david goodfellow
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Posts posted by david goodfellow
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A little more than a cockstride from Maze, five hundred metres in fact. Jason Atherton has finally realised his own dream opening. And what a dream it is. I bet he's pinching himself. From the cocktail bar, through to the restaurant proper, with dessert bar to your left and super state of the art glass fronted kitchen to its right.You can watch the chefs at work losing a few calories, whilst you work your way through a few more. It does not stop there. Down the stairs is a glass fronted private dining area, another kitchen, again glass fronted, and to keep the theme going glass fronted loos for a very posh pee and perk up. The whole space is fabulous. Top marks to the design team.
General Manager Michael West with customer at the dessert bar which is flooded with natural light from above. The glass fronted kitchen in the background.
Private dining room, with the lighting echoed from the dessert bar.
SOCIAL- Seeking or enjoying the companionship of others, gregarious.
I think Mr Atherton has covered all the bases here. Its completely informal. No bookings required for the Social room bar. Pop in for a drink or a cocktail. Sample the tapas style menu. Or if there is space, take your cocktail through to the dessert bar and scoff down some calories. What's not to like.
We were extremely fortunate to bag an early table here, thanks to a very good friend, who shall remain nameless. As we think that this is the most coveted opening since Heston's Dinner, we view it as a bit of a scoop. If you look at the website, bookings are well in advance for dinner, but a few lunch ones are available. How long that will last, who knows, the big London reviews will be out soon, and those tables will evaporate.
Ham, Egg, Tomato, Mushroom, (£10)
Anyone for breakfast?
As you may expect perfectly cooked egg. In fact perfectly cooked everything, but ask for a spoon or dip your bread in. Its actually served with a fried bread cream poured around, but you will still need the bread to mop it up.
Bread was white and brown sourdough. The white was ok, the brown was absolutely terrific, some of the best we have eaten this year. Its not made on site but I don't think it could be beaten if it was.
Orkney Scallops, mackerel tartare, grapefruit, miso tar (£11)
This is the dish Jason cooked on last weeks Saturday Kitchen substituting pomelo for grapefruit. Quite a pleasant dish, full of interesting flavours. The scallops holding their own against the sometimes full on mackerel.
Light cured Loch Duart salmon, avocado, smoked herring roe cream (£12.50)
I love the way this dish presents itself against the slate. No need to muck about too much with top quality ingedients and the salmon was top notch. Quite a decent portion too, as all the dishes were. The jelly snake on top is made from roasting the skin and making a consomme, and adding agar agar to set it.
I can't remember what the pretty red ribbons were to garnish the dish, perhaps radish? dyed with ? beetroot? Refreshing, clean flavours.
Cauliflower and Squid (£10.50)
The squid was diced to make it appear like a risotto,the cauliflower slivers still having bite. The clear roasted squid juices were poured around in a puddle of fishy loveliness. The black discs at the base of the dish are actually turnip soaked in squid ink. Samphire is in evidence as was dill and sea purslane. There is more going on in these dishes than a layman can take in. Shame I'm too old to offer my services to a kitchen foc. I'm sure it would be quite a learning curve.
Again ask for a spoon. Those juices are too precious to waste.
24 Hour braised Suffolk Pork belly and cheek (£12.50)
A stonking dish this. Looks the part on the plate. It certainly had the juices flowing. There is some braised parsnip root, pork crackling, puy lentils, oats, beer, hops and wild chickweed on the plate. I will not be trying to recreate this dish at home, trust me.
Braised Irish Ox Tongue n Cheek, (£13.50)
Again a gutsy full flavoured dish the sort of food I never tire of eating. An accompanying dish of horseradish mash almost turned it into a meal in itself. Witness also the salt baked carrots.
The first of two desserts was "Tiramisu" (£8) and if you want a chocolate fix this is for you. Hot chocolate coffee was poured tableside onto the dish adding an extra dimension. The jelly cubes are made with Kahlua.
A real girlie treat which touched my feminine side.
To finish the meal proper, the other dessert was Baked beetroot sorbet, frozen yogurt, basil ash meringue (£7). Snaking its way over the yogurt and meringue btw is beetroot jelly.
