david goodfellow

Every day, according to the young lady that I spoke to last week. But, I would check first, just to be on the safe side. Apart from the "morel problem" things seem to have perked up quite a bit since your visit, certainly over the last two or three months.

I will stamp my little feet next time Pam The duck dish was my wifes, who agreed on the lack of seasoning. She would never complain however, only to me of course, but some marraiges are like that

Well, having read Nicklomans review I had no intention of a visit here for some time, at least until the kitchen had settled down a bit. That all changed yesterday morning when the heavy snow falls put paid to our weekend visit to London. Which I was really looking forward to. As we dashed up to Manchester last weekend, a trip down to Brum seemed well in order. Now Birmingham had a pretty serious snow fall last night too and the M5 was down to two lanes. The approach roads to the restaurant were covered with deep snow. Thank God I had the Chelsea tractor or we would have had to turn back. Thankfully the short Sunday lunch menu, three, three, three, was not traditional fare, so I was waiting to see what was in store. Three course are £26.95, or two can be taken for £21.95. We had the same? cheese gougere,s as reported on earlier, and well, they were ok. The bread is simple, white and brown, and I think cooked to the Purnells recipe, which truth be told is to me just ok, however that said it was fresh from the oven (as it is at Purnells) and it did grow on me a bit. Mrs G had the Pan Fried SEA BREAM which looked pretty as a picture. It looks a bit overcooked on the photo, but I can assure you it was spot on, nice and moist, served with pickled beetroot, orange segments, and baby watercress. A welcome spoon of horseradish cream sat to the side. I found it hard to resist a Ballotine of QUAIL which was one of two portions left over from the carte menu (which was not served today). It was tasty enough, and the sweetcorn and chorizo salad was moist enough to help it down, although as you may imagine the chorizo is quite salty and spicy, but thats ok for me. The sweetcorn crisp tasted of , well, I did,n't know what it was, I had to ask. Which brings me to point out, none of the dishes were explained, that may be on purpose, but I have to say I do enjoy components explained to me as I tend to miss stuff these days. My wife chose the Loomswood Farm DUCK BREAST, which sat on a bed of mild red cabbage, a tasty slab of potato gratin, a "slash" of shallot puree, and some caramelised baby onions. The duck was underseasoned, which seems to be a theme running through the cooking. Now that is ok, if the chef has the balls to think his food is seasoned to every customers satisfaction. However when it is not, salt and pepper on the table, are an absolute must. My main course was PORK BELLY Well it was a bit more than just pork belly thankfully. A tasty hillock of creamed cabbage, some discs of turnip and a puree of shallot? all did their bit. I suspect the pork may have had the water bath treatment, which made it tender and moist. A quick flash in the pan crisped the outside to a treat. One criticism though and it is not only here, but at the mother ship as well. Where is the sauce? I was searching for moisture on the plate, a little dribble here and there is not quite enough for me. And of course because the plates are so hot half of the stuff sticks to them. I don't wish to hark back to the Marco days, when plates were swimming in it, but I would like a bit more, Pretty please. Desserts up next, Mrs G had first choice which was CHOCOLATE Moelleux banana, caramel custard, and peanuts. I can't comment on the quality as I only had one taste which I though ok. The Mrs thought it ok too. I can comment on my dessert ALMOND Pana Cotta When it was served, as a naked disc of Panna Cotta, a touch bigger than a fifty pence piece. My heart sank, thankfully the cherry soup poured around it, and the moist cherries atop, padded it out a bit. I could not taste almond in said wobbly disc, but there were a few slices of crisp ones on top. Now they may state they not be aiming for a Michelin star, but the styling and portion size screams otherwise. Comparing it to the one we ate recently at Zucca, it sadly was not in the same league. Believe me size does matter. Well what can I say? There is real promise in the kitchen. With a bit of tweaking and more attention on seasoning it is my personal opinion this is going to be a hit. Jason Eaves was in the kitchen today, and although I did not meet him, I personally think given this opportunity to shine he will cook his socks off to prove to his famous older brother that he too can cook at the highest level. Lunch for two, with a bottle of house wine, Severn Trent tap water, no coffees, and that dreaded 12.5% service charge was £81 and yes we would return, its only an hour down the M6, and especially for the weekday lunch at £20. Happy chefs, Merry Xmas.

