malcolmwilliamson

I had an excellent lunch at Lewtrenchard Manor mid week. Amuse was a deep flavoured leek and potato soup. Chicken terrine for starter and slow cooked pork belly as maincourse. I'm a fan of pork belly and this, with its accompaniement of jus and mixed vegetables, was the best I've had. Pannacotta with cassis sorbet to finish.A plate of cheese was an option,sans supplement. Rare for a fixed price lunch menu. This restaurant has a talented Chef Patron, Jason Hornbuckle, and clearly benefits from having access to quality local supplies along with its own veg garden. Service was spot on. Brilliant value at £19.

" Gordon Ramsey will cook his way out of trouble" according to this article in The Guardian http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/200...staurant-empire

This recent article Crisis hits restaurants as diners decide to stay home in The Independent reports "Horizons, a specialist restaurant researcher, said that in the first half of the year spending in table service restaurants fell 3.9 per cent". Horizons' managing director Peter Backman said he was surprised the closures had not been greater. He said: "It's going to get really nasty in the restaurant sector now. Everybody is talking about reduced trading weeks. Monday to Thursday are quite empty. Lunchtimes in business areas are down; Sundays are down. Saturday is increasingly the day that will prove whether restaurants stay in business." My own experience of eating out at lunchtimes, usually on Thursday, doesn't concur with this. Almost all restaurants that I've visited this year have had a healthy trade .

My experience at Simpsons yesterday places this restaurant first in my pursuit of the best QPR lunch menu in England, edging le Gavroche out of that position. Amuse, pre-dessert, petit fours served even if you don't opt for coffee, plus 1/2 a bottle of wine( I took it as 1/4 Loire Sauvignon Blanc + 1/4 Cotes du Rhone) supplementing 3 flavoursome courses. Friendly and efficient service plus the opportunity to watch your food being cooked and plated. All for £30, a bargain.

Their lunch offer (download voucher to qualify for £3 off two course Prix Fixe menu)) has gone up by £1 since David first drew attention to it. Still excellent value based on my experience yesterday. Lunch menu changes daily so I can't give reccos but my starter of caramelised guinea fowl liver and fois gras parfait, and crispy fishcake main were both packed with flavours if the amounts were a little bit on the small size. Service was excellent. Restaurant deservedly full. Well worth a stop off IMHO.

I'll be spending a week in Hawkshead in August with my family. In the search for eateries I have read favourable comments about The Wheatsheaf at Brigsteer http://www.thewheatsheafbrigsteer.co.uk/. Has anyone any experience of this gastropub?

I went to Ronnie's http://www.ronnies-restaurant.co.uk/index.php for lunch last week. It turned out to be a very good choice. His Market Menu (4 choices per course. Available except Fri and Sat dinner) is competitively priced at £13.75 for 2 courses or £16.75 for 3 with a current bonus of a free glass of wine. My mussels chowder starter was thick and wholesome. Grilled venison steak was served with crusted root vegetables, orange and cranberry compote with a thyme jus and along with my bread and butter pud was packed with flavour. Bread was fresh from the oven. Service was spot on from the waiter and restaurant manager. Ronnie came and chatted at the end of my meal. He came across as a chef who cares a lot about both his cooking and customers. I've clocked up more than fifty lunches around the UK during the past 18 months or so. This is definitely in the frame for the best QPR. ← I was pleased to read that Ronnie's has been recognised bigtime by being voted Restaurant of the year 2009 by the GFG.

Opening report and comments in the Guardian

Caterersearch confirms Heston's plans to open in London in the autumn next year. He'll be fitting a 140 seat restaurant into the space currently occupied by Foliage with the room redesign to be done by Adam Tihany. The kitchen will be headed by Ashley Palmer Watts. Sad that we'll lose one of the best value lunches in the process.

Mat Follas has a blog in today's online Guardianin which he tells of the progress of his embryonic Beaminster restaurant to date and invites readers' advice on space and design. I guess it saves paying big money to consultants for their suggestions.

