Stephen W
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Posts posted by Stephen W
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OK, an easy UK one to ease you into Sunday morning:
Starter: Crispy langoustine fritters with basil pistou
Main: John Dory with leeks, aubergines and sauce vierge
Dessert: Lemon cream, cinnamon ice cream and hot chocolate sauce
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Asparagus, Bean, and Pork Belly Salad.
Leg of Lamb Cooked for Seven Hours.
Chestnut Leaf Wrapped Goat's Cheese.
Granny's Apple Tart.
Clue: Not in the UK, but should be a lesson to all our 'simplicity is the new complexity' drones.*
*I hope this whole thread doesn't break some eGullet rule about having fun.
la Tupina, Bordeaux
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I hear what you are saying Matthew, and in theory I would agree that this is the Michelin's espoused criteria for Michelin stars, however I only need to look at LCS where it is often commented that it is the front of house that holds it back from the third star that makes me question this.
As Andy reminded us recently, Derek Bulmer participated in an eGullet Q&A a couple of years ago where he said:
What about front of house in the awarding of Michelin Stars?At the one and two star level it is solely about the food on the plate and we make a particular point of stating in the guide “beware of comparing the star given to an expensive <de luxe> establishment to that of a simple restaurant where you can appreciate fine cooking at a reasonable price - The knives and forks will reflect the comfort or style of the restaurant. Our definition of three stars remains inclusive of the words “fine wines, faultless service, elegant surroundings.” which indicates that at this level we look for all round excellence.
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whoever said that, must be a solid gold, card carrying moron.
Bit harsh - there are those of us who like Tom's Kitchen and I would hope that you could respect that we have a different opinion of it to you. Did you read the article in question and look at the names of the people who might have tipped it?
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What i'm trying to say is that alot of v interesting and ambitious food is cooked outside of the capital,and those restaurants should be given praise and credit!
Feel free to - I'm sure we'd welcome your input.
To be fair to everyone else here, on this topic alone I've seen mentions of:
Le Champignon Sauvage
The Sportsman
L'Enclume
Martin Wishart
Sat Bains
Nathan Outlaw
Fraiche
Anthonys
none of which are London restaurants as far as I know (and I've probably missed several others).
And I think the announcement is 24 Jan.Wednesday 23rd according to Michelin.
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I would give stars to Anthony's (but is there anyone on this forum who believes it shouldn't have had one for years!)
Yes, there are a few of us, but we know when not to paddle against the flow.
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Another surprise was that the same plates were used for all the courses bar the canapes etc. I can only describe the plates as simple white side plates - very dull and tiny! On 3 of the dishes the components were actually spilling off the plate as they were'nt big enough.
That's certainly not typical in my experience - Classic menu on the 19th of December was excellent and every course was on a different type / shape of plate. I (very much) enjoyed my meal at Petrus this year but every meal I've had at Tom Aikens has been better than that one.
That having been said, I don't think the tasting menu concept suits Tom as well as ALC (or the excellent value lunch menu). His multi-element style seems to suit the "bigger canvas" afforded by a 3 course meal - the tasting menus either force him to pare down or to try to cram the elements in - both of which can be less than completely successful.
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Wine glasses
in Wine
My favourite is Riedel, with the Riesling/Chianti glass (416/15) being a good "all-rounder".
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Interesting - I hadn't thought of Herr Winkler as risk taking (not recently, anyway - other than perhaps in the area of wine pricing!) - I'll have to add it to the list for a visit next year.
Also, I'm happy to say that I enjoy both classic (if it's that easy why can't everybody reach the standard...) and contemporary / risk taking cuisine. Long may both continue to exist to give us choice and variety.
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Any more current Munschen suggestions?
Only to second the recommendations of Schubeck's and Tantris. I visited both last month - Schubeck's seemed well worth its Michelin star, with excellent food enhanced with the judicious use of spices and very good service.
My meal at Tantris was a step up on all fronts, with food, service and wine all being outstanding - it seems worth at least its current 2 stars.
For reference, a few photos from Tantris (with apologies to those who hate people taking photos in restaurants...):
Greeting from the kitchen
Starter: Tuna with Beetroot and wasabi cream
2nd Course: Sea bass with polenta
3rd Course: Foie Gras and ravioli
4th course: Venison with wild mushrooms, red cabbage and parsnip / herb puree
Dessert: Chocolate and Banana
For the record, 5 courses with 3 wines (by the glass but frequently topped up), water etc. cost €220.
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It explains why there are so few top restaurants in the biggest country of Europe, I suppose.
Confused by this - Germany is second only to France in the number of 3 star restaurants (and as a quick aside, I think most of us would acknowledge that Michelin in France are a bit slow to remove the third star when it is no longer deserved), has twice as many starred establishments as Spain, (almost) twice as many 3 star restaurants as Italy and three times as many as the UK. How many top restaurants would you expect there to be?
