sandra

I have no problem finidng good bread... Baker and Spice Harrods, Harvey Nicks, Selfridges food halls Poilane And now that Delice de France delivers to most Europa Foods and many corner shops, it's even easier... Also there are several neighbourhood places that do bread quite well... And even Waitrose is managing to pull off some decent bread...

As much I love the Chelsea Bun, I would say it's more Americanized than Mona Lisa, across the street on King's Road - there they serve a very good fry up.... Kebab Kid on Fulham Road if you're going to try a kebab - no sitting, just take away, but there is Parson's Green a few steps away and you can eat in the park... It's out of the way, but will never have a better kebab - the idea is sort of like a gyro, rotating marinated lamb or chicken fillets stacked up which they slice off for you into a pita, ask for everything, including hummus and tzatziki and all the sauces - Cherry Top Cafe on Paddington Street or Blandford's Cafe on Blandford Street, both very good breakfasts... The Golden Hind on Marylebone Lane for fish and chips, the owners are now greek and they also do a mean deep fried feta appetizer... The burgers at the Red Lion pub in Mayfair are quite good, and you can do a pub lunch and burger at the same time....

If you don't want to go all out at Tristan, just along the port in Portals Nous is Flanagan's, more casual and still Michelin recommended - very good tortilla de patatas and more relaxed...big menu... We did have have a great meal at Tristan, get the tasting menu....

We usually take our out-of-owners there, but we do stick to the feather and fur variety of dishes, which are quite good - I also sometimes order a yorkshire pudding on the side... I have had a taste of the fish & chips and it's not bad... I have to say, their straters and desserts don't do anything for me... What I have ranted about on another thread is the service, last time we went it was horrific - I wrote a letter the manager and got nothing but a lukewarm apology and a promise of better treatment next time, if we ask for him directly!

Polanco is the residential area behind Chapultepec and the Museum of Anthropology and Carlota and Maximiliano's Castle... You could even walk it to Zona Rosa in a fit of energy!

Jaymes, Mexico City, in Polanco - you know it?

Absolutely right, Jason, I used to do work with them... and have used many, many of their products over the years - as a matter of fact, last time I was in NJ I stocked up at Extra... All I was saying is that the "adobo" they have is more of a Latin thing - it does give good taste though... have you tried the one with cumin? Marinate chicken legs in this adobo and olive oil, then BBQ....

Every household is going to make it differently, just like every household in America is going to make different BBQ sauce/style.... This would definitely account for your two Mexican neighbours' recipes... as a matter of fact, my recipe is different from my friend's anyway, and we grew up 2 streets away...so there you have it... The only thing I would say is that Goya is not so much Mexican as Latin....

The Heights Bar & Restaurant at the St. George's Hotel - Langham place, across the street from All Souls at the top of Regent Street, you can see clear across to Harrods and beyond...

What about the River Cafe? If it's a nice evening can sit outside... Speaking of Hen Nights - if it existed, would you all go to a luxury spa/restaurant/hotel in Blackpool to celebrate the last morsel of single-hood???

Since you posted in the Mexico forum, I will assume you want a Mexican recipe for carne asada... As you have read there are many variations on the theme, and that is just inside Mexico - Every Latin country has a different version - it's like asking for a recipe for BBQ, every state, well every house! will have their own... So here is my recipe for carne asada a la Tampiqueña: 1 top sirloin steak (about 20 ounces) 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1/2 teaspoon ground oregano 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper 1/4 cup orange juice 1 tablespoon lime juice 2 teaspoon cider vinegar Rub oil all over the steak. sprinkle with salt pepper and oregano (both sides). Combine the juices and the vinegar and marinate the steak overnight, or at least 8 hours. Bring the steak to room temp before grilling. Drain and reserve the marinade. Heat the coals to very hot and place the steak on the grill. Cook 3-4 minutes per side for medium, basting frequently with the reserved marinade. Serve with rice and refied beans topped with crumbled cheese and cream, guacamole, slices of lime and onion. Buen provecho

Orange and cucumber slices sprinkled with Tajin (Mexican chile/salt/lemon powder)

haide, If you are in Australia, go to Le Cordon Bleu in Adelaide - it has by far the most complete program in terms of cuisine, pastry and management...You can get a Masters in Gastronomy, which you can't do at the other schools... I have a friend who was doing the Classic Cycle and trasferred from Australia to London schools, and she did way more work in the kitchens that loufood or I ever did in Paris or London respesctively, we're talking 5 hour practicals in the kitchen where you have to make 3 courses and dessert in one go, as opposed to our 2.5-3 hour practicals.... She found Superior Cuisine to be a cakewalk here compared to what she was doing in Basic Cuisine in Australia... Take a look: http://www.cordonbleu.edu/

Everything everybody else said and one more thing - at the Cordon Bleu London you need to know no French AND you can split up the pastry and cuisine cycles and still get a Grande Diplome, it will take 18 months instead of 9, this is what I have done - Louisa started and finished in the time I have been there, and I won't graduate until June!! OK, maybe 2 more things - go with an open mind - I went in fully expecting to continue my lifelong dislinke of pastry and fully expecting to barely pass pastry, I was of the mind that I would do it just to get the Grande Diplome - well guess what?!?!?! Now I'm considering going into that area, although I still don't like eating it! Good luck!

