Man

Summer pilgrimage at Wishart's yesterday, where he confirmed his talent for land/sea with this LANGOUSTINE TORTELLINI AND PIG'S TROTTER with Soubise spinach and langoustine cappuccino. part of another wonderful lunch. If his liking for pig's trotters is not new (I think over the years he's tried them with every conceivable seafood), a novelty for us was an ethereal combination of crab and veal tartare. It worked wonderfully. My only objection within otherwise perfect experiences is the pricing of the water (£5.50 for 0.75 l) and coffee (£6), which I find extortionary! (since my last lunch in February, however, food prices have at least remained the same).

We have finally tried La Trompette for a Saturday lunch and, as so often, we agree with David: it was a thoroughly pleasant experience. A starter of mackerel in two ways (mousse + escabeche) was particularly impressive, a fresh, rich zingy and very precisely assembled dish. Crab with asparagus was very simply plated and had excellent raw materials, though living 3 miles from Anstruther (where we enjoy, just caught, some of the best crabs in the UK) has made it difficult for us to be overly impressed by crab dishes. Mains were a gentle lamb offering with broad beans puree (almost too gentle for me, though Woman liked it because that's the way they like it in Rome, from where she is), and a more powerful cod of excellent quality. To conclude we went for the cheese option. The serving waitress was on top of her job and had a real understanding of her material, and the cheeses we tried were excellent and in very good condition. A creme brulee was more than OK. As so often happens to us, we were not too impressed by the espresso. We had candidly told the cheese waitress that we wanted to go for filter coffee because of our fussines about espresso and we feared a 'French' one...but this of course stimulated her French pride, and she insisted on preparing the espresso personally for us. In the end she was so sweet that we just pretended to like it (exactly the same that happened to me at Pied a Terre). No matter. As others have said, the wine list is one of the most appealing features of La Trompette. We had a truly excellent Bierzo for just over £40. As we didn't finish the bottle, they offered to seal it for us to take it home. Nice service. For something like £120 we had a thoroughly satisfying lunch of fine cuisine and we were very well attended to (only the maitre d' looked strange, distracted and and nervous to us, maybe he had some issue going on, but apart form the initial order we had no more to do with him). Paul Merton was sitting at a nearby table and his contagious, loud laughters contributed to creating a jovial atmosphere. To conclude a pleasant afternoon we recommend a walk around Chiswick (a nice village where we used to live when we could still almost call ourselves young, over ten years ago).

I confirmed that one should never judge restaurants by a single visit - while I was slightly underwhelmed the first time at MW, I was overwhelmed the second time, today lunch, a la carte. The cooking was remarkably precise, with immaculate materials (Langoustines, Oysters, Dover sole, Hare) presented beautifully but this time with a great vibrancy that I found lacking last time (when I had the tasting menu). The sole came with braised pig trotters, a very successful, powerful land/sea combination, garnished with small mushrooms (to be pedantic, mushroom duxelle). The hare loin appeared sous-vided, resting on a bed of Puy lentils, with a delicious and elegant quenelle of the 'lesser' bits on the side, a bit of intense black pudding sauce, and acidity coming from somewhere (apple?). In the starters, the oysters (Loch Ryan native) were prepared meticulously, with green apple microbits, caviar, sauerkraut and mayonnaise, and left a memorable aftertaste. And white chocolate with smoked butter on the langoustines worked wonders. Complex, exciting combinations. But, let me repeat, supported by fantastic Scottish produce! We finished with a pistachio souffle' which was almost as good as Koffman's, and a delicious rhubarb assiette. The bread was truly, truly good, out of the ordinary (made on the premises). Also very good were the petit four. They have an excellent chef patissier. I was impressed by the attention to details and by the service, a smooth combination of formal and friendly. The chairs are very comfortable and the room quietly pleasant, an aspect which definitely is a winner over The Kitchin across the road. The 3 course a la carte (including canapes + amuse bouche) is £65 at the time of writing (tasting menu £60 at lunch and I think £70 at dinner). Today's meal was equal to or better than all my recent 2* experiences.

