nikkib

Is this the english version of "my restaurant rules.." the aussie series?

Does anyone have a recipe for the delicious lime and mint drinks that seem to be everywhere? Am having withdrawal symptoms....

Austrian gruner veltliner. This is one of my favorite wines, if you see any schloss gobbelsburg produced snap it up, its great.

That souns great - now i need to get some of this for home!

I just got back on monday from dubai and would highly recommed the lebanese restaurant at Emirates towers, we sat outside and smoked sheesha, and dined on mezze and the ubiquitous harmour and had a very enjoyable time. Verre was outstanding but obviously not "local" cuisine. We also went to Bab al shams - about an hours drive out of Dubai and ate at Al Hadeerah, £70 p/h got us an amazing traditional buffet, lebanese wine and traditional entertainment camels, belly dancers, singing etc and the ability to sit on the rooftop bar and watch the sunset over the desert as camels wandered by. Beautifully done and not as touristy as it sounds. Q'ds was great for sheesha and is in a great location on the creek. Basta Art Cafe was fab for lunch - in the bastakia quarter near the museum. Wish i was still there - Enjoy!!!

Yeah, i would drop them a line detailing what it was in particular that you felt had declined although if your only complaint was on price rises i'm not sure theyd be too concerned

I ate there a couple of weeks ago too and was pleasantly surprised, parsnip soup with a roquefort ravioli was a particular highlight and the wine list was surprisingly reasonably priced. Seemed to be full of a curious mix of the b&t crowd and business men (lost?) although the essex girl on the table next to mine seemed confused that her carpaccio was raw...

Your herbal syrup sounds great, i'm going to have to give that a go too. The Mercers lemonade was a still homemade lemonade. I like the idea of limoncello too, definately wasn't in the original but in the means of experimentation i will give that a go too.....

http://www.gordonramsay.com/corporate/late.../newsitem4.html More menu choices here - no prices though but it sounds very promising.

Bottom right of the website has a union jack icon to translate into english

That was my concern about the vodka infusion, Will try the simple syrup version and post the rseults

Not sure if this will help in cardiff but .... Atari-ya is at 7 Station Parade, Noel Road, London W3 (www.atariya.co.uk; 020 8896 1552) Open Tue-Sun. Its Golders Green store (020 8458 7626) delivers within the M25 and has details of the nationwide service. Atari-ya also runs the fish and sushi counter in Selfridges Food Hall, London (020 7318 3400).

I'v been at it for 20+ years and i have offended some. ← We gotta have SOME fun right?

oh basic is right - pork pies from a packet and toasted sandwiches (done in the toaster) in the bar but worth a pint if you're nearby even if its just to check out the next door chapel where Henry viii married Catherine of Aragon...

oh basic is right - pork pies from a packet and toasted sandwiches (done in the toaster) in the bar but worth a pint if your nearby even if its just to check out the next door chapel where Henry viii married Catherine of Aragon...

Not so much seasonal food but traditions.. If my mother hasn't done her first bbq of the year by mothers day (this weekend in th uk) she feels she has failed! Cue many many years of sitting outside wrapped in blankets bbqing, i always look forward to the first one though especially her bbq sauce ( made by reducing caramelised onions,chilli powder, thyme,tomato purree with honey and vineagr for about an hour or so mmmm) Also Asparagus, especially white for its short season and of course British strawberries, but most importantly PIMMS from the grand national racing (April) til my birthday in oct....

Opening next week according to reservations lines, should be interesting...

http://www.tastings.com/beer/beer_and_food.html This is an interesting website for beer pairing in general with food, Enjoy!

I would second all of those, and can confirm that Bedford and Starnd has a very extensive winelist with some interesting choices available, Patissere Valerie - the one in covent garden has now morped into something else (still seems to have Valerie cakes etc though) but generally speaking i think you'll find they have gone down hill since your last visit. Le Pain Quotidien in marylebone or Festival Hall is also great - open Tartine style sandwiches, salads, tarts, gauffres etc galore. This has replaced Valerie in our families affections.

The Mercer served it long over lots of ice with a sprig of thyme as a stirrer, and yes it was delicious - thanks for the advice, infusing the vodka sounds like the way to go, i was just a bit confused as to wether or not it was that or the actaul lemonade they infused?

When i last visited NYC we got hooked on the Mercers thyme infused lemonade vodka cocktail (amongst others!) and i would like to make a batch for my friends birthday next week - does anyone know best way to do this? I'm sure it will be ridiculously easy but hey it never hurts to ask for help!

Maybe a quiet word with the owner, or a note (even anonymously) pointing out that if the staff member in question is taking tips they are untrustworthy and it might not be stopping at tips... Sure they aren't bothered with your tips but f the suggestion arises that shows it could be just the tip of the iceberg.... maybe thay would take action then?

We have a tip sheet where each member of staff writes down the ps they have recieved from each table noting the amt, the tble number and signing it with theri name. If at the end of the night the tips written down are not all there (which doesn't happen as it is so transparent) we would monitor the situation noting which members of staff were working when it happened until we could pinpoint it to key individuals and approach them accordingly. Even raising the point and making people aware that they are being monitored like this can put people off the idea of pocketing some of the money themselves.

We get ours from http://www.chefs.net/