Jon Tseng

not entirely sure what you're going on about here! but yes sainsburys does seem to be stocking bellota ham (and bellota chorizo too). they actually used to do it from a third party but now seem to have repackaged the same stuff as own brand. and very good it is too. eight quid a pack or thereabouts? poulet bresse, kobe beef, pelmeni... that last one seems to stand out a bit! surely more like to find the freezer cabinet of dodgy east european groceries (which are noticeably multiplying in london) than upmarket deli. Having said that I have to say pelmeni and pierogi are awfully addictive - the ones Baltic nr waterloo serve in the bar are great! ta J ps gastroC never thought sainsburys angel that bad... has advantage of being 24 hrs doing the week which is dead useful plus borders across the road (though the road its on is well dodge). if you're that neck of the woods, have you been to the angel mangal yet?

waitwose wocks! top notch ingredients, lovely cream cakes. my only beef is that (presumably for moral/ethical reasons) they do not stock foie gras perhaps a sign that two hundred and ninety nine years after the Act of Union, Scotland is finally coming up in the world? J

Yes, just always find the selection somewhat desultory; lots of fillets, not much smackingly fresh looking and you don't even get the variety of interesting stuff (monkfish liver, cod cheeks, the occasional sea urchin) they do in the place in the middle. One thing I have heard is they do black cod (I would assume this has to be frozen so freshness not as much of an issue). Although while I'm on the subject the BEST place to go for black-cod is any of the ATARIYA outlets (ealing, finchley-direction or oriental city colindale) where they sell it reasonable priced already marinated in miso - five minutes under the grill and u cld be in nobu l8tr J

No idea about branches nowadays; there certainly used to be one on Shatesfbury Ave, but not for many years. There used to be various branches scattered across the capital but I haven't seen for many years. Have sneaking suspicion they sold out in UK to someone else a few years ago but can't think of any details And no I don't think its discrediting noone to say nuffink about Wendys. I always thought their burgers were great - expecially the Hamburger Deluxe which have a lovely sweetness from the tomato and the sauce ya just don't get a MaccyDs. Didn't think the bigger burgers were as good though... ta J

Get up and move to one of the spare tables?

Debatable if they are talking make their own by take someones couverture, melt it down and fabricate, or actually making their own chocolate from scratch, which I doubt. Very few places make chocolate from scratch ie roasting and grinding the nibs, conching the chocolate etc - Bernachon in Lyon is the only artisanal outfit I can think of from the top of my head who do. Maybe more people are doing it nowadays... the trend towards single cru/bean/varietal etc chocolates might tend to point in this direction. I'm not sure, are there intermediate stages between either buying in someone elses couverture or buying a sack of beans and doing it from scratch? Do people buy in cocoa liquor or powder? I guess maggie might know, given her voluminous connections into London's chocolate scene... Incidentally dropped into the Mountezumas place in Spitalfields over the weekend. Quite interesting how they're pitching it - not the uber high-end snotty type of shop (Marcolini's chocolate is lovely but sorry the shop in ken church st just leaves me completely cold). Bars and branding are irreverent and fun - sort like Itsu crossed with willie wonka. I am still slightly confused whether they are pitching at the real top-end market though or trying to be more mass-market (and, dare I say it, populist?). Tried out the two classics test pieces - plain truffle (nice... not outstandingly melting but decent) and the 73% bar (smooth, nice snap, more bitter than some bars i can think of). next time will make sure I go for some of the specialty bars. strawberry and paprika sounds like it will either be sensational or a complete disaster... ta J

I find 99 or 100% a curiosity... amusing yes but essentially inedible neat...

First decide - are you in the lemon curd camp or the creamy custardy camp? Then go from there J

clearly a newcomer to the wild world of egullet welcome by the way, kind, and apologies for being so brusque earlier. hope you have a fun time in eG. most of us are all very nice, apart from batter old curmudgeons like me whats so good about this italian joint anyhow? always nice to have a covent garden rec... the space between chinatown/bloomsbury and clerkenwell/smithfield always seems to be something of a culinary black hole... l8tr J

On a philosophical level my disagreement with Zagat UK (and I will sound a bit of a snob here) is simply the mass of public opinion isn't always right, particularly in UK where eating out culture still lags behind US and France. Put simply the people aren't always right. That's why McDonalds is the world's largest restaurant chain. Zagat is useful for general view, but in the specifics some of its recs can be quite bizarre - e.g. its top-ten lists at the start of the guide always throw up some fairly random and/or populist suggestions. Gordon Ramsay joints always do well - but is it becos hes good or becos hes always on telly so hes perceived as being good. On an unrelated (and possible contradictory) point I think that the Zagat guide's populist and democratic credientials are at best overblown and at worst disingenuous. There is a significant amount editorial selection in the quotes and I've never seen the math around the ratings adequetely explains - basically how they reach their conclusions is as opaque as a brick wall on a dark night. regards Jonathan