Tom Kitchin is a chef I would love to hate, as I tend to dislike that overly media-savvy, philosophising ilk. I also felt awkward and there was no sympathy on one occasion I talked to him. Nevertheless, I have now been there twice, once in July 2010 and the other last night, both times having the tasting menu, and both times finding it brilliantly well constructed, with almost all dishes being superlative (it was the desserts that seemed to be in a lower league). For what I've tried so far, The Kitchin is the best in Edinburgh in terms of sheer power, as well as cleanliness and balance, of flavours. The 'fresh' dishes (e.g. an octopus carpaccio with pickeld vegetables) are suavely fresh and the 'strong' ones (e.g. a wild seabass poached in red wine) are truly strong. There are flashes of simple genius such as a supremely succulent scallop on 'endive tarte tatin'. I know Wishart is a fantastic talent and the gold comparative, but my experience there just did not deliver the same wow in terms of flavour (will try again), though I find the room and the environment much more comfortable there. Over three hours on a Kitchin chair are not completely relaxing for me. Anyway, a great dinner, during which we had time to reflect on the fact that here in Scotland the quality and freshness of the ingredients (that lobster, those scallops...) is on average sooo superior to what we find in London. PS A 2011 innovation is that now they have a 'bread trolley', a giant basket with eight, nine varieties, sourced from multiple bakeries, which are explained at length to you by a waitress, cheese-style. (we like the theatre of it and appreciated the variety, but the bread was merely good, not stunning).

On the contrary, I personally would be very interested - just about to go to Nahm Jim here in St Andrews, my and Gordon's favourite, and obviously unstarred, Thai

Yes.

We had a meal at Helene Darroze back in November (which I will get around to write up soon) and good as it was, there seemed no hint of two star status, food wise at least. Perhaps location helps it out a bit, who knows. Looking forward to your review. We had a couple of meals at Darroze since December 2009 and while we wouldn't have thought they were of 2* quality as a whole, some individual dishes were actually marvellous, so even if undeserved, I wouldn't say these two stars are the biggest scandal ever... On the basis of my single meal at Loubet, certainly a star to him, which Rayner seems to think such an obvious recognition, would have been equally misplaced. One thing where I think they were spot on is Gauthier.

Me too for him, but happy for myself as a star might have fuelled price inflation. Had another really bloody good dinner there last night.

After a working Sunday morning, at 1.30 we couldn't face riding home and cooking. The bistro was just a short walk away and we decided to give it a try. It was only half full. The bread is excellent. I had the same boudin blanc described by David above (this time served on white beans) and I, too, found it great. The other starter was betroot ravioli with rocket, a rather strange dish with a rather undercooked pasta and an oily salad. Not completely bad, but not a success either. The mains, a lamb tagine and a roast chicken with creamed brussels sprouts, featured good raw materials and the expected robust, rich flavours. A bit too much fat with a lack of balancing elements, in our judgement, but good bistro dishes nonetheless. Large portions. Service was very kind and cheerful. We had a half litre carafe of a Madiran at £43 and that was mistake. With tap water and two coffees (good) plus service charge (no desserts) we paid £107, which, even if we had a good lunch overall with aspects of charm, we don't feel is great value for money. For comparison, Koffman's cuisine is a notch above and in a better area, and far better value (I am so much looking forward to a return there on Tuesday).

Hi Felix, could you indicate a couple of wines that cost twice at Hibiscus compared to the Square?

I am a fan of Apsley's and have alwys had very high level meals there, but I've heard other credible people reporting opinions similar to yours. It could be they have a consistency problem. PS: Coren or Norman are not included in the 'credible people'. But I take note of O'Loughlin (also negative). I wonder what my favourite Jay Rayner thinks about this one: does he have a review?

Having seen franco mazzei (sp?) fawn over a table of ladies including tommi miers and pru leith with an amazing looking tasting menu whilst i looked in amazement at what £35 of veal bought (2 scabby bits not even a whole piece) i'm not suprised other chefs think it is brilliant if they get the same treatment, whilst us paying punters pay through the nose for thoroughly average food with the odd high spot. maybe the michelin inspectors have had the same experience? They certainly deserve a star for their PR It is true in general, to be fair, that chefs get treated like royalty and so their (public) opinions on other chefs ought to be taken with a pinch of salt (and, they may have all sorts of motives). More interesting are their private opinions, when one manages to extract them...

I fittingly concluded my pre-Christmas indulgence with a light lunch at Apsleys today. I just wanted to try the Fish crudo (a Beck signature dish) (£30) and the Tagliolini with lobster and almonds (£22). The Fish crudo (= raw) consists of many tapas-sized dishes. Extremely delicate, great variety, technique, freshness and finesse. Just not convinced by the tuna tartare with tea, which I had had previously in full size as part of the tasting menu. For me there's something wrong in that dish, though I'm not sure exactly what. Like most Italians I've eaten a lot of pasta in my life, basically every day. Yet these tagliolini rank among the best made I've ever tried as far as the pasta itself is concerned. The sauce was also almost perfection in a plate (I was just expecting some more play on crunchiness). Espresso at Apsleys is superlative if made by the right person. You have to ask them to make it with love. With a German Riesling glass at £11, water and service charge I spent around £80, which I felt was much better value (especially looking at the bright, spacious room I was in and at the materials I had) than my lunch at Pied a Terre yesterday. Both dishes I had (OK there was also a foie gras, something that I never order, that I always get either as a bonus or as part of tasting menus, that I never refuse because it's so bloody good, that I always eat with a terrible sense of guilt, and that consequently I can't really judge properly), both dishes, I was saying, were for me clearly, clearly of 2* level. If not yet this year, it's impossible for me that Michelin will not top up their star the year after.

