Andy Fenn

Great news Scott. Can you give a little more detail? I'm going on Monday and would like to get the juices flowing even more.

I also called last minute this Spring and got a reservation at 8pm on a Saturday night! Sorry not to have written up, but don't worry about missing out - the food really wasn't that special. In the last two years, meals at Mugaritz, can Roca and Etxebarri have yielded more fulfilling culinary experiences. We had a fantastic night, but the food disappointed, and I forced myself NOT to have high expectations. Saying that, I still want to go back, for the ride, and I also picked up a rejection this afternoon.

Gary, not sure if you have seen this, but there is a 3 minute explanation of how to make the naan on the bbc link upthread. Is there anywhere I can actually watch the whole episode online? Or is that also on the bbc link, and I'm just being dense?

You MUST have the vegetables with the emmenthal broth. Insane dish. Potatoes with slow cooked egg yolk and vegetable coal is also a winner. He is famous for his foie, but it was summer when I went, so was not on the menu. The violet ice cream is the best dessert I have ever had, and the French toast is also a must. Avoid the Hake with garlic if that's on the menu. And there IS an a la carte, though they might get funny about some people not having the tasting menu. Just ask nicely and say you don't mind sitting with an empty plate when others get extra courses. I second the recommendations for pintxos rather than other blow outs. The two times I have been, I have overloaded on restaurants, and the worst (but still very good) meal has suffered by comparison ie Arzak last time v Etxebarri and Mugaritz. But CAREFUL - if it's Sunday night or Monday, everywhere will be closed. Plan carefully. There are some excellent pintxos suggestions on these boards and elsewhere.

I agree - that's why I think the right approach for bushey depends on her (and her husband's) personal tastes. Within the context of my Michel Troisgros tasting menu, and my own preferences, the salmon felt heavy and out of date. And IMO, they are "classics" because they were cutting edge at their time, and may be incomparable now because few high end restaurants cook like that any more. But there are many many others who feel quite the opposite.

On the basis of my meal, I would agree with Algy not to tamper with the menu. BUT, why should the dishes we inserted be allowed to be worse dishes? It's not the flow of the menu I'm talking about here; the Kiev was a poor dish. Algy, what was the lamb like? (we swapped the kiev for the lamb). And what was your take on the lobster with curry and pineapple? And can you give us a run down of your autumn menu last week? As for Ameiden's suggestion, I think this depends on your own tastes as a diner. For me, the one "classic" dish we had (the salmon) was very weak. That is not the kind of food I like to eat in 3 star restaurants any more. Its modern cod counterpart, on the other hand, was astonishing. Of course, I can't speak for the lobster or the beef, but the current beef dish on the website menu sounds to me like a steak and red wine sauce, and is stated to be from 1960. That is not what I would travel to Troisgros for.

Difficult for me to say, having only been the once. I think you will have a better experience staying in the hotel. The dishes that hit the spot were stunning. Absolutely stunning. All I can say is to steer clear of the dishes I've mentioned, and have a look at Howard's meal there last Autumn - he didn't have a single dud dish: http://londonfood.typepad.com/stuff/2006/12/tres_gros.html And if anyone's been just before you go, try to get the lowdown on the hits and misses.

And then wow, right back on form (and kicked the shit out of Bras' desserts). The desserts that follwed were possibly the best progression I have had. None really wowed like the violet ice cream at Mugaritz, for example, but the three together were the perfect end to the meal. Dessert 1: Mikymoto a la creme persille A beautifully light meringue sandwich. The parsley cream was the star: just enough of it to provide the backdrop to the rhubarb and the meringue. Dessert 2: Tartlette of wild strawberries and peas Stunning. What a combination. Dessert 3: Blanc-manger a la menthe, peche blanche Again, superb. The quality of the peach was breathtaking. Mint jelly on an almond blanc-manger gave a subtle sharpness, as did the superfine slices of mint. Such a light, uplifting end to the meal. We polished off the rest of the champagne we started with. Yum. Overall then, a mixed experience, even when taking our own misguided tampering with the tasting menu out of the equation. Lobster, curry and pineapple! But the very best dishes were really really good, and make me want to go back. And I'd take that rollercoaster over a straight line of "nice" any day.

