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Bapi

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  1. Tony, I know what you mean, the heat these guys work under, for long periods of time is unbelievable. We had a tour of Manoir's kitchen a while back. The chap who showed around was highly enthusiastic and inordinately proud of the new ranges( Basildog take note ), that had recently been installed. Dwelling over the section that prepared meat, for a three minutes, he patiently explained what each of the chaps did. I think I lost three pounds ( I wish) whilst standing there those three "short " minutes, that section was like being in Dante's inferno. He eventually took us to the section that was responsible for plating up the ice creams and sorbets and it took all my self restraint to stop myself from diving in , head first. This was in March, so lord only knows what it would be like on a August evening ! I am not quite sure how they manage it, night after night.
  2. We had a very pleasant meal at Chowki last Friday night. Arrived at 10.15pm after a performance of the excellent play - Stones in his Pockets. We noticed that the rooms have modern decor and had large square, squashy leatherette type seating, or they did where we were seated at the large communal type seating in the basement. Three of us opted for the "Regional feast", this comprises of a three course meal - you choose a starter and a main course from a menu , but sticking to a particular region of India. The main course includes: a type of rice; a dhal dish; a vegetable dish; and a specific type of bread, all for a very reasonable £10.95. In our case I opted for Punjabi meal, whilst our friend chose from Rajashtan and her sister chose dishes from Kerala. The wife i.e., the venerable Missus Hoity toity, ignored us minions and decided to go a la carte My starter was deep fried Kingfish, meaty in texture and well fried, but not terribly flavoursome. Keralan starter was a deep fried piece of tilapia served on a banana leaf. I tried a bit and found that the flavour was good but the piece of fish very thin. The Rajashtan dish was a variation on the ubiquitous tandoori chicken, which our friend found was a tad too spicy. Rosie had paneer cheese. I used to abhor this dish and would gladly have rather eaten my own testicles before ever putting paneer in my mouth again. I fear that years of having mother dearest, trying to force me to have paneer and pea curry, at dinner have put up a bit of a barrier to this particular dish. However, that extreme measure aside, I did try it and it was very good but quite spicy which I wasn't excepting. All the starters came with a lovely coriander and mint dip. Guess what? That was spicy as well. I rather liked the way that the main courses are served. A thin elliptical dish is placed in front of you horizontally, from which you spoon on the other dishes and then eat. Then the main courses arrive on a larger crescent shaped dish, upon which sit little bowls of the various dishes. This larger dish slots neatly above the smaller elliptical dish, making a large oval shape. A bit gimmicky, but hey, I was in a good mood and was therefore susceptible to being easily impressed. I was a little too wrapped up in my own (witty) conversation, to remember exactly what everyone else had but, I had a dish of Punjabi of spicy lamb. This came with excellent lentils, a tomato based paneer side dish and steamed rice. Rosie had a fantastic rich butter chicken dish, cooked on the bone and very tender, with tomato lentils and pilau rice. A Keralan Chicken tikka massala dish was also well received and was another lamb dish from Rajashtan . Sorry, I can't remember the nuances of that dish, other than that it was delicately flavoured, and quite creamy and most importantly that she left the lamb bone, including the marrow. Hurrah, I immediately homed in on this as she didn't want it and wolfed it down. Roll on the bone marrow dish at St John in July ! Side dishes were all good, the various types of lentil dishes proving especially popular and the breads were excellent, especially the Paratha and an interesting thin bread which was very similar in look to a dosa. Puddings were not particularly well liked and I have to say that as a Bengali, I am generally not too keen on them myself. My Gulab Jamun dish was the best of the bunch. Total bill was £63 for four of us including a bottle of Sauvignon, a small Cobra, a large mineral water and a salt lassi for my insane wife( Yoghurty brine anybody? - yeuuch). Note that if going for the Regional feast, that the main course which you order will be a smallish portion, since you are also receiving the side dishes rice and bread as well. This was fine for me, but those wanting a protein fest may be better suited going a la carte. Nevertheless, a good and very reasonably priced meal for four, especially for the West End. The staff were very pleasant too. I still prefer Kuldeep Singh's other place, Mela, further up Shaftesbury Avenue, but we will definitely venture back here again.
