Bapi

Le Gavroche ?

I think Mathew was writing about Hibiscus being Classical cooking with a modern twist, not the FD.

Gavin, I am so glad that you enjoyed the C&C, we stayed there for three nights earlier this month and had a very relaxing time.Rosie and I were getiing over some sad news- hence I didn't post details- but it was the perfect tonic for us and they looked after us magnificently well. The perfect antidote to London. Cheers Bapi Incidentally, you weren't the couple behind us on the terrace, with the Good Food Guide on the table were you?

Mathew, your post has made me a very happy bunny. We are dining there in three short weeks (I am marking the days off on my Kylie calendar) and I am really looking forward to eating at Hibiscus again. Especially so, as your post and one by wgallois on the "Help in Ludlow" thread below, indicate a marked evolution in Claude's cooking from the three meals we had there last year. Incidentally, the second meal we ate, started with THE best amuse we have ever had- a fantastic little cup of Foie Gras soup; so I would certainly be interested to taste the FG ice cream.(Hugely unsubtle hint - if indeed Claire and Claude are lurkers!) We managed to get in for dinner, on Saturday night during the food festival. However, my cantankerous friend and his missus, with whom we are dining that night, are adamant about wanting to try the a la carte this time.( Note to all- NEVER invite single celled ameboid from Chingford to dine with you) This has resulted in myself, very magnanimously, agreeing to opt for the a la carte that night and er, um, booking in on the preceding Wednesday for the nine course tasting menu, as well. I know, I know, its a huge burden to bear, but I am only putting myself (and bint) through this ordeal for the greater good of egullet, honest.

Not long before the Ludlow Food and Drink Festival kicks off on Friday 12th September. Looks like fun, with demos by Shaun Hill (Merchant House) and Claude Bosi (Hibiscus) on Sunday afternoon. I will be attending with friends and I know that one other egulleter will definitely be there as well. See what you think: http://www.foodfestival.co.uk/events.html

"Funny, I would of thought the alumni organisation would have been on the phone seeking out our services as poster-boys for the 'Original Red Brick University' " I think they ran with the Laurel and Hardy article a couple of months back Thom - so you missed your chance. "Did you ever used to darken the doors of the Augustus John, or were you more of an Oxford or Cambridge chap? (The pubs, not the universities)." I think in Gary's case it was probably B & Q for a bottle of meths -drunken with aplomb from a brown paper bag

I have the dubious pleasure of working in the vicinity, but have to say that I rarely eat out around Canary Wharf. I would agree that most places are chains- such as Carluccios, Smollenskys, La Tasca, Gaucho Grill etc. I too have heard good reports about Quadrato and Ubon is still on my list of places to go to. Ubon is expensive but not as prohibitive as Nobu apparently. Alternatively - ITSU is a cheap place to get reasonable, if slightly westernised sushi, Chilli's offers burgers, fajitas and such like and I avoid it like the plague. A new place called 1802 has good word of mouth reviews currently and First Edition has been popular for a number of years. Italian wise , there is Amergio Vespucci- never been , but suspect it caters for the aforementioned, over priced corporate account masses. Scuzzi, my missus has been too and said it was an ok Italian, but nothing more. Indian - We have ventured to The Tale of India - again very standard curry house but ok. However, avoid The Dockmasters ( Indian ) at all costs. Memsahib on Thames is nearby and supposed to be reasonable I would suggest that you venture to the The Grapes on Narrow Street( Nr Westferry station on the DLR) and have some decent seafood and a decent choice of beer ( About 10-12 mins walk from CW.) Bit rushed so apologies, if you want more information then let me know

I ventured up to Edinburgh last week and taking my life in my hands trusted Gary Marshall's advice and had a meal at Le Cafe St Honore. It had been years since I was last in Edinburgh as my mad ex was at University there, ( I shall pray Rosie doesn't read this post ). I had quite forgotten what a beautiful city it is to walk around as we ventured up behind the back of Princess Street towards Thistle Street. We decided that it was either Le Cafe St Honore or Fishers in the City and on the day we opted for the former. We just managed to get the last postage stamp sized table in the back room of the restaurant, the front room having much more character (and drunk people on this occasion). The back room was frighteningly warm though and had only inadequate fans for a warm July night and, as I said the table was just too small. I started with a salad of Squid and Crevettes- nicely cooked squid, which was tender and nicely caramelised in places, the crevettes were okay but nothing special. My friend had gnocchi with roasted vegetables and cheese. He said it was pleasant but a bit too rich. Starters were about the £ 6 / 7 mark Mains, I opted for Rare sirloin steak with a confit of garlic. This was a good dish, the garlic cloves - of which there many- had reduced down to a sweet pungent pulp and worked well with the rich sauce served with the steak. My friend had Roasted Guinea Fowl and I am afraid I can offer no more details, as there was an abundance of shop talk that evening, so I wasn't really paying attention. Both dishes were good but I think a little over priced for what they were, and the level of cooking offered, at about £17/18 each. We had a decent bottle of Chateau La Bosq ( Medoc) 1999 at £22. Including two aperitifs and a tea and coffee (no desserts) the bill was £80 excluding service. A nice little place with real character, but not a place I would rush back too before trying other places first.