So it started very very well. But then it started to wobble. Course 4: INSERTED EXTRA: Frogs' legs with cauliflower and tamarind This just wasn't special. I liked the texture of the cauliflower crunch, but the sauce just seemed a little unrefined. There was an element of curry spicing in every meal of my trip. On every occasion it lacked finesse. Just wait for the lobster... Course 5: Roasted cod with tomato water Truly stunning dish. The fish was excellently cooked, but the tomato water was the star of the show. Poured at the table, it was remarkably perfumed, intense, but light. I love this style. Possibly the dish of the night. Course 6: INSERTED EXTRA: The Famous Salmon with Sorrel What a contrast. This was a shuddering example of how food has moved on. The sauce was heavy, rich and sickly. It immediately made us all feel full. I'm usually first in with the mopping bread, but I left most of the sauce behind. NOTE: I don't hold this against Michel Troigros. We added it into the menu. It was our fault. And I'm glad we did it. But it really wasn't good. Course 7: Lobster with "sauce curry" and pineapple I really wish I had a photo of this. Another resounding disappointment. It was just so naff. There's no other word for it (Ian takes the credit). Pineapple! Bloody hell. The lobster was fine, but completely betrayed by the curry sauce and the pineapple. I just don't get the fish/curry combo in a restaurant like this. Pineapple! Course 8: Pigeon "Kiev", with foie gras and truffle We swapped this dish in for the lamb. And again, what a disappointment. The foie was fairly bland, and the truffle! Look how thick it is. It had no flavour, no perfume, and was chewy. And the deep fried kiev technique is another thing I don't quite understand in restaurants like these. There is a ceiling to the heights such dishes had hit. The best I can ever muster is "excellent, for a deep fried breadcrumbed preparation" (like the rabbit at the French Laundry later in the Summer). Course 8a: Sweetbreads with pickled fig and onion Two of us had the kiev, the other had the sweetbreads. This could have been great, but was let down by cutting up the sweetbreads before cooking. They were tiny tiny tiny. By the time they were crispy, they were overcooked. Perhaps it suffered from the transformation into a tasting menu portion? The acidity of the fig was full on, but I loved it.

Funny how people on these boards can have the same things but be moved in completely different ways. Our meal at troigros was really good, but something left me a little wanting. If you asked me to compile my dream menu between this meal and the one at Bras three days later, it would probably consist of half and half. But the two restaurants rate very differently for me. The difference? The Bras dishes that miss out do so by a whisker. The troigros dishes that missed out bombed. In relative terms, they really disappointed. Which was such a shame: the winning dishes were real stars. And I think Ian and I were pretty much of the same view. We arrived just after 8pm. I phoned ahead a few times to see when they wanted me to arrive, and they just said whenever. Yet I got the sense that we were somehow 'late'? We were shown straight to our table, and there were no canapes. Is this normal? We went for the tasting menu, and slotted in two extra dishes. We were excited. Amuse: Razor clams Don't remember a great deal about these. Very tender, no noticeable acidity. Course 1: Frozen pea soup with orange Sorry, no photo. But this was great. Clear clean pea flavour. With a nice zing from the white orange flavoured layer on top. Course 2: Marinated sardine with tomato and samphire Great dish. Lively, fresh, and full of flavour. The fish was topped with a tangy jelly. The presence of samphire signalled the start of a trend throughout my France and California trip. Bizarrely, the tasting menu had 2 options - one with the sardine (E145) and one without (E185). So E40 for a single sardine! Course 3: Bain marie of foie gras with apricot and pink peppercorns I loved this dish. When Troigros' dishes work, they are extremely intense, but very light, even with foie. The apricot and pepper foil was very effective.

How was your meal Jon? Don't be shy. Predictably polished, but lacking a spark? I had the trotter dish last year, and it was unexciting. The photos are upthread.

Getting there. Four days in Barcelona = el Belly

I know. I'm a tosser. But I'm happy.