  3. Actually you can. I booked for 7.15pm, but wifey was late (which came as a huge suprise to me ( Not). I rang to let them know that we would 15 minutes late, which they said was no problem. But when we arrived I got the feeling they had given our table away, however, we were seated within 5 minutes. I suspect thay have a rather lackadaisical attitude to booking and just seat people as and when they arrive.
  4. I had been meaning to try this place since reading about the egullet dinner there last year, which was organised by Tony Finch. A group of us ventured over there last week and a fantastic meal. We arrived at 7.30pm and the room was already packed and very buzzy. The tables are quite small and packed close together but this didn't deter us as the food smelt and looked amazing as the waiters whisked by us.Taking heed of what Tony had said above on this thread, we opted for a large selection of starters to be eaten with tandoori rotis. We had: 6 Papads( plus chutneys) 6 Seekh kebabs 2 Chicken Tikka 1 Mutton Tikka 2 Tandoori Chicken (4 pieces) 2 Massala Fish (4 pieces) 2 Lamb chops (8 pieces) 2 Meat samosa 1 Vegetable samosa 4 Tandoori Rotis. The grilled meats were truly superb, arriving sizzling away on two platters. The tandoori chicken really stood out as did the succulent fish. My favourite however, were the seekh kebabs; very tender and spicy and a ridiculously cheap at 70 pence a pop. The Lamb chops were good, but a couple were a smidgen too charred for my liking. Main courses. 1 Mughal Korma 1 Dry meat 1 Chicken Karahi 1 Bindhi Gosht 2 Pillau rice 1 Tandoori nan 1 Tandoori Keema nan 1 Tandoori Paratha The waiter very sensibly stopped me and said we had ordered enough food, which I thanked him for. The mughal korma was a slightly sweetish, creamy lamb special. Both the Karahi and the Bindhi(okra) Gosht were pleasant as well. But the best dish and the one I had been wanting to try was the Dry meat. Not the most appetising sounding of dishes, but blimey, it was good. Moist pieces of meat in a deep brown heavily reduced unctuous sauce with a sprinkling of fried onions on top. Breads were fantastic as well. Unfortunately the Meat Pillau special had already run out, as I had been warned it might, so we opted for their standard pillau rice; very average and I would concur that sticking with their excellent breads is the way to go. I have to say we were beaten by the main courses, having polished off every morsel of the starters. Mains incidentally, are a ridiculously generous £4 pounds on average. We also took one bottle of wine and a various assortments of beers with us and SamF, they actually popped a corkscrew down on the table for us as we arrived, so no worries there thankfully To finish 6 Malai Kulfi's- Rosie was feeling the heat of the food at this stage and needed this to cool down. A great meal and we realised that we had been in there for just under three hours; the customers on the table behind me having changed three times whilst we were there. But we were never rushed by the staff, so they could reuse our table. If anything, it was a little difficult to actually get the bill at the end of the meal. Which leads me to the price ...... go on guess...... For all the above food we paid a mere £70.40 between six !!! Needless to say that we are already planning a return trip. Next time we will probably concentrate on the grilled meats to start with and have less main courses, sticking only to the breads. Go and enjoy a truly superb meal at minuscule prices for this fair city. Thanks to Winot , Sam and Tony for the info
  5. Cheers for that Sam; we will give it a go tonight. I PM'd Simon and Tony Don Finchioni for a few more details about what to have and what not to, tonight, but they don't seem to be around ( or more likely they are ignoring me!!). Any suggestions gratefully received. Cheers Bapi
  6. I think you'll find that's Bapi dearest Circularplums.
  7. What about Coq d' Argent or the hideously expensive Champagne Bar at the top of Tower 42 ( old Nat west building)? Hugely suspicious of the food here, but if that isn't a priority (!!) , the Windows restaurant in the Park Lane Hilton. Ubon or Quadrato in the Four Seasons Hotel at Canary Wharf.