Maybe I am becoming too easily pleased, or it's Christmas, but I had another good lunch today at PaT. I was shopping around, it was past 1.30, and while walking in Charlotte Street I just could not resist the impulse of entering and asking if they had room for me. They did (but just about, as the restaurant looked packed). I was in the small ante-room which I can't bring myself to like. It feels small and crammed. The lunchtime deal is great value at £23.50 for two courses (excellent, balanced and precisely cooked the main of roast brill with very apt mini-capers). Then I foolishly succumbed to temptation and ordered an item from the a la carte which cost me more than the rest of meal (£37.50). It was a very good pigeon cooked in two ways (poached -meaning sous-vide- and roasted) to perfect textural effect, perhaps just lacking a little in depth of flavour to be judged fantastic. The caramelised onion and the sauce were indeed great. That said, the price tag is in my opinion excessive. Petit fours were high quality and varied, too. All in all very clear flavours and excellent texture contrasts all around. Everything seemed effortless, the seasoning perfect, and not a single execution problem. Except... ...the espresso coffee was terrible (in terms of preparation, not quality of coffee). Coffee is about the only dish I send back when I don't like it, as I can't bear ending with a poor coffee. The charming sommelier to whom I sheepishly expressed my issue was very understanding. 'I believe we have good coffee and that I can make you a good espresso'. As a matter of fact, the second specimen was only marginally better than the first, but I concluded the problem was 'cultural', I hypocritically complimented him, grateful for the effort, and steeled myself for the horrendous bill. The service was really charming; the sommelier is a special asset of this place. With £30 from the bar, the 2 course lunch menu, the extra dish, coffee and service charge, this solo lunch topped £100. It's Christmas.

We continued our vacation eating marathon with dinner at Latium last night. It's our Italian favourite in London. We passed the 100 visit mark this year and of course the treatment we experience reflects that, so I might be slightly partial (or addicted). We (almost) always get perfectly executed dishes and I don't know what variability the other customers experience. Then again variability is a risk everywhere for the anonymous punter: I was served a pasta with sarde inclusive of fish bones at the celebrated -and in my opinion overrated- Zafferano, and more recently plastic made it into a 2* dish (The Ledbury). Anyway, assuming normal variability, I am convinced that sooner or later Michelin will recognise this as a 1* venue. A brill with an artichoke sauce was moist inside, crispy outside, and overall stunning, the quality of the artichokes and of the perfumed, fragrant olive oil springing out. (Morelli is slighty obsessive about artichokes, they are typical of the region he comes from, and he searches for the best quality relentlessly - and this, incidentally, makes Andy Hayler's comment 'tagliatelli with artichoke had good pasta but suffered from grey, rather tasteless artichokes and was a little dry' slightly comical, as well as revealing, to us). A second example of definite 1* quality dish: the Scallops wrapped in pancetta, resting on small fishcakes and accompanied by a generous parsley sauce, which looked beautiful and tasted better. We also had: - a risotto with Sicilian prawns (great sweet prawns and flavoursome fish stock, but the rice will be too crunchy for most, including Woman and me); - a pasta with baby octopus and broccoli (best in class); - a buffalo bresaola garnished with finely chopped celeriac (compted delicacy); - a tiramisu (don't miss it if you go); - their gelati selection (not quite as good as Bepi, but good enough for us to have it almost every time). The quality of the raw materials here is as good as you will find at Locatelli or Zafferano or Semplice, but I would like to single out the 'Latium branded' olive oil, which is quite something. The atmopshere is less sophisticated or glitzy than at the starred Italian London venues. While the room itself is elegant and regularly renovated, and the service is very professional (the head waiter starts describing the grape varieties of the wine as soon as you say its name, and all waiters understand and can explain the dishes), some clientele can sometimes be too noisy and boisterous, at least for our taste. (There used to be an annoying couple with the camera but they've given up now ). I think the restaurant may suffer a little because of this. Or maybe we are just boring old farts. We spent £130 for three courses each, including a £44 wine from Friuli whose name I forget, mineral water and 12.5% service. Three courses are £33.50, so with house wine one can eat for less than £100 for two. For the quality, this is total value for money.

