cachan

I would suggest Yauatcha for a very affordable lunch, two can eat very well for less than 50 pounds.

We went there for a Sunday dinner in October and had the Arharn menu. The dishes were varied and tasty and seemed quite authentic, it was not a disappointing experience. The waiter was able to inform us on the dishes.

There's only 3 *** restaurants in the UK and one of these is in London. Rather suspicious when there's 4 in NYC alone ???

Michelin does cover what is referred to as 'ethnic' cuisine, which probably means non-European to most people. In London, there are a few non-European restaurants which have a star. Chinese-based - Hakkasan and Yauatcha Japanese-based - Nobu and Umu Thai-based - Nahm Indian-based - Tamarind and Zaika (up to 2004) The rating is probably based not just on the food but on the whole experience. I've eaten in all these except Nobu and they were not disappointing at all. I've also been to Spice Market and noted that it did not get a star.

Their website is www.pied-a-terre.co.uk I went for dinner with my spouse and we found the food to be exquisite. We had the Teal and Scallop followed by the Venison and John Dory and then finishing with the Pear Savarin and Plum Tart respectively. All were truly impressive works of culinary art and skill and the service was perfect and the 'oz-born' ? Shane Osborn was observed peeking out of his kitchen. The numerous canapes arrived on a platter as singles so you had to decide who gets what instead of sharing. The petit fours arrived in pairs in five containers. The dining room seems constrained by its narrow shape and contains ten small 2-person tables and three half-circle banquettes accommodating 4-6 persons. The decor is modern and the whole place looks and smells recently re-done, which of course it is after their great fire of 2004. And, following the advice of others, I have since always partaken of a small quantity of fermented juice, and agree that this complements the organoleptic experience.

Claridges Connaught Angela Hartnett Savoy Grill Orrery Foliage Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park The Capital All these are open for Sunday dinner.

origamicrane, I am not questioning your familiarity with Chinese food or with Dim Sum, but I am suggesting you visit Ping Pong again before making your full and final conclusions. I have read other people's reviews of Chinese food and of Dim Sum on this site and in newspapers and I believe that some other people Do have enough experience of Chinese food to understand what is good or not, regardless of their racial or cultural backgrounds. We are all interested in food and we are all capable of having an opinion ( mostly expert ) on any foods we are familiar with, regardless of our origins or age or personalities.

My only connection with the catering world is as a consumer. Maybe a strong criticism based upon one past visit is not a tenable review.

Origamicrane, Maybe you should visit Ping Pong a few more times and re-consider your opinions. I think the food is not bad at all. It's true that most of the clientele is non-Chinese but then the Chinese (Cantonese) will not eat dim sum for dinner and when they go for lunch they will go to the Chinese restaurants anyway. This place introduces dim sum to non-Chinese in a welcoming manner. That's the whole point of this concept. I am pleased that the founder has opened this place.

These reasons sound very feasible, I wonder if Le Gavroche is worried about its less-than-full dinners, or maybe they're doing well enough to be able to stick to what they have always believed in. As for Tom Aikens' contemporary style, a recent issue of Restaurant magazine was about Kids Food and showed a 'kids' dish on the cover which screamed 'Tom Aikens'.

Origamicrane, I'm wondering, have you been to Ping Pong a number of times ?

We came here for dinner Monday last week and I was very suprised that the restaurant stayed less than half full. We recently had dinner at both Tom Aikens (Monday) and Gordon Ramsay RHR and both these were full to the brim. What's the reason ?

Three weeks ago on a Thursday, I went at about 18:30 and by 20:00 the place was full and there was a lengthening queue outside the door. So, does it really matter if there are only a few Chinese coming here ? Maybe the food is prepared in Woolwich by Chinese chefs anyway.

I was in New York city last week so I visited this place, I did not have the tasting menu as I did not feel that I could manage it, but it looked very much like the experimental cuisine of The Fat Duck and the waiter told me that the two chefs know each other. I had the shrimp noodles and then the ocean trout with quinoa and toast oil and then went for the dessert tasting menu where I experienced the celery sorbet, roasted corn sorbet, coffee soil, and toffee paper. The shrimp noodles reminded me of the fish balls in Chinese cuisine which are also flexible and spongy in texture, I would guess or imagine that maybe the raw flesh (fish or shrimp) is mashed up and mixed with something to bind it and then boiled. A very interesting idea, and not too shrimpy.