Came across some of their small bars last summer in a sweet shop in Dulwich, South London. Think I had the rose. Very nice; does what it says on the packet. Unclear as to whether your general enquiry is chocolate made in UK or available in UK. As far as made in UK James and Roccoco are the only ones which spring readily to mind. Green and Blacks is a bit bleargh. The novelty bars (butterscotch, ginger etc.) are good for a laff, but I find the cherries in the cherry one too sour. As far as available in UK the best ones have come across in London are Michel Cluizel, Pierre Marcolini and Bonnat, and I still have a soft spot for Lindt Excellence (the 70% not the 85% which is too dark) ta J

I think its a top tip for lunch (notable also cos they also do it on Sun) The cheapo lunch menu (I guess around thirty quid... I'd imagine prices tend to creep up a bit though) is an excellent deal which offers much better choice (about five dishes each course) than comparable prixe fixed offers in town... note however I don't think they offer the full a la carte at lunch; though probably a good thing. I find the room intimate (Matt might say pokey) but comfortable (haven't been since they refurbed though). The food is more good * than solid ** - but NB I've never gone alc. Although bacon does tend to be a recurring theme. I would definitely go. J EDIT and if you didn't want to, just piss across the road to foliage - similar mod-french, a touch safer, great execution, a touch pricier. alternately try schlepping round to laduree at harrods - they have a decent twenty-fivish quid lunch and i obviously cakes to die for (I am currently rating their pastry second best in town after sketch)

No that's incorrect; most of the major guides pay their own way - TO certainly does although it does take advertising (ironically the restaurants which advertise all seem to get crap reviews...) Maybe its me being suspicious, but do you have any connection with the BettaLondon website you aren't disclosing? a) It just seems a random recommendation to make given there are far more established peer review websites you could have mentioned (squaremeal and london-eating spring to mind - with only 55 reviews listed BL seems to lag quite far behind) b) given BL lists exclusive offers at various restaurants surely they have a commercial relationship which taints their supposed "indipendence" c) I couldn't help notice your only other eG post so far has been to recommend Trattoria del Ando in Soho... which also happens to be listed as one of the "hot" special offers on the front page of BettaLondon. Coincidence??? As I said probably me just being a suspicious bastard... ta J EDIT: Just cross-posted with Matt. Two suspicious bastards on the same thread at the same time... would you think of that!

chorizo, foccacia, olive oil and parsley

I generally ignore write-ups which tell me more than the reviewer than the restaurant J

Time Out hands down. J

Yeah if its hairy crabs they should be fairly normal to eat, give or take the odd bit of river pollution. Only thing to note is they're not that big versus the ocean-crabs you usually get so the dismembering is sort of a bit of a pain (best thing to get the restaurant to do this for you...). the roe is abundent (in season) and highly prized though. J

Note that mitten crab is the same species as the famous Shanghai Hairy Crab. I think this invasian is great news!

Had a pleasant rush of ersatz-wagamama at Jenny Los tea house down the road a couple of weeks back. Cheap n' cheerful chinese. The deep-fried crispy squids were rustly and lovely NB they don't take cards! ta J

Interesting Bear in mind the old standby Ikkyu is just up the road towards Goodge st right? Went to sister-resto Zuma last year and was underwhelmed. can't remember specifics but bascially felt like Nobu write small - felt underfed and overcharged l8tr J

That's Bjorn van Whathisface if you don't mind. ← Presumably to distinguish him from that bloke off of Abba, right Actually looking up some stuff on the Greenhouse I noticed that Bjorn van Whathisface does the foie gras with a caramel brulee crust as well (no idea if the execution is anything like what Ledbury do)... so maybe its not that original after all... J

had same menu sun before, apart from with a rather ho-hum venison dish instead of the lamb agree easily * cooking, although the studied neo-classicism feels very much like the square-writ-small rabbit lasagne interesting, particularly the use of a mousse for the filling (doesn't Square also use a mousse for its signature shellfish lasagne dish) the crackly caramel on the foie gas was also unusual; the first time have seen this preparation although foie gras a touch overdone (endemic problem unless you have pretty thick slices). sea bass and tuna were also likeable - the latter a surprise as cold seared tuna loin normally much of a muchness in London... or anywhere (one criticism of the tuna dish - the deep-friend crispy shallots on the top were a little overpowering). Chef Brett clearly going places, though still think he needs to find his own voice - something Tom Aikens and Bjorn Whathisface at the Greenhouse have done very effectively over the last year or two ta J

No * for Anthonys? Can't wait til Marshall sees that! EDIT: Cross-post. Gary you actually seem quite sedate today. I thought you'd be spitting!

Interesting Daniel Galmiche has won back the * for Cliveden lost when Clive Fretwell moved in. Also two real veterans losing * - Chewton Glen and Adlards. A shame... Don't have much disagreement on the espoir for Greenhouse, given what I've heard about the place. Bet Tom Aikens and Marcus Wareing will be pissed off though. cheers J

Gordon Ramsays Chef for All Seasons is a very worthwhile book. The essays at the start of each season section are very insightful Regards J