Harters

Hurrah! The Church Green at Lymm is only a few minutes away and is already reasonably "gastro".

Started my project; went for a wander round Chinatown. Being fairly skint this month, popped into China City (one of the basement places on Faulkner Street) for the set lunch. Spring roll which was OK; char siu/satay sauce/rice which was nicely zingy and a coffee. Absolute bargain at £4.50 - my days of the buffet places are over. J

Had a good solitary lunch at Tayyabs a couple of weeks back. Place was packed but only had to wait 5 minutes for a table. Chicken tikka starter. Saag meat main. Rice & roti with. Couldnt fault anything. Very reasonably priced as well for "down south".

The Plough: http://www.theploughinnchester.co.uk/ And may I put in a second vote for Fraiche. One of my top two meals this year.

Disappointing to hear this, Phil. We were there last January and had a great meal (the "taste of winter" menu). The sommelier (at the time) was a guy who had come from Ludlow and we knew he knew his stuff. Mrs H declared one of his picks, a Kiwi Pinot Noir, to be the best glass she had had - ever!

A pal who often travels the coast road (and whose views on food I respect) recommends the Kinmel Arms at Abergele. Upscale pub by the look of it.

Going east back to Chester, the Arkle at the Grosvenor is Michelin starred. Also in town, Brasserie 10-16 did us a cracking lunch. The Queens Head at Glanwydden (near Llandudno) is good quality pub food (not London gastro-pub, just pretty good food). Conwy mussels are a personal favourite. They are quite strong on seafood. The St Tudno Hotel in Llandudno has a GFG Cooking 4 and is often touted, so I offer this as a potential warning. Used to be good, but a meal about 18 months back was not close to a 4. And bloody expensive for what it was! Shakespeare's Restaurant at the Castle Hotel in Conwy was a dinner of mixed blessings in April. Deeply flavoured lamb hotpot, tarragon & bacon dumplings and homemade pickled red cabbage. Then underwhelming desserts. Well worth a try though. Nearby is the Quay Hotel at Deganwy which I've heard good things about but have no personal experience. I think outside of your 20 mile radius is the Olde Bull's Head at Beaumaris on Anglesey, but I recommend a trip. It has two restaurants - bistro on the ground floor (for which I don't think you can make reservations) and a more formal set-up on the first floor (for which a reservation will be essential). First floor restaurant has a GFG Cooking 6 and its richly deserved. John

An update to my earlier post. We finally managed to synchronise a trip to the capital with Locatelli having a table free, albeit early at 7.15. It hasnt exactly proved to be our best meal of the year. We didn’t take much to the room. A classic example of the modern corporate hotel style. And they cram you in – it was necessary to pull our table completely out to allow access to sit down – and we had to perform a similar exercise later when a loo visit was needed. Nor did we take much to the service which approaches the style of “we are doing you a favour allowing you to eat here”. Not quite as bad as that but along those lines. And made worse by the fact that the first we heard of there being “specials” was when they were recounted to the next table – of course, we were halfway through the meal by then. The exception is the sommelier who was excellent – friendly, efficient & helpful. Some good grissini was served with the menus. Later a plentiful basket of bread came – some of it was good. Dipping olive oil was excellent and very fruity. Tordelli di patate was good pasta surrounding an underseasoned filling of potato. It was considerably perked up by wild mushrooms. Strozzapreti came with very simple accompaniments – tomato and rocket. Good flavour of tomato; the rocket just wilting nicely. Pork fillet with a fruit/mustard crust was a curate’s egg of a dish. The meat was tender and with a good flavour. It came wrapped in ham – still with the securing string (sloppy kitchen work going on there). The crust had a nice background fruity flavour but I couldn’t discern any mustard. Borlotti beans were a good accompaniment. The other main was a plaice fillet with a basil crust. This was good. Very good. The basil providing a flavour “punch” to the delicate flavour of the fish. It could have overpowered it – but didn’t. “Tart of the day” was lemon and was very good. I ordered the “tasting of Amedei chocolate” but was served the wrong dessert. It was another chocolate one so I didn’t really notice until I had all but finished it and commented to my partner that it wasn’t very good for a “tasting”. In fact, it just wasn’t very good at all. Coffee was fine. Petit fours just OK. The Good Food Guide gives it a 6 and it holds a Michelin star. I’m disappointed to say, both seem over-rated on our experience. There were more slips in the cooking and service than you would want

