Harters

Just seen on Manc Confidential that the restaurant is to close for good at the end of the month. I'll miss it.

Mrs H is the bread fan of the duo. She reckons Simon Radley to be best in the north west (Fraiche and the Midland French tying for second).

Yep. There used to be crab soup that we got in Carrefour that I think was from the same people, but I havnt seen it on the last couple of trips. Bloody lovely, it was (IMO, of course). I'm planning a photographic trip "over there" in the autumn and think we might base ourselves at Le Touquet for a couple of days.

Mrs H made the seafood risotto. It's certainly not something she'd want to repeat in a hurry. The problem wasnt actually the risotto (mix was pretty flavoursome) but the frozen seafood mix. It's mainly squid rings which, in spite of following the cooking times to the letter, came out very very rubbery. I like the strongly flavoured fish soup. I'd not seen it in the UK before, but have bought jars from Carrefour in Calais when we've been passing through the port.

Ah, you'd enjoy Waitrose then. Piccies of St Delia everywhere - that's the Delia who, when slated over her "Cheat" book, said she had never taken money for "sponsoring" a product. Of course, that was then and now is now. Big difference. Innit.

PAPPADUM'S, FERRY QUAYS, BRENTFORD Yes, I know this a Surrey thread - but's just over the River. One of my regular haunts when “down south” (as I normally stay just round the corner), it’s a pretty reasonable Indian – offering a “proper menu” rather than the “any protein with any sauce” offerings at your local Bangla curryhouse. But, in spite of the “proper” offerings, I started with the commonplace seekh kebab. Here, three kebabs, zingy with coriander and chilli. There was a garlic sauce for dipping which had something sharp-tasting in it. Probably tamarind, innit. I had that with a tandoori roti which was nicely crisp round the edges, still a bit doughy in the middle. Good starter! Main was Kadai chicken. The sauce here a bit generic but with the addition of a good hit of ginger and some al dente green peppers giving a texture contrasts. A decent enough pulao rice went well with it.

PALMYRA, SANDYCOMBE ROAD, RICHMOND This neighbourhood place deserves to survive and thrive. But it probably isnt going to two customers on a Wednesday night simply isnt enough to pay the bills. Theres nothing surprising on the menu just a shortish list of Lebanese staples, split between hot & cold mezze, salads and mains. Mezze items come in at around £4.50; mains at £13. Its good value. Freebie pickles were brought almost as soon as Id sat down slices of salted and pickled turnip, decent olives and absolute killer green chillis. Moutabel was a very generous portion of aubergine dip, softened and sweetened by a sprinkling of parsley and pomegranate seeds. Lots of flat bread for dipping. My second starter was arayes. Served hot, the bread was nicely crisped but the lamb filling was disappointing - underflavoured and somewhat sludgy. On to the main course....shish taouk was as fine an example as youd wish to find. The chicken had been perfectly grilled and was just starting to char on the outside yet still soft and most inside. It came with a small handful of mixed salad and a garlic sauce on the side. Now I must admit that I like my garlic sauces to leap off the plate and scream GARLIC at me and this didnt. But it wasnt at all bad. More bread was offered and accepted. Too full for dessert, I asked for the bill but that didnt arrive until after Id eaten the freebie sweet pastries. I liked it at Palmyra. Id be a regular if I lived in Richmond. Its a place that shows the traditional generous attitude towards hospitality from the people of the middle east.

KEW GRILL, KEW GREEN I think this is the last remaining remnant of Antony Worral Thompson’s bankrupt grill business. I can see why he kept this one going – it was jammed packed with punters and I bet they regret taking a reservation for a single diner. Bang Bang Chicken should have been a zingy starter. It should have Sichuan peppercorns. It should have chilli. It should have an unctuous peanut sauce. What it shouldn’t have is a few shreds of dried out chicken dumped on tasteless shreds of cucumber and drizzled with thinned down peanut butter. It shouldn’t then be priced at £6.95. I know when someone’s taking the piss! My ribeye steak was much better. It had to be better. “The only way is up”, as the song had it. I was faced with the ultimate chip dilemma – do I order the “skinny” chips or the “chunky” chips. Why does no-one prepare chip sized chips anymore? I chose chunky. They were OK – if you like that sort of thing. Creamed spinach was fine – in the past I’d never have thought of this as going with steak but have had it in a New York steakhouse where it was the must have” side and it works. Bearnaise sauce without any taste of tarragon is not béarnaise – why advertise it as such, instead of the more accurate “white gloop”. Rant ends...........