From a personal point of view, Germany is now my destination of choice for "haute cuisine" eating. I live in London and yet this year I've eaten at Vendome, Tantris and Schubecks (and found them all excellent, with Tantris providing the best meal so far) and have another booking next week at Vendome to try their new lunch menu. In contrast, I've only been to two "starred restaurants" in London this year.
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For Germany, roughly as follows:
Dieter Müller - 65
Schwarzwaldstube - 35 / 40 (depending on source)
Vendôme - 40 (note: not sure if recent refurb has changed this).
Residenz Heinz Winkler - 80
Sonnora - 40
Victor's Gourmet-Restaurant - 34
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I always check with the restaurant before I arrive what their policy is on the use of cameras - it saves any unpleasantness if they don't allow them. Don't be put off taking photos (if permitted) if you want to. It's not for others (unless they own the place) to impose restrictions on you.
...and as others have said, enjoy yourselves!
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Adlards unfortunately does not live up to what it could. Tracey McLeod reviewed it a couple of months ago for the Independent on Saturday magazine. Expensive and the food just does not deliver. Shame really because it is a nice place.
Actually, Adlards is (much) better than that review. To be fair to Tracey she doesn't try to hide her dislike of Norfolk. Adlards is, however (as Andy notes) for sale and my understanding is that it is likely to close (in its present form) in September.
Morston Hall is indeed a bit far from Norwich, especially as it only does dinner (except on Sundays) in one sitting (8pm). Worth considering though if you are staying closer.
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I'm going to be in Norwich for a couple of days next month. Any recommendations on where to eat?
Thank you,
Stephen Bonner
The Wildebeest Arms and 1up at the Mad Moose are both meant to be good (Michelin Bib Gourmands), but personally I would hop on a train (10 minutes) or get a taxi to Brundall and visit The Lavender House. I've always found the food to be very good (occasionally great), and Richard Hughes (Chef Patron) is a really nice guy who has always made a point of using local ingredients and crediting his suppliers.
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Our favorite restaurant right now is a new place in Kreuzberg called Hartmanns. The food I would definitely describe as modern German, the prices are reasonable, the wine list very nice and focused on German-speaking countries, the people and young chef are very friendly (and speak English), the address is Fichtestraße 31, phone # 030 6120 10 03, reservation recommended.
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Difficult to argue with as definitive an authority on Berlin as the New York Times...
However:
Mommsen Eck has a large range to choose from - don't remember much about the food (but it was a couple of years and many meals since I visited). They also have a branch near Potsdamer Platz.
The Schiffbauerdamm street (near Friedrichstrasse station) has several places to sit by the river. Personally I'm a fan of StaeV because I like Koelsch and their flammkuchen but there is the Berliner Republik nearby (and several others).
Can't personally recommend either Brauhaus Lemke or Brauhaus Mitte as I haven't been to either yet but they would also seem worth a try.
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Does anyone have any new ideas about interesting places in Berlin?
I think it's been mentioned before (probably on one of the Berlin threads) but I enjoyed a meal at Ottenthal last summer. Sort of "Modern Austrian" cuisine I guess, excellent quality and good service. Worth booking if you want to go as it is a fairly small restaurant and was full when we visited.
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I didn't hear the R4 interview... what was the thrust of the questions?
It's available via the "Listen Again" facility.
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You can see the underlying if you "view source"
Tom Aikens, Hilary Armstrong, Craig Bancroft, Raymond Blanc, Heston Blumenthal, Georgina Campbell, Eric Chavot, Chris Chown, Daniel Clifford, Richard Corrigan, Terry Durack, Paul Flynn, Rose Gray, Trevor Gulliver, Henry Harris, Mark Hix, Philip Howard, Nick Lander, Giorgio Locatelli, Andy Lynes, Fay Maschler, John McKenna, Maureen Mills, Oliver Peyton, Claudio Pulze, Gordon Ramsay, Jay Rayner, Michel Roux Jr, Jennifer Sharpe, Alan YauThanks Jon. Looking through the list I misread John McKenna as Paul McKenna and suddenly it all started making sense.
Look into my eyes...You are all feeling sleepy...you will all vote for the following restaurants...
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A survey of experts worldwide the names of whom are on the website...
Any reason the UK & Ireland names are missing?
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News from the Evening Standard website:
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/restaurants/.../article.do
All sorts of new things to discuss...
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the main point of this is, if a majority of people felt the same as kai-m, booking a table would be a simple affair and not a 2 months in advance 1/2 hour "bun-fight" on the phones
Another point might be whether Michelin will continue to feel that The Fat Duck shows enough of the "originality and innovation" required at the 3 star level.
Personally I'm surprised that he doesn't do a "classic" menu of the old favourites and a new tasting menu (perhaps changing every 3-6 months given their lead time for dishes) - however his current system is clearly working for him at the moment so there's probably not much incentive to change.
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Nice to see the BBC are publishing practical recipes on their website
Isn't the whole point of Sat's food that it should be something you can't do at home?
The UK Menu Game (2008-)
in United Kingdom & Ireland: Dining
Posted
Indeed. Over to you.