Roger le goéland

Another sourcing thread. Where can I find fresh hen's eggs in London, for a reasonable price? I don't mean the "free range" joke from supermarkets (tastes just the same as caged) but something akin to what we had from our neighbour's farm in France - eggs just laid (2-3 days) from hens who roam about eating worms and other tasty things. Giving a lovely tasty yolk. I saw some free range eggs on Borough markets - are those closer to what I'm looking for? Anything safe enough to eat raw... Additionally, as it's probably not worth starting a new thread for that, what are good markets for meat and vegs in London, apart from Borough? Anything near Stockwell/Brixton/Vauxhall/Victoria would be particularly appreciated.

At risk of hijacking the thread... where can one eat decently for under £10 for lunch and/or dinner in zones 1 and 2? Preferably on the Victoria line... I'd also be interested in knowing where to have cheap-ish, freshly made dim sum (or indeed just dumplings). Yauatcha surprisingly ended up being cheaper than most of Chinatown, when we went, but the chairs are absolutely horrible (in my legs' opinion only).

Could get Grazing (mentioned earlier) to deliver it to your door? The black pudding especially. Having brought some meat from them to the lady's workplace today, they're ordering breakfast from there tomorrow. And it's in W1.

I was just about to post a thread then saw this... Any ideas on which are best? I bought one from Whittard's but it consistently produced terrible coffee (however it was the large model). My parents had one from a few decades back which was very good, but we lost the filter If there's something on Amazon.co.uk or equivalent that delivers coffee with thick crema and full aroma without tasting like molten rubber, please let me know! (PM or this thread or both)

Where can I find real wasabi in London? A fresh root ready to grind.

Appetizer/amuse-bouche: gazpacho, sour cream with caviar: Couldn't help but notice that the pictures on the wall had substantially more caviar on - the mound would almost totally cover the sour cream. As opposed to the 3-4 grains we had. Maybe caviar is out of season. Maybe one should not wear a T-shirt to a 5* hotel, especially in Southern Europe (hey, it was very hot!) Lovely bread. And it didn't come up on the bill. My main was slow-cooked pork cheeks with pine nuts, asparagus, and a foam. Mustard, if I remember well. And some creamed potatoes. Delicious. My partner had a fantastic red mullet with incredibly fresh mussels, perfectly cooked ratatouille (in 2mm cubes!), and couscous with the most intense mint I have ever tasted. I asked the waiter, who told me he went and got it in Morocco because it was so much better than the local stuff. Tiny leaves = more flavour. Unfortunately, I have no photo - this was a very beautifully presented dish. Dessert: a chocolate souffle with strawberry ice cream, can't remember what the biscuit or caramel-coloured cream tasted like. However, the souffle and the ice-cream were fantastic. Concentrated chocolate, melting inside, and such fresh strawberry. My partner finished with a something three ways. Possibly one of those cup custard cakes, decomposed into a cream to drink, something in between and a cheesecake/biscuit. It was impressive, but just not as satisfying as a blob of chocolate goo with strawberry! Service was fantastic all the way through - that is, the waiter was both invisible and extremely efficient. Front of house clearly knew the food and chatted happily about the techniques used by the chef (which went right over my head - I am only an eater, not a cook!) Plenty of time left to catch a train back, so I insisted to go see the harbour. For those interested in these things, there was the Amistad: http://img65.imageshack.us/img65/8917/dsc00206qt6.jpg - absolutely gorgeous. Would have loved to get a bit closer...

Took me a few months, but here's what I could salvage from my phone memory card. First, breakfast. We were EXTREMELY lucky. We went to a small pastelaria near the hotel (and the hotel wasn't in a particularly nice part of town!), and had the best espresso I have ever had with very tasty custard things: Not sure what happened after. Perhaps this is when we had the terrible meal at the place the receptionist recommended. "Ah, British tourists, time for some ripping off." The next pictures on my phone were of the Pastelaria Versailles: Quite disappointing. The food looked good, the place is definitely "grand" (but NOT cosy), but the main flavour was "sweet". Not much else. And the coffee was very boring. We found a supermarket on top of a hill. Now I remember an earlier poster saying they bought a can of tinned octopus. I love octopus. And squid. So I got 17 or 18 packs: Also a bottle of almond-flavoured thing. It wasn't that special, but for 6 euros I wasn't expecting much. Although it sells in Bachanalia in Cambridge for around £15-20. And a bottle of terrible 51 cachaca, again 6 euros, again sells here for £17.50. I love Europe - everything is just so cheap, and better quality. Moving on, we spotted in a restaurant some weird shaped shellfish. Interesting. A distant memory of a childhood book reminded me that these were, at some point, in great danger of extinction because the Spanish would aggressively fish them off the South-West French coast. And that they sold for a lot on the black market. Well, extinct, not available in the UK, shellfish... had to try it! After a remarkably uneventful (if incredibly expensive) plate of clams in olive oil: The inside looked like this: You eat it raw. It was quite fishy and squishy. Somewhat addictive. Price was ridiculous (although considering the crab was also ridiculously priced, I don't think it was the sparcity of shellfish). The manager promptly proceeded to charge us an extra 5 euros for some dried bread and gone-off cheese that we hadn't asked for. Now I know what it's like to be American and to dine in France... Well, we had to try those "witches' fingers". The visit did really peak in 100 Maneiras. I really wish I had a restaurant like that near here (although Alimentum comes close, at least in concept). Funky design inside: And a nice view on the neighbouring concrete cube hotel, and this: We had a plane to catch in 3 hours. We told the waiter, and asked to skip the appetizers. We regretted that very, very strongly. Would have happily missed the plane for them. Part 2 to come in a minute...

