Bapi

Bastard.

I can't find a link- but what about The Fox Inn, Corscombe? We have had many stays in the past - although it's under new ownership now. I think the chef is the same. I also seem to remember a huge oak table in the conservatory, which may suit your Mother's party. It's mentioned in this Guardian link.

But wasn't he cooking with Germain Schwab when we last went a few years back Gary? Hence providing WF with much needed consistency after the Schwab's left. He must be delighted though. A great move for him to show case his talents to a new audience, but surely worrying for the WF management.

adt- have a look at this previous thread. I would pretty much echo what bakerstates writes- but would add that the chaos at the Victoria, was part of its charm. As crazy as it was- we were seated within ten minutes and without a booking. Granted this was a few years back. We have had four visits to the coast this year and the White Horse is still doing well. To this I would add Titchwell Manor, were we spent a very pleasant weekend. Predominantly seafood, and though sometimes erring towards being over fussy the food was always good - I had some excellent oysters and lobster earlier in the year. On the down side meals at Fishes in Burnham Market and the Lord Nelson, Burnham Market- were very poor this year and we are unlikely to return for a while. Full list of websites links are included above.

Mmmmmm, I have in the past rather liked the Guide and it is certainly better written this year- for sure. I even like the new layout. But a couple things concern me. First. the fact that they are alleged to have taken virtually no notice of what we mere punters have to say anymore. Eh? Their orignal ethos was to do just that and not just to rely on how many visits their own inspectors had made. I fear that the fact that they do rely on their own inspectors has meant that they have made some clanging errors this year. Second, as Judy writes, the disparity in how some previously included restaurants have been overlooked is very odd. Ripley's should certainly been in the guide and as another example. One of my local haunts, in its previous guise as a differently named GFG entrant and now named El Gato Negro Tapas has, this year been lauded with numerous plaudits. Various restaurant/newcomer of the year awards and reviews. A review from some bloke from the Observer, a review in the Guardian and a recent Times mention two weeks ago would suggest that whilst others are listening, The Good Food Guide may well not be..... A poor show.

Ok chaps- despite not having a hope in hell of getting there myself for a while, I am being nice today, so I can confirm that Hibiscus will re-open on the 24th October at Maddox Street in Mayfair. For various logistical reasons, bookings will be diverted to Claire, and for the next two weeks and to help her manage other issues; only being taken between 9am and 11am. That is unless she is able to fend calls at other times. This is only temporary whilst they set up their base in the south, after which they bookings will be as from 9.30am. But what they hell have you got to complain about? You are getting their number early anyway. Enjoy you lucky gits: 0207 629 2999

Hello Chris - actually I rather liked that watermelon palate cleanser. Different strokes I suppose? I forgot to post- but we met Claire and Claude at the Food Festival in Ludlow a couple of weeks back. Bookings are being taken from the 18th October ( I think) and opening on the 24th October. Will confirm and re-post on a more appropriate thread.

You are right, of course - I haven't ordered abottle of house wine since the 1980's. Irrational perhaps, but I just liked to be offered something reasonably priced............ and then chose the Chassagne Montrachet.

Thanks very much for the write up Adam. Mmm- Thai curry spices creeping in. The previous incumbent used to do that on occasion and I just didn't get it. Sadly, an irksome combination of my senility and the fact that I had been off line for a week before the festival, meant that I had clean forgotten Adam was going to be in Ludlow at the same time as us; meeting only on the last day. Very glad you enjoyed the food though, which seems to be the common consensus. Having been to Ludlow at least three times a year since 2002, we have naturally become friendly with some of the locals. All of whom who had been to LB thought the food to be -good to excellent, but all agreed the wine pricing was ridiculous for a provincial restaurant. Sadly, that applied to both wines by the glass as well as from the list. Which rather begs the question; Why the hell would you do that and shoot yourself in the foot so soon? I know of one group of "ladies who lunch" who won't be venturing back as their bill was inflated considerably by the wine pricing. One presumes that on a wet Wednesday afternoon in the Marches, the "ladies who lunch" demographic would be type of customer one would depend on, so I hope they sort this out soon. We will venture there at some point I know, and even though I am unlikley to chose it, not until there is a bottle of wine on offer for less than £25 + 12.5%. Bah Humbug mode off*

Mmmmm- this little piece about the Mill Bank was mentioned to me recently. I am not going to disagree with any of it........... apart from the fact that the "deck" mentioned was replaced by a conservatory over two years ago. Tut tut - Andy.