Nice review of Ma Cuisine in today's Metro missus, and instead of the full Fleur review. It must have impressed. But how on earth can he only charge a minuscule £4.75 for Foie Gras?? Also, what's this I read in the review? "Death by carbohydrate". Now where have | heard someone else bleating on about something similar, I wonder ??? :o)

Ooops, no Gavin. Walk back down Fieldagte Street to the crossroads with New Road and then straight across on to Stepney Way and its two hundred yards down there on your right , opposite the Hospital. If you pop back there for a drink after the meal, take the road on the other side of the road from the Good Samaritan that goes past the Hospital A&E dept ( I think) and you are straight back on Whitchapel opposite McDonalds. As Tony Finch said to me its not a particularly salubrious place , but one that is infinitely better than the rest of the pubs on Whitchapel- but it is crammed full of medics and student nurses EEEk - lesson number one , don't cut and paste your responses without first checking the previous posts. Sorry for the repetition.

Gavin, Why did you think the Good Samaritan pub reference was an in joke, ol bean ? Glad you enjoyed it, we are going back ourselves next Friday night !

Andy- I had an e-mail from Ruth Watson and she stated the Seized method simply means " the fish (or meat) is placed directly on a very hot solid surface(rather than a pan), so the outer surface seals and caramelises very quickly." I, and more so Rosie, can vouch for this, as the cod's skin was uniformly crisp. Its making me hungry even thinking about it. But the Hotel is now booked till Mid September - !!!!!!Damm Jackal- had Fish and Chips from Dunwich and ate them on the beach but I wasn't impressed at all. Ok piece of fish but flaccid chips and only about 10 of them - a complete rip off. Mother-in-law insisted on going here- she therefore sat in the boot with the dog on the way back home. Never tried Butley- Orford Oysterage, but what I did like when we were in there last weekend is that all the fresh fish was all laid out in the small shop at the back of the restaurant. Whilst we were browsing, a chap came in from the adjoining kitchen , holding two large trays covered in butter. He then pulled back the covers and took two huge fresh Sole, which had obviously been ordered in the restaurant, plonked them onto the trays and walked round the corner and banged them in the oven. Jay- Absolutely agree, The Smokery is excellent and all visiting Orford should go here. Huge whole smoked Eel, Bloaters , Kippers, chicken,pigeons though sadly none when we were there, garlic bulbs, cheeses and various sausages.

Yeah right Andy. I believe you. No wonder Mrs Lynes didn't allow you to attend the St John egullet meal. Are you on probabtion ?

Andy- Re my rude comments about our friends. Just a bit of fun, as both are lurkers on this site and she has been nagging me to post the review. Bless her, after reading it, she even e-mailed us to ask whether she really smelt of mothballs! Of course we said no, it was more like Kippers. Gary- Re Hibiscus tasting menu - Go figure, he eats like a horse and on form could easily manage the tasting menu twice over. So we'll see, but in any case I have now opted against the baseball bat method of coercion in favour of an electric genital clamp. Andy, can I borrow yours? Re Rosie's driving- Have you seen Driving Miss Daisy? That's why I drive Oh, and I am from Lancashire thank you. Rosie- Stop mithering woman and get my dinner on the table. Andy- Re Seized Cod - I will e-mail them and find out. http://www.crownandcastle.co.uk/

I think Circe said she was of here soon for work purposes, at the St John meal.