The food here is not luxurious but neither are the prices. The achievement of this place is that it introduces dim sum to the 99% of Britons who are not Chinese. There are indeed shortcomings in the food and there are limitations in what can be provided for this price bracket. The roast pork buns may be a bit un-generous on the filling but if you select a variety from all the sections then the feeling that all the steamed dumplings are samey can be avoided. I have found the food to be quite good. I do like the crispy hoi sin duck rolls and the chive dumplings. The price for a meal is very reasonable. Having said all this, I have started going to Yauatcha instead because I am prepared to pay a bit more for a better food product. The prices are higher but the portions are clearly bigger and richer. The sticky rice in lotus leaf is larger and full of filling and the char siu buns are likewise larger and better. There are also certain dishes such as the chicken taro croquette and the various cheung fun. A market for the Ping Pong concept seems to exist and maybe as people become familiar to dim sum they will try Yauatcha. Ping Pong is a cheaper and more friendly place to start. And since Jay Rayner has commented on the name, maybe the restaurant could have been called by some other name which included the words 'dim sum' such as 'eat dim sum' or 'dim sum place'.

Kurt Zdesar saw a new market in serving dim sum to non-Chinese and was capable of servicing this market by opening Ping Pong. The only people who feel entirely at home ordering dim sum in a Chinese restaurant are the Chinese customers or more specifically the Cantonese Chinese customers. Some non-Chinese manage to steer the course by eventually becoming familiar with the dishes but everyone else who attempts to discover dim sum finds the experience an intimidating obstacle course due to the language barrier and the unfortunate quality of the service. The vast majority of the British population do not know about dim sum at all although they may have come across a dumpling or two in the supermarket frozen cabinets. I myself have avoided ordering dim sum at Chinese restaurants for years because of the above reasons and I am pleased that Ping Pong has come along and that a second site on Westbourne Grove is due to be opened in October. Ping Pong has addressed this vast untapped market in the majority of the London population by presenting dim sum in a relaxed and approachable manner with friendly and helpful service and no language obstacle at a reasonable price and this is why this place is gaining regular customers and will be able to open more branches. It's true that some items are not served such as the fluffy taro chicken croquette and the cheung fun. I found that Yauatcha has good service as well but it is slightly pricier than Ping Pong and so will target a smaller potential market. May more branches of Ping Pong be opened over the next few years and more Britons experience the hitherto hidden cuisine of dim sum !

The 'Thai Square Putney' restaurant has now replaced the 'Putney Bridge' restaurant (Anthony Demetre) in the swanky glass-fronted riverside building on the west side Putney Bridge.

According to Restaurant Magazine, the next and second Ping Pong branch will occupy the Westbourne Grove site of the former Eat and Two Veg.

The article is very informative and glutamate / glutamic acid is an amino acid and part of our bodies. The article did not tackle the question of what substance causes Chinese Restaurant Syndrome and it is caused by the consumption of monosodium glutamate (MSG) as opposed to the pure glutamate as found in its natural form as in the seaweed, but the food industry would prefer to reduce their own costs and feed us manufactured MSG instead of the natural product glutamate.

Week-day set lunch at Sketch (Lecture & Library) is 35 pounds.

The bread is suprisingly disappointing, slices of two types of loaves, and crusts as hard and chewy as sugar cane. Definitely not a feature full of creativity, in contrast to everything else in this place.

Yes, as Tony Higgins says, rule number one is to keep off the bread, even if it is full of creativity as at Tom Aikens or the Capital.

Editor, Please delete this entry as it is an error and I cannot delete it myself. Thanks and Sorry.

Another feature of this place is the toilets whereby the communal washbasins for both male and female sides are the same single structure and the only separation are the towel tray underneath the basin and the full mirror over the basin. There is no actual barrier between the two sides so that users on both sides can interact face-to-face and splash water about and the females can watch the males handling themselves at the urinals and also, as the duty manager told me, can check which males are washing their hands after their procedures. You've been warned !

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