  8. I am meeting up with some friends at Whitechapel tube station and eating here tomorrow evening. Does anyone know of a good venue to meet for a quick drink before the meal ? Many thanks
  9. If you haven't been before, then I would agree with Thom. Try all three of the Michelin starred places and make a weekend of it. Note that at Mr Underhills there is no choice whatsoever until the last course. Personally I am not sure the missus and I would rush back there, but its a very pleasant spot by the Weir and the rooms are nice. Hibiscus is probably my favourite restaurant in the UK- great surroundings, service and inventive food.There is a review of this somewhere on the board which I will try and root out for you. An absolute joy and treat yourself to the 9 course tasting menu ! I don't need to eulogise about the Merchant House - but a visit to Ludlow without eating here would be unthinkable. Also, The Unicorn is a must, the ONLY really decent pub we have found in Ludlow. Very handy for a pre-dinner drink before dining at the Merchant House, since there is no real seating area there and the food is very good. Never eaten at Overton Grange which is a mile outside Ludlow, nor at Dinham Hall( right by the castle), but would think the latter would be a good place to stay. We have stayed at Number 28, now under different management, which is good. One to avoid is The Feathers Hotel- dire beyond belief, do not stay here. Frightfully rude management, who don't care a jot and risible food. Slightly further afield are The Stagg at Titley is very good and I hear the Riverside pub at Aymestrey is good also. Have look at this http://www.ludlow.org.uk/ also contains a link to the food festival in September
  10. Thom, Nice review- thanks. I agree with your comments about how he makes the dishes look easy. Reading his cookery book, the recipes sometimes seem simple. Executing them the way he does, however, is not. After your review I am now really looking foward to dining there and at Hibiscus again, during the Food festival. Which reminds me I had better confirm our bookings. Cheers And re your main course - I would have licked the plate - I have no shame.
  11. I think that's just a phall-acy Groan
  12. Yup. Over to you LML
  13. Now, now chaps- lets play nicely. Pigeon breast with herb rissoto and thyme juice Herbed free-range Springfield chicken breast with potato fondant Three creme brulees of vanilla, elderflower and coffee
  14. "there were 6 of us but 1 teetotal and one not-really-wine drinker)." Thanks Gary, I nearly fell off my seat as I thought that this sentence read " ...but I was teatotal" for one second. Yeah right What can I say , apart from " You Jammy Get"- sounds like a great evening ( Luckily no Carrie Ann-Moss or I would have been seriously jealous). I will be taking the Bint there in July along with her best mate as its her friend's birthday soon. That plus I still have a large voucher to use up at GR@C, which was a gift to us.( What a cheapskate !) Great Review and one assumes that, experience- wise, it was the complete antithesis to the revered " Where's me sodding napkin" Majumdar's experience.
  15. Come off it young Marshall, you don't really expect us all to believe that you can remember every course and wine you had on your stag do, do you ????? But ye gads man - 12 Hours and not one mention of a tactical coca cola anywhere ! A great idea, I wish I had done something similar for mine. BTW - Rosie and I were wondering whether you had a requested a Liver transplant, for your good self, on your wedding list?