Fantastic! I'll be sure to pay him a visit if I ever go through Washington. He should probably have pointed out that this policy was a means to stop customers from getting "ghetto lattes", I'm sure people would have been more understanding. Good business sense and caring for your products go hand in hand. Funny that the article was titled "espresso, extra bitter" when it is about somebody who goes to great lengths to ensure that it isn't! Tom, I don't. I considered it but have no space nor sufficient funds! (the occasional michelin starred tasting menus don't help). I order my coffee from a variety of websites who roast and dispatch first class. It's good enough for now. Winot - point is, one chain could thrash all the others simply by making sure their coffee is freshly roasted. Pret is already on the way of doing that with their guarranteed "2 weeks from roasting" (http://www.pret.com/our_food/just_roasted.htm). Their coffee is priced similar to bucks etc. I find it sad that many people consider that coffee ought to be bitter-tasting. Like the aforementioned article.

Just had a fantastic cup, freshly roasted, ground, then in the filter. It took me maybe 20 seconds to prepare and the beans were cheaper than Sainsbury's. Why, when it is so cheap and easy to get good quality coffee (and I assume when the raw materials account for so little of the product price), do so many coffee shops not bother?

Savino's, next to Subway and the bus stations. But the coffee isn't fresh, that's my point... (still better than the coffee-empire alternatives) Have the almond-topped pain au chocolat - pure decadence!

In the end I visited Fernandez & Wells, Flat White (see later) and Monmouth, in that order. Fernandez & Wells (3pm): Loads of sandwiches, mainly focaccia and cured meat/cheese. Had a chorizo and manchego sandwich, on which they sprayed olive oil and black pepper. Satisfying if a bit salty for the weather. Then I had a Portuguese custard cake, which to be frank wasn't that great (the Portuguese place next to Victoria makes better ones) and a (warm) freshly squeezed orange juice. It came to about a tenner. Didn't try the coffee, but it looked tasty. Flat White: Got the address from here: http://www.london-eating.co.uk/7134.htm which I plugged into this: http://maps.google.co.uk/ There was no Flat White, only "Fair Grounds", an "ethical", fairtrade, we love animals, etc. etc. kind of place. Two extremely thin, sulky Polish women served me an abysmal espresso. It was watery, burnt, stale, bitter, £1.50, and left me with a horrible aftertaste for the next hour. Shame, I looked forward to it... Monmouth: I actually prefer that seating to what is usually available in the chain shops - the solidity of the wood is just comforting. Had a rhubarb tart and an espresso which cost me the better part of a fiver, although the espresso itself was only £1! The person I was with had a latte. Both were well prepared, the espresso did have an odd taste and smell hidden beneath the crema. It was because they only chucked the used grounds from the espresso "cup" (whatever it is called) without rinsing it through before putting new grounds. The old grounds made the new shot smell a bit of used espresso grounds. But I guess it would be almost impossible for them to keep washing the thing. Pastries were alright. I will come back. Monmouth did not, however get anywhere near my "gold standard" - a single shot I had in Lisbon last year, in a simple looking pasteleria in a less touristy part of town, which was aromatic, smooth and a third crema... No chance to try Grazing, which would have been my preferred choice. On another note - there is a lovely coffee place in Cambridge, which serves freshly baked pastries but insists on using Illy beans... how can I hint that freshly roasted beans would make their coffee that much better? Would it be extremely bad manners to send them a 2kg bag with an anonymous note saying "try that, see what your customers think"?

Sounds fantastic! Perhaps this thread will help the fight against Starbucks domination of the world! Should probably point out that by "fresh" freshly ground I mean coffee that has just been roasted (within 2-3 days, preferably the day before, up to a week is pushing it). Also the ground should not be left in the air for more than an hour. Pret coffee beans are technically "freshly ground" but it still tastes a bit stale...

Going to London tomorrow, and to be frank I am somewhat fed up with Starbucks (and all equivalents, be they Costa, Nero, etc.). Everything is offensive in Starbucks - the smell, the price, the massed crowds. Where can I have a decent cup of coffee with a decent pain au chocolat (or octopus salad for that matter) in Central London? Tomorrow I'll be around Victoria and Canary Wharf but anything around Oxford Circus/Bond Street/Soho also welcome. And South Kensington - it is prom season! I have never had "fresh" freshly ground coffee in the UK other than what I make myself, so that would be absolutely fantastic, if it exists somewhere. Ideas?