The list hasn't yet been posted on S.Pellegrino's website and the other link provided by Alex doesn't work for me so I've copied from Wikipedia. World's best restaurants 2009 winners list: 1 El Bulli, Roses, Spain (Best in Europe) 2 The Fat Duck, Bray-on-Thames, UK 3 Noma, Copenhagen, Denmark (Best in Scandinavia) 4 Mugaritz, San Sebastián, Spain (Chef's Choice) 5 El Celler de Can Roca, Girona, Spain 6 per se, New York, USA (Best in the Americas) 7 Bras, Laguiole, France 8 Arzak, San Sebastián, Spain 9 Pierre Gagnaire, Paris, France 10 Alinea, Chicago, USA 11 L'Astrance, Paris, France 12 The French Laundry, California, USA 13 Osteria Francescana, Italy 14 St John, London, UK 15 Le Bernardin, New York, USA 16 Restaurant de l’Hotel de Ville, Switzerland 17 Tetsuya's, Sydney, Australia (Best in Australasia) 18 L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon, Paris, France 19 Jean-Georges, New York, USA 20 Les Creations de Narisawa, Japan 21 Chez Dominique, Helsinki, Finland 22 Ristorante Cracco, Italy 23 Die Schwarzwaldstube, Germany 24 D.O.M., Brazil 25 Vendome, Germany 26 Hof van Cleve], Belgium 27 Masa, U.S. 28 Gambero Rosso, San Vincenzo, Italy 29 Oud Sluis, Sluis, Netherlands 30 Steirereck, Sluis, Austria 31 Momofuku Ssam Bar, U.S. 32 Oaxen Skaergaardskrog, Sweden 33 Martin Berastagui, Spain 34 Nobu, U.K. 35 Mirazur, France 36 Hakkasan, U.K. 37 Le Quartier Francais, South Africa 38 La Colombe, South Africa 39 Asador Etxebarri, Spain 40 Le Chateaubriand, France 41 Daniel, U.S. 42 Combal Zero, Italy 43 Le Louis XV, France 44 Tantris, Germany 45 Iggy's, Singapore 46 Quay, Australia 47 Les Ambassadeurs, Paris, France 48 Dal Pescatore, Canneto sull'Oglio (Mantova), Italy 49 Le Calandre, Padua, Italy 50 Mathias Dahlgren, Sweden

Has anyone eaten lunch at, or viewed the menu outside, the Old Spot recently? The restaurant doesn't have a website, making it difficult to know whether its an option when I visit the Bath area next Thursday.

According to their website the only weekend option at le Gavroche is dinner on Saturday. I'd be surprised if you'd be able to book a table this weekend at such short notice.

Its not all doom and gloom. Yesterday I had lunch in a restaurant that was thriving despite, or maybe because of, the credit crunch. This was le Bistrot Pierre in Nottingham. Its a small chain with 5 other branches, formed I've subsequently read from the 2005 amalgamation of Pierre Victoire and PeeVee. I hadn't booked, apparently they don't take lunchtime bookings, but turned up five minutes after the noon opening. I was amazed to find the place heaving and to be offered the only remaining table. My waitress explained that customers routinely queue before midday. I also observed staff turn away a stream of hopeful diners during the next 90 minutes or so. The secret of their success seems to be the use of a (sole offer at lunch) fixed price menu of £8.95/2 courses, £10.95/3 courses, five choices for each course with an additional option for each on the specials board. Standard bistro fare, unsurprisingly. rather than fine dining, dishes were well executed and ample enough in size. Service was friendly and efficient. I came away thinking that every large town or city would benefit from a similar restaurant which should be viable, even in the present downturn. I hope that le Gavroche for lunch next Tuesday with my wife provides similar QPR.