Again pretty as a picture, a fitting end to quite a special meal.
Well I think any fool can see that this is going to be an instant hit. Its got the lot. An open house policy for casual food and drink or the more formal proper dining side for more structured eating. Its going to be a goldmine. If he ever sells shares in the place stump up the money fast.
As you may expect you will not pay Soho prices in Mayfair, but the portion sizes when we visited were generous to say the least. Main courses hover just below £30 but the real value is in the starters and sharing plates, plenty of variation exists to splash out on for not a lot of money.
A very happy Jason Atherton with some of his excellent, highly trained, and informative staff.
Oh btw did I mention its a certain Michelin star.
Spotlessly clean state of the art kitchen. Induction hobs?
Don't upset the chef, look at that meat cleaver.
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MaLO,
Thanks for the heads up on the tasting menu offer. We are booked in to give it a try and are looking forward to it.
As its within decent driving distance (an hour or so) from us I simply can't put my finger on why it has taken us so very long to return here.
Still better late than never.
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In today's Guardian, John Lanchester's review.
The place sounds busy as ever.
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I'm an unashamed fan of Saturday Kitchen and today's episode features Jason Atherton cooking one of the dishes off the Pollen Street Social menu. Its here..
Also featuring is another top Michelin starred chef Michael Caines. So it should be good viewing.
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Website and Menus up now, for you to drool over.
Still some availability for lunch in April.
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I love a bit of history so I searched and found the cookbook that I bought for my wife all those years ago. Its signed by me in Sept 1990 very close to our first visit.
I remembered what I ate Queues De Boeuf Enrubannees A L'Echalote.(Oxtail beribboned with vegetables and shallots) and bought the book so my wife could recreate the dish at home.
It was close, but it did not have the same depth of flavour compared with the original.
Still the memory of the original still exists.
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I'm almost ashamed to admit that it took us two decades to revisit Le Gavroche. Indeed one of the side tables in the restaurant displays photos of Albert and Michel Roux senior in their prime going about their everyday business of making people happy. Of course the Roux tradition carries on here in the form of charismatic Michel jnr who was on duty when we visited.
We arrived early, as we thought parking and motorway travel would be difficult. Nothing could be further from the truth. Parking especially was literally a very short walk away. Good job I booked a four hour slot (by phone) as we were in for a bit of a lunch marathon.
The dining room is special, with lots of great seating, and what caught my eye was the two banquettes a deux to the left at the bottom of the stairs. No other diners were in the room at the time so I asked our server where we were seated. It was at a pet hate table, looking into a wall, instead of the room. I asked to change it but was greeted with a slightly cold retort "all the tables have been allocated". Now I understand they must have lots of regulars and prime spots must be at premium but the response could have been handled with a bit more diplomacy. When I book a restaurant I always ask for a table looking into the room. As I booked two months in advance it is possible I suppose that I did not make the request, still I would have expected it to be handled better. Thankfully that was the only slip up service wise.
I was grateful for a lone spotlight shining down on the table which just about gave sufficient light to take some half decent shots of the food without using flash. Not that I ever use flash of course. The room is however seductivly dark.
Some tasty canapes arrived, with an especially tasty crab one doing a highland fling in the mouth.
As you would expect, terrines and pates are a speciality here and our amuse was a most welcome bite.
Sorry to say the bread was not to my taste, which is most unusual, as I left most of it.
Risotto Aux Herbes, Vieux Jambon Et Coquille St-Jacques
This was my wife's choice, and we both chose from the good value lunch deal @ £50 for three courses plus of course canapes, amuse, tea or coffee, petit fours, and half a bottle of water and half a bottle of wine. There was a three, three, three choice on the menu.
The dish was declared "very enjoyable".
Galentine De Volaille Au Foie Gras Et Pistaches
Visually appealing and eating rather well I suspect this classic has made numerous visits to this menu, and why not say I.
Blanquette D' Agneau A La Menthe, Tagliolini Et Carrots A L'Ancienne
My wife's dish, and simple, but incredibly morish. A terrific piece of Lamb, virtually evaporating in the mouth. So tasty in fact she even ate the flavoursome fatty bits on the periphery, which is a first for her. Another classic with top quality ingredients just treated with respect.