I had the tasting menu for the first time in Oct 2005. I went again with my girlfriend in Feb this year. I swapped in 5 dishes from the a la carte. So yes, they will do it, especially if you email ahead. As for the experience, the restaurant is still untouchable for me. I went to Gagnaire in November and el Bulli two nights ago. Obviously a very subjective appraisal, but the FD wins hands down. Everything I had had in 2007 was slightly better. Especially the sardines on toast, which I wasn't mad about before. The element of theatre injected by the oak moss forest floor misty smoke and the new bacon and eggs preparation was superb. My only criticism is of the fish course. I wasn't mad about the salmon, and I didn't care for the turbot cooked sous vide this time. Turbot, for me, is about a tranche from an enormous fish, cooked on the bone until it is sticky and pearlescent. This wasn't it. I am, however, frustrated about the lack of obvious change to the menu, even if there are many tiny changes behind the scenes. The tasting menu second time round was "better", but the first experience stands out for me as my "best meal ever". Some of the magic was lost. Which is inevitable. I spoke to Heston in Feb, and he was frustrated himself at not being able to devote the time required for a major revamp. When a restaurant is cooking the best food in the country, I want to go back and try more of it. However, the a la carte is available, and there are things on there I haven't had yet. And Docsconz, you must go. It is superb. But yes, I suppose this has all been said before. I agree with Jon - the quail chat was interesting. Any more nuggets of wisdom Magnus?

I didn't have as much of a problem with the texture of the liquorice as others did, but like I said, a lot of people were taking the skin off. Perhaps I found it a bit sweet, from the vanilla, especially where many of the surrounding items on the menu are also sweet - the foie before, and the pigeon afterwards. Admittedly not the sardines sorbet. Interesting that the order of the turbot didn't help. But I think it was the turbot itself which was disappointing. I didn't like the texture of the fish - it was almost mushy. I know it wasn't overcooked, but it shared some of the properties of an overcooked piece of fish - slightly chewy etc. Most importantly, the flavour seemed lacking - I have had some fantastic pieces of turbot from a large fish, roasted and highly gelatinous. Notably at Gordon Ramsay with a citrus sauce, which was a standout from a medoicre meal. Perhaps I needed a bit of textural contrast at this stage of the meal - a really crisp skin, or some crunchy accompaniments. Neither the turbot nor the salmon provided that. I had heard about the seaside dish, and spoke to Heston about it. I understood it was to take the place of the sardines on toast sorbet? Don't get me wrong though - the fish course was the only let down for me. The rest of the meal confirmed my opinion that the FD is way ahead of its British peers in terms of flavour, innovation and execution. Magnus, is there anything you don't like on the menu? I really wanted the scallops with white chocolate, but they wouldn't let me swap that in...

Gagnaire's tasting menu was 250 euros when I was there in November. 7 courses before the grand dessert, I think. The tasting dishes were much better than the a la carte dishes, in my opinion. There was some really excellent stuff on there, a touch more reined in. I had the carte, so left feeling a little disappointed. From what I have read, the autumn menu didn't quite pull it off. Any reports from this side of Christmas? You could always hit Astrance for a weekday lunch? Never been, but I would put that in the Arpege/Gagnaire bracket now. By the way, you say weekday lunch - do you mean set price lunch or full blown tasting menu?

I ate here on Friday night and it was another absolutely first class meal. Great sense of theatre and humour, confidence without arrogance. Most importantly, delicious food. I swapped in 5 dishes from the carte to the tasting, whereas my girlfriend stuck with the original. I'll write up a full report if I get a moment. Lots of subtle improvements on dishes I have had before, like the sardines on toast sorbet. And the new way they serve the bacon and egg ice cream is genius. My only quibble - the fish course is the weakest. I didn't particularly care for the salmon poached in liquorice before, and the turbot replacement was a little bland and uninteresting. Looking around the room, most of the diners were peeling off the liquorice layer. And the other fish dish on the carte, sole veronique, has not been well received by friends of mine who have had it. Magnus, are you a chef there? Would be intersted to hear your thoughts on the fish course. Met Heston too - he seems a thoroughly nice chap, with some interesting ideas in the pipeline.

I work in the Holborn area and went to Onion for the first time today. Very nice panini. But if you're based in this area, the number one sandwich place has to be Caradell on Red Lion Street, about half way down. Fantastic range of ingredients and combinations, and a great atmosphere. Choose from focaccia, ciabatta, baguette, bagel, onion bread, olive roll etc And the salads are good too. Best sandwich bar I've seen in London. They sell deli type stuff there too, pasta, vinegar, olive oil etc

It already has a bib gourmand. It won't get a star.

