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Lunch at The Ledbury. So after a rather busy Thursday, a few hours kip and a mooch about Borough market we set off for Notting Hill. I have only eaten twice at The Ledbury, both times at lunch. It is probably my favourite place to eat. I like the food. The service is relaxed, professional, but pitched above all on enjoyment. This time we chose to mix the daily lunch menu with the alc. We ate Potato crisp, powdered vinegar and taramasalata type thing Good breads, I have had better but nice none the less Celeriac in ash, wood sorrel, hazelnuts and kromeski of wild boar "Risotto” of squid, pine nuts, sherry and cauliflower Hereford snails, mouseline of herbs, pickled carrots, cepe marmalade and oxtail juices (one order, plated seperatly, to share) Breaded lemon sole, creamed potato, broccoli and brown shrimps Best end and shoulder of lamb, aubergine glazed with black sugar and garlic We shared a generous cheese plate with fruit bread, grapes and crackers then a fine creme caramel with apricots and jasmine We shared most plates I think this is one of the most enjoyable and affordable places to eat in the UK. Obviously you can eat for much less, or more, should you choose, but for me this represents very good value. The food is top quality and prices more than fair given the quality of craft and quantity of food. The most expensive main was £26. The wine list is also reasonable. We will be getting the tasting menu with wine next time. After lunch we spent a couple of happy hours watching the world go by outside Negozio Classica on Portobello Road. It seems a nice place, helpful staff and a good location. They have some very nice Italian wines at shelf prices plus £8.50 corkage and one of those wine dispensing devices that means they can serve fine wines by the glass. Not a bad afternoon all things considered.

Dinner in Bar Boloud. After the relaxing lunch at Gauthier, we decided that a tasty burger was the best plan for dinner. The idea was to go easy – maybe a burger and a beer, perhaps some ice cream. Things like this seldom go to plan. We ate Small aioli. Featuring olive oil poached cod, mussels, clams and assorted good vegetables with tasty, spicy aioli. It was a little less thick than I expected but tasted fine. Small tasting of charcuterie. About half a dozen lumps of very fine pates, terrines and meats. This type of thing suits me perfectly. I could have eaten the large platter alone, then had more. It was good. Piggy Burger & fries Yankee burger (with cheese) & fries The Yankee wins. Both were good though. The fries were too salty, but so hard not to eat. We also won a free course of boudin blanc with truffle with deliciously smooth buttery mash and some very tasty gravy. This came because we had waited 17 minutes for our burgers. A kind but unnecessary touch. It was very nice, the boudin, much lighter than you may imagine. The spuds were ace. Ate too much. Drinks were a nice, if expensive, cocktail with white cranberry. I had a couple of brew dogs IPAs. Seriously good beer. Service was good, if swift. I got a beer refill without asking, but the free boudin blanc was compensation enough. Very much the in place. If it had been three times the size I think it would have been as busy and it was packed.

Had a long lunch in Gauthier on Thursday. Toptable offered two for one on tasting menus so it was an easy choice. We ate Foie gras with poached apricot and reduced port Scallops with garlic and parsley puree Summer truffle risotto Wild sea trout with beetroot, sorrel jus and light ginger Crispy and soft piglet, thin leeks,cherry reduction and pig jus Cheese Cherry and chocolate with red wine jelly, champagne grainte, cherry jam Praline and dark chocolate Louis XV Coffee and petit fours First visit to Lindsay house. I am not sure it is the most practical building for an ambitious, elegant restaurant. As you may know, you have to ring the doorbell and wait, not too long, to be greeted. We were offered our table on the first floor. It was a terrible table, on wonky ground, in the farthest corner of a smallish room. I was not comfortable or happy. We asked to move and with very little fuss got shifted to a far nicer table next to the fireplace. Suddenly the gloom I was bathing in lifted, replaced by natural light and a far happier disposition. Much better. Lunch was quite busy. Service was good. Interestingly, water is provided without charge, with no attempt to flog you bottled stuff first. They also provided gratis (posh) water at Aiden Byrne. The food is elegant and mostly nicely cooked. I enjoyed most things. Particularly good was the foie with tangy sweet sour apricot and the scallops. Less so the sea trout that was very lightly cooked, bordering raw. I ate it non the less. It was ok but not as good as the best courses. The risotto was rich, chock full of parmesan and piled high with truffle and a slick of reduced chicken jus. It would be even better with a little less cheese and the fuller hit of winter truffle. It was good, although I would like to eat it later in the year if I could afford to. The pig was tasty too. The plating was classic, bordering simple. Garnishes were very good vegetables. The pork came with half a purple carrot and some tasty, tiny leeks. Sea trout had a half beetroot, earthy and warm. The cheese was really good. Munster, Comte, epoisses, a light goat cheese and a corsican rosemary bound ewes milk came with dried apricots, sultanas and crackers. Good coffee, double espresso and petit fours including a very good lemon meringue pie macaroon ended things nicley. It took a few hours but we were in no hurry. The only downside was having to listen to the endless high volume gibberings of the most important person ever to have eaten anything, ever, anywhere. The racket became more noticable as time passed and other diners presumably gave in and made a run for it. A mute button would have been good. It was time to leave. Had a brief chat with the chef Alexis Gauthier on our way out. Seems like a nice bloke. It was a good lunch and the discount made it really excellent value. I would not have felt cheated had the discount not applied. Well worth giving a go. A bit of a walk, a wine flight in Fortnum and Masons wine bar and we were good for dinner in Bar Boloud.

