Tom Roberts

I put it to a vote and its looking like Rafas on Thurs night and Stock on Friday (people were lured by the menu on the website, which i admit does look decent). After dinner probably bars in the Northern Quarter -someone has mooted the idea of bars in Deansgate Locks but from previous experience I'm keen to avoid this like the plague.

For my sins I work in the glass monlith that sits above Canteen and can vouch for the quality (and consistency) of the food. It will be less challenging and interesting than Bacchus but you will get a proper old school meal of the ilk that should be being served in countless pubs around the country, which is sure to please Mr Woman. In my opinion not worthly of a best restaurant award, but then I don't usually read The Observer. Hawksmoor is good - I'm willing to stick my neck out and say best steaks in London. Service lets it down a bit though and I'm not convinced by the 70's office decor. If you don't go for food try to make it for a cocktail - its only a 5 min walk from Canteen. If you are going to Canteen for lunch be sure to check out AA Gold and Verde on Brushfield St. which are how all food shops should be (other than expensive). Sadly, I would think it's only a matter of time before the premises become a Starbucks and a Benjis. Also buy chocolate brownies from the Flower Power food stall in spitalfields market if you get a chance.

P.S. - good wine/food shop on the edge of the old town a few doors down from tourist information. Also a few good wine shops around the old town. Definately buy some Mountain Wine (an excellent desert wine from somewhere near Malaga I believe).

Sadly San Telmo was closed when I was there but Gandarias stepped into the breach. Great atmosphere, outstanding food and good well priced wine selection (staff are knowledgable so give them a price and see what you get). Try the foie toast and solomillos (and anything else that the locals are eating) at the bar and then head to the restauarnt for the steak (big forerib cooked over very high heat to achieve the coveted "crust") - I would happlily go back to SS for this place alone. For jamon also try La Cepa just down the street. Alona Berri is a must - probably the best value meal I have eaten and one of the most enjoyable. Only three table so probably worth booking. I also ate at Arzak and Mugaritz and would strongly endorse both. Two very different experiences and an interesting contrast. If pressed to pick one I would say Arzak which was the more consitent meal (only the fish course was anything less than outstanding and the foie with apple was (nearly) enough to make me weep). Enjoy.

Bapi, Thom and anyone else, I'm going out in Manchester this weekend with a group of friends and find myself tasked with selecting a restaurant. The Cotton House has been recommended but from the website the menu looks pretty uninspiring and I have suspicions that it is the kind of place where people go in hope of seeing a minor celeb rather than for the food - but I could be wrong. Has anyone been here? Other suggestions have been Stock and Albert Shed(?). I have heard good things about the Lime Tree and El Rincon De Rafa on this site so these are also under consideration (along with Gaucho as a back-up). Ideally I'm looking for something with a decent atmosphere (read conducive to drinking quite a lot). What would be your recommendations here? Also, recs for bars/pubs and curry places would be welcome. Cheers, Tom. P.S. - Is The Bridge on Bridge Street still open?

For wine bars I would recommend Vinoteca in farringdon (or Celler Gascon (also farringdon) for a more French focused list). I haven't been but i'm told Bedford & Strand (unsurprisingly just off the Strand) is good. If by some misfortune you find yourself in the Leicester Square area the Cork & Bottle is a worth a visit (it's easy to miss so probably get the directions of their website). For pastries any branch of Paul, the Wolseley or Yauatcha for something a little different.

With apologies in advance for the mundane nature of the request... Does anyone know of a good source (preferably online) for straight-sided shot glasses, of the variety that fancy restaurants use for amuse size shots of soup, pre-deserts etc. I'm also after cooking rings and assuming Nisbets is probably the best for this but other suggestions are welcome. Thanks, Tom.

I ate in the Tratorria last week and was not as underwhelmed as I has expected (although like you my expectations were pretty low). In short the food was ok and arrived fairly slowly, nothing was bad as such (although those who had steak complained of poor quality meat) but everything was pretty bland. On the plus side the place has a decent buzz and the staff are enthusiastic. You may not eat well but if you can overlook this (a significant hurdle, I know) the restaurant is conducive to an enjoyable evening. If you're in the restaurant proper I can understand your concerns as I think you are looking at a compulsory £60 a head five (maybe six) course menu and for this sort of money I suspect you can think of a number of places with trained chefs that you would rather go to. On the plus side the menus I have seen do look inviting and if they are only serving set menu you would hope execution will be good. Jamie was not in residence on our visit but we were reliably informed that he visits a couple of times a week so you might get lucky. Apparently he has had to reduce the amount of time spent cooking at the restauant because he is so popular that it disrupts the kichen as all the customers stand at the pass trying to speak with the great one. They were unwilling/unable to serve the expensive baked beans.

Incidentally, the standout dish of an excellent dinner I had a Sat Bains last weekend was salmon (cooked sous vide at 42 degrees) with vanilla, chestnut, smoked roe and avocado. I will post a full review of this meal in the near furture (when work stops cutting into my internet time).