  16. As we were meeting a large group of egulleters at the Fat Duck for lunch the following day, we decided to be a tad profligate and book into The Waterside Inn the night before as a treat. ( No wise cracks please Charlene). We had the same room we have had in the past La Tamise, which has been given a slight makeover and from which it has benefited greatly; since it is now a lot lighter.The private balcony it shares with another room, is fenced off which, thankfully partly blocks out the sight of extraction units that sit above the restaurant. Nevertheless, the view down the river is rather pleasant, especially when you are sitting in the sun drinking a glass of champagne. We sauntered down to dinner and were seated in the reception area for an aperitif. Rosie opted for a Kir Royale and I had a Dry martini cocktail- stupidly asking for it to be served over ice- poor choice by me. Appetisers were an excellent chicken liver parfait on brioche, a small new potato hollowed out and stuffed with morels and creamed spinach and a twirly anchovy pastry creation. I liked the first two but the latter did nothing for me. I have said before that the staff here are superb, obscenely charming and all very well skilled in their trade. Rosie noticed that the one of the staff members called Benoit( sp?) - recognised us from last December, went to check our name and then came out to greet us . She loves that sort of thing bless her and was near to collapse when Michel Roux walked past and said hello to her. Crikey- he has the deepest voice of any man I have ever met in my life and would give Barry White a run for his money. To drink with the meal, we chose a Condrieu Vernetoo and a half of red which the Manager Diego Mascigia recommended as being a better alternative to the lighter wine I had chosen. Again a charming chap and he clearly knew his stuff as it was excellent, but I am dammed if I can remember what it was called now, other than it came from the stock of Nuits St Georges. The dining room has been slightly redesigned and the large central work station as you walk in has been removed.The first section is an oval alcove with banquette seating on either side underneath a series of mirrors. This leads through to the main dining area, which over looks the river. They gave us a great table right by the window and we watched the last glimmer of twilight fade away as we finished our aperitifs. We had opted for the Menu Exceptionnel which is a five course meal and where you have a choice of two dishes per course ( three for the final one) plus an obligatory granite or sorbet in the middle. An amuse arrived of a tartare of tuna, with a quail's egg- very fresh tuna and nicely judged. First course was a choice of a Pan fried escalope of Foie Gras with soft white beans and wild mushrooms, citrus sauce or a delicate Shellfish minestrone. We both went for the Shellfish minestrone- I was suprised to see that the colour of the broth was a deep golden brown. It was packed full of intense flavour , with little pieces of mussel, squid, prawns and a tiny ravioli filled with an excellent pesto. This was served, if required, with a sprinkling of parmesan which I opted for, but wish I hadn't as the cheese unsurprisingly, coagulated into a stringy heap, that was impossible to. That aside, and excellent an flavoursome start. Second Course was a choice of Pan Fried Lobster medallion with a white port sauce and a ginger flavoured vegetable julienne or Poached fillet of sole with a mousse flavoured with smoked salmon, served with brown shrimps and a champagne sauce. I went for the former, which, as ever, was excellent. A wonderful dark brown, rich buttery sauce, with slivers of the julienne giving little hints of astringency, whilst the flesh of the medallion and the lobster claw were flawlessly cooked. I have in the past threatened to sell Rosie to be able to have this dish again- and it would definitely be right up there on my all time favourite dish. Rosie had the sole which was the one dish she had read on the menu and really wanted. The sauce was very good indeed and the fish, although small, was faultless, being well seasoned and just the right side of translucent. We both noticed that the Condrieu we were drinking with our meal was very different to the one we had at Winteringham Fields recently. Much paler in colour, and much more adept at changing on the palate with each different course, absolutely wonderful with the lobster dish. A youngish wine, but well worth seeking out. Third Course was granite of passion fruit and white rum - quite refreshing, but I am not sure this course was really needed. Fourth Course - Roasted leg of milk-fed lamb with seasonal vegetables, and a minted hollandaise sauce or Roasted Challanadais duck with cloves and honey, served with a bitter-sweet sauce.