Gareth G

I'll second the vote for the Bow Bar. Also try and visit Kay's - it is a tiny place hidden away in the New Town but well worth the hunt.

Thierry Thomasin's L'Angelus has a very nice private room and I think they are open on Sundays. Would fit the bill well.

Just to balance my previous comment - went to La Pernella on Friday, rocking up at 10pm after leaving drinks for a colleague and they were brilliant. As was the half metre pizza. No extra salt in sight.

Masters is BYO too

Ate here on Thursday and thought it was excellent. Started with a incredibly rich but not heavy smoked eel veloute with smoked olive oil (do these smoke the olives or the oil?) that came with a perfect beignet of eel. Very satisfying stuff. Main was crimson rare Anjou Pigeon, beautifully cooked, with a pear and vanilla puree slicked lightly across the plate. Normally, I have trouble with vanilla as a savoury flavour but here it was fine. Saving the best to last, a pain d'epice emulsion with banana ice cream was quite superb - the emulsion thick, creamy and packed with gingerbread flavour. Good wine list too: manageable in length, well put together and with plenty of choice at £35 or less. FWIW I'd agree that it is better than Arbutus and I'll be back.

If you can travel as far afield as Tooting (20 mins from the centre on the Northern Line) you have lots of options. Especially the vegetarian Kastoori that has been run by the same Gujarati/East African family for 25 years since Idi Amin kicked them out of Uganda. The food is a real treat, even for non vegetarians. It isn't BYO though.

Judith, Just call them. I'd be very surprised if the person on the phone does not speak enough English to take a reservation. An alternate might be to persuade someone (A Parisian eGulleteer, perhaps) who speaks good French to make the reservation on your behalf. Any volunteers? ← Judith, they will. ← Thanks David and John. Glad I asked and I appreciated your immediate response. By the way has anyone tried L'Astrance this year? Thank you again. If there is interest I will give you our dining report, provided we get a reservation. Judith Gebhart ← We ate at L'Astrance in July. The food was technically brilliant but the atmosphere a bit stifling and hushed. No-one seemed to be having much fun on their tiny two-top tables crammed into the small rooms. Some of the best food I have eaten, but certainly not the best restaurant I have ever eaten in.

I favour Donna Margarita over La Pernella, living close to both. Especially as on occasions I found La Pernella's pizza to be very, very salty. Go for the Donna Margarita pizza at Donna Margarita - simple cherry tomato, basil and mozarella with a bottle of their excellent value Ripasso Valpolicella.

Many thanks John. Have just discovered the Digest. What a resource - thank you. Lander's article implied that L'Epuisette was superb but didn't serve bouillabaisse. Clearly a misleading impression.

The London Financial Times food writer Nick Lander wrote an article on bouillabaisse in 2005 (you can easily find it on his wife Jancis Robinson's website by searching for Marseille). He recommends a place called Chez Fonfon. We are spending the last day of our holiday in Marseille this year and want to eat bouillabaisee too - does anyone else have any other suggestions of restaurants for an authentic, not-mucked-about with fish stew before we follow Mr Lander to Fonfon? Thanks, Gareth

Thanks all - Judges are proving to be very helpful (pun absolutely intended). FWIW no answer to an email to Mr Hollywood, not sure if he is up and running yet.

Am going to a wedding in Skipton, Yorks in August. Wedding is on a Friday and am thinking of finding a pub to stay in on Saturday night. It needs good food, a very good wine list (or failing that exceptional beer), rooms to sleep in and be vaguely on the way back from Yorkshire to London. We'll be travelling by train so reasonably proximity to a station would be a plus. Anyone know anything that would fit the bill?

We are having a picnic for our wedding reception in a few weeks time. The wedding takes place in Tenterden, Kent. We are looking for good bread - sourdough baguettes would be perfect - but are struggling to find any artisan bakeries nearby. Can anyone help or suggest a good supplier in that neck of the woods? Thanks, Gareth