As the weather was splendid last Sunday, we did the archetypal British thing, when the sun shows itself and sat in a traffic jam on the way to the coast for a good hour or so. Thankfully, as the great string vested masses turned off the A12 and descended upon Clacton (they are very welcome to it), the road cleared and we headed up towards Orford. On this occasion, we were taking our good friends Dan (think Lenny from Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men or even Lemmy from Motorhead, for that matter) and Nuria, his frumpy Spanish wife (she smells of mothballs, bless her). As it was her first time in Suffolk, we did a quick detour to a little gem of a pub called the Ramsholt Arms near Woodbridge, Suffolk. This place really is in the middle of nowhere (Ramsholt is not even on some road maps) but that is no bad thing as it was already absolutely packed at 12pm. A picture perfect setting as its right on the estuary, complete with sailing boats clinking away in the wind. The Lemmy lookalike, did have a little whinge about not wanting to try the tasting menu at Hibiscus again, later this year. Eventhough he slept through part of that meal !, but I decided we could discuss this matter later, in a civil manner, over a pint and my with my trusty baseball bat as light encouragement. In any case we could have happily spent the afternoon there but we knew better was to come. We then headed off to Orford just up the coast, to the Trinity at the Crown and Castle. Incidentally, I had e-mailed the owners Ruth and David Watson prior to our lunch. As much as I love this place, I was ashamed to say that it had been a long while since we last dined there. Nevertheless, Ruth Watson e-mailed back and informed us that whilst they would be away and couldn't say hello, there was a glass of Champagne for us all behind the bar. Not a bad little start to the afternoon off and a kind and welcome gesture. We arrived a tad early and were told that they had reserved a table outside for us as well as inside. Naturally, as it was about 27 degrees, we opted to sit outside. We had a quick look inside and were perturbed to see that next to the Visitor's book, there was now a dartboard with a picture of Jay Rayner placed upon it, darts sticking out of his now, shredded olfactory organ. What on earth did you say about them Jay? Okay, sorry, I am joking, there is actually a copy of his recent good review of the Crown and Castle from the Observer. Returning to the dining area outside, this has well spaced tables to the rear of the Hotel, which faces south and is a perfect sun- trap. Each table has a large individual canopy and was occupied with families happily enjoying themselves. The Hotel itself is Victorian styled red brick building, just off the small main square and next to the impressive Norman Keep. In the distance you can just about make out the rivers Alde and Ore. The views of these are naturally much better from the bedrooms, but I'll get to that later. The Champagne duly arrived as we perused the menus. I neglected to ask what it was, but it was very pleasant. More so for my friend, as Rosie is on a health kick and being abstemious and as I was driving, guess where her glass of champagne went? Unsurprisingly, a shorter menu was on offer for lunch, than for dinner, with about 4/ 5 choices for each course. Prices are listed only against the main courses at lunch, and these range from £14.95 to £17.25. Does that sound a bit pricey for a lunch course in deepest Suffolk? It shouldn't do, as this price includes either a starter or your dessert course. If you want to add a third course then you may, for an extra £5. The Ugly Bugger and I both opted for a starter, simply described as a Fishy Platter: Smoked Trout, Salmon and Prawns + Langoustine + Oyster. As near to perfect a summer dish as you could have. Orford is blessed with its own Smokery and one assumes that this is where the three smoked items came from. All were quite deliciously fresh and tender and not overly smoked. The Langoustine was again, spankingly fresh and the oyster a rounded and delightful way to finish off the dish, with a smidgen of shallot vinegar. I won't regale you with emetic details of where Dan's mind wandered after eating the oyster, lets just say his missus fended of his salacious attempts to show her his, and I quote "Oyster magic" and leave it at that. Overall, this dish was nothing too fancy, but perfect, fresh, ingredients very well presented. The girls both opted for " A plate of good artisanal salamis James's fab fennel pickle". The salami's and fennel, I tasted were moist and very pleasant. Especially well received by the girl's, judging by the speed with which this course was dispatched. With our main courses, I suggested a bottle of Chateau Musar 1996 (£25.50)- I'm developing a bit of a taste for this stuff, a wonderful aroma and punchy spiciness from what looks like a fairly lightweight wine. This went well with what we chaps had ordered. Slow-Roast Pork Belly of Gloucester Old Spot + Tiger prawns + Shellfish broth + Aioli. The meat was nicely fatty which rendered the flesh both tender and flavoursome in part and chewy in others; bits of the fat having crisped up nicely. The dish also contained a few new potatoes and roasted pepper, which were welcome additions. Both Dan and I were slightly unsure about the broth at first, which was like a very thin fish soup. But on reflection, we thought all the elements worked well together. The Girls both opted for Seized Local Cod fillet + brown shrimp risotto. Fantastic, fresh and faultless fish, served with a richly creamy risotto strewn with a generous helping of tiny brown shrimps and surrounded by a amazing tasting vivid- lime green coloured basil oil. God knows what the "Seized" referred to, in relation to the fish, perhaps the Missus can enlighten us? Puddings were: a Gooseberry and Jersey Cream fool, a bitter chocolate soufflé cake + cream, and two fabulous warm pecan nut and bourbon tarts + vanilla ice cream. The latter was wrestled off Dan, by his better half, as it was that good. Including two coffees, two teas and a brandy (for him, the swine), the bill came to a very reasonable £123.50 for four. Especially so for me, as our friends kindly took care of the bill. Hurrah. I should mention the staff, who were excellent on the day. Rosie pointed out that even in the absence of the Watsons, who are usually very much in evidence, everything ran like clockwork at each of the tables during the lunch. A sure sign of professional, confident staff and an operation humming along nicely. We asked to show our friends round some of the bedrooms. The best ones to go for overlooking the water in the distance are Rooms 9 / 8 and 7. Number 3 is huge and overlooks the market square to the side of the Hotel. Rosie and I really love the rooms and the atmosphere that pervades throughout the Hotel. I have mentioned before that there is not an atom of chintz in these bedrooms, Ruth Watson describing the interiors as a -Conran meets Ikea look - and I am pleased to write that the Garden rooms have now all been completely refurbished. They have been very honest in the past stating that the Garden rooms needed renovating and whilst comfortable, I don't think the owners will mind me saying that the bathrooms were previously the colour which obtuse professional footballers would have thought tasteful in the early 1980's. Thankfully no longer, the bathrooms are now excellent and the bedrooms are complete with sea grass carpet, huge beds and best of all a small private terrace with your own garden furniture. My friend was especially taken with the Garden room, or maybe that was the oyster still speaking. Nevertheless, we are all thinking about venturing back to stay very soon. I think I'll get him some bromide though. Orford is a beautiful quiet, unspoilt village, and after lunch we wandered round to the Smokery to buy ham joints doused in cider and treacle before being smoked- I am eating this as I write and its delicious. Then venturing down to the quay to see the boats before walking along the dyke and back to the Hotel. Sadly it was then time to leave and venture back. Our friends fell asleep before we had even left the outskirts of Orford (!). Hence Rosie and I amused ourselves counting the number of lobster red people, squirming in agony in their cars, on the way back from Clacton. Go and spend a day in Orford and try the Trinity at the Crown and Castle, but for god sakes, don't tell everybody about it- please!

