RDB

I popped into Grado before going to see Leonard Cohen in concert a few weeks back. I must say after Jay and Thom's experience, I can only agree the place is a joke. I would say it rated as one of the worst food experiences I have had in a while. Granted in the past three months I have been eating amazing tapas in Barcelona, Valencia and Ripponden, so maybe I was being over critical? Firstly service, bearing in mind I was the only person at the bar, it was the slowest service I have ever experienced. At times I felt like I was putting them out. Ordered a a glass of sparkling water which was poured from a 75cl bottle. They then left the bottle beside my glass and the head front of house would come over and ask me some questions about my life and begin to refill my glass. A very dirty trick, I only asked for a glass and they charged me for a bottle!!!! All food is cooked in front of you, which to me is not always a good thing. Padron peppers were almost bell pepper in size, very thick and lacking any sweetness. Mushromm croquetta were dropped in a deep fat fryer which I observed were not cooked long enough. Low and behold, warm on the outside freezing in the middle, I sent these back, much to the chefs annoyance. New chef arrived who re-cooked them, served with a very bland, but 'creatively' presented romanesco sauce. Tiny pot of clams with sherry and jamon. Basically a few clams in a very very salty sauce. Horrible. That was it I decided to leave it there. Ran of to Michael Caines new place for some of his tapas, but unfortunately it was booked out for a private function. Maybe I hit it on a bad day, but it was all over the place both with service and food. It was not a relaxing experience which to me is part of the 'tapas' experience. I would avoid it all costs. So off I trudged with the hope that Leonard Cohen would cheer me up..........

He did beat you to it this time around .Last year I had a fiver riding on Duncan getting it done before you Bapi, and I lost. Great review all the same Duncan.

Constant celebrity chef endorsement i.e. Gordon Ramsay and a public phone vote. Sounds a bit suss to me

Oh dear is it that bleak

I am spending an afternoon in Genoa next week with 2 kids and three adults, anyone any ideas of an excellent authentic restaurant within city limits for lunch?? If so do I need to book? Thanks in advance

Except the ice cream does look very breast like

A look at his local and seasonal dessert offerings at RHR: Roasted banana tarte Tatin with banana and walnut ice cream Gianduja chocolate parfait with passion fruit and guava coulis Sablé Breton with marinated figs, pistachio parfait and spiced ice cream Lets put Gordon to the test and for the months of Feb and March, see if he can maintain 'amazing' three star food using strictly only what is in season and local, not just fruit and veg but everything? Gordon, if you and the makers of the F word are reading this, would you be up for taking the challenge? It would be great to see you really go the full mile for local and seasonal food? If you don't want to go public PM me mate

I think Chris Horridge's food looks quite exciting, but I am a little unsure about his ' three dimsensioanl cooking' philosophy, with the third element being the food will be good for you. Can one meal alone be good for you or have any real long term effect? As much as can one meal be bad for you ? It appears through some science or other he works out a perfect nutritional balance when designing a dish, with optimal health benefits. Well I suppose if you ate in his restaurant every day you may notice some benefit health wise ( of course it would need to be part of a ramdomised control trial), but that is probably quite an expensive way to achieve a healthy body. Obviously you would have to avoid the wine list and desserts I think it is a pointless slant for this competition as the criteria does not mention cooking food that is healthy as well as modern. Has anyone eaten at his restaurant and have you come away feeling healthier??

