Harters

Best bit was Marco suggesting that Michelin are a tad reluctant to remove stars from certain folk. Wonder who he had in mind?

Another solitary lunch - the oft reported French bean/chilli/pork dish. I do like the almost total dryness of this dish - makes such a change from most Chinese offerings. And, with so little sauce, there was almost nothing to slosh down the front of my shirt. By the by, I asked for "still water". Got given a glass of tap (which was fine) and was charged £1.50 for the privilege (which was not so fine.

Anchor & Hope is already pencilled in for the Saturday lunch before catching the train home.

Unfortunately not. I've heavy research committments at the Imperial War Museum - so lunch each day will be in its unpleasant and extremely poor value caff. Looks like Harwood is the definite front-runner, then

We're planning a couple of nights in Madrid in May, specifically to visit the Thyssen. Mrs H has visited the city before and eaten at the Botin. Although popular with tourists, she liked it and suggests we have one dinner there. I'd like us to also find a good asador. Anywhere recommended? John

Jay Rayner comprehensively "does for" Glamourous in his review in today's Observer. I won't be letting it put me off my favourite Cantonese in the city. As an aside, he comprehensively "did for" Cabbage Hall,at Little Budworth, a week or so back. I havnt let it put me off and am going for lunch soon. Looks a cracking menu to me.

And now having to return its medal! Manc. Confidential is reporting that Shimla Pinks has closed (although other branches in the mini-chain are still trading)

This must be the listing in the Good Food Guide. And I have to confess I have no idea how they come up with this ranking. There is a whole group of "cooking score 7" places and it is claimed they are ranked "in order of merit" but there is nothing to indicate how this might have been determined. In the listing, Danesfield is sandwiched between Hibiscus and L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon.

David See my above comparision comments on the Gung Bao. It'll be interesting to see your views. Like you, on my two visits to Red & Hot,I've been the only non-Chinese person and the only person of, ahem, more mature years. J

We're planning a few days in The Smoke and I'm in charge of meal arrangements. I've read the reviews here on both places and am torn between them. But it will be an either/or situation, as I've ideas for the other 3 or 4 nights. Any views to tip the balance more than appreciated. J

Ok, I think I now have to fess up to being a wimp in the matter of all things chilli. Or, at least, Sichuan chilli matters I ordered the sliced lamb (noting there also seems to be pork, beef or seafood on offer). A vast portion arrives - certainly enough for two. And boiled rice - now I don't know if it is supposed to be "sticky rice" but sticky it was. With my lack of skill with chopsticks, sticky is a good thing. The first few mouthfuls were good. Nice lamb, tasty broth, fragrant spicing, excellent crunchy vegetables. Then the chilli kicked in and I stopped being able to taste anything. Which is all a bit of a waste and, as such, it's not a dish I'd be in a rush to order again.

Then throw in the Good Food Guide (my usual bible) which gives an 8 to both La Gavroche and Tom Aikens, 7 to Danesfield and 6 to Sketch.

I assume that the restaurant is unaffected by the closure of the rest of the Urbis building until summer 2011 (when it becomes the new National Football Museum). Anyone confirm?

Thanks Phil. I raised this with the boss over dinner and was told, in no uncertain terms, that we are not pissing about anymore. That I'm only 60 once and we're going to FD (assuming we can get a table), so that I better get used to it. Nuff said,boss,said I. BTW, off to Fraiche in a couple of weeks. John

Bear in mind that The Mile is no longer the place to get the best of Indian food in the region. And, IMO, hasnt been for a goodly while. My reccs for the best round and about are Dilli in Altrincham or,in the city centre, EastzEast, Akbars, Shimla Pinks (in that order). On the Mile itself, everything is much of a muchness. As you've titled the thread "curry house", that's pretty much what you'll get everywhere. I regard the Punjab Tandoori (at the southern end of Wilmslow Road) as the stand-out. It has a far better range of vegetarian food than anywhere else along there. And, in spite of its name, also has some South Indian specialities such as a bhel puri starter and a good range of dosas. Other than that, if you're just fancying a bog standard Bangla curryhouse meal, just take your pick of whatever looks most inviting.

