jayrayner

Jesus, but that Moir woman is quick. It only opened for business a week ago today. I've managed one quick lunch and, without wishing to prejudice my own forthcomig comments, the technical term is... blimey!

Without coming over too League of Gentlemen, I'd note that The Metro is a local paper for local people. Its reviews have to serve an entirely different purpose to those in the nationals. How many readers of AA Gill or Mr Coren will actually have the opportunity, or inclination, to eat in the restaurants up for review? I'd imagine it'd be very few, proportionately speaking, given the difference between the catchment area of a newspaper and that of a restaurant. Therefore, the primary remit is to entertain a broad readership through any means necessary. Meanwhile, with a local paper, the primary goal is to inform rather than entertain. The first duty of Fay Maschler and Circplum, when they sit down to dinner, is to tell other potential customers whether a specific kitchen will provide beatitude or botulism. I'd view it as the difference between giving someone an opinion and telling them a joke. There's no reason why your opinion can't also be funny, or that your joke can't also be informative. It's just a question of adjusting the ratios to suit your audience. The local writers, if they get the ratios right, will inevitably have a bigger effect on bookings even though they boast smaller readerships and lower status. That's why, even after some fair write-ups in the nationals, I have avoided Taman Gang in Chelsea on the basis of a brilliantly damning Metro review. It's why La Maschler still wields the power to make or break a kitchen every Wednesday, despite the writing style of a sedated accountant. It's why Hugo Young, while sharing a readership with Maschler and carrying a sharper pen, still couldn't break wind in a Tex Mex. And it's why Michael Winner continues to have a weekly national column that is obstensibly about restaurants, but is really only about what a crashing waste of everyone's time it is to be Michael Winner. (Incidentally, I guess you could argue that the information-first remit means local reviewers, such as one on a New York paper, have a much stronger justification to go about their business incognito than some minor 'sleb on a British broadsheet. Which is, I think, where we came in ...) ← I think that's all spot on save for one tiny detail. The late Hugo Young was a colossus of political commentary on the Guardian and should, in no way, be confused with the very much alive Toby Young on the Evening Standard. (Some might suggest that Hugo could do a better job dead, than Toby does alive; I couldn't possibly comment.)

Well, I've just spoken to the CEO of Wlecome Break (my life is very glamorous). It seems they did do sea bass and risotto but two weeks before Easter it was taken off the menu, due to lack of interest. Whether it was any good or not we shall never know.

I know all about the M6 services, chaps. But my interest is specifically in the M40 oxford services. So... anyone heard of this? Anyone at all? Jay

A quick query: has anybody here recently visited the Welcome Break services, at Jnc 8a on the M40 (Oxford) and tried, or even seen advertised something called the Primo Deli range, offering baked sea bass or risotto or such like? If so was it any good? Anybody here go through those services regularly? In the interests of full disclosure, I should tell you this enquiry is for the purposes of journalism or at least my column, a week or two hence, which or may not be the same thing.

Thank you one and all. Some very good choices there.

Wherever you're not by the sound of it. ← can't argue with that

Easter Sunday, and of course yr that way aren't you?

So, four adults, five kids under ten. Staying not far from Stow. Anybody got any good tips for relaxed places for Sunday lunch..?

Don't know exactly how many people voted - a substantial number, i understand - but the system is weighted to try to avoid inbalances, caused by the spread of our readership. So if brighton polled big it polled BIG. And it is a good pic of Poole isn't it.

Not exactly a coincidence. The book's just been published here. Which is why I've reviewed it.

So, we all know that Vegas is restaurant mecca. We also know that the city has a significant Hispanic population. Which must mean that somewhere, out in the burbs, are a bunch of taquerias and such like. Some of them may even be good. I'm about to go to Vegas and would love to find some of these as a counter point to my adventures at Robuchon and Bradley Ogden et al. Anybody got any tips?

Oh sorry. Just noticed you were asking about the 'better' critics.

I'm very regional. I live in Brixton instead of Notting Hill like all the others.