Has anyone got any thoughts on Berlin at the moment. I am going for a short trip soon and have plans for leisurely lunches at Vau and First floor. Are these options good or are there better chioces? I have considered Fischers Fritz but it looks quite formal, I was hoping to pack light. How smart will I need to dress if I was to try a lunch here too? Any up to date information welcome. Thanks!

Dinner at Aiden Byrne at the Hillbark Hotel. It’s quite grand, the Hillbark. If you have a look at the website you will see what I mean. We started off with a glass of Champagne and a trio of canapés in the hall. Canapés were a foie and pineapple sandwich. A little too much pineapple perhaps, so I separated the parts and ate the foie and pineapple parts separately, it was nice enough but I enjoyed it more once separated. The second; a small kilner jar of very good foamy potato and truffle soup. The third was a roll of smoked salmon served in a smoke filled tureen. Everything tasted good and the smoke added a little fun. We opted to take the six course tasting menu with wine. This was not on the menus we were offered. I don’t know if this is something that will be a long term feature or if it will be available only for the opening few weeks, it was offered when we booked though. We had no idea what we would be getting to eat or drink. So the food. Three breads, bacon brioche, granary and black olive, came with a little too little butter and a pile of salt. They were ok but would have been nicer hotter. First course – A single large scallop served with endive and some orange sherbet. The scallop was served whole. I really don’t like scallops sliced in two. It doesn’t become two scallops; it just becomes one spoilt scallop cut into bits. Anyway, this was good. The sherbet was a quirky addition but enjoyable. Next came seared foie with parmesan sabayon and a little onion. Another lidded dish, this time with a nice slice of molten foie sitting in a deep rich pool of sabayon. The consistency and flavour of the sabayon was amazing. It was rich, but also very good. Third course was sea bass with confit cherry tomatoes, quenelles of tomato and tapenade with some tiny basil leaves. The tapenade was quite a dominant flavour but offered a contrast to the tomatoes which were super sweet. The fish was nicely cooked, crisp skinned and moist. Course four was Lamb. This came with a long cooked then seared slice of breast and a couple of slices of fillet. This was garnished with aubergine caviar, cep cream and a sticky lamb reduction. It also featured ceps made into a sort of jellied disc resembling foie gras. It was intensely mushroomy, and did have more than a passing resemblance to a slice of foie. Quite clever, although I suspect some people would prefer natural mushrooms. For the most part I enjoyed it, the sauce could have been a little less reduced but I only left a little aubergine and some of the fatty part of the lamb breast. First dessert was honeycomb parfait with sour cherries, some dried fruit and a little ice cream. I can’t remember the flavour of the ice cream. It was ok but I don’t much like dried fruit. Not my favourite plate. Dessert number two was banana with chocolate ganache. It was ok, better than the first pud. I liked the chocolate much more than the banana. It also featured freeze dried banana and some popcorn. The savoury courses were very good, the desserts less so, partly due to personal taste and partly because the savoury courses were very good. There was no cheese trolley. I didn’t notice any cheese at all so that is an obvious area for improvement. Service was mainly good. There was initially a little confusion over the wine pairing, but once resolved the service was friendly and the wine was good. The dining room was encouragingly busy, with a couple of tables turned. The music was quite interesting, not intrusive, but including some refreshingly different choices. There is real potential here. The food is good and I think will improve. The setting is grand. There was more than a hint of luxury to the raw materials. If the prices remain accessible then this really will be a good place to eat. The pot roasted pork dish served in its cooking pot fills the room with aromatic wood smoke and looks like quite an interesting choice if you don’t fancy the Anjou squab or the Bresse chicken. There is room for improvement but for very early days I was impressed and I am looking forward to going back. Martin

