KaryLou

Okay, confession time: until I read this thread, I had no idea that such etiquette was employed in America. Cutlery swapping? Holding the fork in the RIGHT hand? Good Lord. My stiff British upper lip is wobbling. I was drilled in table manners by a formidable grandmother, who insisted that if I didn't hold my cutlery in the proper hands I would disgust future employers, be unable to get a job and end up as a streetsweeper. Not holding your knife and fork in the 'right' hands is as bad as eating with your mouth open, in her book. And as for elbows: "all joints on the table will be cut". Despite these pleas for etiquette tolerance, I have never dined with someone who held their cutlery in the 'incorrect' way - it would give me a start if I did.

As I recall (this is going back a couple of years) I had a goat's cheese raviolo to start. Can't remember what I had for my main, but I suspect that the kitchen came up with something off-menu for me. Not an omelette.

Ex-vegetarian speaks... Roussillon - subject of a thread from last week. It's a fabulous restaurants for vegetarians. Michelin *ed, and most of the dishes on the menu are veggie. Alternatively, when a vegetarian I found that just about every top-end place is happy to have you along, if you call in advance to inform them of your eating requirements. Following such a ploy, I had the most amazing meal at Petrus - I still daydream about it, in fact. I don't think Petrus has reopened yet, though. I recall having very good vegetarian dinners at Incognico and Nahm, too.

My boyfriend took me there for my birthday at the end of last year. We had an excellent meal and I am happy to confirm the following: Not stuffy. We arrived in the middle of a rainstorm, sopping wet, half-cut and laden with plastic bags full of wrapped birthday presents. They didn't bat an eyelid. Very chilled out, in fact - they were happy for me to open the presents one-by-one at my table (making a noise and a mess in the process). Portion size. I didn't think the portions were small at all. Both of us pigged out - & struggled to finish our puds. Mind you, we did have a 6-7 course menu. Vegetarians. For quality of food, this must be one of the best places in London for veggies. We were shown 2 menus - one for veggies, one for non-veggies. The veggie menu was just as appealing as the meaty one - as it happened, we both made choices from the vegetarian menu. If I was (still) a vegetarian, I would have been in heaven. I can't remember much about the food though. Apologies. In my defence, it was half a year ago, and I was as excited about all my presents as I was about the food. (Maybe I should edit this bit - an improper eGullet attitude!)

Vertigo, on the 42nd floor of Tower 42/old NatWest Tower does have unparalleled views over London - City especially. When we were up there last, we looked down and saw the rain coming in from north to south. You have to go through a couple of security checks to get up there, though. Haven't been for a couple of years but I do remember that the food was absolutely rubbish - a few salad leaves and a couple of slices of bread for £10, or something silly. If Gary Rhodes is taking over, it will be a change for the better. Lots of champagne though. Mind you, people don't go there for the food.

I'm surprised Hakkasan got a star. I've had better service at Burger King.

I have to stop buying foodstuffs which look gorgeous, but for which I have no use whatsoever. The following items have been gathering dust in my cupboard for some time now - could anybody help me out with culinary possibilities? 1. Raspberry Balsamic Vinegar. I tasted some in the shop. It was delicious. So I bought a bottle of the stuff. It remains sealed. What was I thinking? 2. Pomegranate molasses. 3. Camargue salt. Ok, I admit it: despite never having come across this before and despite a hefty price tag, I just couldn't resist the pretty packaging.

I can confirm that Kelly Turkeys are now delivering - I received one last week.

The Peasant? Last time I went there I was dreadfully disappointed. Can't remember what I had -I must have screened it out, post-trauma- but I had to send it back. Congealed and lukewarm on top - a 5mm charcoal crust on the bottom. This was 10 mths ago - I haven't been back. What on earth were they up to? The Bleeding Heart gets my vote.

I doubt they'll show him the door. Not only does he get stacks of reader letters but, as I understand it, he writes for £0 payment and claims £0 expenses. So he's hardly an editorial liability.

Andrew, you may be interested to know that an updated edition of the Guide to London's Best Food Shops will be published on 1 Oct. There's also the Time Out Shopping Guide - their Food section isn't as comprehensive as the above, but it isn't bad.

I rate Teca: I had a wonderful lunch there a while back. Sublime saffron risotto - I don't know if it will still be on the menu though...