marc at fraiche
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Posts posted by marc at fraiche
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hi there did any egullet folk manage to get a table? be nice to put a face to a screen name
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i will do my very best to bring a touch of fraiche into manchester and it will be a very different feel with the setting though i do have some good help in the kitchen its going to be an arkle reunion with the brigrade from the old days just need to talk simon radley round now and its the full team lol
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funny you should mention koffman i had the pleasure of cooking for him here at fraiche just a couple of weeks back,
yes fraiche is at harvey nicks on the 25th of january for one day only so i will do one of my signature menus with matching wines be great to meet some egullet folk there
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do you eat there regular john? just be good to see you when i take over for the day next month fraiche in manchester blimey that will be out of my quiet suburb village comfort zone
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i would second alkimia too, also you should look at diverxo in madrid and perhaps dassa bassa i had nice meal there but not sure what the level of cooking is like at the moment you could also look at www.restaurant-routa.com for modern dining in barcelona, another option is check to see if moo are doing any lunch promotions as they offer really good value at times for lunch service
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hey bapi thought they came across really well on that certain chefs program tonight, i don`t usually watch it but put up with the circus show to see really nice food from el gato, should be a great and deserved advert for them! and the other chef really reminded me of Sergio arolas style of tapas at hotel arts or was it just me?
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fingers crossed for l`enclume for 2 stars, ledbury seems to be rocking this year very positive feedback from nearly everyone i have spoken too, would like wishart to rise to 2, and good luck to artisan, love to see champ/sauv go to 3 stars too, greenhouse for 2 would be great
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i have to slightly disagree with you there David, the hotel environs you speak of actually support and allow Michael to express himself futher than he maybe able to in a stand alone operation,also with out the financial restraints that would be rested on his shoulders in an inner city restaurant, he is a great chef no question but you have to also give credit to the hotel for their support and considerable investment they have put behind him it certainly isn't keeping Pennyhill park in profit and of course the hotel benefits from the relationship from a selling point of the hotel and as a marketing tool.
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yes it is true! roca is now where it belongs the proud owner of 3 stars and great to hear Barcelona gaining another 2 star too at lasarte, i had a great meal and very attentive service dining there 3 months ago,big congratulations to Joan,Jordi and josep fantastic news
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really i do hope this is true fantastic news for the brothers this has made my day, just hope i can get a table next year now
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i think bodegroes is in safe hands, Chris chown who was a great cook has wisely handed the cooking reins over to a talented young chef named aled williams who has a very strong track record with the likes of midsummer house not forgetting he was a previous ramsay scholar winner, along with serious investment in equipment by chris in the kitchen, its going to be very exciting food next year and one worth serious looking at when dining in north wales and i`m sure you will start to hear about Aled soon
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a part of the new site which contains the menu black, future dinners and events, real time availability as in, any reservation spaces that arise are posted on that part, it is in the hope to look after the regulars, also there will be couple of videos in there but not for a little while as time permits lol il send you a password dont worry adey
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adey just come down and il make you a coffee and you can read what ever takes your fancy, got some nice new books too
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I just had dinner at el bulli a few days ago and I have to say that i agree with some of the comments above with some pretty heavy misses. Off the top of my head
Hits: Corn paper, Gin fizz, crispy chicken skin, Black sesame spongecake, tempura/sashimi prawn with prawn essence, rabbit offal, lychee jelly in mussel at the end
Misses: Artichoke heart, Lamb kidney, Chervil tea, Anemone(Inedible), truffle was also very mediocre.
Believe it or not, my best meal in spain among mugaritz, arzak and el bulli was mugaritz. more info soon
I also found a few
misses after dining there a couple of weeks ago, though i was thinking and starting to believe it must just be me, i also dined at can Roca the following day to which imho blew bulli away in lots of aspects including breads to die for, they really are firing on all cylinders now at Roca 3 stars next year surely
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I'll be interested to hear your take on it, Marc. Very different cuisine to yours, of course (and I'm looking forward to visiting you again - probably December).
As an aside, Chris mentioned last night that Mary-Ellen McTague is leaving. Story is reported today by Manchester Confidential, she's off to open her own place in Prestwich. She was formerly sous-chef (and "development chef") at the Fat Duck.
is that the lady chef who opened the heathcote branch london road? or am i getting mixed up?
yes will report back looking forward to it, its nice to eat something different, as i have done the modern gastro this week, it will give a nice contrast
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You can see why Chris Johnson’s Italian-flavoured restaurant won the 2008/9 Good Food Guide “Readers Restaurant of the Year”. It’s a small stylish place suitable for a celebration meal but with sufficient informality for a mid-week dinner. Chris is an old-fashioned “mine host” who welcomes customers with a complimentary dry sherry or (genuinely) freshly squeezed orange juice. From then, to the handshake on leaving, you are left in no doubt that this is his gaff.
