Bapi

Good spot, I thought it was him too, but didn't really watch last years series of Master Chef. What a great job for him to land though. I missed yesterdays episode, but heard that Glynn's dish was rather good. Thank you BBC iplayer, I'll catch up tonight.

Hold on a second Didn't you do exactly the same thing last year and book for June ---just like me today?

We did and bloody good it was too, I will certainly be stocking up again at this years food festival. I can honestly say that everythng we bought was excellent.

Bellota I met these chaps and bought some jamon from them at the Ludlow Food Festival. They also supply Sat Bains' restaurant in Nottingham, which he pairs with his famous duck egg dish.

Yes indeed. Date mooted in my PM is looking like it is the best shot for this to actually happen. Will PM later tonight. Any further takers are welcome, unless of course you are a nutter of some sort.

Finally managed to get Dos Hermanos senior up to see us this weekend and take him to El Gato Negro. But as the lazy lummox can't be bothered to post on his blog- I thought I'd do a quick report. Simon the chef was on fire on Saturday- banging out dish after dish of perfect food. We ordered a ridiculous amount of food including the scallops, Ribs in PX, monkfish, oxtail and foie gras dishes mentioned above. He was also impressed by the amount of Jamon Iberico £13 gets you compared to in London- but then this is Yorkshire. Star of the show was a freebie. A new dish Simon was trying out - Onglet served with a patatas a lo pobre. An unusual cut of meat, seared and charred on the exterior and beautifully pink and tender within. Off set nicely by the sweet peppers and potatoes. It is sure to be popular. I was beaten by the time the Rabo de toro came out with Horseradish mash- but needn't have worried as the man was still ploughing on like a trojan. (PS - Good article about Simon in Restaurant magazine a couple of weeks back. The same edition that mentions The Modern.)

I have not been on line much of recent. Will PM people tonight. Rob did moot the Sat 8th March, but that did not work for me as I am off to Ludlow. In all seriousness- is March good for you with the show rapidly approaching? But no doubt have delegated everything which is why you can fart about on here so much.

Come on Gary- you can do better than that !

Possibly a typo, but actually suprisingly accurate - It's Bapi in charge OR co-ordination, the two are mutually exclusive. I jest, obviously. The ball is well and truly in the court of the Bap-meister. A safe pair of hands if ever there were. ← RDB- Shut it and don't forget you still owe me a fiver for that Sat Bains review Thom- Would you like me to tell the nice ladies and gentleman about your spectacularly inept ability re reading a calendar re last months outing? Not once but twice I ask you. Would you? As we are on the subject- best to get a colleague to check which dates in April your show show is eh, ol' bean?

Off Topic Alert- Hello Andy-Did you see that funny looking bloke, wittering on Beeb one on Saturday morning? The swine seemed to be using your name.

Too bloody right it is- don't do it Robin Actually, Robin, Adam and I have been meaning to meet up for a while perhaps we could open this up Thom? I'll PM you chaps. I'd also like to join in that Juniper conversation too As an aside- I also remembered that during our lunch last month Gary, Thom and I were discussing - er, food (who would have thought it? ). All three of us agreed, that our obsession with eating out and diminishing disposable income was down to one man. It transpired that we three had had seminal meals, albeit not together at The Merchant House after which- well, there was no going back. Damm that Shaun Hill- he has a lot to answer for.

It's not Mr Bosi whilst at Overton Grange is it?

Er- those initials do have have another usage and not one conducive to Valentine's night shenanigans. Oh and f$$k right off Tim- you and and your bleeding metrocentric ways. I'd be astonished if you have ventured further than bloody Chiswick this year.

I have tried this before with Matt to no avail. But I think he is doing rather well were he is. I have said this elsewhere- but congrats to again to you and your team Matt. And how was Le Gavroche btw? Celebratory meal was it?