Spare of the moment decision to visit El Gato over the weekend, managed to get a table at 6 pm, although had to vacate at 8 pm. Decided to make a day of it, so phoned local tour guide Bapi for a good family friendly pub with excellent beer and boy did he deliver. The Alma Inn, Bapi's local, is an amazing pub in a great location, beautiful setting for a beer garden, rolling hills all around and 'spongy grass' for the little ones to play. Contrary to the dreary weather forecast, Saturday afternoon was glorious and with a beer menu featuring 30 plus specialist bottled beers, it was a perfect start. Leaving Bapi and Bapi Jnr at the pub, we ventured down to El Gato, sun still shining and high anticipation for some good tapas. On arrival we were greeted by the ever so friendly front of house Chris, who seemed to know our first names? He then proceeded to offer us some complimentary drinks, it appeared any friend of Bapi's is a friend of El Gato!!! Well it made us feel special. Dining area is bright spacious and modern with some great views. Ordering food is based around ticking each item on the menu and adding any additional dishes that maybe on the specials board. This was quite fun, as my oldest daughter Ciara ( the miniature gourmand) took over the role of choosing. The only problem being that you could very easily tick every box. Something I actually only realised at the end of the meal is the chef seems to decide in what order your dishes come out. He did this perfectly with the right dishes coming out at the right time and good spacing between each dish. It also adds that 'oh I forgot we ordered that' surprise element. The food was excellent, I would say it is the best tapas I have had outside of Spain (including Moro, Barafina et al), and better than some I have had in Spain. It covered both styles of tapas in my opinion, the more traditional and the modern. Something as simple as a bowl of olives to me is a marker of good tapas, these olives were juicy, sweet, and so Moorish. Ciara and her one year old sister were almost fighting over who got to eat the most. Pickled chillies were just the right heat and perfect level of acidity. Selection of Spanish meats (Salchichon, Lomo, Serrano Ham, Chorizo Magno,Chorizo Artisan Leon) were divine and served with the most addictive celeriac remoulade. Baby Roast Chicken with Lemon, Garlic & Paprika was delicious, Lorraine who does not usually do 'skin and bones' was elbow deep in sauce and ripping the pieces apart with Henry the VIII style gusto. Seared Foie Gras on Gypsy Toast with Mango was advertised but not on sale anymore due to ALF objections, sounded such a good dish. Catalan Bread with Olive Oil, Garlic & Fresh Plum Tomato was again excellent, albeit slightly different from the Catalan bread I have had in Barcelona. This bread appeared deep fried with more of a tomato sauce than a tomato rub. The much talked about Padron Peppers with Maldon Sea Salt were everything they have been made out to be. I just could not stop eating them, well I did when I was lambasted for hogging the plate. The one in ten rule did not apply as I did not get a rogue 'hot one' at all. Syrian Lentils were cumin and coriander spiked delights, beautiful treatment of lentils warm and fresh. Patatas Bravas with Aioli, my least favourite of the dishes, the sauce was good, but the potatoes I found were a little soggy and tasted more like parsnips? Pan Fried Scallops, Jamon Risotto with Paprika Foam, was an absolute triumph of modern style tapas. Presented perfectly with a variety of sauces, scallops bursting with sweetness and different levels of flavours. To me this dish would be up there with anything I have seen on the recent great British menu and as good a dish I have had in quite a while. Amazing. Peas, mint and Iberico ham, Lorraine hailed this the dish of the day, just peas, mint and ham I hear you say, sounds simple, but these were unbelievable. Infact I can't do them justice in words alone. Selection of cheeses were all spanish and well kept, can only remember a manchego, Mahon? and Picos blue. I think they came with a quince jelly and a piece of a fig and walnut wheel, as well as some delightful bread and butter. With time ticking away we just had a selection of ice creams which young Ciara monopolised and gave them her experienced seal of approval. The cooking in this restaurant really impressed me, I was hopeful it would be good, but was not expecting it to be that good. They really have got the balance right, with well sourced ingredients and exceptional cooking. Speaking to Simon the Chef afterwards I think he would like to do more of the modern style tapas, which from what I tasted he has the skill to execute. I do not think there are many, if any places in the Uk, who are doing this type of tapas, so it is good to see someone moving in that direction. He also does a great deal of research in the area by eating out in a lot of Spains best tapas joints and restaurants. A very exciting chef. The atmosphere in the place was electric they really have captured the spirit of a bustling tapas place, with the sunshine outside, and lots of loud conversation and laughter I could have been in Spain. This has a great deal to do with Chris who is the perfect host and is absolutely obsessed with people enjoying themselves and having a good time. I have very little to be jealous of Bapi, I am younger, fitter and far better looking. However, to have a restaurant like this on your door step , like he does, does bring out the green eyed monster somewhat. If you are in the area give it a go, you will not be disappointed, if you are not in the area ( like us) make the trip, it is well worth it.