Had a very good dinner tonight. All food very good with a nice wine pairing. Foie with parmesan sabayon was particularly good, as was a huge single scallop with orange sherbert. Will add more soon... Martin

Saw an article in the local free paper today about Aiden Byrne taking over the resaturant at the Hilbark Hotel. It's not far from home so I decided to pop in to see what was going on. Picked up some sample menus. Prices range from under £20 for two course lunch to £150 for nine course tasting with wine. Looking at the alc three courses should be about £55 give or take. There is also a five course meunu available before eight at £60 with wine, less with no booze. There is also 10% off during August. The restaurant will be open Monday - Friday, weekends back the the church green. http://www.caterersearch.com/Articles/2010/06/07/333726/Aiden-Byrne-to-open-new-restaurant-at-the-Wirral39s-Hillbark.htm I will give it a go sometime next week perhaps. Martin

I had lunch here last Saturday. There is now a lunch menu - two choices per course plus amuse for about £18. We ate Cheshire beef & horseradish roulade with some sliced beetroot and a reduction of port. White or brown bread was served with salted butter or nut brown butter. For Starters we both chose the black pudding Scotch egg, as pictured above. Nice runny egg, piping hot black pud and a crispy coating. We took one main from the lunch menu - slow cooked pork leg with crackling carrot puree and some other bits I can’t quite recall. The lunch dish had a similar sounding version on the alc but garnished slightly differently so I can’t recall what was what! It was good though. Very tender and flavoursome with really great crackling. As lunch progressed different parts of pig were used for other tables. I chose the alc Dressed Cornish crab with samphire and cucumber jelly starter for my main. I paid a reasonable supplement for a larger portion. It was good. It came with some sphered crab bisque, lightly jellied cucumber and the only enjoyable samphire I remember eating. I didn’t fancy dessert so we shared cheese from the set lunch. Six cheeses with some quince paste, tomato confit and some pear chutney were served up with bread and oatcakes. Presentation was neat and tidy and the flavours were good too. Service was good, helpful and friendly. There were about a dozen people in for lunch. It was decent value and I would go back.

Recently back from a week in Frascatti. Took in a couple of lunches in Rome, firstly at Ditirambo - near Campo de Fiori. The main reason I ended up here was that I recognised the name from past trips and it had started raining heavily. We ate Seafood tasting plate and antipasti de casa. Both were ok. The langoustine was a bit overdone and fluffy textured, but the rest of the items (scallops, razor clams and octopus) were ok. The other antipasti featured some quite nice mozzarella and ricotta, some ham and fried zucchini flowers and finally rustic pie. All tasted fine, although the pie was hot with cold spots almost like it had been microwaved. Next came tagliolini with baby squid and clams. Simply prepared and described as "ok, just ok". I liked the sound of tortelli of guinea fowl with truffle but they had sold out, so I chose, without adequate consideration, roast beef with potatoes and beans. This was a poor choice. It was fridge cold. The beef the beans and the potatoes, all icy cold. Didn't bother with dessert or coffee. Not the best. Much better was lunch in La Rosetta. We ate the E50 lunch menu comprising of five courses and as much bread as you can eat. The bread was much finer textured than the usual rustic slices offered and came with butter, perhaps beacuse we were english, but a little butter was a nice touch. Firstly we had three very delicious oysters. Next, a plate of three parts - tuna with strawberry vinegar and thyme - grilled octopus salmorglio sauce and potatoes - fried calamari with zucchini strings. Pasta was rigatoni with grouper, tomato and salted ricotta. This was really good. Next came John Dory "acqua pazza" style with potatoes. I love john dory so I was very happy. Dessert was panna cotta with wild berries. A couple of coffees a bottle of prosecco and some water made for a very satisfying couple of hours. It was all very delicious. Martin