Last night: Spinach salad with almost hard cooked eggs, mushrooms, ranch dressing Linguine topped with camarones al mojo de ajo - prawns sauteed in gralic, evoo, garlic, chiles and garlic! Ice cream

Cottage cheese mixed with mayo and ketchup and stuffed into a hot dog bun... Triscuits and Cheeze Whiz... If there is devilled ham, also good... Ramen packet noodles cooked up with extra broth, and add egg yolk and lemon squeeze... I also belong to the camp of ham & cheese slices rolled up, sometimes, if it's avavilable, with bologna instead...

Try a Dark n' Stormy with Goslings 1 part Goslings 2 parts ginger beer (NOT ginger ale) lemon wedge all over ice.... Goslings is unique, Myers tastes different, I would not substitute unless in a pinch.... Goslings 151, however, is too strong in my opinions, you don't get the mellowness any more, but it does go straight to your head....

If you had used veal it would be saltimbocca - consider it a variation....

In Spanish a salsa is a sauce - so you have the whole range, salsa mayonesa (mayo), salsa de tomate (tomato sauce) salsa gribiche, salsa remoulade, salsa bechamela, salsa pico de gallo, salsa de chipotle, etc... You get my drift - any sauce, no matter if it's cooked or raw, chopped up or smooth is salsa.... In English it has come to mean mostly the salsa mexicana which is the tomatoes, onins, cilantro type mixture and variations thereof - while correct, it still usually only refers to mixtures of chopped ingredients... So to me, in Spanish a salsa is ANY sauce, even chutneys...

Yes, our feet did not touch the floor either, which gets uncomfortable after a while.... Surprising he would chose those chairs as chef was not any taller than my friend or I... I can't imagine his feet would touch either... Also, fresh white peonies on every table, service area and loos... very pretty... Oh, we also could not see what JC ate, but could detect the several layers of makeup and matted hair, looked like it had not seen a comb in days! She is very small tho, I'm sure her feet did not touch the floor either!

Set menu lunch today was: Pea salad - a pea and bacon hash with a pea (and something) puree, mixed with bitter greens and flowers Red mullet (tempura type) with black olive smashed potatoes and roasted vine tomatoes, also a red pepper puree in dissecated sheet form (fabulous) Cheeses for dessert We also had the amuse of snail and quail egg in green sauce. Then several petit fours and a wooden bowl of vanilla, chocolate, pistachio, coffee and orange madeleines served with the coffee - there also was a selection of "sheets" some dissecated fruit, some dissecated toffe and nuts - all very crunchy and delicious. Also two little shot glasses, one with a toffee and cream layered parfait, the other with a prune and cream layered confection - the spoons were too big to get to the bottom! While the salty food was excellent, the pastries/desserts were superior. Personally, I liked the black leather seats, black tablecloths and wooden slats on the windows... Seated at the table next to us...Joan Collins....

Right, Thank you all very much, I will try all of the above methods and report back with results soon... sandra

Thanks C/WS - What about the amounts, would you put equal amounts of each? I don't think so... this is what has me concerned... They did not teach us Chinese cookery at the Cordon Bleu!!

My favourite Chinese restaurant in NYC has provided me with the ingredients list to my favourite chicken with broccoli as follows: soy sauce sugar sesame oil rice wine corn starch ginger It consists of 2/3 shredded chicken and 1/3 broccoli florets, all enrobed in the heavy brown sauce.... I need some help in putting it together, as they did not provide measurements or method... Thanks! sandra

Richard, I'm going to the US next week and I'll have a look around the bookshops to see what's available - I have 2 that are in both languages, one is by Josefina Velazquez de Leon, it's from 1979 and it's called Libro de Cocina Mexicana Para El Hogar Americano (Mexican Cookbook For American Homes) I can't rememebr if I got it in USA or Mexico... The other one is by Adela Fernandez from 1989 it's called La Tradicional Cocina Mexicana y Sus Mejores recetas (Traditional Mexican Cooking and It's Best Recipes) I think this one was purchased in USA, but not sure... I have also just received as a gift "Frida's Fiestas" by Guadalupe Rivera and Marie-Pierre Colle, I haven't tried any of the recs yet, but they look great and the photos are also very nice... It's all in English. I'll get back to you after I snoop around a bit...