felixhirsch

who can't be Frechon or Simon? CHristian Bau just told me that he liked Frechon's cooking very much when he went recently. Has anyone had that LALR?

Last year when Frechon was about to get his 3*, Simon published a video review, and judged the lievre a la royale to be the only dish there worthy of 3*. Anyone who is interested in it in London: Antonin Bonnet of the Greenhouse will be serving it in a little while. I'll go and find out about that, as soon as he gives me the signal.

Another meal, another completely different menu, another great, unforgettable experience. Those few words might be a distillation of my second lunch at Louis XV in late September this year. The whole thing was as great as the first meal, I had a few days earlier, with only one slight hick-up ( a duck breast, which might not have been the most tender bird I've come across, but by no means anywhere near tough). In short, if you want the best on the Riviera, and possibly one of the best in Europe go, and go again,... You are most likely to not regret that decision.

Had an interesting meal here in late September. Compared to what I had two years ago, it was disappointing. Compared to other 1*/17p restaurants, it was pretty poor too. Service was rather hectic, outnumbered, bread was cold and dull, as was most of the food (although not cold, at least not when it wasn't supposed to be warm). Furthermore, the list of basic technical errors was rather long, and the whole menu felt a little tired, like something you have seen and eaten a couple of times before (often in better versions). It's a shame, but if things don't change, I guess that I have to write this off my Riviera list of places to visit. The lamb main and the pictures turned out to be very good that evening.

My meal here in late September was a revelation. It wasn't the first time I had the incredible luck to eat here, but it was the first time that I was completely blown-away by what I was eating. The food was incredibly powerful, precise, perfect, regional, hearty, great and memorable. This was far more impressive than most places I have visited, and I would rank it, alongside ADPA, SChloss Berg and Hof van Cleve, among my favourite restaurants in the world. The products themselves would suffice in their raw state, but perfected by the grandiose, simple recipes of Pascal Bardet, they seem even more impressive. I can't really think of a meal that moved me more than this one. That might be one of the reasons for my return, a few days later...

Went here a few weeks ago and must say that I was rather disappointed. It was a meal that was more l'art pour l'art than anything else. The dishes were all beautiful, interesting (in terms of the concepts) but often lacking in taste. There were, luckily enough some good dishes too. A beef dish had memorable potatoes and the desserts were very good too. Still, for a three star, two very poor starters are unacceptable, or at least not the best recipe for getting people to return. Looking back, Food Snob, Chuck's and A life worth eating's reports had the same comment, which I unfortunately have to subscribe to as well.

After a few very positive reports on Hof van CLeve I decided to take my chances and went for lunch there a few weeks ago. It was definitely one of the better meals this year. some dishes were quite outstanding (desserts, raviolo with langoustine) and one really had the worst veal I have eaten lately. strange thing, but I guess it can even happen to best. Luckily enough the rest made up for it and I can only recommend a little trip to Belgium and a visit here, In de Wulf and a few others in the area. This country really is getting quite interesting in terms of food. The beauty of the plates was stunning, but in the veal dish the plating must have taken so long that the meat was lukewarm by the time it reached my table.

This one needs to be watched. The cooking here is amongst the most interesting modern food I have come across in a while, whilst remaining very close to nature and the regional products. The decor is absolutely lovely and one feels like in heaven, when staying there. If he doesn't get a 2nd star this year, I would really be a little startled, as the meal I had here was worth a good 2*. Anyone who is in that area can combine it with a meal at Hof van Cleve, which is only a good 50km or less away. One of my favourite restaurants at the moment.

apparently he wats to "propose a gastronomic restaurant with a different price and concept". THat's what some French articles say. Will be interesting to see.

Seems like quite a while since some one has posted about Piege's cuisine. My meal here a good year ago was terrific. The dishes were great, the products outstanding and the experience memorable. This time, things got worse, or at least hadn't changed in the least. The number of little mistakes was just too big, as was the absence of any progress of the kitchen. Such stagnating chefs are the most sad thing to see (especially if one of them is one of your favourite chefs).

DId you go from London? We took the train from Victoria and it took 1.20h + 10min cab ride. All in all, reasonable for such a meal. You're right, the pricing is just unreal. Looking forward to the details.

Had a truly stellar meal here last week. All in all, it might have been the most enjoyable, relaxed meal I have had in a very long time. At the same time, it was incredibly well executed and featured, what I consider the best products anywhere in the UK (at least as far as I can tell). Truly special place, that is worth any trip. PLus, the price beats anything else and only makes you enjoy it even more. Highlights included a spectacular turbot, pork, lamb belly and crab risotto. Pics of all of these are here, as usual. Anyone with an interest in food is obliged to make his way down here at some point.