Simply being judged on my attractiveness by someone with your god-like looks is a huge honour. I am not worthy. Etc.

True perhaps if you are working at the level of Norman, Rayner etc... I write for a regional edition of a free daily paper, and can assure you my instructions are simply to focus on the flavours and appearance of the food. Yes we give a context for the restaurant, but flexing my journalistic muscles? Nah. i just describe the meal. What feedback I get from readers says they like the fact the reviews "say what the food was like". ← Have no doubt what you say is true. Just curious. Does your paper pay for the meals you review or do you accept hospitality? ← The paper pays expenses and I visit unannounced and anonymously, so hospitality has never been an issue. ← Good stuff. Unfortunately it's all too rare these days on even the bigger regionals.

True perhaps if you are working at the level of Norman, Rayner etc... I write for a regional edition of a free daily paper, and can assure you my instructions are simply to focus on the flavours and appearance of the food. Yes we give a context for the restaurant, but flexing my journalistic muscles? Nah. i just describe the meal. What feedback I get from readers says they like the fact the reviews "say what the food was like". ← Have no doubt what you say is true. Just curious. Does your paper pay for the meals you review or do you accept hospitality?

I doubt if Jay knew ACB in his pomp as the drink was definitely getting the better of him by the time Mr Rayner acceded to his post @ The Observer. I also doubt if ACB ever actually laid a glove on JR (or, if he did, if Rayner noticed). Of course, there was a time when you were nobody if Compton Batt hadn't threatened to break your legs...I also enjoyed the sidebar to this piece, The rise and fall of a fashionable restaurant (which includes a cameo from Jay Rayner as The Restaurant Critic!) How much am I looking forward to the reinvention of Shumi as a 100 seater Japanese restaurant with Alan Yau OBE spending another five million quid on the makeover? Not at all! ← Apologies. I've been away and haven't had a chance to answer this. Mr Dick is absolutely right. Alan never did punch me. No idea where the story came from - presumably from Alan himself - but it surfaced in his obit in the Telegraph. I did read that OFM piece in proof many months ago and we took the line out. Then it got held over and, in the chaos of the berliner relaunch, they reverted to old copy. All of which is more info than anybody needs. The point is Alan never punched me. Though he did get cross with me at a party once - and all because of a post here on dear old egullet. Sorry for the interruption. Do all carry on.

Moen's The Pavement, Clapham Has to be on there. Serious quality gear, plus some interesting pre-prepped stuff, great charcuterie, and many high-quality add-ons you wouldn't expect to find (wild mushrooms, bunches of fresh herbs, ratte potatoes, a shelf of cook books to browse if yr looking for inspiration.) of course, it costs a whore's ransome. And so it should.

kinda. My understanding is that the release goes up at 8.30 tomorrow morning. Various PRs and restaurateurs will be making calls to and receiving them from michelin around the same time.

← Indeed. A most modest proposal.

Official date is Jan 20. Michelin will therefore be releasing results to chefs/ restaurateurs/PRs early on the 19th. Feverish gossip will fly for three days before that, most of which will be cobblers. Some, on the monkeys and typewriters principle, will turn out to be true. My top tip: Nuneaton to be named new shining star in the gastronomic firnament when groundbreaking gastro pub , The Itchy Prosthesis, gets three stars straight off the bat. (It's possible this holiday has been going on too long. May soon eat children, though only out of need for diversion.)

Actually the mark ups are even better than you describe. Every bottle in the off sales section - and there must be a few hundred - has a drink in and take out price, which makes the mark up completely naked. Up to about the ten pound mark the price simply doubles, a modest mark up by London standards. After that there's a sliding scale of cash margins so that, at the top end, a serious bottle that would cost £95 to buy can be drunk in for something like £110. (I'm doing this from memory). It's a brilliant model and clearly the way to go. Now all I have to do is try the food.

Just add a sprinkling of punctuation, in this case a comma would do it.

bugger. yr right. i never read the standfirsts because I don't write em. Stupid bloody subs...