Obviously- it's best to check with them directly, but I think they still do. Available after 10pm or so. Cheers

He is you prat - Bas is winding us up. He is younger than all of us I think. Happy Birthday Fop- hope your head isn't too bad today.

Sorry, I didn't describe it as well as I thought I had. The two lobes of foie gras were sat atop of the pudding. Mmmm. Put it this way my friend. I had a dream about Sharon Stone a couple a weeks ago, the sort where one wakes up feeling slightly sordid and marginally guilty. Trust me, in terms of happiness the pudding comes very close. Right, got to go or we wont get a table for the jazz and (gulp) also before the missus reads the paragraph above...........

Ooops - I forgot to respond to to you Yin- sorry- but yes it was a cracking meal. We had another wonderful one last weekend, it's a joy to see our little one tucking into Simon's tortilla so heartily and with such glee. Whilst I wont embarass Chris and Simon by saying what they did, let's just say they were incredibly generous. Yes I know I bleat on about places I love around where we live , but it seems the message is spreading. This review from the Guardian is spot on in regards of what Simon and Chris are trying to achieve.

Well a few things have changed since I posted last year- not least the fact that since we loved the village so much- and obviously the pub, we actually moved into Mill Bank last December! The village, not the pub understand, although you are quite likely to find me at the pub of a weekend. You can imagine how many meals we have enjoyed there since we moved in, but I just had to post about yesterdays lunch, as it was so good. I started with a loin of Yorkshire hare, with pickled cucumber and a potato fritter. A beast that is sadly rarely seen on menus. It was prepared in a variation of a pastrami style -having been marinaded in paprika, sea salt, corriander and mustard seed and black pepper. The loin was then encrusted with corrainder seed and black pepper before being pan fried. Beautifully tender and off set wonderfully by the slightly sharp cucumber and the rich and creamy fritter. I followed this with one of my favourite dishes of the year- a steak and mushroom suet pudding, with two generous lobes of seared foie gras, celeriac mash, spinach and a sublime ,truffled sauce. And yes, it was every bit as good as it sounds. Granted it was rich- but the steak pudding wth a sliver of the foie gras and the sauce redolent with truffle- was just wonderful. Apparently everyone who tried the dish at lunch yesterday- myself included, said the same thing- " Do not take this dish of the menu". We also had a salad of white crab and avocado, with roasted tomato and cumin seed foccacia for the mother in law and a main course of chicken braised in lemon and olive oil, red wine rissoto and roasted artichokes for the moo cow, which she loved. So with three glasses of wine, a couple of G&T's and ice cream for the little horror, we left about £70 ish quid lighter, but a darn sight happier. I am a truly lucky sod to have this place three minutes away and talking of which- it's Bank Holiday Jazz night tonight- so must dash.

Thanks for posting this Andy. I too learnt of this recently and was deeply saddened to hear that he had passed away. I remember being rather pleased that another "Indian lad" had won the Roux Scholarship last year, following in the footsteps of Sat Bains and being of Indian extraction myself. A tragic loss- 30 is no age for a man to pass.

Their website needs updating and you would have to buy in bulk (4 minimum I seem to remember) - but what about these chaps? Ellel Free Range Poultry

Oh sod it. Booked into the same place too for the food festival.(Remember not to mention it here or my nice friend Russian friend -Sergei will be inviting you for some "interesting" Sushi sometime soon.) No chance of eating at La Becasse this time though as we will have the little one with us- but look forward to meeting you and hearing about it Adam.

Apologies for the tardy response Corinna. But to answer your questions....... Yes, the egg yolk was runny- even though it had been cooked for a number of hours. I like the way Sat has renamed the dish on the website, to include the score from the judges on the Great British menu. It now includes the tag 10-10-10 Re the Corrigan dish. I think it was tweaked and yes it was in the sauce, but as I didn't see the programme - I am probably not best placed to comment. Sorry. The wine flight was £55 according to the information we received on booking. Finally- I would add to fisherman's comment about the front of house chap James. A natrually, relaxed and charming host who looked after us from the moment we arrived. He really is a credit to the place and it is wonderful to see people of this calibre from the UK, actually taking a genuine interest in the industry.