Not sure it qualifies as a town Cheltenham, Gloucs is worth consideration with LCS and Lumiere ( I've had an impressive lunch there under the new management) and short rides to Winchcombe which has Wesley House and 5 North Street, and to Alium at Fairford. Also only a short distance to the sea in the form of the Bristol Channel.

There's more information about the norovirus suspected cause in the Independent http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fo...ck-1649540.html.

This report in the Daily Telegraph says that the Fat Duck has been closed since Tuesday while investigations are carried out into suspected food poisoning.

21212 is the Vodaphone number needed to record a personal greeting for Voicemail. Different code, but the Old Thai House restaurant in Camberley has a 21212 phone number.

Further evidence in last Saturday's Guardian that these are halcyon times for eating lunch in Oxfordshire.

Just discovered this statement on the Thatched Cottage (Brockenhurst) website: Due to the current financial climate we are not able to provide any elaborate Luncheons and are closed for Dinner - until further notice. (This is in effect from now except for Valentines weekend)

Hot on the heels of Michelin's 2009 awards, and as Fishworks goes into administration, last year's top fish and chips outlets have been revealed as: 1 Anstruther Fish Bar and Restaurant, Fife, Scotland 2 Colman's of South Shields, Tyne and Wear 3 Thornton Fisheries, Thornton-Cleveleys, Lancashire Other regional winners Finnegan's, Porthcawl, Wales Fish and Chicken Inn, Ballymena, Northern Ireland Merchant Fish Bar, Bewdley, Worcestershire Petrou Brothers, Chatteris, Cambridgeshire Scooby Snax, Brightlingsea, Essex. The Plaice, Winchester, Hampshire Daniels Fish and Chips, Weymouth, Dorset Are there any surprises or omissions?

Haven't been for some time (not deliberate avoidance ) but the http://www.foxandhounds-hunsdon.co.uk/default.asp served restaurant quality food and small Hertford brewery Red Squirrel ales when I was last there.

I'm pleased to see Turners in Birmingham awarded a star. I had lunch (OK. I know the tyre men don't make their judgements on that) there a couple of months ago and told their restaurant manager I found it as good as the starred place (Le Poussin At Whitley Ridge) I'd eaten at a few weeks before.

It was Little Chef's 50th birthday yesterday. Did anyone remember to send or deliver a card? The Guardian reports (http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2008/nov/28/food-and-drink-heston-blumenthal-little-chef) that a party was held to celebrate the launch of Heston Blumenthal's new menu for the Popham branch. Their reporter selects these as highlights: Breakfasts Olympic breakfast, £6.95. Two outdoor-reared pork sausages, Wiltshire-cured bacon, two free-range eggs, Ramsay of Carluke black pudding, roasted mushroom, baked beans or chargrilled tomato Starters Scottish mussels in white wine sauce, £4.95 Mains Braised ox cheeks in red wine sauce with mushrooms, £9.75; Beer and vegetable casserole, mustard dumplings, served with chopped parsley, a drizzle of olive oil and grated vegetarian, Italian-style hard cheese, £7.50 Desserts Chocolate truffle slice, £3.75 Jay Rayner was at the launch. I'm looking forward to his review.

I went to Ronnie's http://www.ronnies-restaurant.co.uk/index.php for lunch last week. It turned out to be a very good choice. His Market Menu (4 choices per course. Available except Fri and Sat dinner) is competitively priced at £13.75 for 2 courses or £16.75 for 3 with a current bonus of a free glass of wine. My mussels chowder starter was thick and wholesome. Grilled venison steak was served with crusted root vegetables, orange and cranberry compote with a thyme jus and along with my bread and butter pud was packed with flavour. Bread was fresh from the oven. Service was spot on from the waiter and restaurant manager. Ronnie came and chatted at the end of my meal. He came across as a chef who cares a lot about both his cooking and customers. I've clocked up more than fifty lunches around the UK during the past 18 months or so. This is definitely in the frame for the best QPR.