I think it unsuprising that my memory fizzled out rapidly. What were we thinking? Let me put it this way- my cab driving friend who shuttles my family about has seen me in such a tired and emotional state only twice before. Only one guess needed as to which two reprobates I was with on those two previous occasions- hence his "Oh you were out with THOSE friends" comment as I lurched into his car. Back to The Modern. I opted for Reg Johnson's smoked duck salad to start- delicately smoked, with various leaves and crunchy green beans. Perfectly acceptable- but I am afraid I had food envy upon seeing and trying Thom's dish above. There is no way I am not having this next time I am there. My main, was John Dory, with mussels, razor clams and a champagne sauce. The fish was well cooked and the sauce competently made, though the small amount of razor clam lacked the urgent freshness it so requires. A good dish nevertheless. Yes - I did steal their puddings and yes, they are obviously a real strength at The Modern. Service was very good both in the bar and in the restaurant- if slightly nervy. But hey, she was charming so who cares. I did notice that the suited front of house chap - came nowhere near our table at any point though. As Gary writes- the wine list is a little aggressive in places and needs a little tweaking, but it comes as no suprise that ALL the "fine" wines had long since disappeared, especially at those prices. But I think our wine spend would have been high in any case. In short- my parameters for any Manchester restaurant are simple- 1) Would I take the missus there and 2) As she works in the city-would I suggest it as a venue to take clients. The answer is yes to both. I don't even want to think about how many places we went to after. But as Thom mentioned it - the wine at Sam's chop house was a Douro from Portugal for £25(ish). Grado did not do it for me. The bar area was rammed at about 5:30 and as we knew we wanted a quick bite we opted to sit down. We ordered a minimal amount- Jamon Iberico, Padron Peppers and some calamari. The order was taken by one of the senior staff- but it was one of the juniors chaps who finally told us that there was no Jamon Iberico. All credit to him he had a lot more nous than some of his colleagues and dealt with our request for replacement jamon with ease. The peppers were odd though- in that they were bloody huge and lacking in flavour and the coating on the squid was flaccid as it arrived at the table- quite poor. On the plus side- the drinks list is very good and excellent to see La Gitana Manzanilla, Hidalgo on the list at a mere £18.50 a bottle. At about £7-8 retail- that level of pricing has to be applauded. Gary hated it though Er, I don't remember much about Red Chilli- other than the fact that Gary really tucked into the Spicy Poached Lamb with Chilli and yes that cocktail at the City Inn was indeed one step too far. A cracking day out though and dare I say it- actually rather good to see chaps in good form. And yes my wife took pity on me to- well, till 8:30 that is.

Isn't it £35 notes anyway for the set lunch?Tut Tut Edit: Click on the Menu tab and then very oddly the Appetizers section and the prices pop up!

I missed this. I think Heathcote's new venture - Grado- had been mooted for the evening , but I am more than happy to dine back here.

Jan Moir's opinion.

Popped in for a drink (read :too much red wine) and to check this place out yesterday evening. The bar was quite sedate and chilled out, which was quite a relief after the queues of the Northern Quarter. Great views and a lovely space sadly let down by the staff on the night. Although it is supposed to be table service, this concept had not been inculcated in to them as five of them prefered to stand around at the bar chatting instead of seeing if anyone needed a drink. Hence I had to go up and ask for the menu I had asked for five minutes earlier, and to ask for some more wine a little later. Apologies for being pedantic too- but saying you don't have any cucumber to serve with the Hendrick's gin is fucking lazy, there's a bloody great big restaurant one floor below- so go and get some! Bertie/ Thom have a word please- and please ask them not to piss in my drinks for writing this, when I have lunch there next week. On the plus side the restaurant had a great buzz and looked great as did the menu so I am looking forward to it.

Cheers for that Yin. I was supposed to be organising a similar cheeky lunch for six - but it hasn't quite happened yet. Thanks for the nudge

Two words for you - freakin fabulous- the only way to describe a stellar meal here last night; in the midst of a boy's night out in Manchester. I took three Red Chilli virgins with me who, I am delighted to say, all threw themselves into the experience with real gusto. It was rammed when we arrived at 6:45pm, so we had to retire to a pub for 30 mins before a table became free. But on returning, we started with a slightly safe option of salt and pepper ribs, which were nonetheless delicious and had a fantastic gnarl factor. Followed by Husband and Wife's lung slices. I was a little wary of ordering these as I took some friend's here last year and they hated this dish. Not so these guys they loved it. Finally, re starters, we had Beijing Dumplings- which were equally well received and a mammoth portion for £4. I can't eat here without having the delicious spicy hot poached lamb. The chaps were aghast of the generosity of the portion size of this dish. As I wrote above- they really wanted to explore the menu - one of the guys ordering Stir fried pig intestines with blood sausage. This came out bubbling away in a clay pot with ferocious intensity- but once this had abated it left cracking dish; the intestine being the real winner with a gelatinous texture but real depth of flavour. I admit I talk too much- so whilst we were waiting to be seated we met a charming Irish family who were regulars. They recommended one of the "Home Style dishes"- Stir Fried French bean with chilli and minced pork. Blimey, the dish of the night. Crunchy bean, chilli heat and moreish porky bits. What's not to like? Finished with a fish dish of crispy yellow croaker (yes, I have never heard of it either). This came with a rather ubiquitous sweet and sour sauce- but on the night worked well to ease our palates from the chilli heat of the other dishes. In short, a cracking meal and I would heartily recommend any of the dishes above.

Oh my bloody head. You forgot mention that lot was a pre starter- followed by a further starter of scallops at the Mill Bank pub and then home to cook pasta and demolish Eton Mess.

Steady on Paul- we are only 23 days in to 2008.

Well done to all. Especially Matt at The Goose, Britwell Salome and Stephen at The Sportsman. Fantastic news. Delighted that Hibiscus got a star back- and quite a feat bearing in mind they opened so late last year, in a new location and with new staff etc. Deeply, deeply disappointed for Anthony's though.

Concur with Jay- heard the same too.