Abode Chester Another Abode and another Michael Caines @ Abode restaurant. This particular branch is situated on the fifth floor of the newish hotel, overlooking the race course and river, then off towards Cheshire and Wales. There is a bar with a narrow terrace, the dining room and a private dining room too. There is also a bar / food place on the ground floor but the fifth floor is the place to be. On a nice day it is a very nice place. As it was a nice day we got there a bit early for an al fresco drink. Cocktails, mocktails and beer. It all went down well. The sun shone, the waiter joined up a couple of tables and enough chairs and gave us our menus and half an hour passed happily. The food. As at the Manchester branch “Amazing Graze” lunch is offered. At the moment this costs £9.95 for three courses and £18.95 with the addition of a glass of wine per course. We decided to make the most of the good value on offer and each took six courses with one wine pairing. A six course tasting menu with wine under for less than £29 quid. This caused a little confusion sorting out what we all wanted and what wine we would like, but the lady taking our order was patient and everything was fixed with minimal fuss. So we ate Hot fresh bread, baguette, olive and tomato and a roll possibly with onion seeds. Quite good bread, not quite up to the standard of the bread at Simon Radley, but good enough. The bread also comes in a basket rather than served up bit by bit, eliminating the moments awkwardness when you want to say I’ll have one of everything but usually take one piece and hope they come back with more! A good idea. Slow poached salmon confit, pea puree, white asparagus, wild mushrooms and morel veloute. This was a very good looking plate. Everything was cooked and seasoned nicely, the food was hot, but most of all the flavours were excellent. The wine was a French voignier. Duo of duck, confit of leg and liver, pickled vegetable and spiced orange sauce. This was essentially a terrine, two good sized cubes of the leg and two of the liver. Pickled tiny veg gave a nice tangy contrast and the spots of sauce looked nice on the plate without adding massively to the overall dish. A little crispy skin was a bit fatty but added to the ducky flavour and gave a little crunch. This also came with a slice of toast which I ate because it was there rather than it being necessary. The portions were not bad sizes. Just to add to the confusion there was also one portion of Wild mushroom soup with toasted almonds and herb foam ordered. This was also well done, light and frothy but packing plenty of flavour. I didn’t try this but it was polished off in no time, even with a tiny teaspoon as the chosen tool for the job. Mains: First up was salted haddock with cock crab, chorizo, samphire and tarragon and lemon puree. Another good looking plate and pleasing quantities of food. The chorizo was quite a spicy offering on its own, but the other elements kept a decent balance. I don’t really see the point in samphire personally, but again the empty plates were the evidence. Not bad at all. Macclesfield beef sirloin shallot and horseradish, asparagus, morels and Madera sauce came next. The beef was a little over done for pink, but it was a tasty piece of cow none the less. It came as four or five beefy slices on a little spinach with the other items artfully posed on the plate. The sauce was good too. This came with a glass of malbec and it was a good choice. Desserts Chocolate pot de crème, coffee jelly, vanilla foam and a warm doughnut. This came with a really decent sized glass of Banyuls. The pot looked like a macchiato and tasted good. The doughnut was grease free and had enough vanilla sugar dusted over it to make a pint of custard. I finished on the rhubarb plate. This had a shot of rhubarb and custard with lemongrass foam, a sorbet that tasted more of beetroot than rhubarb, but was nice enough and a lozenge of beetroot jelly topped with a lightly poached rhubarb stem. It disappered pretty quicky. The two portions of Banana parfait with lime and banana sorbet also met a similar fate. We didn’t have coffee, we were full. This was a good meal. We arrived at 12.30 and left a little after three. I would say in comparison to my one visit to Manchester this is better. The dishes were complex for the cost and heavy on quite expensive ingredients. Looking at the website the chef, Stuart Collins, worked at Gidliegh park, GR – RHR and two years head chef at Maze New York. I don’t know if chef was in the kitchen but there was some very good cooking coming out. On this showing a 5-6/10 in gfg terms would not be unreasonable and not a million miles away from becoming Chester’s second Michelin *. Service was good. There was no confusion over who was eating what and no problem with ordering different items. The restaurant was not full but it was busy enough to keep the staff occupied and create a bit of atmosphere. In terms of value for money it was outstanding. The only downside, and this is down to personal taste, but the lounge jazz funk smooth music did irritate me after a while. Mix it up a bit, it need not be the Wu Tang Clan or Burzum (although it would have been fun) a little variety would be nice, please. For £10.00 you can’t go wrong. A few beers in the excellent spitting feathers brewery tap in the afternoon and a good day out was had. I also came across Richard Phillips at Oddfellows, he of the TV and Thakerays and Chaple Down or wherever he cooks. No idea what his level of involvement is but it may be another place worth a try. Martin.