Tarka I am up there on business in a couple of weeks. Can you let me know what other places you have rooted out, which would be worth going to ? Any other suggestions gratefully received. Thanks B Emoticon at the top is how I am still feeling after last night

Oh Lordy , I can't believe I missed this bit. Gary - they must have thought you were a Grade A1 bona fide nutter. "No, not for me that ice cold mineral water. I'll have that tepid sludge Londonners are treated to, through their taps instead please." Paul is right in the most part I think Gary. Sharrow Bay and the Waterside Inn both served up "free" Evian and are both Relais & Chateaux members. Manoir is as well, but they did charge there and rather annoyingly kept topping up our glasses after every other sip and then asked us if we wanted another bottle. Harrumph

Gary, All of the above is true, since moving south, I have developed an unnerving propensity for Gin and Tonics, insouciantly abandoning my love of good "proper" beer, my dear pet whippet and sidelining my flat cap. I have even, on occasion been known to say - "Youuur 'avvin a bleedin' laarf int cha?" I only wear dresses at weekends though. Partook in a medicinal brandy instead of your usual nightcap, until I was whisked away by the vice-like headlock from missus. Which reminds me, can I be the first to officially congratulate you on egullet for managing to find someone as nice as Sarah, to marry you last month? Welcome back and we hope to hear all about your honeymoon gastro tour of Europe soon. Mr Laaade da has been on the Leyton Orient Express don't you know? Can I also be the first to offer my sincerest condolences to Sarah, who will now have to endure a lifetime at the behest of your sweaty little digits? B