Foie De Veau Et Jus Agrum Panisse Et Echalotes Confites
I admit that my French is poor, perhaps because I'm from an era when at school most thought that the world spoke English, so why should we bother. Clearly a Philistine attitude and I have made amends by at least trying to learn the language a little bit. I was heartened that the tables either side both asked the server for a menu translation. With the help of my wife we stumbled through and decifered most of the text. I'm admitting looking up "agrumes" which is citrus (fruit) and in this dish pink grapefruit and orange pieces are visable. The chick pea chips were interesting but the star of the show was the Calves Liver. I ate my way around the tranche with much relish until I reached the central two and a half by one and a half middle to encounter an unusually inedible membrane strew core. When the plates were collected I pointed this out to the waiter and the Maitre D came to the table to offer another dish. At first I declined as I had scoffed most of it. Anyway the resulting wait whilst another dish was sent out and consumed would have spoilt the flow of the meal.
Now after a short consideration I relented and opted for one of the starters Soup De Poissons Et Sa Garniture thinking that it was already to go, and it just needed serving with the "garniture". In this case crouton, gruyere? cheese and rouille.
I lusted after this whilst first browsing the menu but decided on the Galentine instead, and was not disappointed. It whisked me off to the South of France in an instant. Big depth of flavour, tangy pungent rouille, stringy bits of cheese tickling the chin. All in all just what you could possibly expect from a bowl of fish soup.
Omlette Soufflee A La Rhubarbe Crumble Au Gingembre Et Creme Anglaise
When this dish arrived at the table I was slightly surprised by the size and presentation. It was huge but not in the least bit pretty. A bit manly perhaps, but you know what they say about beauty?
Not my dish of course, but declared a winner nevertheless.
Plateau De Fromages was my choice, and what a choice, a veritable feast for the eyes (and nose). For any cheese lover perhaps the epitome of boards. I don't normally take cheese but could not resist as I saw the trolly being wheeled to a nearby table. This was served with some toasted bread, homemade chutney and some celery stalks. This was quite a butch way to finish the meal, pretty much a meal in itself truth be told.
Petit Fours were just ok, pretty standard really, perhaps we were expecting more.
As has been pointed out above, tea (moi) and coffee,- are replenished without extra cost which is to be admired of course.
Whilst this place has its share of Captains of Industry, underpaid MP's struggling by on their reduced expenses, and of course a struggling banker or three trying to come to terms with only a couple of million pound bonus, its comforting for little old us to be seated next to two wonderful couples out for a lunch treat.
To my right a couple of architects enjoying themselves. To my left a birthday treat made even more special with a birthday cake and a visit tableside by Michel Roux himself.
I'm a big fan of his, he sums up everything that is good about the hospitality industry. Slightly surprised to see him tableside in his whites, he explained to me that he works most services "unlike some chefs", said with a smile.
Well said that man.
And that is what sums Le Gavroche up. It is a treat, and its very special. Its for everyone to enjoy, and of course its not only about the food, but the whole package.
Take a camera, record the moment, they won't mind, but don't use flash, please.
All the above including an extra bottle of Evian and service charge £117.
Go on treat yourself. Life's too short.
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Sounds well worth a punt. I admit to reading some of the initial reviews and dismissed the place as a result. Will now add it to the burgeoning list.
I usually take Matthew Norman's reviews with a pinch of salt, however it would appear perhaps I should take heed of more of them.
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Just had an e-mail newsletter from Purnell's. With a link to this article in the Birmingham Post about the restaurant closing its doors.
Just shows how difficult business can be for everyone these days.
Still it looks as though things will work out in the end.
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Sunbeam,
You do make me laugh with your jaded outlook on many things on this forum
Clearly not a fan. So why buy the blender?
"Small children, who can't find the remote"
I think not.
Three million big kids I think, more to the point.
Record viewing figures not only tuning into the clearly talented Martin, but some truly fabulous chefs.
BTW I have not met, or know Mr Martin, but will try out his food in due course,
Looking forward now to a very positive review.
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Could not help but sense the excitement in James Martin's voice on Saturday Kitchen about his new restaurant, which opened yesterday.
