Patrick Foley

I was recently flicking through Restaurant Magazine's 50 Best Restaurants website and noticed Paul Bocuse won the inaugral Lifetime Achievement Award. It says one of his achievements was training a "small army of accomplished chefs". Does anyone know of any chefs who trained under him and what they went on to achieve?

What's the Pied a Terre set lunch like?

no set lunches are fine, as long as the portions are not miniscule

I am looking for a restaurant to take my father to for his birthday. I have looked at various restaurants such as The Square, Pied a Terre, Tom Aikens etc. but am looking for a place with substantial portions. Do you have any strong reccommendations? P.S. I have a price limit of £40 max (excl. wine). Cheers.

We will be staying with my brother who lives in Lyon and who I haven't seen for eight months. He has said there is much he can show us in the city.

I wouldn't expect you to buy a guide book written by me as I am just a passionate foodie and not a food critic.

No offence taken. It's something I've alaways done to compare the meals out that I have had more easily.

Correctly timed = pompous way of saying cooked as it should be

In October this year I will be going on holiday with my wife Katherine. We are staying in Paris for a week and Lyon for a week and are hoping to sample some high end dining. Past experiences would suggest ADPA and Guy Savoy are good bets but what would you suggest? Money is not an issue.

I had a meal at Chez Bruce in Wandsworth last week. I found it to be very pleasant and enjoyable. What are your experiences of the restaurant? My report is below: Chez Bruce Location: 2 Bellevue Rd. London, SW17 020-8672 0114 Underground: Rail: Wandsworth Common Cuisine: French Chef: Bruce Poole Food Rating: 15/20 Price: £99 (Price I paid, wine was £88.00) Link: www.chezbruce.co.uk Chez Bruce is built on the site where Harveys (Marco Pierre White’s legendary restaurant and the site of one of the finest meals I have had in the UK) used to be located. The chef is Bruce Poole, formerly head chef of the Michelin starred Chez Max. Poole describes his cooking as “refined brasserie” and is a big fan of punchy and robust flavours with dishes such as “Seafood Paella with Chorizo and Marinated Grilled Quail” on the menu. The ambience is pleasant enough. The tables are “tightly packed” (or crowded, depending on your terminology) and the restaurant, based on this experience as well as my previous visits, is nearly always busy. I began with “Rare Grilled Tuna with Prawn Tempura, Tomato Salsa, Avocado and Coriander” and this was a wise choice. The tuna was correctly timed and the zingy salsa complimented it well adding a real freshness to the dish with a cleansing effect on the palate. The dish was however let down by the slightly soggy tempura prawns (14/20). Katherine began her meal with “Rabbit Schnitzel with Fried Quail’s Eggs, Anchovies and Capers”. The schnitzel was well cooked and the robustness of the rabbit and the fried egg were tempered well with the salty notes of the anchovies and the capers (15/20). I opted for a main course of “Confit Pork Belly with Caramelised Scallops, Parsley Purée, Potato Gnocchi and Baby Beetroot” as I happen to be a fan of surf and turf. The rich, unctuous and meltingly tender pork belly was a divine combination with the sweet sea scallops and this was without doubt the dish of the night (17/20). Katherine elected for “Herb Crusted Fillet of Halibut with a Fricassée of Broad Beans, Peas, Gem Lettuce and Shrimps”. This was once more assured cooking, the halibut well cooked and the vegetables of good quality (15/20). We each paid a six pound supplement to have an additional course of cheese. The cheese, sourced from Neals Yard, was in good condition (15/20). The desserts were also good; a “Rum Baba with Exotic Fruit Salad, Coconut Sorbet and Mint” (15/20) for me and a “Crème Brûlée” (14/20) for Katherine. Service is efficient without being overbearing and the waiters are always happy to assist you in anyway possible. The wine list is of great variety from relatively inexpensive New World wines to highly valuable vintages and sommelier Terry Threlfall is of great help when you are choosing your wine. Overall Chez Bruce is not the spectacle nor the theatre that Harveys was but it is solid Michelin starred cooking with dishes that are well thought out and well executed. The overall rating of 15/20 tells you that this is in the middle ground of where a one star Michelin restaurant should be and I would recommend Chez Bruce to most because of its value for money (from experience the lunch menu is particularly good). There are no frills or fireworks here just sensible, honest and delicious food.