BLUEBELL, HENLEY-IN-ARDEN I suppose deciding if the Bluebell is a gastropub or just a pub that does good food depends on your definition of gastropub. Certainly most folk this lunchtime were eating, rather than just drinking, and they are certainly geared up for that with a good looking shortish menu. Braised pork belly was pretty much what you’d expect. Of course, you don’t get crackling when it’s cooked like this, but you do get a very delicious skin that’s crisped a little making it a rather nice chew. But so you don’t miss out, you also get a separately cooked piece of very crisp crackling. The meat sat on colcannon mash (of course it did – mash is taking over the world). It was topped with a fried apple slice and surrounded by a decent gravy. Honey roast carrots & parsnips were an extra. I’m not big on desserts but affogato sounded like a lightish finish to the meal. The vanilla icecream was advertised as homemade – in which case, I suggest they stop and just get in a tub of Wall’s which would be an improvement. It was served as a blob of the icecream with a separate shot glass of the espresso. Coffee was strong without being bitter.Could have been a good dessert - but wasn't. Service had been good. Perhaps too good. I went to the toilet after I’d eaten, intending to come back and finish my drink and the reading of the newspaper. Came back to find my table cleared as they thought I’d gone. "Weren't you fussed I'd done a runner?". "Nah,happens all the time since the smoking ban with folk going out the back". So, a fair lunch. But worth the Good Food Guide’s cooking score 4? Nah, not even close.

I don't have an issue with Aldi and shop there periodically. Always do far better at Lidl for that sort of shop, though - dried pasta, "cooking" olives. I understand Netto is even cheaper (and has known brands) but I've never been to the one nearby.

Went to Waitrose to do the weekend shop. Nothing but bleeding Peruvian stuff. Walked straight again and went down the road to Sainsbury

David The menu we ate from was just the lunch one. There's only the a la carte in the evening (which is also available at lunchtime). It normally has menus up on the website but I think they're just samples. Carte has around a dozen at each course. Having seen what they can do at £17.50, I think we'll be back for dinner at some point

We’ve always been a bit put off this place even though it is, literally, just up the road from home (yes, prejudice is a nasty trait, even when it's about perceived ponceyness). The dinner menu is priced as expected for somewhere on the fringe of the county’s “Golden Triangle” – the expression “fur coat and no knickers” leaps immediately to mind. It’s a smallish place, seating about 30, and, on this Thursday lunchtime, most were occupied by “suits”. And it’s a cracking good value lunch – offering three courses from a short menu, four items at each course, for £17.50, including coffee . The danger with many lunch menus of this sort is that portions are tiny and you end getting home wanting a cheese butty. Not here. Three courses will fill you up nicely and, whilst it wasn’t a perfect meal, faults were only minor. For instance, a fishcake starter was fine – a bit underwhelming on the seasoning but with a decent taste of fish in the four small cakes. The other starter – kidneys on mash came with a small rasher of very crisp, very tasty bacon. Kidneys a tad chewy but the mustard sauce lifted them. My wife went for roast beef which came with carrots, beetroot, Yorkshire pud and mash – no complaints there (except she’s probably the only person in the world who isn’t keen on mash). I had chicken breast which came with the same veg (no Yorkshire) and sauce which had a nice kick of black pepper. Desserts were Eton Mess and sticky toffee pudding. Both fine if nothing to shout from the rooftops about – but, hey, this was only costing £17.50. Coffee was served with some very decent truffles. Well worth searching out this place if in this part of North Cheshire around lunchtime.

Not yet, David. We keep finding reasons to put off going. But we're running out of them - once I've obtained the second mortgage, we're going for dinner.