Man, Sounds like I should perhaps give this one a miss. Or I may give it a try, and carry out my threat to withhold service charge, if service is poor. My local library stocks his (Vineet Bhatia) book, and a handsome creature it is too. The dishes look complex and appealing, although again, I never got around to cooking any recipes from it at all. I have tried to bag a table here a couple of times, with no luck, although I have left it very late to get a table. I'm not in too much of a rush now. Especially as the pricing is on the stiff side.

Anyone up to tipping Paul Ainsworth, of No 6 Padstow for a star. I know he has more than his share of fans on here. There is a very good interview with Mr A over on one my favourite websites Staff Canteen.

Did you get around to eating here? Love to get any recent updates.

It was a bright day, and an ideal location to take photos, the best that I achieved with the camera. Which has now gone back as the other low light photos, were not up to scratch. Just bought this little beauty, which easily fits my pocket. Good all round performance on auto, and more important to me, very good low light results. Not tried it yet and I still have some reviews to write up, with not so good photo quality, but hey, I am getting there. Back to the food. I tend to agree, if this were your neighbourhood place, great, even a trip across London fine, but a shlep down the M1? Well only I do stupid things like that. We still really enjoyed the whole package, and the food did not disappoint in any way. As I said, we got what we expected. Can't argue with that.

Very kind comments Man. I knew you would come to the rescue with your knowledge of all things Italian. I have learn something new today

Just thought to give this thread a "bump" as Koffmanns is mentioned on the Michelin 2011 thread on here. Nickloman and a few others (above) report quality issues. Could this be down to having two head chefs leaving in fairly quick succession? Not being able to find the right man for the job perhaps? Anyone been recently who can report on their meal? Be most interested from the "man in the street" point of view, as lots of top chefs seem to love it.

According to my information, Pierre Koffmann does not currently have a head chef. He is in the kitchen every day running things. Me thinks he fancies that Michelin star.

I tried to get a table for this weekend, no chance. We are on their waiting list, not only here but a couple of other places. Well, apart from the popularity, it is Xmas.

Thanks for the comments folks. Even though some of these reviews are short, they still take me an age to do. Good to know the effort is appreciated.

We had an interesting situation eight to ten years ago on Miami,s South Beach. Our meal was very, very, slow in being served. The waitress seemed uninterested, clearly not focused on her work that day. And to cap it all off a side order, for the main course, did not arrive. I pointed this out. She went back to the kitchen, and a couple of minutes later, reappeared to say it would be out in a few minutes. We waited a bit, then decided to carry on eating. We finished our food and then, the side order arrived at the table. I asked her to take it away, as we had finished. We did not want it any longer. When the bill arrived, the side order was on there, and so was a service charge. I asked her to remove them both. She argued that it was not her fault, it was the kitchens fault and that she should not be made to suffer for it. She also claimed, tips were shared between front of house and kitchen staff. I asked to see the manager, she said he was not on duty. I asked her who was in charge, she said? well, I forget, it was quite a while ago. I would not leave until she rectified the bill, which she claimed she could not do. Eventually I accepted a voucher to the value of the disputed amount,prepared to take things up with the manager at a later date. The next day I had calmed down a bit so left it, as my holiday days are precious, who needs aggro? We eventually spent the voucher, but never saw that server again during our stay on South Beach.

It means, very impressive or excellent. And thank you for your comments on the photos. I normally get criticised for them. Things are looking up a bit.