There are a number of discount deals to be had, either through newspaper offers or by Ramsons own “loyalty card” and, midweek, dinner centres around a shortish menu. Five courses are offered – appetiser, first course, main, cheese and dessert. £40 buys you three courses; additional ones add £7 each. There are four or five choices at each course. With only one of us drinking alcohol these days, wine choices by the glass are often pretty limited. But not at Ramsons. Chris will open any bottle from his pretty extensive list and charge you 20% of bottle price per glass. My wife left it to him to choose her a white, red and a dessert wine. Pretty good choices, she reports, although not spectacular, except for the dessert wine – Brachetto – red, sweet and fizzy – an upmarket Lambrusco if you like.
An amuse of smoked salmon blinis were, as always, a nice introduction to a meal. Appetisers were scallops and crab. Good scallops, quickly seared with a little celeriac puree and saffron sauce – a belter of a dish. Similarly, crab with a quenelle of avocado mousse was well flavoured, although a couple of discs of “wild rocket jelly” added nothing, but green, to the plate. We favourably contrasted this food to crab and scallop dishes we’d recently eaten at Northcote.
First courses were very fixed in the Italian style. Risotto with lemon and samphire – a light fresh dish with the samphire adding a bit of texture. Pumpkin and mascarpone tortellini was, on the other hand, soothingly rich, a few deep fried sage leaves and a drizzle of lemon oil perking it up still further.
At this point, main course vegetables or salad are brought to you as a separate course. We’d chosen veg – a bowl of carrots, cauliflower, green beans – simply prepared and tasting very much of themselves.
On to the mains. Loin of jersey beef, horseradish mash and caramelised shallots. What’s not to like, particularly with the mash having had a good dollop of horseradish? The other plate – loin of St Asaph lamb, cooked to just medium, came with a small and very unctuous piece of long cooked breast (this was the star for me), onion puree and a little of the roasting juices.
Pre-dessert was a lovely and classic lemon posset – rich and sharp.
Panna cotta with apricot puree was light and just set. Roasted apricots formed the other dish – their sweetness contrasting interestingly (and successfully) with a salt shortbread and almond cream.
Service had been spot on throughout from Chris and his young staff. In the kitchen Abdulla “Nas” Naseem had turned out consistently good and enjoyable food. The bill, with drinks and coffee, came to a very reasonable £125. This is a place well worth visiting and you probably need to get along there sooner rather than later – Chris is nearly 70 and must be thinking of hanging up his corkscrew at some point.
wow thats freaky i was just thining of visiting ramsons, thanks for the review i will make my way there for sure this week now while i can escape the clutches of the kitchen
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close yet so far im there next monday for dinner 10th of aug, is it your first time phil?
should be some more new dishes showing up now with luck
going to roca which i am very excited about too, so good there! -
I dont mean to be lazy, but i promise i have done some research
Basically, I'll be embarking on a journey to spain, starting in SS(Arzak, mugaritz), on to Roses(bulli), and back to Barcelona
I have one evening and one full day in barcelona, and Ive been checking up on what places are worth visiting. I basically want somewhere somewhat casual and fairly inexpensive after 3 really heavy meals(wallet-wise), something in the 60-ish euro range. restaurants like abac are out of the question
Right now Im leaning towards Comerç 24, or Cinc Sentits. More towards Cinc Sentits because Im not sure if we can stomach more chemicals after el bulli. Are there any other restaurants I should be looking at?
Also, is the sandwich at cafe vienna worth the trip? Or should I just head straight to jamonisimo.
i would also choose cinc everytime over commerc 24, moo are also running a lunch promotion which is good value and you could try routa
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what day are you ther phil? im there in couple of weeks too
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no shows are so unfair on a small restaurant the culprits seem to be totally oblivious to the detrimental effect they are having on not only the guests but also the restaurant as this effects the atmosphere a great deal for the guests who do turn up and the chances of walk ins are very rare, not to mention the chance to break even on the days service
Recent report as requested upthread.I'm not even sure that its within the normal meaning of restaurant. As most other reviewers point out, its eating in somebody's house. Quite hard to spot as well - a small sign over the door of a detached "country Georgian" house in a nondescript suburb of Grantham, a town of limited charms. Its best described as opposite the Recruiting Sergeant - the one and only pub in Great Gonerby.
Great place. But probably best suited to folk who hate large and noisy places. Harry's is the antithesis of that. Just tables for six and four last Saturday evening. There is another table but I think it is not in use for diners.
Mrs J and I were on the table for four. Caroline Hallam is a one woman FOH operation and she is very good at it.
We started with a glass of kir and moved on to an amuse of little goats cheese tarts. Extremely good.
Thereafter there is a choice of two for each of three courses. Sounds excessively restrictive but its not.
To start was an onion soup (£9) which was described as "good but a bit sweet" by Mrs J. I neglected to steal some because I was busy with an excellent crab terrine (on the menu as a ceviche) with horseradish mayo and a few leaves. Stiffly priced at £16 tho'.
