augustine

My thoughts exactly. I normally eat late also but on this occasion we preferred to start earlier. I've cancelled with them and now have a booking at Le Manior, report to follow soon. I have also been "unlucky" at Bacchus, we wanted the degustation menu, ordered at 9.30 and we told we were too late. At no time were we told there was a cut off time. ← At what level, price wise per person, would you "accept a reservation that had an exit time stipulated" or is such indignanty supreme. I only ask as I can think of plenty of amazing restaurants that you will might miss because of said policy.

Hi Faine, Just back and haven't posted yet but enjoyed a few of Bangalore's restaurant in particular Samarkand and New Kisna Bhavan in Malleshwaram. Will post over the next week. A

Thanks for the wine update. I like Ascheri ,particularly the dolcetto, but it seems a wasted opportunity in particular given O'Briens and BBR's arsenal of suppliers. A masterclass, Antinori, Lafon, Bertani would have made the ticket worth the money.

In someway agreeing partly with Matthew I have to say that without having had lunch there I would'nt have the same strength of feeling towards Extebarri.The three dishes which struck me as being unforgettable were the vegetable dish and seabass for lunch and the wonderful smoked Caviar in the evening. However as it stands over two meals it was a magnificent display of technique, sourcing and vocation.

Andy Cambelong is about a 1 km outside of Cong, a pretty but very busy village over looking a densely forested valley. The hotel is on the perpendicular to the valley, the beginning or end of this beautiful Avyeron dike, leaving you to walk down steep steps to get to lowest point in the village, to the road in or out. The hotel is part of an old mill complex with a branched interior structure so I was able to begin the meal with some vielle prune in a snug, almost hobbit like in size. I can't recall what my girlfriend had except for the trout with river herbs, which was excellent. It was simply flabby trout poached with intense peppery herbs. I had the foie gras with eggs and saffron which seems to be available in a slightly different form called L'oeuf "Louisette". It was simply beautiful with terrific foie and rich, salty eggs. To drink we had a dry white Gaillac but I don't have my notes with me and can't remember the name. Excellent bread was contiually been brought over from a selection. I had duck with courgettes for mains and thought it was the low point of the meal. The duck was a magret but very tough and the plate had been painted with a thick duck reduction which didn't help. I drank the awesome Château Tour des Gendres Bergerac Rouge Moulin des Dames 2002. It is a wine balanced so finely, with such gorgeous tannin. I was verbally reprimanded for not allowing the hotel to prepare better the wine, meaning she would have like it to have been opened longer. For desert I had the chocolat fondant with mint and again it was the untempered mint which blew up the dish, regretfully leaving the fondant only a mere spectator. I wish I had my notes to offer you some more on the place. The room was as big as a Four Seasons suite. The staff were very efficient although they didn't run with the love I had to offer, meaning they didn't seem impressed with my questions, probing, wading in the river etc. I have no problem recommending it, even things weren't perfect.

Hi John, A taxi from the Airport at Bilbao is 40-50 euro or you can catch a train from Bilbao to Durango where a bus goes to Mondragon via Axpe. The latter is painless and you get to enjoy Durango for a stretch of the legs. A lunch I had was around 80 euro including wine and went as follows Wafer thin Speck A bowl of vegetables, beetroot, fennel etc with an olive oil emulsion from the Arguinzoniz garden A thick tranche of sea bass from what most of been a very large specimen Smoked Ice Cream. My instructions were simple. As I was eating there in the evening I wanted a light lunch with intense flavours. I regard this as one of the greatest lunchs I've ever had. I sat down to Lunch at 3.00pm.

Anything interesting being poured at the wine stands?

I had a minitature Bras experience at Domaine de Cambelong. It's a one star outside of Cong, which isn't entirely out of the way if you have a car. I had a gorgeous starter of foie gras, eggs and saffron, with duck to follow. Excellent ingredients, lovely wine list and excellent value. Stayed only the one night but great accommodation and very, very romantic. In terms of being a minitature Bras experience, it has the excellent ingredients although averyon rather than aubrac, lots of wild herbs and plated similarly. It isn't Bras but the vision is similar. I welcome any rebuttal as I felt almost stoned from the five day hike which I finished at Cambelong.

Don't know if this is the appropriate place to ask but does anyone know if the gastroville site has stopped posting for good. I can't re-read anymore old reviews and miss the erudite and journeyed commentary and opinon.

Not a single person but it was bank holiday Sunday. They have an hors d'oeuvre menu for the "post lunch-pre dinner" has anyone tried it? They are very smart sweating the asset like that. Lovely spot.

A recent Sunday lunch at Locks was terrfic. When I arrived the place was empty but filled up after an hour or so. This really is the prettiest restaurant in town and I don't pay enough attention to it. While waiting on my own I had a bottle of the Trascampanas 2006 Rueda Verdiejo. Green tinge with lovely floral aromas. Lots of lemon and great acidity. Out of a potenital 9 starters, 3 soups, I went for White bean Soup with rocket and braised oxtail. The oxtail was delicious the soup was too thick and slightly under seasoned perhaps relying on the rocket too much. Somontano Bodegas Montesierra. Nice dark cherry colour. Violets and blueberrys. Nicely balance oak. Main for me was the rabbit pie with purple sprouting brocoli. Great pie crust with lovely thick filling of rabbit meat. The rabbit meat was soft and the filling flavoured with a warm gelatinous stock. The brocoli added a gorgeous earthiness to the sweetness of the dish. Lovely. Chocolate Brownie with Vanilla ice cream. I don't like nuts in brownies but the thick moist mix and crusted top were as appreciated as the gorgeous young wives eating all around me. I can't wait to come back. The excellent service and nice little bar it's a great addition to Dublin and particularly Portobello.