About four weeks ago I managed to get a great deal on a London hotel room, which meant we could stay two nights instead of one, for exactly the same money. Excited at the prospect of not only two restaurant visits, but three, I promptly booked here, as that extra choice. Part of my pleasure of dining out is the unknown, location, parking, will we like it, good table, bad table, etc. etc. This is really part of why we don't return much to many places. I'm not the comfy slippers sort, I like the experience of new. This place is quite hot at the moment, most especially that chef Stevie Parle won an award from Observer Food Monthly. Its not new, its been around a while, and started life as a pop up restaurant in (and above) design guru Tom Dixon shop. Indeed the shop is well worth a look (if you time it right). You can even buy some of the restaurant fittings, even down to the single copper light shades at a whopping £285 each. As our other two places were Michelin starred we expected a much different type of meal, and that is what we got. The lunch menu is short, sweet, but none the less interesting. Four, five, four, to be precise. I was intrigued to sample Mr Parle's cooking as I heard he is a wizz with herbs and spices. First though the room. A huge expanse of glass to one side, and an equally appealing brick facade on the other, interspersed with more glass, to give an expansive and light flooded space. The open kitchen is about half to two thirds down the room with another private-ish sort of dining space beyond. This seemed quite full of happy munchers, I did not explore, its hard to pass an open kitchen, yum, yum. Gnudi Bianci £7.50 were explained, but went over my head, they were delicious and I think ricotta cheese with what? I was on a promise to just enjoy, "do not dissect, every morsel". I think this dish is a nod back to Parles time at River Cafe, its clearly Italian influenced. Artichoke and Miglaccio (£7). Is again perhaps in one of the River Cafe Cook books, but those who are wiser than I will perhaps be able to describe the dish better, thankfully the photo conveys what was on the plate, and it ate rather well. Which is more to the point. Sea Bass and Red Mullet (£15) was a stonking dish. Not the most attractive I admit, but a medley of flavours going on in this dish kept us digging and unearthing, almonds and black olives, tomato, and "wild" and Florence fennel, to name but five. Big hunks of fresh fish and plenty of it. Red mullet a lot better tasting than some recently from my fish wholesaler. All of the above swimming in a vermentino flavoured broth. Well worth the cover price. Stevie Parle cooking my lamb dish. Buy his book here We are off to Morocco next, Grilled Lamb chops (£14.50) Not a lot to say about the Lamb chops really, except the surprise of a bunch of grapes, nestling between them. Of course they were tender and flavoursome. It sort of made sense eating both components together, and I instantly fealt the synergy between them. Simple, but effective. This is of course what makes Parle a chef, and me a punter. This dish shows his skill with spices, cinnamon, and honey. Not sure which part of the world we are eating in here? Slow cooked Shin of Beef (£13) cooked in red wine and cinnamon, mace and black peppercorns. Served with Italian influenced, cavolo nero and and white beans. I suppose this is the gutsy type of food we are liking more and more, Again teasing notes of spices, uncommon in most domestic kitchens on a day to day business. All in all a jolly tasty dish. Now, because of an extra dish and the hearty portion size, we can just about managed a dessert between us, which thankfully did not disappoint. Valencia almond tart with quince (£5) a decent price for the quality of the product. Bang in season, the tart quince had just the right amount of sour to balance the sugary almond tart. We had a bottle of South African Cape Chamonix (£21) from the short list, which was fine for us, and some local Thames tap water. I don't remember any bread or any other fripperies, although I may be wrong, but I would normally take a photo, so? Considering some of the mains are £13/£14, by the time you add extras in (as we did) like wine, an extra dish, and that dreaded 12.5% service charge your bill will be like ours £93. Having said that if your are a skinnyish model type with no lover in tow, you could get away with a glass of water, and one of the £14 dishes, but then again, best put a bit of weight on, and start enjoying yourself a bit love Would we go back? Yes without doubt, but not yet for quite some while, we have plenty of other places to explore first.

In the UK we have a minimum wage of £5.93 per hour. which I am fairly certain has to be obeyed, no matter what trade you are in, plus tips are paid on top. One of the reasons that I started this thread was hopefully to get comments off wait staff and restaurateurs for a better insight. As I am not connected to the trade, but dine out a lot, I will start asking the question directly about service charges. There are many better informed people on here than me, I would be most grateful if they would comment. I suspect that in the States, some front of house people are on big wages, judging by some of the table turning places that we have eaten at.