Mathew, Overton Grange as wgallois states is C Bosi's old stomping ground. The current incumbent is Wayne Vickerage, who gets a 5 in the GFG. Never been but it may be worth a try. Mr Underhill's- Dinham weir 10 mins from the castle.Have been here twice. A pleasant location to dine, but absolutely NO choice in what you eat until the third course. Although Michelin starred, we found the food accomplished but nothing outstanding. The last time we were there we had beef, every 4/5 minutes one could hear a little alarm clock going off in the kitchen. A testament to accurate timing, but a little disconcerting for the guests. We would not venture back, but it may be somewhere that you may want to try. Dinham Hall- also makes it into the GFG with a 3. The Chef is Olivier Bossut. have a look at www.dinhamhall.co.uk I would suggest that The Unicorn next to the Merchant House would be a pleasant alternative as well. We have had two or three good lunches/dinners there. Eclectic mix of traditional British food and some eastern influenced dishes. Singapore Chilli crab was the last dish I ate there ! Not wholly authentic I assume, but very nice. A drive out of Ludlow is The Stagg at Titley ( ex Le Gavroche chef Stephen Reynolds ). Really enjoyed the food here, the atmosphere was bit subdued, but it was a March Tuesday night when we were there last year. The Riverside Inn at Aymestry- Jonathan Meades, whose I opinion I have to say, I always trust, gave this a good write up. Pleasant setting as well according to the Good Pub Guide. Having a huge sense of deja vu as I am fairly sure I have written virtually all of this before now !! If you eat at The Feathers - I will have to shoot you myself.

Wgallois, Thanks for an excellent report. I printed it off to take home and read again. I am really pleased that you enjoyed your meal and your vivid description of the food put me in mind of eagerly anticipating our return, over the Food festival weekend, this coming September. I noted Claude Bosi's predilection towards various ice creams with some interest. In addition to crème brulee with new season peas! We'll be partaking of the 9 course tasting menu again, if I get my way; so will report back. Thanks again B

Simon / Tony. Gulity as charged , we were a bunch of Shandy lightweights on that particular night. In mitigation, there were apparently only eight of us, not nine; my tall white Lepus friend doesn't count ( or more accurately- I can't count). Also, we didn't have that much left over apart from the grilled meats and biryani. My Aussie friend and I valiantly soldiered one but four in a row, was one seekh kebab too many for me! Tony, you are on Sir. I will let you know.

Another trip to New Tayyabs. Nine of us this time and as I was tasked with ordering for us. Unfortunately, I had a funny turn and therefore ordered far too much food. 16 Seekh Kebabs 2 lots of Chicken Tikka 3 lots of Tandoori Chicken 4 lots of Masala fish 2 lots of Lamb chops 4 Tandoori rotis Ordered the above a s "starters" which all rather finished us off. We noted that the food was considerably spicier than last time. This caused the Jack Osborne loolalike in our party to query whether there was "anything on the table that wasn't going to blow (his) f**king head off". The food was good, but the fish and the lamb were, in places, much drier than last time and as eloquently put by our friend - perhaps a smidgen spicier. I had ordered six mains between us all, but on noticing that we were struggling with starters, reduced this to 4. Dry meat - excellent. Karahi Chicken Keema- very nice , finely shredded pieces of chicken as opposed to chicken mince. Karahi Gosht- didn't get to try this. Pumpkin Curry-This was a special and described as pumpkin to me, but was actually some other squash. It was, however, absolutely lovely and wholly recommended. We also had two large portions of Meat Biryani , which they saved for us on request. I thought the accompanying curry was much better than the rice itself. That, a few other breads( keema nans and tandoori nans) and desserts all round, came to £107.50 between nine. As I said, we couldn't finish it all, so we had it packaged up to take home between myself and our friend from Oz. Thinking better of it, he generously gave it all away to the rather intoxicated, but nevertheless highly appreciative gentleman settling in for the night on the benches around the corner. Sam / Tony- thanks for pointing us in the direction of the Good Samaritan pub

Best overall meal - Waterside Inn tasting menu. Best Overall Dish- Ravioli of Egg Yolk, Veal Sweetbread with a Madeira and Truffle Jus (Winteringham Fields) Best Starter- Lobster ravioli, with truffle and scallop (Sharrow Bay) Best Main- Roasted Veal with spring vegetables (Waterside Inn) Best dessert - Assiete (Winteringham Fields) Best Service - Waterside Inn / Sharrow Bay Best Value - New Tayyabs (Roll on this Friday when we return there) Best Sandwich - Medium Rare Sirloin with Wensleydale cheese (Starr Inn) Most Boffintastic meal - Fat Duck. Most Baffling dish - Maple syrup, potato gloop (Fat Duck) Best Chips - Thrice cooked ones (Riverside Brasserie, Bray marina). Most Average service - Hoste Arms ( Burnham Market, Norfolk) Best Indian - Mela Best Dim Sum - Harbour City Most anticipated forthcoming meal - Gordon Ramsay @ Claridges

Was it Terry Durack (sp)- perchance , Charlene ?