Indeed: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=116677 Didn't know he was cooking with one hand only! That is quite remarkable. And he does seem to have put a lot of thought into the place. Maybe I will visit after all.

Went today, waited 10 min in queue in which the people moved a whooping 0.5 metre. We went elsewhere. By the look of this thread we should have stayed. On the upside we did go to Milk & Honey and had fantastically well-made cocktails.

no set lunches are fine, as long as the portions are not miniscule ← In that case, if Drabble is still there, I highly recommend it - it was (in my humble, very inexperienced opinion especially since this was my first "good" meal out) better than my recent set lunch at Le Gavroche, with comparable set wine, for £14 less - and I also found the service much friendlier, and the interior far more pleasant, but this is a question of personal taste. Amuse, 3 courses, petits fours (i.e. a plateful of petits fours), coffee, half a bottle of wine and unlimited Evian: £34. The portions will be filling - the lady was unable to finish her main, and could only take two bites from the dessert. This may have been why I found it difficult to even stand up afterwards (I just couldn't let that apricot tart and sorbet stay on the plate! It was dying to be eaten, honest...) So when they brought another two petits fours with a rasberry with a candle sticking out, I just could not manage to eat them.

William Drabble's Aubergine left me half unconscious last year. There were 20 petits-fours! You are probably not interested in the set lunch though.

I am reluctant to say this as I have no evidence to back it up but I read in a magazine that somebody tried that in my native town, and patrons on average paid 3 times what the chef would have normally charged (which allowed to pay for the relatively very few who had the guts to say the food was worth nothing).

A local farmer has just ripped out all his strawberries and replaced them with gooseberries and blackcurrants. He had a "pay for what you pick" policy, which saw families come with bowls of cream and water, gorge themselves on the field then have the cheek to go to the counter with an empty basket - "we couldn't find any" (whilst still covered in juice). He lost £10,000+ of fruit to the freeloaders this year. So it will be interesting to see how this goes.

It would help visitors afford to be able to eat it. S ← I wouldn't mind paying restaurant prices for restaurant-quality food. Can't afford to sample Le Gavroche, L'Atelier, Sumosan, Rhodes etc. in a week by dining there, but it would have been nice to actually sample at least good quality food from all of these and more. As it stands it's like a BBQ party with loads of free booze and Boris Johnson to open it. Wonder why GR didn't have a stand this year?

You shouldn't go for the standard ticket - the £35 (booked online) "premium" also includes £20 of food, so entry is cheaper. Last Thursday afternoon, I found it more enjoyable than Trinity College May Ball (for which I paid maybe 5 times as much), but then again we were shameless students with not so great expectations and fully exploited the numerous freebies available. Considering the quality of the dishes served out, I doubt that this could serve as a marketing opportunity for restaurants though. Joel Robuchon's burger being the exception. (I thought I already posted a review but it seems to have disappeared - apologies for any duplication)

We went for lunch this Friday (as mentioned in the other thread, this is the more detailed review). Started off well, got a cancelled table freeing up just an hour before. We booked for 1.30. The lady at the entrance seemed unable to smile. At least she got my name right. We got a table next to the kitchen, can't be too picky on such short notice. Went for the lunch menu (the lady's a la carte has no prices, but the set menu does... wonder why?). I had the asparagus salad with lardons, the canette (duck) and the lady had the seagull's egg followed by the mutton. We went for a drinkable if not so special white and the St Emilion, which was enjoyable. The cooking was not that brilliant. I guess it is lunch, especially the end of lunch. The asparagus salad was not particularly fresh, I have had much better back home in Savoie (especially the lardons and bacon straight off the cellar!) but hey this is Mayfair, not the Alps. The duck was raw (he did ask me whether I liked it pink), with a very very nice mushroom sauce. However, the potatoes (which looked like gratin dauphinois) reminded me of what you find when you go to a motorway canteen and you get there at the end of the lunch shift - dried up, all milk/cream absorbed into the potatoes with the top layer being just crunchy, dry and salty. Not what I expected from a 2* even at lunch. Sorbet was better. Watching waiters argue in French (when I had been talking to them in French just a minute ago) a meter away was NOT nice. I don't care whether so and so doesn't enjoy working with so and so. All in all not worth 2*. Most meals I've had in London have been more enjoyable, and I could eat that standard of food in many non-starred restaurants in France and indeed in Cambridge - Alimentum is better.

Thought I'd bump this thread as visited Le Gavroche on Friday. Possibly because I booked just an hour in advance, and because it was the end of the lunch shift, and because I had high expectations but it really wasn't that special. Food was similar to what you can get in a good French ski resort. The petits fours were the highlight of the meal, although the sauce was pretty awesome. I will not be going again, at least not until I can afford the dinner regularly as well as the wines that ought to go with it.

In that case what do you think of the McD's "Double Quarter Pounder with cheese" served late?

In that case I'll focus on the markets where there are currently no cocktails - e.g. airport lounge - and forget about the original "let's get the bartenders to serve them faster". No gimmicks. Just a straightforward cocktail maker, like a coffee machine. Although judging by what's outside my window at 3am weekends, I doubt Brits are drinking less.