My thoughts exactly. Very mean spirited. And the fact that my tax pays for these stupid, petty, completely pointless police actions makes my blood boil. They seized a handful of bottles of spirits... what a waste of time. ← Pun intended Corrina??

When I asked on Saturday I was told it was up for grabs, no one had taken it up just yet. Saying that I doubt a 'shell' will attract any major players, not really a destination and infact located in a really bad spot, with an impossible act to follow. You never know with the whole rock star and foodie revolution, maybe Mozza, Ian Brown or Noel Gallagher might consider turning their hand to cooking up some Michelin star food and save Manchester

Alas Juniper as it was is no more. I went last Saturday for the last service, which was a pretty enjoyable albeit somewhat strange experience. Strange I suppose in that I have never eaten in a restaurant that would cease to exist thereafter. To me Juniper is that special restaurant, it is where I had my first gastronomic epiphony. I am sure we all have had experiences like that, whereby a meal goes well beyond a dining experience. Anyway the meal itself was classic Juniper: Starter was a Curried Rissotto, Shellfish Bisque, Banana, Sultanas, Cashews, which was very good, albeit I thought the banana was a piece of lobster so I left it to the end. Main was an Assiette of Spring Lamb, Thyme and Sea Salt,White Chocolate Cookie, Chicory,Green Olives, Courgettes, Hollandaise, Garlic and Saffron Glaze. Again absolutely delicious. They very nicely did a Turbot dish for one of the party who is not to keen on lamb! Pre dessert was cornflake milk with love heart powder Grand Assiette of Cheese was ok some cheeses not in the best condition, but to be expected on the last day. Dessert Lemon Tart, Hob Nob, Praline, Oatmeal and Bees Pollen ice-Cream. Very good dish fab lemon tart. Usual Coffee and Petit Fours. The atmosphere in the restaurant was great, obviously all guests were friends of Paul and Katie, so there was a lot of good byes and good lucks at the end. Infact it was a little emotional at times. I also enjoyed complaining to the waiting staff after every course, telling them if they didn't do what I say I would make sure they would never work in this restaurant again. Some of you maybe surprised to hear that the tall French waiter was actually very witty and entertaining. I think Juniper will be greatly missed in Manchester, it is a real shame it is going and I am unsure if another restaurant will ever create the same buzz nationally as it did. I could harp on about it forever, but I think Tony Naylor's fantastic piece in the OF blog really sums it up. So good luck to Paul and Katie in Edinburgh which is looking to be one hell of a food destination. Oh and thanks for all the wonderful dining experiences.

No doubt he has the gift of self publicity. Thankfully his knowledge and grasp on food and food writing couldn't be any worse than his knowledge and grasp on politics, as his legendary appearance on Question Time testified What next Jay Rayner replacing the late John Entwistle on bass for The Who???

Very true Thom. In fact I am really surprised how this individual has managed to be allowed to have such a high profile with regards to food writing. Firstly he knows next to nothing about food and secondly he knows next to nothing about food writing. Constant references to the popular music combo he used to be a part of is so boring and his inane repetition of the word cheese, which he somehow thinks warrants him as expert. And he was a 'judge' in the OFM awards, come on how can someone who probably never ate for how many years suddenly be deemed a suitable judge of anything food related. In comparison to some of the great writers on this board who are really into the subject, its a real shame that I can't be reading their work in my monthly OFM. As it is I usually end up ripping out page two folding it in a tiny square and using it as a 'ludlow'.

As much as I enjoy Jan Moir's reviews, twice is enough for me Jon, thanks all the same. Obvioulsy my fault for not realising that "piss take" and "homily" were interchangable terms. If that's the case, I must get myself down to a church service soon - must be like going to a free stand up gig. ←

Firstly I find it strange that one person can judge the quality of another persons palate based on one person having tried a dish, whilst the other hasn't. Secondly RedRum you must have a superhuman palate that is able to taste food, assess it and judge it through watching a TV programme. Tell me how does one taste through sight alone. Or am I making an assumption and your argument is based on sound empirical evidence, in that you have tasted the dishes in question?

