smoz

Cheers for the tips, I will look into them.

We will be going to Bristol this weekend, somewhere that I used to live many years ago but have not visited for twenty years, have been reading this thread for inspiration. Casamia sound good, as does the Albion Pub & Dining Rooms, has anyone visited recently? Has anyone got recommendations for seafood and/or tapas restaurants in the Bristol area?

Interesting to hear. I haven't been there before but was considering taking Mrs Smoz there this weekend as its her birthday, I ended up booking a table at Chapter One instead (not as a result of your post, but it sounds like it turned out to have been the better option).

By the way, how does this work exactly? I'll try to get a reservation at el Bulli for the first time, and I don't really care about the exact day I'll go, can I just send an email stating that any day is fine or does one have to specify an exact reservation day/time? ← I just emailed off my request for 2009. In my request I gave three preferred dates but also said that I would be happy to take any date that they offered. I was lucky enough to get a reservation in 2007 using this method (and got my first choice date), no joy in 2008 though.

Thanks for the update, I will be giving Le Cassoulet a try for lunch on Friday, hope it is good as I am taking my mother there for her birthday. Will report back here.

Does anyone have any up to date recommendations for Dresden restaurants? We will be visiting next weekend. Is Caroussel still a good bet? I have looked at their menu on line and it looks good. Any recommendations for mid-range places will also be gratefully received. Thanks in anticipation.

Eagerly awaiting an update........... how was it?

Lunch at the Guggenheim is (IMHO) one of the biggest bargains around, we had lunch there about ten days ago and it was a lot less 56 euro. I think the set menu was around 15 euro per person for three courses which included a bottle of wine between two of us, there is an option to 'upgrade' the wine for few euros more which we did. While the portions are not huge they are ample as part of a three course lunch, I opted for veal cheeks as a main course which were wonderfully rich, while Mrs Smoz went for bacalao. The set lunch is a few euros more expensive at weekends but I think it is still under 20 euros a head, in the evenings the set menu is considerably more expensive (probably the 56 euros that you referred to). As for San Sebastian (Donostia) I would suggest that on at least one of the two nights you are there you stick to pinxtos. An evening in the old town wandering from bar to bar having a few pinxtos in each is an experience not to be forgotten, there are too many places for me to recommend one over the others. A trip across the river to Gros is also worthwhile. I have also heard good reports about the restaurant in the Kursaal but our trip to San Sebastian coincided with the film festival, much of which took place in the Kursaal so we didn't get a chance to try it. Enjoy yourself out there, wherever you go in San Sebastian you are likely to find good food and have a happy birthday.

I will be eating there this Saturday lunchtime, reading the reports on here is making my mouth water, I can't wait.

When we visited El Bulli in April we asked to start off with a manzanilla which and a cava, we then asked the waiting staff to bring us their own suggestions for suitable wines to be paired with the food (the sherry & cava that we had were also the restaurant's own choices). The aforementioned were followed by two white wines, one red and a desert wine. I have just dug out the bill and this is what they gave us along with the prices charged (in Euros): Manzanilla Pasada Pastrana €20.00 Gran Claustro B.N. 04 €35.00 Pardas Xarel.LO 05 €35.00 Augustus Chardonay 05 €45.00 D.Valdepusa Cabernet 02 €45.00 MR 05 €35.00 We were also charged €3.00 per bottle for mineral water. We asked the restaurant to bring us their recommendations for two reasons, firstly I know little about Spanish wines and secondly as we had no idea what we were going to eat it would have made it difficult to decide what to order. I am glad that we decided to do it this way, the wines we were brought were all excellent pairings and reasonable priced.

We will be visiting Leeds next weekend, does anyone have any suggestions for a good tapas or seafood restaurant in the town centre (we will be staying at Quebecs)? Ideally looking for somewhere mid range price but will consider somewhere top end for somewhere special.

When we went one of the replacement dishes for the lambs brains was ham over a potato foam, could this be what your wife had?

I am enjoying your reports Docsconz, especially the way you are tantalising us by revealing them bit by bit, a few dishes at a time, looking forward to hearing about your savoury courses. From your picture it looks as if you had the same table that we did.

The texture of the raspberry fondant (as I remember it) was somewhere between a fondant and a jelly however I was discussing it with Mrs Smoz last night and she insists that it was more like a freeze dried raspberry, couldn't be a more different texture so take your pick as to whose memory you trust. And yes, we were told to eat the fondant first before following it up with the vinegar. I have no suggestions as to how best to replicate this, perhaps people more gifted than me will have an idea.

Parmesan frozen air with muesli: Flowers cotton: Eggs Que Bearn: Beetroot & yoghurt meringue, Pineapple frits, salty cantinas: Last but not least, my favourite, Rasberries fondant wasabi & vinegar