Went here for a lunch a few weeks ago. After having been for dinner about a dozen times, I must say, lunch is much more enjoyable. This is so, for a number of reasons: 1) Dim sum menu is great and cheap 2) light is better at lunch 3) less noise from the people and less people 4) service was much more relaxed and more attentive. All in all, it was fantastic for the price and some of the dim sum was of excellent quality. I don't know any better dim sum place in Europe, and think that the 1* is a very good description of the quality of the food here. The room is something that not everyone will like, but I must say, that I enjoy it, especially when one can actually see something. The atmosphere fits the whole concept very well, as one can see here

INteresting to see that no one has reported on, what I consider one of the best restaurants in London, since I went last time. My dinner here last weekend was pretty much perfect, with one slip (a very sweet dessert). Products were very good overall, execution faultless and the cooking gets more and more interesting. I really liked the fact that Howard seems to get more British dishes on the menu. I saw coronation chicken, a version of lamb with mint sauce and Eton Mess (they are all here, with exception of the chicken). If he manages to further increase the amount of such dishes, I think that we could be in for a 3rd star some time (if Ramsay has one, why not here?). The other big advantage of the place is the fantastically cheap wine list. Some of the wines are less than double retail price, which I rarely have come across anywhere else. This is great as it makes you enjoy yourself without necessarily having to sell the house. Overall, this is a very solid restaurant, that never fails to deliver top notch food and has great service.

Well, lunch here was an experience that I will certainly not relive anytime soon. The kitchen just didn't convince me enough to be wishing to come back very soon. Some dishes were decent whilst others were absolutely horrible (really!). I don't know, even if I was warned earlier that the place has its ups and downs, I guess that I did expect a little more of the individual dishes. Has anyone had a similar experience here recently? Maybe, the plan to change the entire menu each month does put a lot of pressure on the team here? Also, the food lacked some refinement in the presentation, which would be excused if it could deliver on great flavour, but in this case, it seemed a little poor.

had another meal there, which was partly even better than my previous ones. A huge piece of turbot was perfectly cooked and served with beautiful asparagus, Champagne sabayon and crayfish. Easily one of the finest dishes I can recall having in London. Also spectacular were Scallops Primavera style and a strawberry/lemon desserts. Less great was my starter and 2nd dessert. Their bread is also a real winner and is made from scratch in the kitchens. This really gets better and better every time, will be interesting to see where it'll end up. The pics came out amazingly well today, due to the good light in the room at lunch.

the raw diamond has evolved into a most divine jewel. The meal I had there a few weeks ago was absolutely divine. I can't think of anything much better, different yes but not better. It was just insanely good. Here's the rest with pics

A lunch here a week ago only confirmed the others' praise (again). It was spectacular, interesting, innovative, singular, perfect. Whatever you might call it. The only exception being some bad fries! For the whole 24 courses: Here you go

had an interesting lunch here, last THursday. It wasn't as constant as last year, but still very good. For a few more details, check this out

Just was there yesterday for lunch. Had the lunch menu with a few extras. All in all it was a far better meal than the one I had last year. The prices are very friendly for the quality you get there, however, the wines aren't exactly that cheap. I found 14euro for a bottle of water to be a little too much, but well. It's a real destination restaurant like Bras or Marcon, as it's in the middle of nowhere and has some rather unique cuisine. FOrmore, check the blog.

Had a very interesting lunch here. Interesting in a few ways: Some of the dishes were fabolous, others less so, the whole place, with it's vibe was quite special and the lovely service really makes you enjoy your time there. However, 2 out of 6 dishes did disappoint me, not because of technical problems, but because the way they were constructed lacked refinement. Would be interesting if anyone has been recently? for pics and the full story, check My Webpagehere

Being from Luxembourg I can suggest a few places. Mosconi- Very good pasta. A pasta menu features 8 courses and costs only 65euro. Lunch menu is 40 for 4 courses, but can feature a sloppy dessert from time to time. I'd say the restaurant deserves the 2*, especially all of their pasta dishes. Wenge- Best patisserie in town, with a restaurant that serves quite interesting food. The way the menu is written could have been copy/pasted from a Ducasse cook book, but the presentation is often a little more modern than at DUcasse's restaurants. Clairefontaine- slightly boring classical, bourgeois cooking. It's seen as the government's canteen. Kamakura- Very good Japanese kitchen, not expensive for the quality. Radelet- Badly made molecular cooking. SOme dishes just seem creative for the sake of being so. Decor is kitschy and the whole thing is a little pretentious for the quality of the actual food. Outside the Capital: Maison des Guilloux- The other 2*. This is a very rustic restaurant serving quite heavy, traditional dishes. The prices are moderate for 2* and the dishes are not something for those on a diet (oxtail stuffed with foie on very buttery mash). All in all it is very well made and very tasty but a bit heavy for me. Lea Linster- For those who like Lea, it'll be nice. I think it's way to expensive for what it is (Mosconi, nearby Sonnora and other 3*s are not more expensive) and doesn't see any creativity. She cooks the stuff since her Bocuse d'Or victory. Favaro- Good, well made Italian food, which deserves it's star. Pretty expensive for a 1* though. La cuisine de ZHeng- In a tiny village, for those on a small budget, good chinese dishes in a friendly room served by the entire family. Good classical Peking duck.

Had an excellent lunch again today. Service great, food fantastic, really fantastic (the best scallop dish in ages for me). They get better every time. By the ned of the year, they'll be the first place in London to really deserve 3*! For more: https://www.felixhirsch.wordpress.com

I had a similar experience as Food Snob yesterday at Sketch: Great food, good service, great place and of course Pierre, who is a unique character. The food was the most inspiring in London and the prices more than reasonable. For more: http://felixhirsch.wordpress.com/

just had a very good Sunday lunch here today. The food was rather traditional, but very well made. Especially some kind of gougeres and the roast potatoes. The only problems might have been the service and the slightly strange plates, they use for their dishes. Has anyone had similar thoughts upon seeing odd bowls holding your dessert? For pics http://felixhirsch.wordpress.com/