marc at fraiche

thanks david nice pictures, sorry didnt get to speak to you,in answer to your question our menu black is once a month now, though we can arrange an egullet one no problem, if people are interested i can arrange a date exclusive to egulleters. regards marc at fraiche

went to see hestons place yesterday very cool dining room and glass walled kitchen in place looking great

hi there adey, no it was meant to say that i set up the restaurant alone , yes there were staff but no backers or partners to aid the launch, so i was saying never do that alone haha its too hard

alan did get a couple of extras off the black menu though

going back very soon to try the new chefs food at hipping hall so should be an interesting dinner, as i hear they are pushing forward again which is great to put the hall on the culinary map as i love the venue

i have to say kai, i have recently eaten there too on the classics menu and yes the foie gras dish and the parmesan 5 textures are very good, but i did feel a little deflated with the other courses, the pasta and beans dish with the foie royale to me was quite strange and in reflection the meal on the previous evening outshone it on the whole at rigoletto,which had lovely front of house, great wine list there with great bread and the best pasta i have tasted upto now in any restaurant just superb, i would try francescana again but not in the near future, hoping to make my way over to combal zero

hi there anybody help me with suggestions for just good places to eat in relaxed family atmosphere do not heed to be high end just tasty

hi there, yes i`am looking forward to eating classic and traditional food around parma to balance my trip to modena did think also of returning to calandre but that is stretching my short trip a little too much the chef in modena is called Massimo Bottura of Osteria Francescana who rose into the top 10 in the 50 best restaurants this year so really looking forward to trying his food, have you booked anywhere to eat yet? regards marc

funny you should ask that i was wondering the same going here in few weeks as im off to see the new hot chef in modena have you found anything there yet?

thank you john glad you had a good evening with us was nice to meet you just for your reference your menu last night snacks roasted pecans fake oyster sumac and yoghurt crackers pork `quavers` with apple toothpaste salted berry chocolate `tapas` salt pesto shot manni olive oil forest floor seared scallop, bellota ham, pineapple puree parsley oil artisan foie gras textures of apple, and green tea red mullet, date and star anise puree lemon sole with western dashi, champagne fluid gel and mussels,wild rice loin of rabbit, sweetcorn cream, morels,cep gnocchi and shitake consomme sugar fizzy grapes lemon meringue lemongrass pannacotta mango and mint crumble tamarind sorbet sacher finger food aero olive oil jelly,pineapple marshmallow,blackcurrant and popcorn jelly.

they dont seem shy in spending money there Aidan lots of equipment and lots of staff on hand front and back of house with the a new shining gastrovac on display, mind you i would show off my creation too, also ate at Sauc while there and I didnt get it at all really didnt like the food or the atmosphere maybe it was me but i would never choose it over Jordi`s place no way! even though he is a friend i honestly believe he is in a different league.

yes very sad news, such a great operation run by two passionate ladies, best wishes to all the river cafe team

king prawn consomme, shrimp and seaweeds

dessert with orange

the black rice and sea cucumber dish oyster, cucumber and leaves including oyster leaf

the cod dish suckling kid stunning flavours in this bowl

bouche of foie gras raviolo with tomato stock and black olive

just returned from a little eating trip to Barcelona, and following the advice of Jordi from Cinc Centits(big thanks to you) i cancelled my previous booked reservation to venture up to the hotel Me which houses Dos cielos on the 24th floor,not a great area really and a little off the beaten tourist track, also not one to walk to as we did thinking it may be very pleasant nope i suggest you take a taxi but once inside things do look up and all three dining operations and bar areas look very inviting and pretty cool design wise. once you arrive on the 24th floor warmly greeted by the staff and taken outside to relax with drinks in some much needed sunlight well I do live in a kitchen,which gives a super panoramic view looking to the ocean, must say the wine/drinks and service staff are very attentive and rather damn good throughout the meal, once inside you are ushered through the open kitchen area with a very nice induction suite from Charvet standing proud in the dining room and then to the dining area, sad as i am i requested to sit in front of the kitchen to watch the lunch service which ran quietly and smoothly with no shortage of staff i must say or the latest equipment,i also learned later that on the 5th floor there is also a prep kitchen which keeps the service kitchen very clean a nice idea if the finances allow. the food was very strong from start to finish and some dishes superb in balance and textures, only a few small glitches came in the main course the suckling kid was just too salty from the reduced cooking liquor and dessert a little non descript but fresh,on the bread front the pumpkin and apricot was the stand out flavour for me and all of them are the best i have had since Roca and Abac. I really liked this place and pretty sure they will be gaining a star this year on the meal I ate, though I will eat there again to just confirm it my tasting menu king prawns consomme shrimps and seaweeds oysters,cucumber and wild cresses including oyster leaves natural grown casserole with mushrooms (my favourite of the day,beautiful and so balanced black rice with sea cucumber and conch cod with Mandioquina cream suckling kid with duc powder pre dessert light fruit based dessert with orange sorbet petit fours

A great piece of writing Jay and as one of the now seemingly guilty parties practising modern cuisine it is very welcome to receive a more balanced view on what is now quickly becoming the Medias unfashionable style of cookery. It does remind me greatly of the nouvelle cuisine fall out,(sadly I’m old enough to recall it), yet the original concept and ideas from that period have lead us to where we are today, and i think it will be the same again, yes there are people cooking without any depth of understanding or knowledge doing very little to promote our cause which as with all things in life once it filters down becomes diluted in its execution, and two techniques emerged overshadowing the whole definition namely foams and jelly. In my own humble approach i simply want ingredients to taste better and reflect their natural properties while increasing consistency, though you have to keep an open mind if a classical preparation produces finer results with a product then you follow that road no question. just to add surely there is still room for all types of food out there poncy or not as long as its good tasting grub

thank you for being kind emma,i know about the service time issue, without trying to give lame excuses we pushed as fast as we could and had 20 of each plate which was problematic from the off to turn them all around.

adey,that would be a great project, sadly i dont even make sense when im talking never mind writing it down

: thanks very much john just filled the car to the roof with my toys and ingredients so ready for the off very soon to Manchester to prep up over the weekend, will push hard to show and give a true taste of fraiche and fingers crossed you guys enjoy it, hope those of you coming have a great night :smile

hi david yes lisa is on this years, along with aiden again,another new face is aled williams from bodegroes and i hear richard davies is in the welsh side from bybrook restaurant.

hey im sure those kind gents will offer you space on their table with the pink shirts and lear jet keys failing that pop into the kitchen and join us the rif raf, though it might be a little mad with the arkle boys of old be great to see you though hope you enjoy it

great to hear your coming along thom il have to make sure your on a nice table with a view lol