"Sounds like they were using a bulldozer to kill a fly, and why in the middle of a meal service? Anyone heard if any other restaurants have been raided for this heinous crime?" Nothing quite like that. A tip off from a disgruntled competitor? Very heavy handed.

With two consecutive Sunday lunches at brasserie de Verres en Vers at the Radisson off Georges Street, Dublin, I thought I might post about it. On Sunday’s they serve a hot and cold buffet, three large tables laden with Hors-d’oeuvre, salads, cold fish and shellfish preparations and hot joints and vegetables at the pass all looking like they were made straight out Ceserani’s Practical Cookery. All you can eat for 40 euro. It’s a concept which I don’t see much but which I love. The issue I had was that here on occasions the quality of the food was not good e.g. the smoked salmon, charcuterie and too often the food was overcooked e.g. the Dublin bay prawns, chicken. I followed the same format on both days starting with salads, a la greque,tomato and mozzarella, Russian, potato etc, normally selected from 8 to 10 possibilities. Following that was a shellfish platter and then a beautifully rolled shoulder of lamb cooked pink which was exceptional in both texture and flavour. Yesterday, as we arrived late all the lamb was gone so I had chicken breast, skinless and dry, which was pointless even with the little bit of mint sauce that accidentally found its way on the plate. Desert weren’t that appealing, mainly mousses and dry cake so I had some fruit salad. The wine is short but with some good producers. The glass of “champagne” which is part of the deal was actually a mousseaux from Touraine and no worse for that. The muscadet was rich and fragrant with lovely acidity. A bottle of Madiran from Montus had some farmyard and animalistic stink which worked just lovely with the sweet lamb. Lots by the glass and carafe. In the evening the menu reverts back to a classic French bistro menu even if they are calling it a brasserie (and a very plain selection of beer from the bar). The staff are trying hard but the concept doesn’t seem to be working for the market. On purely differentiation it is a nice addition but the quality at forty euros a head exclusive of drinks isn’t there, yet.

V.gautam, Thank you so much. This is wonderful. I have lots of homework to do, an itinerary to draw up. I may rethink and spend a bit more time now in Bangalore given this wealth of information. Again thank you.

I am hoping for some advice on eating in Bangalore and Goa. I am totally open to any experiences, food, drink, markets, any level and all price points, anything that is worth seeing or tasting. In Goa I'll be staying in Candolim but will travel if worth it. Much appreciated.

Great and needed additions to Dublin. Thanks for the update. Any word on what might happen to the clarendon pub?

Slattery's on grand canal st, d4 is my local. It was built for drinking with dark corners, big windows, table service when needed and the place hasn't been touched in thirty years. It also has a terrific pint. It has a great local following. I couldn't recommend a better pub in Dublin. In the city centre Keogh's and Mc Daid's are great for a pint, both off grafton street. Anseo, Portobello St, is fun in the evenings, and Cassidys on Camden St isn't bad either.

"2004 was a long time ago to be fair, even 18 months is a long time in this game. The Connaught isn't going to knowingly hire someone useless, surely?" S You're right. It was some time ago and the potential for the Connaught would be fantastic if the execution goes as planned but reviews and feedback from Darroze seem to be fairly divisive where Hartnett was so consistent. If it works then more for everyone. A

Shes well regarded, the Irish food writer who is based in France, Trish Devine, rates her very highly and Trish is I suppose a kind of Nigella to the French middle class foodies. I've eaten Helene's food and it is good, she herself is rather feisty. I would like to see more French food in London that is noisy and unpretentious, down with Ducasse I say, and she could be the sort of person to do it. Although I doubt if the Connaught's prices will be all that inclusive. S ← I ate at her 2 star in Paris about 18 months ago and it was dire - average food, poor service etc. She is a favorite of the French press, partly I suspect, because she is a "women in a man's world" and as you say is feisty. I also understand she has opened another restaurant in Paris (in addition to the tapas place under the 2 star) which I believe has had some good reviews. ← I second that. I ate there in 2004 and it was dreadful. I fell for all the excitement that surrounded her and was really dissappointed, in particularly the poor use of what was some excellent ingredients. Her Ducasse pedigree is a bit of a ringer as I was told not long after that her duties were more admin. I hope this is just a story doing the rounds.

Hi Corinna. Nice review. I would love to know how the Trevallon is drinking. In my opinon I wouldn't blame the farmer for the beef. PG could source far better aged Irish beef but they continue to serve as you have rightly pointed out flavourless meat. The meat from Shanahans, which is good to very good is farmed in the exact same way as Irish Aberdeen Angus that was on sale in Tesco, just handled differently after slaughter. The potential for the product exists. The PG beef dish has always left people so disappointed, needlessly. For the farmed French rabbit blame the EHOs.

Thanks for sharing it. Loved coming home and catching with what you had written.

That wasn't long. Excellent.

Thank you. My clue for this is that he is a british born chef but now working successfully elsewhere. Bon bon of smoked haddock with cream chesse Rabbit and Octopus, fennel and hollandaise. Marcona almond and golden sultana. Spanish chervil. Pineapple poached in liqourice, coconut sorbet and passion fruit. Off with ya and best of luck.

Jardin des Sens? ← Nope. Wrong country. ← Greg Doyle at The Pier Sydney

Jardin des Sens?