I have said this before, Nigel always delivers on taste. In all the years I have eaten at Northcote, the food has always tasted top notch. On the other hand the times I have dined at Anthony's I have found the food really out there, cutting edge and visually exciting, but to be honest it has not always delivered on the taste front. I suppose if something looks so good you expect it to taste as good, when it doesn't it becomes a bit of a let down, as opposed to it not looking so good but tasting fantastic. Compared to Sat Bains, Simon Rogan, Claude Bosi, Glynn Purnell, Paul Kitching, Heston et al, who I feel get the balance of cutting edge and modern, with perfectly matched taste, I do not feel Anthony's food has struck that balance yet. Maybe Michelin see it the same? This came across during the programme, were he was more concerned with presentation and show, as opposed to taste, for example, the obsessive rigidity he displayed towards his smoke bombs.* I think it is hard to gauge what the judges are looking for as they are never consistent on what their criteria is. Matthew was right about Oliver really being a meat and two vegs man. Of course he is, it is within his Irish genes. * Awaits an onslaught from Gary Marshall and the Anthony's Liberation Front :

If you actually watch tonight (Thursday), you will, by the power of television, see that Nigel's dishes no longer seem to be part of a three course meal, but infact will seem to be part of a four course meal!!! If Anthony is thinking of his as part of a tasting menu as you say, he may be missing the point. I really hope the judges do not penalise him for this oversight.

.........well I had a great day out I must say. I think meeting fellow egulleteers is indeed something everyone should do at least once, much like bungee jumping, swimming with dolphins and flower arranging. We started off with a drink at Sinclair's Oyster bar with some good wheat beer, beer to my delight turned out to be the theme of the day. We then descended upon The Modern, which has been reviewed a good deal down thread, so I will skip the finer points. We decided to share a plate of Oysters before our starters, which were quite delicious and served at perfect temperature with the usual accompaniments, origins of which I am not sure, others thought they may have been Irish?. The Oysters came of a specials menu which I think is a new addition to the dining format, which is a welcome touch. Next course turned out to be a bit of a disaster, not so much the food per se, but the woeful choices by a group of adventurous, cavalier and nerdy food lovers; everyone chose the same starter! I mean with 8 plus starters on a new menu, this was inexcusable, however the person I am most annoyed with is myself. This broke my golden food rule when eating out with others, never chose the same dish, but I did and have been ruminating over this ever since. I actually bowed to peer pressure, which made it worse. The dish in question was ‘Ashers farm fillet steak tartare, thick white bread’, maybe it was a primitive Neanderthal impulse , for us men to bond over a plate of raw meat? Anyway it was decided amongst us all, that it was not the greatest tartare ever made, it lacked seasoning, piquancy and that bit of wetness which to me is essential for a good tartare. I also thought it could have been a little colder, the accompanying leaves were well dressed, but greenery is not compensation for raw meat done wrong. I mentioned to my fellow diners about the great tartare they do at Northcote, which comes with a raw quails egg in a shell, The Modern’s version comes with a cooked quails egg, which to me is not going the full hog, All in all this is no reflection on the starter menu at The Modern, it is purely a reflection of four opinions of one dish. After hearing what everyone had ordered for mains ( incidentally all the things I wanted), I opted for the remaining ‘Oven roasted rack of high peak lamb, hot pot potatoes, tomato and mint’. The quality of lamb was good but could have been pinker, hot pot potatoes were absolutely delicious, really good idea and taste. Good bit of saucing and I am sure there was a bit of well braised veg on the plate, fennel maybe. I think the general consensus was the mains were quite good, with a few complaints about the odd technical faux pas. Desserts in my opinion do not read well for a spring menu, rhink rice pudding, sponge pudding and chocolate melting fondant, a little to heavy. I opted for a dessert of the specials menu which was Tutti Frutti ice cream and mixed fruit, which prompted a certain member to resurrect the theme tune to that Geno Genelli (sp?) advert from years gone. It certainly was a retro dessert, Ice cream was good, but maybe a little too much mixed fruit in the Ice cream and swimming around in the syrup below. That is a minor point, I just prefer desserts to be small. The cheese board looked quite good and went down well I believe. The staff really need to get to know their cheeses, like my last experience, she had to return from the kitchen with a script. On that note service is probably still a weak point at The Modern, which can be on the one hand over gracious and sycophantic, whilst more senior members of staff maybe being aloof, and appearing not to care. Not as good an experience as my last visit, but that is not going to put me off visiting again, and I am sure the guys at the modern are always open to a bit of feedback. The rest of the day was great fun. During dinner, Thom picked up on my obsession with beer and decided to do a tour of some great pubs around the centre. Now I have not been out drinking around Manchester in years, but anyone into beer follow this route, it is breathtaking,, the variety and range of beer available is truly amazing . This resulted in copious amounts of fine drinking and introducing others to new tastes, not sure anyone liked my smoked beer and the 8% triple karmelite and 9.5% Chimay had the desired effect. All finished with kebabs at hunters and into auto-pilot to make the long journey home. A very entertaining day all in all, and something I hope to do again soon. It was really good to send the day talking food with people who have an equal level of obsession and knowledge, albeit if the debates did get a little heated. Oh, and top marks to Adam who left us mid afternoon , slightly worse for wear, to go for an evening of fine dining at Fraiche!!! If you would like to follow in the footsteps of these intrepid egulleteers and experience good food, drink and foodie debate, below is a route that has been designed with the intention of encapsulating and satisfying all your epicurean and hedonistic needs. Sinclairs Oyser Bar ( Cathedral Walks opposite Selfridges). The Modern Bar and Restaurant ( Cathedral Gardens). Trof (Thomas St just near the junction with Shudehill). The Marble Arch (up Shudehill, across the Miller St/Swan St junction and two mins up Rochdale Rd). Bar Fringe (back down Rochdale Road turn right onto Swan St for a minute). Centro (straight out of Fringe, across the road and a minute down Tibb St). Odd (continue down Tibb St, then right on Thomas St for about a minute).