Next up was a choice between halibut or Gascon pork with duck foie gras and apple. Both of us took the porcine option at £35. I think it was a slice of loin but I'm unsure of the point. I've no idea what Harry does to it because the texture was a complete novelty to me. Tasted good and came with a neutralish jus and some excellent saute potatoes. A secondary garnish of raw carrots/broad beans/peas with herbs and a little mayo struck me as slightly discordant. I think I prefer cooked vegetables with a warm pork dish.
Mrs J and I again departed from reviewing best practice by having the same dessert - a caramel foam with raspberries and strawberries on the side. Light sweet and very moreish.
The wine list is about a dozen or so each of reds and whites. My only area of (very limited) expertise is Burgundy which I generally refuse to drink in restaurants because paying thrice retail for anything half decent is too injurious to the wallet. Thus I was doing it by guesswork and hit on a good Sicilian white and a serviceable red Rioja.
Bill was £192 to include two coffees and a large Armagnac.
The place is expensive for Michelin 1* or 1.5* food but the ambience is unlike any other restaurant I've ever been in. Particularly so on the evening concerned. The six top no showed and Caroline advised that there was no reply on the contact cellphone number provided. Its depressing that people smart enough to know about the place should behave so disgracefully. Harry did not quite agree with my assertion that searching out the culprits and killing them amounts to justifiable homicide. Given that the place is reservation only and the probability of a replacement by way of a speculative walk up is nil, methinks the deliberate deprivation of 75% of an independent's evening turnover is or should be a capital offence. Or deserving of a good kicking at least.
Harry's is well worth a visit. But if you aim to stay overnight in the area, avoid the Angel and Royal in Grantham. Its a dump and there is no other alternative other than the usual cheapo chain places. Caroline advises that there are a few good B & B's in the area so her advice should be sought when booking.
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have to agree with doc, valencia is a great city and ca sento is very nice balance to el poblet, as it is ingredient led not technique and we dined here the day after el poblet and was very much enjoyed
August may very well be a problem as many places are closed. All of the restaurants currently under discussion are worthwhile. Another that I will throw in the mix is Ferrero by Francisco Morales and Rut Cotroneo in Valencia. Paco is a disciple of Aduriz and is brilliant in his own right. My top meal of the year so far was by him this past January when he was still in Madrid at Senzone. Given that they are in a resort hotel, the likelihood that they will be open is high. If in the area of Valencia, Ca Sento is another not-to-miss restaurant. Valencia is a wonderful area in many ways that doesn't get a lot of play here.Currently writing from our room at Ferrero. The feast, in a couple of hours. Tomorrow, El Poblet.
Sweet. I look forward to your report.
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bet your more confused now than before hey
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can roca gets my vote i ate there not too long back and i honestly believe it is 3 stars in the making,i will be eating there next month to get my fix
, arzak is also a very special place to eat though i have not eaten there this year,heard great reports from fellow chefs who have though more so than mugaritz, but its quite a distance between roca and arzak Hi,Does anyone here have recent dining experience at Arzak, Akelarre, Can Roca, Mugaritz or Etxebarri? I may be in Spain for a couple of weeks in late August and may well try to go to one of these. I'm leaning towards Akelarre or Can Roca from what I've been reading. What's good these days?
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yes i have to agree i wouldnt rush back, it was nice to experience, but i found it a little expensive too, the small tasting menu with water and 1 glass of wine came to 110 euros and considering the size of the courses i would be very suprised if they were not making a good gross profit margin
the egg dish with dashi is one of my stand outs along with the monkfish liver and yuzu jelly and seaweeds.
We ate at Dos Palillos on our first night in Barcelona.The restaurant is intended to showcase Spanish/Asian fusion tapas (the name translates to two sticks, referring to both chopsticks and the toothpicks that some tapas are eaten with). I think fusion might be exaggerating what's going on at Dos Palillos as I found most of the food to be pretty firmly in the Asian camp.
Without notes or pictures I can't really give a terribly detailed account of our meal, but I will say it was fun. Some of the courses were pretty pedestrian if you're used to eating in Asian restaurants, like a plate of stir fried vegetables. Granted, the vegetables were really really good, but it was still just a plate of veggies. Other more interesting courses included monkfish liver, razor clams with seaweed salad, slow cooked egg in dashi, and a make-your-own toro handroll (absolutely fantastic toro, quickly torched to really bring out the oils in the fish). We also enjoyed a plate of fried sea anemone, not realizing it would be the first of two anemone encounters on our trip.
A fun meal at what appears to be a Barcelona hot spot (numerous diners were turned away at the door for lack of reservations, almost all of them tried dropping names of people at or associated with the restaurant in order to get a table). Not sure if I would go back since there are so many more restaurants to explore in Barcelona, but overall an enjoyable experience.
[PLAN] Fraiche in Manchester
in United Kingdom & Ireland: Dining
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would that happen to be the one with the lear jet bapi?