56 HIGH STREET, MOLD We liked it here. Its a place thats trying hard to serve its clientele and, generally speaking, getting it right. Located in a nondescript row of shops, its been fitted out in modern style stripped floorboards, dark matt paint on the walls that sort of thing. Regular special nights or special offers maintain the interest of its regulars (and it looked as though every table was on the two courses for two people for £25, including a bottle of wine ) but wed come to sample the main menu which heavily features fish and other seafood. We kicked off with an amuse of smoked salmon and crab arancini. This was a cracker packed full of flavour of what must have originally been a very well made risotto. Flavour continued into one of the starters Omelette Arnold Bennett. A good smokiness to the fish, cheesy and creamy. I dont think spinach was an ingredient in the original but here it added another flavour and texture layer. The other starter was less of a success and my wife reckoned it was the worst presentation of a scallop starter she can recall. It was served in a dish probably designed for snails indentations around the edge would hold the snails or, in this case, the queen scallops. A blob of potato in each hole, the scallop, topped with Gruyere and lemon and cooked under the grill. It lost something in the faffing about. Moules frites were moules frites. Described also as mariniere, they werent. For the second time in a week, mariniere has been served with a cream sauce. Cream sauce with mussels is fine but mariniere it aint. Frites were frozen, of course, but none too shabby. But what it needed on the side was some mayo or aioli for chip dunking as is almost compulsory in Flanders. My main was the 56 famous mixed grill of seafood. Loved it great presentation. Small fillets of salmon, bream, bass sat on blobs of mashed potato. There was also a deep fried oyster, a few mussels and a couple of shell-on prawns. In the shell of the oyster was a very tangy tartare sauce. Wouldnt have hurt to have had a small handful of leaf on the plate for a texture contrast. We didnt have dessert but finished with a fairly indifferent espresso (which came with a very nice piece of shortbread). Wed drunk a couple of glasses of wine and a bottle of water. Service had been fine throughout and the bill came to £56 which we thought was very good value. If we lived locally, Im sure this would be a regular spot but, nice as it is, the one hour drive each way is just a bit too far.

Summer rolls look good - they're the only Viet. thing I make at home (cos they're easier than deep fried things).

To keep this (just) on a food theme..... The Portillo moment will only be matched this time if Charles "Two Pizzas" Clarke goes the same way. Of all the leading politicians, of whichever party, he tops my "nausea list". At least he does, when it's not topped by Hazel Blears.

We decided that was enough fun for one evening and went to bed. Can't wait for a couple more moments like that this time around.

You may struggle for atmosphere with pubs & restaurants. The "excitement" of the results coming in won't start until around midnight - and is likely to be at its most entertaining/interesting between 1 and 3am. I'll leave it to others with a better knowledge of the capital to see what they might come up with.

Agreed. It took us about 2 years to tie in the opportunity for a London visit with being able to get a table. And then it was just such a sodding disappointment.

Just by the by, Thom, I wondered if you knew if there's any significant Vietnamese community in the metro area or if this is likely to be a bit of lone outpost sort of thing?

Within the EU, the Jersey Royal has Protected Designation of Origin status so will always be referred to as such (not least as the sport was first raised in Jersey in 1880). The actual potato is available elsewhere as "International Kidney". As you'll have gathered, along with asparagus, it's a harbinger of spring here.

Since I posted, Mrs H has been to Sainsbury's - got both asparagus and Jersey Royals. And at a pretty good price. I'm sure the memory must be fading (and I say this every year) but Jerseys just don't taste like they used to.

Saw my first "grass" today - in the Lakes District. Not local, of course. Came from the Chinn family who farm near Hay on Wye (I think) - and who were in the press a year or so back. The story was that they grow under polytunnels to get the earlier crop. Now then, first Jersey Royals anyone?

LUCY'S, AMBLESIDE Cafe by day; restaurant by night. We caught it for lunch. Westmoreland rarebit – four good slices of cheese on toast (spread with mustard). Well dressed mixed salad. “Fellwalkers salad” – chicken & game pie, ham, cheese. Mixed salad. Both good plates of food. Came away satisfied & full PUNCH BOWL, CROSTHWAITE The pub has a great location next to the village church and there was a warm welcome. The weather offered the first chance to eat outside this year and it was really nice to sit in the sunshine for an hour. It’s a pub so you order at the bar but drinks and food are brought to your table. We both took starters from the short “specials” menu. Half a dozen Manx scallops, on the half shell, bacon, parsley & breadcrumbs, cooked under the grill served with a small handful of salad leaves. Salad of crab, smoked salmon and a “carpaccio” of langoustine. Both fresh and light. There was then an annoying, unexplained and inexplicable delay of 35 minutes before the main courses arrived. Took the edge off what should have continued to be a really nice eating experience. When the plates finally arrived, a pumpkin, sage and parmesan risotto was fine. The pumpkin had been pureed so there was little texture to the dish except for the rice. Best description is that it was inoffensive. Much more fun was venison haunch cooked, spot on, to medium rare – several slices providing a generous portion. It came with roasted carrot and cauliflower and black rice. I’d not had this rice before and, whilst I couldn’t detect any taste difference from ordinary white rice, the colour made for a very dramatic looking dish. It was finished with a wine sauce which included a hint of bitter chocolate. Had it not been for the delay with the mains, I would have rated this quite highly.