I must reiterate my sorrow about leaving my booking too late on a recent weekend in Nottingham and missing a highly prized table at one of my fav restaurants. Bapi I await your 2nd review Congratulations by the way Sat on your recent OFM award, truly deserved. I must say that hair piece you wore in the footage (Roux Scholarship) on the Great British Menu tonight really suited you.

What is the fixation with Terrines, that is three in two nights. Are Terrines so unmodern they have become so modern.

One thing bout Northcote in all the years I have been eating there is it always delivers on taste. Agree with Three Fishes good first few times but gets quite repetitive after a while. The last few times I have been there service is pretty poor and waiting times for food quite long. My gripe with both Haworth ventures is when I have complained about various things they get quite defensive and don't seem to like an level of critiscism. We had actually booked into The White Bull on Saturday but had to cancel as the two high chairs they had were in use. Went to the Assheton Arms instead, which was Ok, dozen snails for about 6 quid was decent. I think?? One gem in the area is the Freemasons arms in Wiswell, good food and an amazing wine list with very little mark up. It is hard to find though, but then all the best pubs are. Good to see a mention of the best alcohol vendors around, D Byrne and Son. You could spend a whole day in the place, which I often do and find some real alcohol gems. I believe there is a Ribble Valley food trail starting soon, wonder what its like??

As RDB predicted, the move north is confirmed. ← Six days after me announcing the destination, the great food writers at the MEN finally report on it. Considering Juniper was always the trump card they used in reflecting their seriousness as a food reviewing authority, you would have thought they would have reported this a lot quicker. Do they not read Egullet?

