JJS

Maybe I should post this in the France board, but I am thinking of going to Robuchon in Paris in December and was interested in whether you can book if you agree to come at 11.30 (I am thinking about lunch)? Also this would be lunch before a proper 3* meal, so do people think this might be too much? What is the format? Can you just have a two or three dishes each? Or is there a lot more pressure to order more? Thanks for all the help.

ANYBODY KNOW THE OPENING HOURS OR CONTACT NUMBER OF THE STORE?

It opens at 9 yes? In the morning? What are the varieties reccomended by the experts?

I was thinking of going to ADPA in early December, but maybe I should rethink my plans? Any ideas? If he is not leaving til February then maybe it will be ok, but have had experience of chefs taking their eyes of the ball and don't want to pay over the odds if people think this could cause a difference. All opinions much appreciated!

Oh well. Will just have to wait til October. It would have been great to get some early samples though. Thanks for the quick reply though Andy

Where exactly were they handing out the doughnuts and what time? I might go and hang around to see if I can grab some!

Al Covo is to be avoided. Arrogant, overpriced, and rather dull. Try Corte Sconta or Testierre instead.

Gavin That was great report and things certainly seem better than when I was there. Looks like you caught the tail end of the truffle season which is always a plus! In terms of prices, it seems like it was the wine which moved you up on price so severely. I usually end up paying about 600 Euros altogether at these places, but usually just have a glass of champagne and then a pretty nice bottle of something. How did the a la carte prices at the Cinq compare to simialr places in Paris? Has the third star pushed things even higher? It would be good to one day do one of these tasting menus but you need a willing partner!

Definitely report back! It would be great to hear about your trip! Meanwhile, on fresh_a's advice, or my strange interpretation of his advice, I have managed to change my dinner to the Grand Vefour, leaving the Bristol or le Cinq as the options for lunch. One more question though fresh_a, is there a specific room or table I should be asking for? I don't want to get into a L'Ambroisie situation where they put all the tourists in a back room. Thanks for the help!

Thanks for the heads-up on the Grand Vefour. I was trying to say that the dessert was particularly important to the woman in this case, but in my experience women are far more interested in desserts than men. In some cases I have seen a bad pudding ruin a whole meal. For me it is the least important of the courses, but that it is a relative judgement not absolute

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fresh_a, I have to take a friend to lunch in Paris in May and I was wondering where you would suggest? I would go to the Bristol, but am having to take a business colleague there the night before. You seem to be quite keen on Le Cinq and maybe I should give it another go, as the room is at least quite airy. Early May is probably too early to be thinking of eating outside for lunch do you think? So maybe I should just focus on somewhere with views - perhaps Ledoyen? It is a Friday lunchtime, so I think the Grand Vefour is not an option. My criteria are obviously great food, with perhaps particularly memorable dessets (for the woman of course), central location as I should like to walk from my hotel, quite a light and quiet room, and no relaxing of standards at lunch! What do you think? Le Cinq? By the way I find that I can only take the meals in quick succession with long breaks - ie perhaps two or three in four days or so. That said the richest meal that I ever had, or at least the one which wiped me out for the longest was lunch at the Voltarie once, and I was trying to order lightly having been to Le Crayeres the night before! Perhaps that was the problem...

Well I have eaten at the Bristol under Frechon about four times and enjoyed it immensely on each occassion. On one visit it outshone both Guy Savoy and Ledoyen for my liking. Le Cinq for me was a bit touristy and highly classical, with a distinct lack of balance in some of the dishes. It was certainly not bad, very good in fact, but the room is not my favourite, whereas the rooms at the Bristol, both summer and winter, are wonderful. Frechon's food is hard not to enjoy. In some areas you do not get the cerebral pyrotechnics of Savoy or even of LeSquer, and the cheese selection is perhaps not the best, but he has a way with robust flavours that some of his rivals do not. That all said, I went to the Cinq only very shortly after it had opened, and it may well have improved quite considerably since then. A friend of mine went recently and said it was fantastic, and it is always enjoyable to eat a restaurant which is about to recieve three stars as there is a real buzz about the place, as with Savoy last year!

The Bristol is great - definitely one of the stronger two stars and would be my choice over Le Cinq. But would be very interested in hearing your views on Le Cinq. Thinking of going there again in May and would appreciate some updated advice.

Would vote for GBK myself, not a fan of the Prospect Grill's version - too heavy on the onions and the bun is not as good.

Personally, I have always found Spiga's pizzas decidedly average and certainly nowhere near comparable to PM. However, the pizza chef at PM has changed relatively recently and I have noticed a decline in the overall standards of the pizza since. The different types seem to merge into one and the toppings have become a little bit more spartan. The dough is still great, as is the sauce and even this decline does not prevent them remaining number one in London by my books, but I do think they might be need to address some of the new chef's shortcomings if they want to maintain their extraordinary popularity.