In over 30 years of visiting London, I can’t recall the number of times I’ve considered eating at Rules and dismissed it for one reason or another – back in the day, it was because I couldn’t afford it. More recently, because it was too stuffy; it was too touristy. In truth, I just hadn’t fancied it enough. But this week, I thought “Hey, I am a tourist; I’m staying just round the corner and it is the season for game”. So, I booked and have to say I enjoyed my dinner. They cater for the single diner quite well, in my view – a small table only big enough for one. So, no removing of cutlery from the other side making you look like Billy No-Mates. Or worse, leaving it there, making it look like you’ve been stood up. And I was offered a choice of newspaper when I say down. Potted Wiltshire rabbit was a pleasant enough starters if, perhaps, a tad subtle in flavour. It was perked up by a spoonful of pickled vegetables – although a bit more acidity would have worked. The star item on the plate was an apple chutney. Chutney is one of the few preserves I make at home and I know a good one when I taste it. And this was. Thick, sweet, sharp – a perfect chutney. Loin of roe deer was the main. A deeply, deeply, flavoured piece of Bambi. Cooked to medium rare it was exactly as venison should be. It came with roasted chicory which added bitterness, heightened by a slight caramelisation (or burning if you prefer) but then softened and sweetened by Victoria plums. A perfect accompaniment. A side order of mash mopped up the remnants of the gravy. A raspberry trifle was everything you want from a trifle. Of course, it wasn’t as good a trifle as my Mum used to make. But then Mum would have been horrified to a see trifle that wasn’t made from tinned peaches. You go to Rules to eat classic British dishes and I find it hard to fault them. The bill, including a bottle of water and service, came to £56.

Had lunch at Tayyabs yesterday. It was packed and I had to wait 10 minutes for a table. I was about to have an excellent lunch. I nibbled on the small plate of salad that appeared almost as soon as I sat down. Chicken tikka came heavy with spicing, but not overdone. It was a good and zingy starter. Sag Gosht brought a plentiful bowl of lamb. The small amount of sauce was little more than the cooked spinach seasoned and moistened a little further. This was good. Very good. Pilau rice was nothing to write home about but it was properly cooked with a few peas added and was flecked with something or other that I couldn’t determine. A roti came just as I like them – soft in places, crisp in others and with just a bit of charring here and there. A veritable feast for £12. I just wanted to find a park bench to lie down on for a couple of hours, but there was an afternoon’s touristing to be done.

Nouvelle cuisine is what I dismally remember from restaurants. And it's only fairly recently that one place near home has finally stopped dome lifting and announcing "dinner is served". Tossers! St Delia had only just published her "Complete Cookery Course" (1978) - and I still make the country pate. Keith Floyd was never off the box - so it didnt really matter what you cooked so as you got pissed while cooking. I have a sense that it will have the 80s when home cooking of Indian & other asian cuisines started to take off. And it was definately the decade when I found a love for the food of the middle east.

Out here - in the back of the beyond of the apparent civilised world - the national critics are a nice read but little more. I am unlikely to visit even a tiny proportion of the, mainly, London restaurants reviewed. So, I tend to rely on word of mouth in my own area (or taking a punt at somewhere on the off-chance) and assorted guides and/or websites when travelling. Discussion boards and blogs tend to be more helpful as one can form a good impression about the writer(s) - as "ordinary" punters, do they like to eat in the sort of places that I like to eat, etc. Currently we are working our way through places listed in the GFG within a hour's drive of home (plus others, as indicated earlier, that crop up that take our fancy). We're finding that we are often harsher critics than the GFG inspector and have been very un-wowed at a few places (including one cooking 4). The quest continues.

A goodly while since I was last in the Arden as well. IIRC, the food offerings were nothing special. Just looked at their website to see that they are now mainly focussed on sandwiches with the odd "special" of real food. However, on a Stockport-ish theme, we were at Seven Spices in Cheadle Hulme the other night. A newish Indian (in the premises of a previously mediocre Italian) which got a mention in last Saturday's Guardian's "A little place I know" section. Wasnt bad at all - a "proper menu" sort of Indian not the usual Bangla curry house menu. Worth a stop if in the area but not worth too much of a drive.

I've slept in her bed. Or, at least, the same bed she slept in when at Holbeck Ghyll. An exceptionally expensive and wonderfully civilised anniversary treat Mrs H & I gave ourselves. Two dinners there were none too shabby but the highlight was being in the hot-tub whilst it was pissing down and no-one but the sheep watching us.

Agree with adey on this. Which means the list can't be all wrong - in spite of a couple of rather odd north west inclusions at 82 & 93. Not bad places - but in the country's top 100??