Not to go on about it, but, I must say Michelin stars are where I would love restaurants in Manchester to be aiming for or even bib gourmands for that matter. I really think that in some respects as a ‘culinary destination’ it needs to be raising the game, instead of constant self congratulation and certain chefs acting like they are major players in the world of food. This is often reinforced by the media, i.e., the MEN who I feel on the whole tend to hype up certain restaurants and make out the food scene in Manchester is second to none. In my experience it is not. As a diner my overall experience has been mediocre to poor. I do agree that it has great range in depth and the types of restaurants, but that does not mean that they are all good, never mind innovative, different, exciting or consistently excellent. By in large they are just formulaic. To have such a broad range of restaurants you must have a great deal of diners eating out, which Manchester does. Working with this equation you usually end up with a restaurant making lots of money, so I suppose when there is financial success, who cares about raising the game. I know there have been arguments based around comparisons with other UK cities; this maybe the case, but I do not spend the majority of my days in other cities. I am just highly frustrated with Manchester and its ‘great food scene’ or in my reality, real lack of. I think it is important to keep pointing this out from a diner’s perspective and I was glad to see the same from other national reviewers and egullet members who shared similar thoughts and experiences to me. At the end of the day the only real recommendation that seems to be consistent is Red Chilli, but one restaurant a city does not make. Thom, I know you are very knowledgeable on the food scene in Manchester and are passionate in its defence, which may be to do with professional reasons as much as personal, I don’t know. I have witnessed you recommend certain restaurants and have thought to myself, have we been to the same places? Now a few weeks back, (which started all the lively Manc debate) you claimed that things were picking up in Manchester, and in doing so mentioned The Modern (and others). Also in the course of the debate you stated that you had other interests in this venture, which forgive me, raised my suspicions further. Now when you suggested I join you for lunch I was honoured, however, I became a little concerned if I did would this bias my opinion?. So to avoid any extraneous variables, I decided to pop in on a solo covert mission. I will give quick run down on my visit. The room is great, no problems at all. Very relaxing and well designed, totally lacking in pretension. I reckon it is pretty effective at nighttimes. Food then. Served two rolls, which were basically delicious and served with good butter. Fresh, warm and chewy. I knew I was in for a treat, you can always tell by the bread. Strangely enough the dishes I ordered where exactly the same choices as NikkiB. The ham and Lancashire cheese terrine, was absolutely astounding, best dish I have had this year. Served with beautiful piccalilli, excellently dressed salad and I think sourdough bread. The terrine was unctuous and perfectly seasoned. Basically a fine deconstructed, cheese, ham, pickle and salad buttie. Totally flawless and satisfying. For main I had the John Dory, mussels, razor clams, champagne sauce and salsify. Fabulous piece of fish which somehow appeared to be seasoned with salt and vinegar a la chip shop? Seafood accompaniment delightful, sauce perfectly balanced and presented beautifully. The only criticisms is the roasted salsify seemed to be cut in different lengths, which resulted in a few being overdone at one end and underdone at the other. A first class dish none the less. Pudding was the delightful wintery parkin and pear. Very comforting and tasty. Service was fine, with just one minor issue. Firstly the waitress did not know what the cheeses were, so after going off to ask the chef, she came back and read from what appeared a quickly put together script, " Blackstick's blue, well this is like a Stilton......". Again the seasonality and origin issues are covered at every angle. A nice touch are the descriptions of some of the food suppliers in the lift. You are primed before you even get in !!!! One of the best compliments I can give The Modern is that it really reminded me of Arbutus, it is almost at that level. I was actually quite impressed by my experience at The Modern and I mean that without any bias towards being kind to Manchester or feeling the need to agree with some of the big names on egullet. I know I am harsh on Manchester but to me I have ever reason to be. The Modern however really is something to be optimistic about and somewhere that is actually delivering what it says it is delivering. I actually think that those behind this venture actually really care about what they are doing and what they are producing, which believe it or not is a rarity. On my visit it does seem that this restaurant alone is certainly raising the game and hopefully the rest of Manchester will follow Without getting too carried away, one visit a restaurant does not make, so I will definitely return again to see if it is still as fine as my initial visit. On that note, has a date been set then boys, I think the spring menu is starting soon?

Word on the street has it, that my favourite restaurant Juniper, is heading North rather than South, in fact quite North to the great city of Edinburgh. Good choice IMO!!! Some great events happening in the run down to their closure in April, available on their website.