Welcome to the board. I'm sure chefs and restaurant owners welcome any award (and all information is welcome information for the diner). That said, I don't think I remember anyone hailing their Rosettes over their Stars. Nuff said? However for your really wonderful experience, my advice is do as much research as possible and make sure that you check varied sources. It's worth putting the effort in. There's the awards as you mention, boards such as this, guidebooks such as the Good Food Guide, restaurants' own websites, etc. I guess what I mean is your wonderful experience will be different from mine which will be different from someone's else. So, for example, there are Michelin starred Indian restaurants in the UK. But if you don't like Indian food then visiting there is not going to be wonderful. Another example is my current dilemma. I have a "big birthday" this year. My partner has suggested the Fat Duck, not least as its often thought of as "the best". But I'm simply not sure if I fancy the food enough to warrant the time and expense of getting there and eating there. Still some weeks to decide......... John

I really wanted to like the Waggon. Really I did. Its website reads as though it should be the ideal neighbourhood restaurant – although as the former pub is situated a bit in the middle of nowhere on the main road between Bury and Rochdale, there aren’t many neighbours popping in for dinner. That probably accounts for why ours was one of only three tables occupied on this Wednesday evening. If I was solely considering the food, I would pretty much give it the thumbs up (although on tonight’s efforts, I’d say the current Good Food Guide Cooking 3 is a bit generous). However, I was considering the whole experience. And the charmless room, reminiscent of the dining rooms in small market town hotels, does nothing to enhance it. Nor, for that matter, do the equally charmless, if efficient, staff. But as to the food, the menu is short and relies on a good choice of comforting dishes. Bread came quickly and was of reasonable quality – an olive oil foccacia was almost dripping with the stuff but had a very over-salted crust. We both started with the restaurant’s homage to the Bury black pudding. Slices of Chadwicks pudding in a crisp tempura batter sat on some well dressed leaves, scattered with some dice of Lancashire cheese, apple and bacon. A mustard vinaigrette was drizzled round the plate. Two companies sell puddings at Bury Market. There’s the Bury Black Pudding Company, which gets all the press publicity. And then there’s Chadwick’s, which gets all the queues of local customers. Cracking starter – punchy complementary flavours, good range of textures. Local ingredients pop up again in the main courses but I went with a dish described as “salted brisket, Toulouse sausage and ox tongue with Alsatian cabbage”. Or “choucroute garni” if they’d wanted to be poncy. Also in the bowl, a few new potatoes and carrots. This was hearty rib-sticking winter food and I wolfed it down, in spite of the fact that it was all a bit underflavoured. Hayton’s are another trader at Bury market. In this case a none too shabby fishmonger. Apparently, fish is always a “special” at the Waggon depending on what’s on offer from Mr Hayton. Tonight it was halibut and plaice. My partner went for the plaice – simply fried and with a caper, lemon, herb butter sauce. Absolutely lovely piece of fish, perfectly cooked. Less good was the bowl of cabbage, carrot and broccoli. Worse were the obviously bought-in frozen chips. But the fish was a redemption. None of the desserts looked particularly interesting but I tackled a pineapple and caramel tart with a mandarin sorbet. It was OK, although the pastry needed some more crispness. The sorbet and my partner’s ice cream were from Cheshire Farm. The farm is at Tattenhall, not too far from Chester. It’s a very popular place for folk to take their children for an outing. And, yes, they make a wide range of ice creams and sorbets on the farm. Unfortunately, they aren’t very good at it. So, in summary, it’s place you might go to if you lived on the immediate plot. Food isn’t bad. Prices aren’t bad (£65, including drinks before, a half bottle of white wine and a bottle of water). But I’d be in no rush to make the 40 minute trip again.

This week's bargain lunch: "This & That", Soap Street, Northern Quarter (I fancied a change from my favourire Aladdin) One of the several curry cafes in that neck of the woods and one offering the now traditional "rice and three". I settled on lamb & spinach, dahl and a sliced lamb (which wasnt that brill). Cracking deal for four quid.

