Magnus Lindgren

well after working in london for a while and and knows all the kitchens quite good i can say that Tom Aikens is not the right kitchen to work in all the people i know that has worked there say its the worst atmosphere and team ever (no one stays for longer than a year) one friend of mine even have to stay for a staff meeting after cleaning at two a clock at night he got out at 5. I can´t unfortunatly say that i can see a rising star on the restaurant horizon in london, the Ledbury just got a star w a very young and ambitious head chef maybe or Hibiscus if they move to london as expected. otherwise you could go to GR but kinda same story as with Tom good food but shit atmosphere. But if you are planing to stay for long its a great company to grow in and progress. Pied a Terre and The square is two other alternatives wich has just as good food as GR and TA but much better atmosphere (worked at PAT for 1 1/2 years learned some really interessting stuff). I have to warne you about the hours at these places are quite absurd like sometimes 17 hour days five days in a row it gets to you i promise especially when you have someone screaming at u half the time. outside of london you have the vinyard wich is interessting stuff and of course the fat duck. /Mag

here comes a quick briefing about the stockholm scene for you (top 5 in my opinion) edsbacka krog: confident classic michelin style food and service (french) nice countryside surroundings. F12: probably the best front of house team in sweden modern and very good cooking by swedens hottest chef Melker andersson Mistral: 17 seat restaurant with very good tasting menus in the heart of stockholms beautiful "gamla stan" area alot of vegetables preparead as the main ingredient it looks alot like the cooking of michel bras (beautifull) Esperanto: probably the hottest restaurant in sweden right now very very adventurous though something for all of you bulldogs and fat ducklings out there. personally i would probably go for mistral./mag ps. Oaxen in the archipelago of stockholm is the best restaurant in sweden but i think they close in september im not sure ds

that is absolutely stunning what u can do with 45 stagiers (chefs working for free) it is mindblowing, what a genius! I wish i could be in that possition ,so many possibilities Adria brakes down the thing known as dining into something else that needs a new word. Food flair xtravaganza I have to go that is it, end of/Magnus

note that I said bad quality fish not overcooked. and yes I should have sent it back but thats my weakness (Interupting a nice going date w arguing w restaurant staff ). But anyway good luck Arbutus and I hope they reach up to culinary heights of putney bridge (The surroundings and views is gonna be a tough one). There is a difference between unexciting and sloppy cooking - if the sole had been cooked as badly as suggested I would have sent it back - lemon sole is a soft fish but not that soft! I wouldn't expect anything ground breaking for a set lunch (though I do like the sound of the lemon sole with cockles) and in many places I wouldn't expect too much in the way of execution but here, where they are obviously trying to make a name with cheaper ingredients well cooked I would do. I bet the proprieters would prefer things to be sent back so that problems can be corrected, especially at a fairly early stage of the restaurants development. I'm glad you are going back to try dinner - let us know how it goes. ←

Went for the three course lunch yesterday: 1st course ballotine of rabbit w lentils and beetroot pure very dry confit of rabbit (as it so often is found) encrusted by a nice mustard crumb. almost tasteless puy lentils. ok beetroot pure and some nicely dressed spring leaves 2nd course Lemonsole w cockel salad baad quality fish that fell apart as a mush in my mouth accompanied by not washed out properly cockels, semi dried tomatoes, potato dices all in an quite weak emulsion. and an herb pure so bland it could have been spinach!! 3rd course rasberries w vanilla ice cream nice rasberries w good eggy ice cream all for 15.50 i think is good value but not very exiting cooking at all, quite sloppy actually. Didn´t like the room at all, the service was good. Im coming back with a dinner rewiev later on this year.