Lunched in the Manchester branch today. It was magnificent. I have been looking at this thread for ages (some of the earliest post are hilarious) but today was the first time I had managed to get over to Manchester. After an earlyish start, no breakfast, and then the joys of the Trafford centre, I was ready for a feed. I nearly always choose Indian or Thai over Chinese as I don’t like the standard Anglo Chinese slop most places dish up - usually featuring a shocking sweet red sauce with sad meat topped with mounds of onions no matter what you order. This was different. The individual dishes both looked and tasted different, moreover they tasted good. We ordered Beijing dumplings Poached salty duck Hot spicy beef Spicy hot poached lamb Sichuan Mrs Spotty’s beancurd with minced beef And some fried rice There was so much food - too much in truth. The lamb was huge – easily enough to feed two with nothing else but a little rice. When I saw the waitress approaching with a vast cauldron I didnt imagine it was for me! I still have a heap of the lamb and some beef in the fridge for when I get peckish later on. With a beer, a glass of juice and all the grub it came to about £36 for two. Bargain. Can’t wait to go back. Martin

Lunch at The Square. After Thursdays lunch at The Ledbury I was really looking forward to lunch The Square on Friday. I have wanted to eat here for quite some time. I usually consider Phil Howard night when Northcote do their January food festival but one thing or another gets in the way and I don’t go. We ate amuses of watercress bavoir with scrambled egg and Jersey royal foam. A tasty little pot of good stuff. Starters Ravioli of Bresse pigeon with sweetcorn and morels. Lasagne of Dorset crab with cappuccino of shellfish and Champagne foam. I chose the lasagne. It was quite rich. The pasta was very good and there was plenty of crab. The seasoning was a touch heavy on the salt for me but all in all it is quite a nice plateful. I took this course from the full menu and it came with a £15 supplement. The ravioli was possibly nicer than the lasagne. Again excellent pasta and a lot of tender pigeon both minced and chunks. The corn garnish (chosen presumably to reflect the food the bird ate?) added a little colour and moisture to the dish and a contrast to the earthy morels. The only problem with this dish was the absence of the earthy morels, which were substituted for another fungus. A bit odd, but not the end of the world. Mains were both from the set menu and we chose Fillet of cod with olive oil creamed potato new season artichokes and herbs. Roast rump of veal with truffle spatzle white asparagus and parmesan. The cod was the better of the two mains. More elegant and fresh in style and taste. The cod was of the variety that you struggle to get in the shops, in as much as it was as thick as your wrist. No bad thing. It was cooked to a crisp golden crust and just set through. Really good. My rump of veal was not as impressive. The plating was a bit clumsy with the plentiful spatzle at the base of a bowl with the sliced veal sitting on top of a couple of spears of asparagus. It was a bit soupy. The individual components were mostly good. I think if the dish had been plated differently so that the elements were separated then I would have enjoyed it more. The spatzle was good at first but didn’t have a massive truffle flavour and even became a bit dull due to the quantity. I suppose I would say that after trying a few different servings of spatzle that I don’t really like the stuff. On the upside the meat and asparagus were good. Desserts were Chocolate pave with grapefruit and vanilla and a plate of new season Alfonso mango with gingerbread lime and pannacotta. The chocolate was excellent. It was a quivering slice of rich goo topped with more super glossy chocolate and a base of something along the lines of crushed ginger snaps but not. The grapefruit came as sorbet and balanced things out nicely. The mango was by far the dish of the day. The dish comprised of a carpaccio topped with a couple of balls of sorbet, a scattering of diced gingerbread and quenelles of lime mousse and pannnacotta. The sorbet was brilliantly smooth and seemed to taste even more mangoey than the slices. I did ask a waiter how it had been made but he didn’t know. My guess would be liquid nitrogen but I dont really care how it was made - it tasted remarkable. We demolished the chocolate plate first and saved this to end; it was a very high note to end on. It was among the best desserts I have eaten, really fresh and vibrant flavours and also very refreshing. Service was good, in a very professional way. The restaurant was half empty / full depending on your perspective, a couple of biggish tables of sharp suited men and a sprinkling of couples lunching. I suppose there is no shortage of competition in the area. Everything considered, it was a bit of a mixed bag, but with more ups than down by a long way. On reflection I would have to say The Ledbury was more to my taste. The style of the food and service was spot on and the price was better value for money, in my opinion. The Square was by no means bad but didnt quite hit the very high notes I was hoping for. It seems to me that sometimes when my expectations are very high it is easier to find fault. Martin.