We go to Bakewell Farmers Market maybe three times a year and always pass Baslow on the way back. It's then that we say "Must go sometime". But it's £72 for dinner for f**k's sake!

Similarly, I keep Baslow Hall on my "to visit" list as it's within my acceptable drive time - but the prices make my brain hurt.

JudyB pretty much summarises my views (the wording of my post was, perhaps, more meaningful to the original readers on the UK board).It seemed to me, as many contributors to the Digital Spy forum and other UK TV boards, that a decision on the "winner" must have been taken prior to the programme starting and it was, therefore, a complete sham.I'm certainly one who has written to the BBC suggesting that they not commission another series. The two previous series had contestants who could actually make an attempt at running a restaurant and were seen to improve week on week. Interestingly, the winners of Series 2 have indeed opened a restaurant, which appears to be struggling and seemingly has minimal support from Blanc. On the other hand, the couple who were the runners-up have had several months training at Le Manoir and are just about to start their own TV series. Go figure that one. I'm aware that Series 3 is still underway in America (as Last Restaurant Standing)

This place is one of a number of mid-range restaurants in the suburbs to the south of the city centre which, with lesser of greater success, provide reasonably good food, at reasonably good prices, and a reasonably good overall experience. That Cafe has popped in and out of the Good Food Guide over the years (and is currently in). Along with the likes of the Fat Loaf, Marmalade, Jem&I, it’s somewhere to go for a decent midweek dinner rather than a destination for a special occasion. The welcome was great – “Come and sit by the fire while I get your menus”. And you’re shown to a little area next to the bar where you could think you were in someone’s front room. That’s a front room just as granny would have had it in 1955. Only the sofa wouldnt have been sagging as much then. I started with lentil and bacon soup – just the job on this chilly February evening. A hearty bowlful but with none of the clagginess you can get with lentils. Good flavoured stock had gone into this and decent sized bits of bacon gave some texture as well as taste. I’m not normally a “soup person” but I might have to reflect on that in future. The other starter was a “special” – twice baked Lancashire cheese soufflé. Light in texture and punchy with the cheese. The roasted tomatoes on the side complementing it well. This was good. . The owners also have a smallholding where they raise their own pigs and sheep. That meant that, for me, there was only going to be one choice from the five mains on offer. Roast pork loin, a couple of bits of slow cook belly and some exceptional crackling. This sat on some haricot beans. Gravy finished it off. Dead simple and straightforward – and I loved it. Slow roast leg of lamb had also started out on the smallholding. This was a steak cut from the leg – the hole where the bone had been stuffed with garlic and herbs. It came with griddled courgette and pepper which would have been better as summer accompaniments but were pretty damn good. Some dryish polenta, drizzled with pesto, provided a very tasty carb. However, it was a dry plate of food crying out for gravy. A separate bowl of mixed veg and new potatoes was served for both of us. Desserts are not the strongpoint of the kitchen. A “special” of tarte tatin brought flavoursome apples, pecans, good caramel but soggy pastry and an indeterminately odd flavoured ice-cream. Chocolate brownie was no more than OK even though it came with homemade ice-cream. Bill, including aperitifs, a glass of wine and a bottle of water came to a pretty reasonable £60. As I said at the beginning, it’s all pretty reasonable. (PS: They also sell the smallholding stuff at Ashton under Lyne farmers market. Mainly preserves, quiche and the like. Stall is next to the Dexter beef folk mentioned by Bapi on another thread. Have to say, the produce has never looked that thrilling.)

Thanks for the extra tips, Dougal. I've filed away The Allotment for our next trip through the port (I'm planning another trip to the Great War battlefields for later in the year). And the Carpathian looks, erm,interesting (particularly the grilled chicken with watermelon ). We plan a day in Canterbury (Goods Shed restaurant was closed when we last visited, so will have another try) and another day pottering round the northern coast.

Having watched M Blanc take the piss with the British viewing public over the last series of The Restaurant, I watched with some hesitation. Thought it was brill - and will be having a bash at the delice before too long.

Thanks for the report, Amy. I'll have a try at the sliced lamb - I don't like too much heat in my food and have been put off by the descriptions of the Red Chilli dish