I've always enjoyed the Windsor during several trips to the city. In spite of its English sounding name, its very much in the "modern Catalan" style. A bit formal, perhaps, and certainly not cheap (although I reckon good value). We like it there. Not been in the last 12 months so can't comment on current menus, etc. John

Thanks for the link, Bertie. Not least for the mention that Fat Loaf is opening a branch in Didsbury - I could almost walk it. By co-incidence, Mrs H was at their Sale branch last night, dining with colleagues. She thought it reasonably OK - starter of black pud/beetroot/crispy bacon; lamb burger main and then shared a very large cheese selection (5 Brit, 5 French - good sized wodge of each).

Yes - in much the same way as The Drifters PLC (or whatever it's actually called) trots out the "original music" in multiple locations worldwide. My last Juniper meal was in their final month and I was sadly disappointed - not a patch on previous visits. For me, I'm just pleased to see the possibility of somewhere decent opening/reopening 10 minutes from home.

Just back from a fortnight in the Pollensa area. Managed to find some above average dishes in amongst the usual tourist array (and quite a few below average experiences in spite of research on a local discussion board). The goodies tended to be well-worked versions of the local classics - suckling pig, tumbet, roast lamb & kid, and the like. However, one "stand out" was the Restaurante Jardin at Port d'Alcudia. Macarena de Castro is, I understand, one of the upcoming young Balearic chefs. Place was all but empty, apart from a couple of other north europeans, when we arrived at 8.30. An hour later, it was packed with locals. There’s an interesting carta but we opted for the “surprise” tasting menu at €55 (there’s a more extensive €80 one). With the aperitifs, came an amuse of an aubergine “crouton” – deep fried and crispy as bread might be, covered with a meat and tomato paste. A selection of bread also arrived – olive, ciabatta and baguette. Also arriving was olive oil for dipping and four salts – sea salt and three flavoured ones (hibiscus flower, curry and an indistinct something else). Good idea – dipping was fun. Bread was offered throughout the meal – something we like. So, to the meal proper. First up, a cauliflower cream – similarish to a thick cold soup. Good flavour of cauli and topped with just softened veggies, which added crunch, and ham, which brought saltiness. -next, a coca of foie. A very thin crisp biscuit base, slightly sweet, covered in mushroom pate. On top, two chunks of just cooked liver – rich and meltingly soft. - a tartare of tuna. The raw fish chopped very small (almost minced) and mixed with softened onion. Luxuriously soft, fresh tasting and, erm, slippery on the tongue. A few dabs of red pepper cream were both savoury and sweet as only a fully ripe pepper can be. A few croutons provided texture and crunch. - a large piece of hake, off the bone. Texture just about spot on with no hint of overcooking. Topped with pine nuts, prawns, peppers, kale (or cabbage) and ham. This all worked well, each complementing the others. Finished with a drizzle of port dressing round the plate which was a little too sweet and jarred against, rather than worked with, the savoury tastes. - beef sirloin served medium rare, with two slices of very potato-ey spud. The beef was not of the finest flavour and this was the least successful thing we ate. - a dessert described only as “chocolate” brought a slice of chocolate fudge cake, superb chocolate ice cream and a thin shard of an intensely flavoured choccie biscuit. Separately, a shot glass of chilled white chocolate milk. This was good. Really good. And we're not normally dessert people. Coffee and petit fours was a small extra cost. The coffee good. The petit fours not so good. Final bill was an extremely reasonable €140. John

Right on the plot. http://www.manserghhall.co.uk/ I've been buying most of my meat from Mansergh for a few years now. Organic, well-hung and well butchered (a problem with some internet suppliers, IMO). A pleasure to deal with this family firm. I think that, for Cumbrian customers, they also do veg.

Oh yes, indeed.

You'll find it a reasonably worthwhile addition, bearing in mind that it is a chain. I'd eaten at a couple of branches "down south" and was quite pleased to see one open in the Manchester area. It's at our local shopping mall so there is now somewhere there that's decent for lunch - or a pre-cinema dinner "on the plot".

I think I may have come across filming for the new series earlier in the year in Brentford. An Italian restaurant had been taken over and new, obviously temporary, signs erected advertising it as "True Provenance - British Eatery". BBC "minders" were turning away genuine punters (like me) but were not disclosing what show they were filming for. Assuming it is part of the series, then it just went to confirm my suspicions of the first series that it was all show-biz and there was no actual attempt to trade as a restaurant. Place is tucked away in a bit of backwater with no passing trade and you'd have to know it was there. The two "genuine" places resort to "sandwich boards" on the High Street. Yet this place had none, or flyers in local hotels, nor even a menu up outside. John "The Old Cynic" Harters

There were 2 series in the UK - although they seem to have run more or less back-to back. Finished many months back and now crop up endlessly on the repeat channel (along with assorted Ramsey programmes)

Made even more bizarre when the thinly sliced courgette strips on the next contestants plate didn't merit any mention. But am enjoying Michel Roux's comments.