Hi Fergal, when we went (it was a Sunday) the prix fix starters were quite varied. From memory, they featured items such as an octopus salad (which we had, very delicate), a terrine, a salad with Roquefort, and some fish. The mains were a grouse, a bean cassoulet with confit duck and hams (which we had, real brasserie food), some fish, and more. Most importantly, the desserts included the signature Pistachio souffle' (which is significantly more expensive than the rest on the regular carte). Anyway, the full carte is also available at lunchtime. I haven't been at Bar Bouloud so I cannot compare the two. You might also walk a few steps East to sample Apsleys. Enjoy your London stay.

Just a note to add that we were back for Sunday lunch to try the pig's trotters (we had to...). The other posters are right in saying that there is an issue with the morels. I looked up the recipe and it should be 5 per portion - well, in that case another table must have had 10 each... Apart from this breach of the Trade Description Act, we found the dish very good, and the sauce and the consistency quite extraordinary (but we can't compare with Novelli's or any other reference point: we were trotter virgins). PS: we would have liked to raise the morel issue with the staff, but the atmosphere and situation counselled against that on this occasion. Next time... PPS: the great man was again slaving away at the stoves.

For me neither... I also like plenty of moisture with meat and often I feel undersauced. I think many high end (or would be such) chefs nowadays find sauces in copious amounts 'inelegant'. Even one the best dishes I've had recently (a slow cooked hare at Hibiscus) suffered slightly from this problem (though certainly not at the level seen in your photos - there was a sauce to speak of!). A place that definitely has no moisture problem is Koffmann's. Thanks again for going to the trouble of posting all these photographs and reports. I know how time consuming this is, and I learn a lot from them.

Dinner at Koffmann's last night. It was two days after Rasoi, four after a nice bistro in Brussels and six after Hibiscus, all experiences from satisfying to great food-wise, so high comparatives, and three stars, to match... I've got to say that, within the category of food he has decided to produce -let's say high end bistro- it was an unbeatable meal. Great basic flavours of raw material unmasked and enhanced, a combination of heartiness and lightness, generosity, control. We start very well with the bread: four varieties, rustic, well made. The classic of scallops with 'encre' is so simple, but if you like scallops with ink, well, you cannot ask for more: it's a beautiful, subtle and light sweet-salty match, the scallops themselves just done inside, one second from burning outside, with a wonderful nutty hint. Our other starter was more powerful, a pithivier of game. So many things could go wrong here: soggy pastry, dry meat...but once again it was cooked masterfully, the thyme jus (we think it was veal stock) made a real difference, made all the difference in fact, the pastry was exemplary, the meat moist, the flavours intense. In its genre, perfect. For the stuffed rabbit, see David's comments above, whose sentiment I share entirely (just minor differences in presentation compared to his). Once again, a perfect dish in its genre. Just one notch below, but still very, very satisfying and with the same generosity of portion, was a partridge with cabbage. Side spiced carrots were crunchy and delicious; we were expecting more from the fries. We loved the light touch with seasoning. There is gentleness and class in these gutsy dishes. A baba' was ever so airy but I personally would have wanted less sugar and more alcohol: this was the only disappointment of the night. The pistachio souffle, another classic, was also very sweet but to scream for and, of course, perfectly executed. We paid £160 including a £40 Madiran, a bottle of water, a coffee and the odious 12.5% service charge (Scotland is spoiling us in this respect). Petit four (Madeleins) are brought even if you don't have coffee. We loved this place. It's relatively informal but not shabby, comfortable, service is relaxed and professional, prices are right (though already creeping up, better to hurry before the star arrives...) and, above all, based on this single experience, there is no question in our mind that Koffmann -who was in the kitchen- is a true master. If we still lived in London we would return again and again.

In Chelsea, holding a star.

eh eh, i won't edit so as not to spoil the comic effect. anyway, he might as well have been carrying a sofa, judging from the smoothness of the service.