( For two persons) We saw the duck dish being expertly carved, each of the studded cloves being whisked out and the duck being sliced at unnerving speed, but we had this before and so opted for the lamb- actually, I was told I was having the lamb by the Senior partner. A beautiful dish- the lamb was very pale pink in colour ( we learnt the reason for this later) and very succulent. It was served with baby carrots, turnips and asparagus bathed in a light jus and accompanied with an excellent hollandaise; the mint in the hollandaise having been used sparingly. Fifth Course was a choice of Cheese, a selection of chocolate treats or a warm golden plum soufflé. We usually share - actually, she gives me tiny bits of her cheese course and I allow her to sit with me and listen to my nuggets of wisdom, whilst I devour my pudding( thankfully she hasn't got a sweet tooth). I opted for the chocolate treats with a glass of 15 year old Muscat. Incidentally, the Italian Sommelier called Luca, who recommended the Muscat, is the absolute spitting image of Johnny Vaughan! Rosie's cheese selection was good, I remember an excellent camembert and a fiery cheese with paprika, which I didn't like. Alain Roux - as Chef Patron now tours the dining room and cam out to speak to the guests. A pleasant chap and he explained that the lamb is so pale and veal like to look at because of being fed milk and er, being dispatched at a quite tender age. A wonderful evening was finished off with two kummels and tea in or room.(Note to Mr Marshall - NO LAGER NIGHTCAP). We couldn't eat the Petit Fours so asked for a box to take them away. Very galling, but as we had packed them away in our bag, which was stolen from our car the next day, we never go to eat them. I hope the bastards choked on them. Purposefully didn't eat a thing at breakfast the next morning, since as I mentioned at the beginning, we were meeting a bunch of reprobates for a rather lengthy (4 and a 1/2hr ) lunch at the Fat Duck
  17. Damm, I missed that thread as well. Circeplum was apologising since I had asked whether she was the reviewer for the Metro her after the egullet Chez Bruce meal last year. If I am not mistaken, we discussed the fact that she was dining at Pharmacy that same night, after the lunch. Lone behold the next Wednesday, she used the phrase "tired and emotional" that had been banded about on this site to explain our certain level of intoxication, in her review of Pharmacy and I noted the name she had used was also suspiciously similar. When quizzed, she flatly denied it was her and only came clean at the Fat Duck meal a mere six months later! Tut tut I hope you are still feeling sufficiently guilty Circe, but I am a pleasant(ish) chap and I am therefore, willing to help you to alleviate this great burden by graciously agreeing to accompany you on a future work outing.
  18. It already has Charlene, I believe. Volvo Estates everywhere! I remember Rick Stein talking about the place on one of his programmes. Similar to a place called Burnham Market In Norfolk near where Rosie and I stay regularly.
  19. Damm you Marshall I am trying to save some money so we can move and you keep tempting me with new places to try ! Great review and blimey what a menu. Eight glasses of wine and a lager nightcap again !- You are indeed Satan. Here is the web-site http://www.yorke-arms.co.uk/
  20. Inn on the Green would be a good call and is on our list ,but what about The Riverside Brasserie, Bray marina? We had a quick (as in one course) lunch the day before the Fat Duck meal. The room is quite small, with an open kitchen at the back of the room to the left. I had the Rib eye steak with marrow bone sauce and thrice cooked chips - sauce and steak were impeccable and the chips were fantastic too. Still crunchy at the end of the meal The Moo cow will tell you what she had, I think it was John Dory. The setting is lovely as well, right by the river, although the weather was pretty atrocious the day we went. If you manage to get a warm and sunny day you'll be laughing. I swiped a menu so I can post the menu if you are interested.
  21. Oh Yes, the OXO was a bit of a rip off. V average food ( rubbery squid). Very much got the feeling that you are paying for the view.
  22. Excellent well done - Officious as in Bossy as in Claude Bosi and Flora as in Hibiscus. Ok, fairly woeful but what do you want, poetry? And just for getting that right, Andy you can buy me a pint on Friday.
  23. Okay- definitely away from tomorrow and this may be a bit tricky so here is another more tenous clue . Officious Flora
  24. Excellent reports, sounds as if you had a great time and I look forward to hearing more about your visit this coming Friday. I liked the sound of the Pied de Couchon, and the Three way duck especially. Oh and Samantha, welcome to the club !
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