the next two courses and the cheese, Claire, recommended a half bottle of something not on their list, but which she suggested would be ideal. A La Reserve de Leoville Barton 1997, which was lip smackingly good 7. Savoury Ice cream of Foie Gras, Warm Emulsion of Brioche, Balsamic Vinegar Caramel Another great dish, and a real assault on the taste buds and senses. A richly flavoursome ice cream, with a sweet slightly warm emulsion of Brioche and caramel. Again quite unusual, but the sweetness counteracted the foie gras perfectly and the difference in temperature of the components of the dish worked well. 8. Rack of Cheshire Veal, Roast Garlic Puree, Fondue of Fomme de Savoie Thankfully by this stage, a smallish slice of rosey hued veal, with a delicious puree of roasted garlic. I was getting a bit full by now, however I persevered onto…… 9. Cheese- Finn, Celtic Promise, Perroche & Malvern Ewes Very well kept cheese, personal favourites where the Malvern Ewes and the Celtic Promise. (We bought some of the latter from the excellent Mousetrap Cheese Shop off the market square and are still eating it) 10. Strawberry Salad, Sweet Celeriac Jelly, Black Pepper Cream A nice little pre-dessert, especially liked the combination of the black pepper cream and the strawberry salad. 11. Hazelnut Millefeuille, Butternut Ice Cream, Butternut Squash Syrup Rosie was struggling by this stage, so chivalrous to the end, I wolfed hers down as well. Loved the Butternut squash ice cream. 12. Vanilla Cheesecake glazed with Vine Tomato Jelly, Orange Sorbet, Vine Tomato Puree A strange look of sated madness had apparently appeared on my face by this stage, but I still managed to finish this dish. The cheesecake was wonderful, as was the addition of the sweet vine tomato. As you can tell the nine courses had risen to twelve, so I was truly done for. Incidentally, desserts were accompanied by two luscious glasses of Domaine de Gineste Gaillac Blanc Cuvee Aurore 2000. Overall, what can I say? Not a duff note eaten in this meal. Service was perfect from Claire and two helpers, including the delightful Ingrid. A truly memorable meal and we had a pleasant chat with Claire and Claude afterwards about places we had all eaten at. We were the last to leave again, so apologies to Claude and Claire! Luckily enough, we were dining there are again that Saturday night also, with friends,(Friday was at The Merchant House). So we didn’t have long to wait to return. Off we sauntered into the night, happily replete, and me pushing the Bintage up Corve Street in the wheelbarrow they had kindly lent us. (Minor embellishment) Already planning a return trip for our Anniversary in March next year, and if this place hasn’t attained a second Michelin start by then, it will be a travesty and I’ll be writing to my MP.

Recently back from the Cotswolds (oh lordy and "interesting" dining experience at The Lords of The Manor) on the way to Ludlow for the food festival and some fantastic dining. Tasting menu at Hibiscus was superbs - highlights included a luscious pant wettingly fresh langoustine with a burnt cream and a sliver of deep fried black radish, Foie Gras Ice cream with an emulsion of brioche, eel poached in salted butter and served with superb crispy pork belly and pineapple and wonderful acutely pink veal. Also ate a good meal at The Merchant House, which included - calf's brains with a sorrel sauce( glad I tried it but not for me again I think), a hugely generous starter of sea bass , Venison and Foie Gras and sensational lamb. Returned to Hibiscus, with ever so marginally insane friends on Saturday to go a la carte. Between us we had, tender Foie gras, hand dived scallops, pike quennelle as some of our starters. Mains were an utterly superb Venison dish, I had squab with a light thai curry sauce and the aforementioned eel/ pork belly dish. The Food festival was excellent too, large crowds, jostling for tastes of beer, perry, cheese, ham , wine, olives and THE best scotch Eggs I have ever had. Huge whole Roast Boar being spit roasted , Gloucester old spot sausage sandwiches and many other delights. A great few days. Especially enjoyed meeting up with Charlene and Chris and talking rubbish for about six hours solid. Charlene was infinitely more adept at this than I ( but only marginally) I'll write up in more detail when I get the chance

rshorens Open every day but only after 5pm

Oh dear, sorry to hear that, but not wholly suprised. Try the Grapes on Narrow Street next time. Its about 15 mins walk from AV, but a much better experience all round.:)

