Jon Tseng

oh he hasn't got a clue on that his chilli crab isn't much cop either - last time i think he got beaten in a competition by some Italian bloke called Gino

No desire to get into a flame-war this early in the morning But be assured, although he talks like a fortune cookie, Sam genuinely does know his shit ta J

chez kristof up the road towards hammersmith cracking rustic french recently won an award J

so whens the book coming out, and will simon let you be credited?

Picked up TCB last week Very impressive - a cut above normal Dorling Kindersley books (normally well presented, but basic). One concern would be how much the big names really contributed to their respective chapters - guess you will never know. Notable for its discussion of foams, an area still not well covered in cookbooks (think Rick Tramato talks about them a bit in his Amuse-Bouche book... although I could be getting it confused with a chapter of savory ice-cream) Also, I think, the first time Marcus Wareing has appeared in print. His section on meat is also good. J

Fatal mistake of ordering two starters - 1) deep fried prawns (remarkably, identical to the ebi-katsu you get at wagamamas - I assume this is another example of the Portugese-Asian cross-infection a la tempura and hong kong egg tarts). 2) Plus a chorizo. Came on one of those stands with a flame underneath. Does what it says on the packet Then a humungous tureen of mixed shellfish stew (mussels, squid etc etc) baked with bits of bread in it which soaked up the gungy broth. Tasty and far, far too much. One comment - the restaurant matches definitely Hakkasan in the "looks a complete dump outside but has an extremely random restaurant dumped in a strange corner in the middle of nowhere" stakes. So the take-out is good then? I'll bear that in mind! J

Flippin' heck! And I spend most summers trotting around central/eastern europe and all I usually find is a "slovakian hamburger"* in some run-down taverna * Piece of buttered stale rye bread with pieces of salted bacon rind** on top, sprinkled with paprika ** Rind that is, not bacon. Think Lardo, but made with safeways economy bacon and sliced extra thick...

ie fried bread and extra cow fat This reminds me of my experiences making cream of pumpkin soup - you know the standard posh restaurant amue-gueule. General served with the ubiquitous slick of truffle oil on top and rather unnecessary curls of parmesan. Well anyhow, I was doing the recipe by the book (can't remember whose... maybe gordon r or the first robuchon book making a propah chicken stock and everything. But it just wasn't tasting right. Sort of thin. Reedy. The get to last step - chuck in about half again as much double cream... voila... EXACTLY like it tastes in the restaurants J

Storming book Notable for a systematic approach to the various desert options - mousse, jellies, sorbets etc. This makes it very accessible if you have an idea and want some basic techniques you can apply it to Reliable recipes Overall a good balance between the home and the professional Highly recommended J

Reminds me of the Paul Bocuse recipe (otherwise known as "heart-attack-in-a-bowl") where he hollows out the pumpkin, fills it to the brim with double cream bakes it and ladles it out as soup... J

Nah, this one's clearly a Beijing dish Check out the half inch thick coating of oil glistening on top Who said stir-fries were healthy??? J

I hear he was drop dead gorgeous, the kind of chap women want to have and men want to be. ← So is the only thing worse than being recognised not being recognised? ps finally made it to The Gallery the other week. Blimey they fill you up!

Merlot icewine! Virtually indistinguisable from boozy Ribena Corney and Barrow do a great price on the Paradise Ranch icewines though - both merlot and (i think) the chardonnay J

Simple - don't neglect your customers! PS Adrian, you're tagline is clearly inaccurate

went there last winter and was pretty impressed good *-standard cooking; worth a trip IMHO ta J

No this was probably fifth time at the FD, over a period stretching back to the late-nineties. Overall a number of clear service faults, even before the blackout occurred. General consensus was that after the blackout front of house struggled to respond. Maybe this is unfair, but I feel that in these situations you really find out what the front of house is made of. The feeling I got was of a well-oiled machine used to doling out the degustation to spec, but which failed the test when confronting the unexpected. J

oh sod all that deep fry the bastards and serve them with a sweet chilli dipping sauce. preferably from a bottle J

Gotcha. But how far is too far? I had a very powerful lobster jus at ADNY, but it worked rather well. Too much reduction of the crustacean-shell stock and it goes dark/bitter and develops overcooked/marmitey taste Can sort of be relieved by diluting it out with cream, but then its not jus anymore, izzit?... J

Yeah thats the idea Although hold back on the vinegar/acidity in the beurre blanc. You already have one relatively sharp flavour in the jus (don't overreduce! mistake have made before when mucking about with crayfish shells). Probably don't want another... Fresh almonds - goes with scallops so why not langoustine? J

Raw crayfish - very cute (mini mini lobsters) but have a tendancy to escape and run around the kitchen. Also a bitch to peel - doubly so if you're going to peel them raw as I assume you will have to for the wontons... J

i) have you found a crayfish supplier in London??? if so spill the beans... ii) why are you bothering making prawn wontons when you can get perfectly good ones from the takeaway? (quoth my uncles reaction to the signature Ravioli of Lobster at Gordon Ramsay at Claridges "well its basically a giant wonton innit?" [or words to that effect]) iii) Almond and/or vanilla. Actually haven't got a clue why I suggested the almond but the vanilla is obviously a rip-off of Alain Senderens Lobster Noodle with Walls-Ice-Cream Flavoured Sauce everyone rabbits on about. Quite soft/pillowy flavours so would probably work. J

Otherwise the usual suspects mentioned above... Morgan M, Lanesborough, yes I Tom Aikens is a dab hand with lighter/vegetable-heavy dishes. Look the issue here is not finding a good veg/meat restaurant, but finding a restaurant that does good veggie food full stop. Any rarity falling into that category is likely to have good meat by default. Personally if the budget really /is/ extortionate I'd tell them to pick up a pair of cheap trans-atlantic tix, take them to Peter Lugars in NYC and guilt trip them into giving up the vegetarianism... J

Nit-picking, but its a bit churlish for Tel to criticise them for food coming at variable times - they do warn you on the menu (I think) that food comes as an when the dish is ready, rather than when everything is ready. J

Locanda Locatelli is now open Suns Mains are a little pricy but pasta and salads aren't actually that expensive, given the quality I'm sure providores is open Sun eve (certainly open Sun lunch). Orrery is also. As is Claridges, though that isn't exactly "light" ta J

Still a noticeable gap in restaurant standards inside and outside of the M25 Yes there are exceptions which prove the rule - the Hibisci of this world - but they are acceptions A generally elevated appreciation of quality dining remains, alas, a metropolian phenomenon To be honest yet another reason not to bother venturing north of the watford gap J