I had a very good meal here on Tuesday night. It was my first visit, and despite reading various reviews, I was still suprised at how small the space was. Even in the toilets! Staff were charming though, and did a good job of squeezing in between the tables. I quite liked the intimacy of the place. Anyway, we had the £80 tasting menu. Canapes were good - foie gras amuse in a poppy seed crisp was great. Did the Ledbury copy this or vice versa? Good breads - 4 or 5 nice choices. Pepper seared tuna with chive crushed potato, black olive and cabernet sauvignon vinaigrette, baby wood sorrel I wasn't that fussed about getting this dish, as they served it at the Toast food festival in the summer and I wasn't wild about it. Obviously, it was a step up this time around, due to the additional restaurant care and skill. But I'm still not convinced. Is crushed potato a good match for raw/rare tuna? Not as good as the Ledbury version, but still a pleasant start to the meal. Pan fried scottish scallops with squash and vanilla puree, toasted pumpkin seeds and beurre noisette sauce This was great. I was wondering if there would be anything to cut through the obviously sweet elements, and the slight (confit?) lemon taste in the beurre noisette did this job nicely. The seeds were tasty, and added an effective textural contrast. Scallops perfectly cooked. Excellent dish. Pan fried foie gras with carrot and cumin puree, caramel foam and balsamic jus This was a very interesting foie preparation. Some confit onions added an additional sweet note, and the cumin flavour worked well, though it was a little strong. Foie perfectly prepped and cooked. Slow poached wild seabass with crushed peas, creamed shallots and shellfish bisque A melange of my favourite things. Bass cooked to translucent perfection, everything else came together very well. Dish of the night? Possibly. Assiette of salt marsh lamb with confit turnip, turnip cream, chicken jus and hazlenut I rarely order lamb any more as it feels a little boring, but this reminded me of what can be done. Lovely pink piece of rack(?) with a delicate herb crust, crispy tongue, melting shoulder, tiny sweetbread, and a bit of neck. Each part was clearly distinctive, and not just making up the numbers. Cheese I veered away from the composed cheese course and went for the full trolley. Not as extensive a selection as other London cheeseboards, but all were in very good condition. Vacherin was superb. Nice St Felicien. Apple Foam, Sapin Sorbet Horrible I'm afraid. My waiter admitted to not liking it. Made from a pine liqueur of some sort, it tasted like toilet duck. Not that I would know, of course. Bitter sweet chocolate tart, macademia nut cream and stout ice cream Excellent quality chocolate, nicely balanced with the colder sweeter elements. Didn't like the stout that much on its own, but worked suprisingly well with the chocolate. All in all, I was very impressed. And there are plenty of things on the a la carte that I would happily come back to try. And the wine pairings with the tasting menu were unusual, but spot on. How does it rate against the other London 2 stars? Well the square was disappointing for me, as I have posted. My one a la carte meal at the Capital had a bigger high point, but was less consistent, and a little more classical. I have only had lunch at le Gavroche, which seemed very dumbed down to me, so not a fair comparison. But pied a terre certainly holds its own.

Overall: Etxebarri, Spain - my most memorable meal of the year, stunning example of simplicity at its best Mugaritz, San Sebastian - two or three sublime dishes that make you sit up with a jolt Closer to home: Ledbury - no bad meals here, wonderful service, and some awesome dishes Locatelli - my first visit a couple of months ago, have been back twice since. Had the edge on River Cafe - slightly better food, cheaper, and easier to get to!

Right, I'm thinking of doing Heston's turkey for Christmas at home - it was in the Sunday Times this weekend. I am a bit worried though. Problems: 1. Can I still stuff the bugger? Relatives will get peeved without stuffing. I need to get the Turkey meat to 60 degrees. Does sausage meat need to go higher? Will it take longer as it's right in the centre of the bird? 2. Timing - Heston reckons 6-8 hours to get the temperature to 60 degrees. How do I time the thing so everything's ready at the same time and people get fed when they expect to get fed? I suppose I can keep the turkey warm in the smaller oven if necessary. Might just brine the turkey, then roast as usual, injecting the juices back in a la heston. Pan frying the skin at the end sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. Any ideas?

Great stuff Tim. Looking forward to the next instalments. Interesting that nobody else there seemed to be laughing along. My experience last year was that everyone in the room had a permanent smile on their face.

So Tim, how was the meal? Did Heston come out with one of those aprons with Arnold Schwarzenegger's body on the front? Unfortunately, after the photos posted on this thread, I can't imagine him without one.

At RHR or la Noisette? Happy anniversary! What did you have, and what were the standouts? Knickerless fur coat brigade eh? Hopefully if I go again, Lindsay Lohan will be on the table next to mine.