Dinner at Rasoi last night. Service is strange. When we enter, a waiter (I assume he is the assistant manager as he is the only one of two wearing a suite) offers no help at all when we struggle a bit to remove and put together our clothes and stuff (we have bags full of paperwork). I don't mind, but am neverthelss struck by the immobility and empty stare of this waiter. A few minutes later, I order a glass of Manzanilla (the only one on the list). The same waiter, whose clumsy demeanor continues to impress us: 'Excuse me, sir?'. I think that perhaps my Italian accent is too thick. In spite of having lived (and ordered Manzanillas) in this country for over 20 years, it is a possibility, so I repeat and try to be as clear as I can. Waiter: 'I am sorry Sir, I don't understand what you mean'. I take the wine list and point at the coveted item. 'Ah, you mean sherry, sir: no problem, sir'. I am very glad there is no problem. The funniest bit is when he sets the table between courses. With the same spaced-out stare as before, he puts down fork and knife for Woman, then totally ignores me and lays the knife and fork at the empty seat next to mine! Woman and I cannot avoid bursting out laughing but he does not notice. When the dish is about to be served, another waiter, who had noticed the whole scene but perhaps hadn't wanted to embarrass his superior, rushes at our table and swiftly whisks the cutlery away from the empty seat and to mine while the dishes are being put down. All harmless stuff, but sorry mate: if you charge fine dining prices you have to have fine dining waiters. I was very disturbed by being served a meagre .66 litre bottle of water charged at an extortionary £ 5.80. They were very quick in refiling our glasses after every small sip, and by overfilling a glass they were also quick to ask if I wanted another bottle. No way! I switched to tap water. Guess what? For the first time, my glass remained empty, my mouth burning with spices (dramatising a bit). The bottle was not on the table so I could not help myself, as I would have been very happy to do, as I am among the fortunate ones who have arms. I made the waiter understand, without words but in no uncertain terms, that I did not want this to happen any more (it didn't). I am a wimp because in the end I paid the 12.5% service charge in full but, as is well known, Italians just don't like to make a fuss. The vegetarian tasting menu was for the most part amusing, beguiling, creative, balanced, well presented and well constructed (highlight a samosa served with a liquid cream of white tomato). The only real disappointment was the dessert, with a rock solid kulfi and a rather mediocre chocolate mousse. At £73 pp, though, it's not particularly good value (for comparison, the vegetarian tasting menu at Gauthier, which is at least as good, costs in the mid-sixties). I am glad I tried Rasoi as a one-off experience, but I have no desire at all to be back.

Thanks David, beautiful photos of beautiful dishes! Really appetising stuff. 'Gnudi' by the way is regional Italian for 'nudi', which means 'naked'. The idea is that these are 'naked tortelli/ravioli', that is, ravioli without their clothes (the pasta): beside the ricotta some flour was surely in there, and often the mix contains boiled spinach, though in this case obviously not.

Remember that this survey merely indicates where well-known chefs had their best meal. They are guaranteed to experience the best a restaurant can offer, and (in the words of a starred chef I know) 'we get treated like kings when we eat out'. The experience of lesser mortals (assuming you are one of us) is more subject to random fluctuations (I had plastic as well as uncontrolled seasoning in my dishes at the Ledbury, something which I am pretty sure none of the chefs in the survey will ever experience...)

For the sake of variety I'll state a contrary opinion I have just been there today for the 'cheap' lunch (53.50 for three courses plus water, glass of wine, petit four and coffee), almost exactly one year since my last visit, when I was wowed. And this time I was wowed again, more. Must say I also enjoyed this lunch better than my recent dinner at the Ledbury (though I wouldn't judge the latter on the basis of a single experience.) The skate (with jerusalem artichoke, vanilla puree and 'burnt sweetcorn') was for Woman the star of the show. And I agreed this was a classy, in a way perfect, dish: perfect cooking, perfect seasoning, perfect balance of (predominantly sweet) flavours. We chose this dish (£5 supplement) to have a straight contest with the skate we had at Ledbury, and well, you can guess who won. But for me the star was the slow cooked hare. This wasn't perfect at all: slightly too dry for what sauce was available, and the drying also caused (in our opinion) an excessive concentration of salt (we are both very sensitive to salt): but the potent, deep gamey punch, the buttered cabbage and an absolutely ravishing side pie of shoulder, foie gras and spiced potatoes won the day for me. This dish confirmed that a brilliantly conceived dish survives even a less than perfect execution. The meal had started very well, with an amuse of mushroom veloute' and coconut cream that combined the two main ingredients to stunning effect. It concluded with very accomplished petit four (notable a smoked fudge) and an impeccable espresso, which for me is important. And went through a dish of pheasant quenelles where details such as ever so small cubes of mango provided an eccentric but well judged background; a crab with pressed leeks, liquorice and pear in which reading the ingredients you can imagine either heaven or hell, but it was the former; and the Hibiscus chocolate tarte with basil ice cream which, combined with a star anise crispy bit, we found provocative and seductive. In sum, great control of flavours, magic use of spices, imaginative contrasts and matchings: on the basis of our experience, this kitchen is firing on all cylinders. But yes, the prices have gone up: last year for the same type of meal we spent 10% less - I really think they are stretching it to the limit. Yet, the room was packed. What crisis?.