Had lunch at the Ledbury on Thursday. We ate an amuse of beetroot and foie gras macaroons. The breads were warm bacon and onion brioche and sourdough. The breads were pretty good but the macaroon was delicious. Starters of flame grilled mackerel with cucumber, Celtic mustard and shiso and a pair of soft boiled bantam eggs with white asparagus, morels and parmesan. I only tried a little of the mackerel but it was really good, the flame charred skin adding real flavour boost to the plump, moist fish. My eggs, asparagus and morels were excellent. The eggs were perfectly cooked, the rich, runny yolk acting as the perfect sauce to the fresh mushrooms and asparagus. The portion was generous and the prime ingredients were cooked perfectly. Both dishes were seriously good. Main courses were hay baked sika deer with carrots, dauphine potatoes and sauerkraut and John Dory poached in brown butter with a gooey blood orange sauce and crab and asparagus on toast. The dory was a large fillet and had plenty of crab. The asparagus this time green. The sweet sour blood orange sauce was good and balanced the dish nicely. The deer was also plentiful and very tasty. The potatoes were also really good, very light and crisp (much better than a similar serving of spuds in the Yorke arms, which I enjoyed at the time). I was again impressed with the portion sizes and the cooking and presentation was spot on. It was fortunate that most of the items on the lunch menu are among my favourite things to eat. We went onto the full menu for desserts. We chose passionfruit soufflé with sauternes ice cream and the date and vanilla tart with cardamom and Clementine ice cream. Then soufflé was about as perfect as it could be. The tart was also good. The pastry was particularly crisp; I don’t recall eating better pastry anywhere. The tart filling was quite rich and just set. It reminded me of Marcus Wearing’s custard tart at old Petrus. We were also given a complimentary plate of rhubarb raviolo with buttermilk and hibiscus. This was the most innovative of the desserts. The gel like transparent “pasta” encasing super sharp rhubarb with buttermilk ice cream and sweetish hibiscus sauce added at the table. Service was genuinely impressive. There was a really happy blend of relaxed professionalism and friendliness seldom offered anywhere let alone in restaurants with stars. As you can probably guess, I was impressed. From start to end The Ledbury was excellent. It is also a bargain. I was planning on going to Latium for dinner but there was no hope of shoehorning any more grub in so I cancelled. It was a shame as I was looking forward to getting some really good Italian food. We did however go to the wine bar in the basement of Fortnum & Masons and had a very decent wine flight. Definitely worth a look and good value too. Martin

I am loking for somewhere for dinner after lunch in the Ledbury on Thursday. At the moment I am considering: Artisan / Pattersons / L'Etranger because they are offering good discounts! Can anyone recommend any of these choices or should I go for somewhere more laid back, Terriors for example. Any advice welcome. Martin

The biggest problem with this show is that it is almost imposible to watch with the sound on. I cant take Jennie Bonds voice over and it was even worse when she was in the kitchen! There must be someone less iritating, or a better script writer. It makes me want to vomit.

http://www.caterersearch.com/Articles/2010/03/31/332888/jason-atherton-to-leave-gordon-ramsay-holdings.htm I was quite keen on giving maze a go at some point....

Just to explain my view on the Guggenheim. The Guggenheim dining room is in two parts (three if you count the coffee bar). My plan was to have lunch in the cheaper bistro part to get a feel for the place and then reserve for the full works in the gastronomic restaurant as we left. The food was really poor. The salad was old, brown and in places mushy. The mains were edible, but miserable. There was very little craft in any of the dishes served. The staff spoke good english until they realised things were not going well. Worst of all, no one cared that we hardly ate any food. If you are just after a feed on your way around the gallery then give it a try but there are, in my view, countless better options. I also have read many positive reports about the food so I was quite suprised how bad it was. Perhaps there was a good reason. It may also be that the gastronomic restaurant is great. I went to Zortziko instead.