Sorry to hear that the opening has been put back slightly - but at least that that gives them a little more breathing space. I am not familar with the location- but have seen the plans for the site, which look great. Especially the 16 seat private dining room, in regard of a certain big birthday in a couple of years time - he writes- VERY unsubtly- as his missus is looking over his shoulder..........

I am afraid it is still rather formal for men. On my last visit a couple of years back- I saw one of the waiters gently"wrestle" a chap's jacket back on as he tried to remove it. And I know of people who sat there in the heat of the summer who did have to keep their jackets on. I seem to remember them not being best pleased as the air conditioning wasn't great. I'd be suprised if this has changed Chris and have fun. I wish I had your dilemma- we are off to the Kielder Forrest this afternoon- where it's supposed to be 9c degrees and continuous rain......

Not at all. The deluxe package was £370+ service, which admittedly is a fair amount of money. But as I wrote, albeit vaguely, for two - this includes your superior room, champagne and oysters to begin, the tasting menu, wine flight, unlimited water, coffee or tea and gourmet chocolates to finish. Trust me, as you asked- I did the maths and totted up what we could have spent and the package was a steal. To answer your other question-yes they are only open for a dinner, which has meant a mooted boy's lunch has never quite happened...yet. What with Sat‘s recent coverage on the box - I would suggest that you book as early as possible, especially for weekend visits.

A shame Adam - we usually go for the food festival, but can't take the house we usually do, so we have decided to postpone till later in the year. Thinking about going to Abergavenny festival the following weekend instead. Edited: for shocking spelling.

I hope it doesn't look too different as the wood panelling was a real feature of the place. But come to think of it- I seem to remember Claire saying that it was listed and so when they renovated the old bar area- they were only allowed to cover parts of it up instead. Looking forward to what you have to say, as we will be in Ludlow later in the year.