Great news for Leeds.
Highly rated by top chefs who appear on the show, it will be interesting to see how his new place works out.
May give it a try soon, but if anyone else would like to post a review, it would be most welcome indeed.
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You would be very lucky indeed to get a table in May at Le Gavroche. We had to book two months in advance for lunch. The same would apply to the Fat Duck.
Its worth applying straight away, giving your dates, and asking to inform you if they get a cancellation.
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Claude Bosi is appearing on todays Saturday Kitchen cooking a rather odd sounding Halibut, Pork Pie and Pink Grapefruit dish.
Anthony Demetre is the other featured chef.
The Pork pie may be the version they serve here, if your interested in cooking it.
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Yes I read it
Half of London will be flocking through the doors now.
What did you think of Polpo?
Worth a write up on the thread?
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Hmmm,
That echoes my report above.
I was told the menu was aimed at a more family lunch crowd, so my initial choices were not on said "daytime" menu, but would make an appearance on the "evening" one.
Fay Macshler's review is a welcome insight to all potential diners.
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Thinking of going here David would you say it was child friendly?
Most certainly child friendly, although we were there on a Saturday lunch. Not entirely sure in the evenings.
I'm fairly sure the table to our right had parents, chidren, and grandchildren dining, and if you look at the picture above a father and child are in the corner of the shot.
What was very evident is that its also dog friendly. Three or four very well behaved ones were content to loll about having no doubt run themselves ragged on Wimbledon Common.
This is of course a local pub for local people, just as Claude Bosi wants it to be.
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Kim,
Very few British restaurants have a dress code today. Most just like "smart casual". A few of the Michelin two and three star places insist on a jacket, but no one to my knowledge "insists" on a tie.
Mr Kim will be just fine at Quo Vadis as well as the Wolseley without jacket and tie.
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Anyone been here recently?
Its had some terrific reviews. Just wondered who had been from this forum.
Will give it a whirl on our next but one London trip. After we try out Jason Atherton's Pollen Street Social, that is.
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Just clicked on their website and am not at all enamoured with the lunch menu.
I could just about muster enthusiasm if I was dining alone, but can't quite get four dishes that appeal, never mind six.
Won't be dashing down Park Lane until that menu ends.
Jon's correct, the a la carte is the way forward I think.
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Made a very long overdue visit here yesterday. Will try to post a full report as soon as.
Here are a couple of pics to get the ball rolling.
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First of forty (40) episodes starts tomorrow, with North East chefs up first.
Andrew Pern, Stephanie Moon, and Tim Biltong will be cooking starters which include,
Potted Venison with watercress and fennel salad, and Sticky Pigeon breast with foresters relish and beer crisps.
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Tracy Macleod in The Independent gives a rather lukewarm review.
It would appear it is perhaps a victim of of its own success, being rather busy and overstretched resulting in service which is still slow.
Expectation levels no doubt soar when Claude Bosi's name is mentioned, although I'm certain that I have read somewhere he has no ambitions other than to operate a very good British pub serving rather good British food.
I'm slightly bemused by the comment "all tips go to the staff". That is out of kilter with what one of the wait staff told me.
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Got mine already.
Simply can't wait.
After Heston's this is perhaps the next best opening of the year.
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Ok, so the Lobsters. We tried two which were not bad. Not quite as good as the ones from Lidl, from a taste point of view.
We added some flavoursome baby new potatoes, a dollop of mayo, and plenty of garlic butter to what turned out to be a couple of decent homemade plates of food.
A simple salad rounded things off. Oh and some decent bread. (no photo)
Will be making the Lobster Bisque later on.
Pollen Street Social.
in United Kingdom & Ireland: Dining
Posted
Thanks for the comments folks. Its good to know my work does not go unnoticed. I meant to take a shot of the bar and main dining room also, but somehow got sidetracked.
I,m working hard to try to take better photos of the chefs food and some photos on my camera are pin sharp. However when I reduce the size down to post them up here some of the pics lose some of their "edge".
If I could I would go back this week to eat a bit (lot) more off the menu, its that good.
Richard I admit I am a bit of a tart. Shame more chefs don't wear a skirt though, thats more my type.