I was in Bilbao for a week in August. There were few places where good food wasn't standard. A notable exception being the Guggenheim bistro which was terrible and twice the price of most lunch menus available everywhere else. The area around Jardines de Albia had a few good places to eat. You pass the garden on the way to Zortziko (good but much more classic than avantgarde - and the wine list is very good value too). I particularly enjoyed Bitoque de Albia. This place had a wide range of more technically interesting plates when compared to some of the more traditional places. Among my favourites was a low temperature egg and potato dish. Foie a la plancha was remarkably good and the slightly expensive patatas bravas were good too. This place also served some interesting wine by the glass and although more expensive it was certainly good. If I was going back it would be one of the places I would head for first. I also enjoyed Cafe Iruna (at the oppostie end of this block)- in the evening they have excellent spicy pork brochettes hot off the BBQ. This place is in most guide books and is worth a look. The Garden opposite also has free Wi-Fi if you have a device (as do quite a few of the public squares). In the old town the Berton places, of which there are a few, are reliable for a beer and if I remember correctly the ham was very fine. I also had some decent hot items; the Morcilla was good as was a langoustine and octopus dish. Gatz and the place next door were also fine if usually frantic. There are so many places in the old town, most have something worth eating but some places just dont look like you should. I tended to go for suff as soon as it appeared, hot and fresh from the kitchen. Follow the crowds and your nose and you will be fine. I found the Barria Plaza was nice for an occasional drink but the prices were a little higher due to the location. Victor Montes was ok; I preferred Zuga tucked away in the corner. I also had many good things to eat and drink on and around Calle Licenciado Poza. This road runs parallel to Gran Via Don Diego Lopez De Haro and is awash with good bars and restaurants. I had some good seafood downstairs at Cafe Serantes. Upstairs is a formal sit down restaurant serving fine seafood at an equally fine price. Bar Sentos (I think) was a short walk down the street and was also nearly always busy and offered a huge selection of pinxtos. Further still, almost as far as the stadium is the excellent El Viejo Zorti. This is the more casual sibling of Zortziko and offers a restaurant with a bar area where you can sit and order small plates of good stuff and drink ace wine. If you venture this way then give the cheese plate a go. Martin

http://www.caterersearch.com/Articles/2010/03/18/332641/John-Footman-to-succeed-Ryan-Simpson-as-head-chef-at-the-Goose.htm The Goose moves on with a seemingly ambitious appointment.

Went for dinner at Simon Radley on Tuesday of this week. They are running an offer at the moment so £45 gets you three courses from the seasonal menu, which appears to be an abridged version of the alc. First off I was driving, not normally something I would do when I am eating out at night, for some reason it seems so more bearable not drinking a glass or three at lunch! Anyway, by the time I had made a dogs breakfast of the one way at least twice, we arrived smack bang outside the front doors of the Chester Grosvenor, early for our reservation but later than planned and a little frazzled. Because we were a little late (and by no means certain we would ever actually arrive) we rang ahead to get an idea of where best to park, just drive up and our valet parking service will look after you was the excellent reply. Whoever decided to offer valet parking deserves a medal. The Grosvenor is quite grand. The ground floor is made up of the brassiere, the Arlke bar and the Simon Radley Restaurant. We were offered drinks in the bar but opted to get on with things and go to our table. The dining room is in keeping with the style of the rest of the hotel and is quite plush. Tables are large with big comfortable chairs, if quite close together. All the usual kit you would expect at a place of this style was present, polished and correct. To eat we had an amuse of carrot puree with oxtail jelly, horseradish and a slightly pointless carrot crisp thing. Beside the chewy crisp it was good. A huge chariot of about fifteen breads was trundled over. Too much choice if anything. We took two slices each. All were good, I particularly enjoyed the bacon and spinach though. To follow we had Paella with rabbit ballotine, wilted lettuce and Serrano ham. This was a really good dish. I only tasted a little but the paella was strongly paella flavoured and well seasoned with plenty of saffron coming through. The rabbit was wrapped in the lettuce and the fine ham at the base. The dish was quite a simple idea but done well. My starter was Cheek to Cheek. Old spot cheek with two monkfish cheeks some caramelised cauliflower and a few golden raisins. One cheek came stained form a wine marinade and one golden from the pan. The piggy part was glossy and unctuous. Whats not to like. Mains were Roast Gressingham duck with artichokes, hazelnuts and duck leg macaroni. The duck and nuts were good. An additional unadvertised garnish of truffle was a bonus too. The macaroni would have been better as rigatoni or something less tiny but were very delicate and tasted good. I ate a similar dish in La table Joel Robouchon in Paris last summer (minus the pasta and truffle). Again I only tried a little of this dish but it compared well to Paris. My main was the poached beef fillet with cep essence, a pressing of brisket a miniature quenelle of potato and poivrade sauce. The layered pressed brisket was really good. And the sauces were shiny and well seasoned. This too was good, if a little cool. I suppose the down side to low temperature water baths is low temperature food. Pre desserts of rich vanilla rice pudding with raspberry jelly and popping rice crisps was fine. For dessert we took pear and walnut with Roquefort, milk chocolate jelly and walnut ice cream and "Arabica" which comprised of iced latte, amaretto jelly and chilled mascarpone. Both looked great. I only tried the pear dish and it was good. I picked it because it sounded a bit of an oddball and although I felt not all the flavours a perfect compliment for each other, all that remained was an empty plate. (cheese and chocolate not so good pear and cheese much better). "Arabica" met a similar fate. For drinks we(not me) had a glass of champagne at £12 and a 250mls caraffe of something Bordeaux 1990 from Margaux the sommelier recommended and cost £20. The dunce with the keys had a childs portion. All that remained was coffee and enough petit fours to open a shop. The staff were a mix of UK and European and were all very good. Formal at first but more relaxed as the evening went on. It is a dress up smart formal restaurant though, almost like Le Gavroche in terms of the service and number of staff. It was not full but I was surprised how busy it was for a Tuesday. They are marked rising two star in Michelin 2010 and seem decent value to get there on this showing. It was very good. Martin