That wil be Five pounds sterling please Robin.......... After many attempts to get to Sat and Amanda’s place, we finally made it for my birthday last weekend. It’s in a slightly unusual spot for a former Hotel, in that it’s near a flyover and next to a large pylon-but any thoughts about that were dissipated by the warm welcome and then being ensconced in our rather nice room. The missus and I had opted to partake of the deluxe package they offered and which rather takes all the decisions out of one’s hands. And so, after a brief rest, we were treated first to champagne and oysters outside in the pleasant garden. One served raw with lemon and Tabasco and a delicious, utterly greaseless tempura oyster with a dollop of lemon mayonnaise. A lovely start On moving through to the conservatory dining room, we were served what looked like two little tonics in small corked glass bottles- one green and one orange. The latter was actually a carrot, apple and ginger tonic and worked well as a palate cleanser as Robin suggested above. The other was a green gazpacho which contained- asparagus, cucumber and fennel. This was to be poured into a little white bowl which already had a drizzle of olive oil and bread within it. Again- really fresh, clear cut flavours melded well together. Three more appetisers arrived in the form of a delicious foam like Butternut squash foam -given added texture and crunch by some pumpkin seeds. Followed by shrimp tempura, which was supplied with a little spray of Yuzu to give a citric hit. I didn’t quite get it as I used far too little according to the missus. We finished with the rich chicken liver parfait served on a white china spoon, with two kernels of sweet toffee like popcorn. It showed that a real effort had been made to make these little appetisers fun and this was evident in the room on the faces of all who tried them. Duck Egg 62 degrees- Bellota ham- Peas - Sherry Syrup So next came the winning dish he took to France and hell did it work. The peas came in three forms as far as I could tell. Fresh peas, pea shoots and an excellent pea sorbet. The chilled sorbet was just a joy when mixed with warm unctuous yolk. Extra tastes of slightly salty Bellota ham and texture of some crisped bread completed the dish. Some may have an issue with the texture of the egg white, which whilst perfectly cooked, is still slightly gelatinous- but not me as I loved it. Foie Gras “Emulsified“- Granola- Banana- Fine Beans. A cylinder of foie like mousse was coated in crunchy granola, the slightly salty foie being counteracted by the sweet banana puree. Again, texture was given by the crunch of the green beans. I am not sure how the foie had been emulsified as I thought this was a mixture of miscible components. I should have asked Sat - very pleasant if not our favourite dish of the night. Belly Pork- Langoustine - Roast Paw- Tartare of Langoustine- Apple- Raisin syrup Being very cheeky- I had asked Sat to prepare the belly pork dish having seen it prepared for a Roux Scholars meal some time back. Cooked sous vide- I think for 60 hours- the belly pork disc was delicious- although presented differently to the dish I remember, which was served in slivers. However, I felt rather guilty that the belly pork to me played second fiddle to the perfect langoustine and an unexpected surprise of…… a tartare of langoustine sitting atop the pork. This was just superb and as Sat explained, not worth attempting unless the langoustines are utterly first rate. Organic Salmon- Vanilla - Almonds- Beach Vegetables- Oysters- “ Richard Corrigan” An extra dish and a homage to the dish that Corrigan took to Paris for the competition- although Sat’s salmon was cooked Sous Vide. Good textures and very fresh tasting. Personally, I think fish cooked in this manner rarely fails to please but I suspect that oyster may have been omitted from our final dish as neither of us can remember it. Spring Lamb “ Sous Vide”-Ratatouille- Manni Olive Oil-Braised Shank Gravy. This was a lovely dish - a drizzle of the nose bleedingly expensive oil being poured over the lamb at the table. A sensible portion of tender lamb- served beautifully pink, but the fat having been crisped up after the sous vide cooking process had been finished. Simple in conception and perfectly executed. A mention at this point about our wine. As part of our package, we each had the wine flight which was rather good and explained incredibly well by the very affable Assistant manager- James. Now like most here, I do like a light ale, but I have to say the measures were more than generous. In fact when the first glass of wine arrived - I remember thinking if they are all like that I would genuinely struggle (and also have to carry the missus back to the room). But the quantity provided, which was more measured for intervening courses, for me, worked incredibly well. Such that I had a moderate amount to finish as the next wine arrived once or twice. But then, I talk too fucking much which probably explains it. More importantly, the wines worked solidly well for me and I appreciated James’ candour. Stating that although he was not a Sommelier - he just wanted to know why a wine worked with a course and not the minutiae of which fannying direction the wind was blowing, when Ursa Major was arising over a particular vineyard in mid June, and how this affected the grapes as they were picked by a French virgin. (My words not his) Back to the food, as we then moved onto to Sat’s version of “Cheese on toast”. This was, as described above, a melted rectangle of Brie de meaux on crisp Poilane bread, with grated summer truffle; and it was absolutely delicious. Puddings then started with a pineapple and yoghurt foam with liquorice, which was pleasant. This was followed by a quenelle of rich chocolate with sea salt violets and a wonderful pastille made out of olive oil. Technically brilliant and although small- my favourite pudding. We ended with strawberries with what seemed like a chantilly vanilla cream. Again very nice. Service too was just great from all the young and smartly attired staff and the pace of the meal was just perfect in that although the first dishes came out in good time, but then the pace then slowed perfectly, to allow us to enjoy the entire meal. Gourmet chocolates, which were also included in our package, came in the form off a milk chocolate truffle, a chocolate lollipop, an Earl grey scented chocolate and the best being a luscious , white chocolate containing salted butter caramel. Following an Earl Grey tea and brandy for me in the lounge- I really didn’t need that bottle of Kriek beer to take back to our room to watch “Wossy” on the box. I wholly blame Robin for even mentioning the beer menu, which is what made me do it. Damm you Sir. Breakfast too was very good and I love the fact that baked beans were served up along side all of the usual suspects of a traditional English breakfast. If more Michelin starred gaffs did this - the world would be a better place. Oh hold on -hurrah - a minor gripe at last. My bacon was far too crispy. Er, that’s it as gripes go. What we also both thought showed a huge commitment to their business was the fact that though Sat and Amanda don’t live on site, theyare still there every weekend morning. It transpires that people staying over, want and expect to see them to chat over the night before and so they drive there every weekend. Our overall impressions were what a wonderful place and what a down to earth couple they are. Sat’s obviously incredibly passionate about his craft and you’ll notice from the descriptions above that the key elements to his food are Taste - Texture and Temperature. The overriding ethos that pervades is that people should just kick back and have a good time whilst there and that’s just what we did.