I spent two summers staying in Villefranche a while back (probably 3 years since my last visit) and would second Le Fille as the best local choice. I have heard very good things about La Reserve from friends but I seem to recall that the pricing is enough to make you weep (significantly more that Chateau D'or). I ate in La Metropole which at the time was a better value alternative and would recommend this - if you do go to La Metropole make sure you get a table outside on the terrace as the pool and gardens below are lit at night which make for a pleasant setting. For lunch I would be tempted to go further afield to one of the two stars suggested. I also recall a very good lunch in a restaurant just outside St Paul de Vence but can't remember the name - can anyone help me out here? The Palais Maeterlinck hotel up the coast has stunning views would be a good choice for lunch or early evening drinks (particularly if you are on your way to Nice for dinner). Hope this is helpful and not too late.

If you go out are you planning to stay local? Are you looking for something high-end or just a decent mid-week meal at non-inflated prices?

This was a new low for Mr Oliver. I felt embarrsed for the chefs since the whole undertone to the programme was that that they had been given this great opportinity not based on their ability to cook (which admittedly did not look immense) but on the fact that they were disadvantaged (alledgedly) and Jamie has heroicly rescued them from those dark days. To give him some credit Jamie has done some good and I'm sure has good intensions, but this is a bridge too far. What's wrong with tradition formula for cookery programmes where people who are good at cooking just cook some dishes?

Menu looks v. good - I'm glad to see the egg and chicken skin has been retained. Is the pricing still the same?

I'm interested to hear that you think Sat Bains deserves a second star - I have heard a lot of good reviews of this place since it reopened following the change of ownership and refurb. I'm going in Feb and very much looking forward to it - have you tried the extended "surprise" or "bespoke" menus?

I agree with Matthew that The Greenhouse deserves a second star (although I only had one meal there this year so can't speak as to consistency). I hope Arbutus gets a star - as many have noted it should if there is any justice in the world of Michelin! L'atelier is less deserving but no doubt will get one. I would like to see L'Enclume get a second star but think this is unlikely. Hibiscus also deserves a third star although they will probably have to wait until after the move down south. If a recent showing is anything to go by the Trouble House in Tetbury should lose its star.

I enjoyed a very good lunch at the Greenhouse recently which featured the langoustines, veal and the 'desert of the day' which was a mille-feuille with (i think) apricot preserve. I also remember some excellent granitas as a pre-desert. For me also the best meal of the year and based on that showing probably worthy of two stars (particularly given the service, the wine list and the excellent dining room).

Anyone catch last nights programme? Enjoyable as usual but unlike other eposides I think the dish offered less scope for science and novel method and the result was that at times it seemed like he was trying too hard to use unexpected techniques to conform to the theme. Roast chicken - while in my opinion one of the finest meals - is relatively straight forward to cook and it's easy to achieve good results if you follow a couple of simple principles. I have eaten countless chickens (or at least portions thereof) cooked only in the oven and which had crispy skin at no noticable detriment to succulence of the flesh (although, I admit that having not tasted HD's effort I could be missing a whole new level of flavour). I imagine I will try this method but it strikes me that it will be difficult to acheive uniform browning/crispyness using the frying pan. Also slightly surprised/dissapointed that cooking the roast potatoes in goose fat was dismissed without mention. And where was the gravy (other than what was injected into the bird)? Also, I know I'm a little late in the game on the chip discussion but I missed that episode and was wondering whether HB considered the "Robuchon method" of starting with cold oil and rapidly heating until the chips brown? Has anyone tried this? Having used the tripple cook method I'm not sure how anything else could achieve better results but legend has it that M. Robuschon knows his way around a kitchen so there must be some merit to this method. RDB - on the subject of Juniper do you know if they still have the extended 20+ course menu? I heard that this has been slimmed down to a meagre 12 courses - I suspect so as not to scare so many away from the tasting option.

Phil - I was in last night and everything seems to have settled down nicely since the opening weeks. Complements to Nuno on the tasting menu which was well balanced with some innovative flavour combinations but thankfully stops short of being overly challenging. The stand out dish for me was the sous vide egg which was reminicent of the Arzak truffled poached egg and in my opinion as good if not better - the chicken skin is an inspired addition. Pork jowl and the lamb were also highlights. Wine pairings worked well. My only comments would be that there seemed to be a slightly excessive use of rocket and a few of the dishes would have benefited from being slightly hotter when they arrived at the table. I also think the tasting menu might benefit from a second desert but then that's probably just because I'm greedy. Next time I will have to go with the Aventura menu. As mentioned elsewhere, FoH was efficient, friendly and knowledgable. One of my party is (or at least claims to be) allergic to wheat and dairy, a fact which was obviously noted when I made the reservation and catered for without any further prompting, a minor point but it all makes a difference. I'm back on Wednesday with some collegues for another round and very much looking forward to it. Another good review in the Sunday Times today - soon we will all be struggling to get a reservation!