Scranmeister, IM(humble)O, it depends on the occasion and the atmosphere that the restaurant is trying to achieve. For example, at the Waterside Inn/ Hibiscus, I like the formality of having my wine poured for me, so long as this is done intermittently; which at this standard of place, it obviously is. The antithesis of which are some West End Chinese restaurants, where the entire bottle is decanted into everyone's glasses at near lightning speed and topped up every 15 seconds until finished; quickly followed by the inevitable " Do you want another bottle"! Having said that at The Merchant House - Shaun Hill cites on his wine list that there is no wine service per se. Here is what it says: "Restaurant service often has rigmarole and stuff. Our approach is more basic and straightforward. Serving wine, we offer you a taste to check the quality, pour a small glass for everyone, and then leave it up to you. We like pouring our own wine and hope you do too". In this less formal setting- I have to agree. I am very happy to be left to my own devices and to be allowed to pour wine for family and friends as suits us. The same approach is adopted at The Crown and Castle(Orford) and suits the pace of such meals I think. Incidentally- Catherine - my colleague is off to the Three Chimneys for lunch next month- on my recommendation!! I hope she she has a more pleasant experience than you unfortunately enjoyed !

Tony, Having seen Macrosan fiendishly demolishing and gnawing an entire bowl of winged creatures (Quails) at New Tayyabs earlier this week; I am suprised that you made it out of Wiltons with both your arms intact. B

Charlene -Isn't the programme you may be going on, the same that Andy went on a few years back? I shall keep an eagle eye out for you and any offending Bratwurst, you may try to club me to death with on the sausage trail. Andy - you are lucky to have me, as well you know my little cauliflower.

Has a search for a new partner for Clarissa- Dickson -Wright ended, I wonder?? This is a joke Charlene - please don't beat me up in Ludlow.

Paul, Depending on how good your meal with Jay at Burger King is this Friday; I think you may owe me. B

A very pleasant evening last night, in the company of Macrosan, Gary Marshall (Guest of Honour), Charlene, her husband Chris and some woman called Rosie who keeps following me around. Macrosan arrived at the Good Samaritan pub, looking fit and healthy having worked up an appetite in the gym. Gary and I achieved the same state of nirvana by imbibing two lagers and two pints of Directors ale respectively. Incidentally- when reserving a table I gave my name as Bapi and the chap on the phone at NT, said "Oh, are you on egullet? I read it all the time". Which was nice - if a bit disconcerting. Thankfully, I had the good sense to say that Gary was down from York, especially to try the food, and asked for them to look after us - hurrah. Arrived at just after six and it was fairly quiet, which was good as this place gets ridiculously packed later on. Gary will give us a full run down of what we had quantity wise, but from memory, we had: Tandoori chicken (succulent, moist and juicy), seekh kebabs( spicy, but very flavoursome) massalla fish( a tad dry unfortunately) chicken tikka ( excellent) Lamb chops (Not only bigger than we have had before, but by the far best, as they were splendidly tender) Mains were Large portion Batera (Quails cooked in a rich sauce) - v tender and highly recommended, but only available on Tuesdays. Large Dry Meat- A personal favourite. A heavily reduced sticky sauce coating tender pieces of meat. Absolutely moreish. Small Chicken Keema- Shredded chicken in a rich, slightly sweet, but spicy sauce -very good. Large Murgh Channa - Chicken cooked on the bone in a fantastic sauce, strewn with chickpeas. Another Tuesday night special Large pumpkin curry- actually marrow, but who cares? Served with onions and peas- very nice. Umpteen world class breads: garlic naan , plain naan , keema naan , paratha I was quite impressed with the amount of large portions of main courses Charlene ordered. I remember thinking - You go for it girl, gosh, she must be hungry! I only managed to reel her back in with a nudge about getting a small chicken keema instead of a large. But actually, I thought we ordered rather well, especially as we got through all the curry( just), but not the breads. Service from Ali and his team was very good and relaxed, especially as it wasn't very busy. Ali is very helpful, as I noticed that when Charlene and I were ordering, he actually tried to stop us from ordering too many starters, so that we could progress on too mains later on. Didn't stop us though naturally! A very enjoyable meal and the fact that I am still fragrant with the faint heady aroma of curry the day after (despite two showers since the meal), is still a small price to pay. If you have read this thread, live in or near London and have not yet been to New Tayyabs, you must be mad. GO

Jay Paul Bell is your man. He has recently moved to Cardiff. I think he said the MPW place in St David's Bay was fairly hopeless though. Bapi