We used to holiday in Miami Beach, specifically South Beach, perhaps up to four times a year. Not been for about five years. Quite a few of the places we have dined at, have imposed service charges in the region of 18 to 20%. One even added 22% simply I think because we were Brits. If that happened now, an argument would ensue. I understand in the States you tip perhaps between 15 and 20%. To us that is way over generous

Adam, Your post highlights the difference of opinion that arise from some pretty experienced diners about the same restaurant. Which just of course proves the point " you can't please all of the people, all of the time". From a personal point of view, I absolutely loved it and considering Pierre Koffmann held three Michelin stars, its certainly, and you would think, easily possible, Michelin would award him a "one". I do hope so. As an aside, across the road at Bar Boulud, and again given the Michelin status of the chef, personally I would be surprised if they were awarded a star, the style is just not in keeping. Still I may just be wrong.

So will I. Our meal was decent, but no where near Michelin standard. Fascinating. I had the best meal I've had in two years here recently. A tasting menu worthy of a Frenchman in an oversized white puffa-jacket carrying a 5-pointed flourescent heavenly body if ever there was one! The cute little restaurant doesn't scream 'Michelin' but I thought the food and service certainly did. Your not connected to them are you If you are, can you ask them to sort out there website, they have been promising to do some update since opening. Perhaps then we may be tempted to make a return visit. I looked for your review on the Aumbry topic but can not see one. Which is a shame if the meal was that enjoyable. My review was quite fair at the time, if perhaps a bit generous especially looking at the desserts, which were no where near Michelin standard. In fact they were amaturish. Can I ask what you are comparing their food too. In other words is it too local restaurants, or up against Michelin places?

I like Bodysgallen Hall even more now John. A Michelin two star that I have looked at recently is Whatley Manor and their prices are "inclusive of 10% discretionary service charge" I am warming to them by the day. It looks like a visit is on the cards, shame they don't get any coverage on here. Thanks for the comments folks. Any restaurateurs or front of house willing to make a comment?

I vividly remember when I was first confronted with the 12.5% service charge in a London restaurant. Yes it was there buried in the small print at the bottom of the menu. I was not amused and vowed to take any restaurant to task if the service was below par in any way. I thought the punters would vote with their feet, and boycott places that charged. Not the case of course, it spread like wildfire, now it is everywhere, and of course I do not like it one bit, even to this day. Its not even confined to top end places, I know a few cafes that impose one. I am still of the opinion the customer should have the right, if, and how much, they should tip. I love the way the French do things "service compris" clearly stated. And of course, guess what, like most Brits I simply don't want a complaint to spoil our meal so I don't complain like I should do. In fact I can not remember the last time that I did. That is now about to change, mark my words. What is your opinion on service charges, and do the staff get them like they should do or do the owners snap them up. Wait staff what do you think? have your say, would you like your boss to pay you a decent wage or are you a lot better of with tips? Do you actually get any of this service charge, spill the beans, we would like to know. And finally restaurateurs if the meal is £90 don't put £80 on your website and add the service charge at the end. We are not happy with it. At least I am not. There I have said it, rant over, (for now)

Looking at the website I think you were lucky with that Autumn menu. The one listed on the site lists silver mullet and label anglaise chicken as the fish and meat courses, I ask you, both cheap (for this standard) products. No lobster or any luxury stuff is on there. The tasting proper is £95 and two courses a la carte are £60, dear oh dear. Seems the only wow may be the bill, according to your report.

John, You don't sound too impressed. It needs to be special at those prices. I note you did not even have a bottle of wine in your bill. Seems to me quite a few Michelin places are pricing themselves out of casual-ish type of dining, certainly at those prices, its special occasions only. What gets me also is the 12.5% service charge, its near to £100 per person without even a drink. Do they impose one? Which begs the question. Was it busy? Bet you won't be doing it again for a while.

Thanks MaLo for reminding me of Viajante I thought it was an instant hit. Funny how these places fade from focus half a dozen months down the line.

Thats good enough for me. Have to make the effort to try it out.