Liverpool - Edge Lane towards the city centre from the end of the M62. Not been since years back when the abattoir and the fish markets were on Prescot rd. http://www.liverpool.gov.uk/Leisure_and_culture/Markets/index.asp Martin

There are some interesting discrepancies between the two guides. The AA have Sketch and Tom Aikens on their highest award of five rosettes but Michelin award only one star each. Similarly Adam Simmonds at Danesfield House has four rosettes but no star. Le Gavroche have 2* and I would say one my one visit well worth them but AA award three rosettes. I imagine that there are other examples but these spring to mind immediately. Finally Loving Annie – If you choose Ducasse you can get a 15% total bill discount from toptable / squaremeal.

Lunched at the Yorke Arms today. We ate canapés of excellent parmesan tart and ok salted gaufrettes. An amuse of artichoke mousse with lemon confit was served. It was ok, the lemon really lifting the mousse. Five hot fresh breads were really good. For starters we ate a pressing of rabbit with pancetta and Whitby crab with potage of mussels and salt cod croquettes. The rabbit was came as two slices of terrine with rabbit, pancetta a little carrot and leek and the unexpected bonus of foie. It had a splodge of crab apple jelly and some bread. Very elegant. The Crab dish was also well presented, the bound crab particularly good sitting on a pool of creamy soup of and with mussels. I did think that the potage was a bit on the salty side. Mains were Roast brill with langoustine, artichoke puree, tomato and pommes dauphine. It was also and somewhat surprisingly served with fine beans and asparagus. It was good though. The second main was a very decent lamb dish, featuring herb crusted fillet, mutton pudding and a pink kidney. This had a little buttery mashed potato, some rice and barley and a little sweet potato puree. This was a really good dish. To end we shared the plate of chocolate desserts and cheeses. The chocolate plate was very good and comprised of a fondant, a chocolate caramel tart, parfait and a chocolaty cherry mouse. Cheeses were grubeen, Yorkshire blue, stinking bishop and a mildish goat cheese. All in all it was a good lunch and not bad value for £30 pp. Ok Coffee and decent petit fours added another £3.50 each. Service was good. The restaurant is rather old fashioned but in a good way. The dining room had lots of antique wood and a large real fire. The lounge was comfortable again with a fire blazing. There is even a bar area where you could sit and sink a few pints if you were staying. The restaurant is quite remote and beside a few houses there seemed very little nearby so stopping over or very little booze is the best bet. Martin

Hambleton is another of the places I keep looking at but never get to. I may make the effort in the next few months. The alc is expensive but they do have some better value set menus in the evening and especially for lunch. Another chef who has been dishing up good stuff for a long while is Pierre Chevillard http://pebblebeach-uk.com/

I dont know if I am going back far enough but Hambleton Hall, Fischers Baslow Hall and the Old Vicarage have been knocking out highly regarded food for a longish time with Aaron Patterson, Max Fischer and Tessa Bramley cheffing. In London Anton Mossimann has his private members club. Stephen Bull I think has the Luogh Pool Inn near Ross on Wye. If you fancy a proper day out Richard Neat looks like he has a nice spot in San Jose! Not forgetting John Burton Race.