david goodfellow

All Hail Nuno Mendes for his vision on The Loft Project and thanks to yourself for providing the link. It is fantastic the depth in quality of talent just waiting to burst forth on to the restaurant scene. We are looking forward very much to eating here. BTW, Do you know where Ollie Dabbous is working these days after his time at Texture.

They were £60, £70, £85, for 6, 9, 12 courses and on reflection the £70 deal is a steal, three courses for an extra tenner, staggering really. Wine flights are £30, £45 & £60. The wine list is short with just two? bottles under £30. For a Saturday afternoon it was quite busy,(well over half full) especially bearing in mind this is some serious foodie hangout, so casual is not really catered for. Having said that though the £25 lunch deal must actually tempt more than a few punters through the door. This is a very exciting place to eat at right now.

Whenever I think of the East End and indeed Bethnal Green I immediately think of the notorious Kray twins. The gangland duo lived here, and they killed George Cornell in the Blind Beggar pub in nearby Whitechapel,and brutally murdered Jack "The Hat" Mc Vitie during their frightening reign. The Bethnal Green that we visited seemed more in tune with a kiss and a cuddle rather than a slap or worse. No knuckle butties are served at Viajante thankfully, just some very intriguing food. Much travelled PortuGeezer chef, Nuno Mendes has made this area his home, indeed he now lives above the shop, literally. Quite an appealing place to live, a very fine grade 2 listed building, once the Town Hall and now a trendy boutique hotel. This is a very sexy space. The restaurant proper is flooded with light through its high windows and is dominated at one end by an open kitchen perhaps the like of which you may not have seen before. We were late and if this interupted the service it showed because initially it stuttered a bit. Perhaps the best table, for foodies at least, was the one that we were given, directly in front of the pass. We felt however that we were the ones on show not the chefs and my wife felt uncomfortable with that. There is however another room for the shy or romantics. The menu, or lack of one, is in "surprise" format of six,nine or twelve courses. We chose the six courser at £60 hoping that we would not leave hungry. As wine is of no real interest we chose by the glass and I had a speciality beer from the short list. A trio of amuse started the ball rolling they were, CROSTINI of GORDAL OLIVES, ROMESCO, ALMONDS, and JEREZ. SMOKEY AUBERGINE with SOY MILK THAI EXPLOSION 11. The crostini was wafer thin toast, topped with almonds, tapenade, romesco sauce, micro herbs and gherkin and went down a treat. As did the Thai influenced chicken sandwich, which consisted of outer slivers of crispy chicken skin, a thai spiced chicken mousse with a hint of coconut. The Smokey Aubergine dish was the only starter that I caught on camera, this was served cold, (as a number of dishes were). on top were crunchy nut filo pastry strips. The glass contained some yummy aubergine caviar and some jelly Visually like a couple of skinny fish the bread and butter was an unusual combo, the bread being rather pleasant, served with sweet, brown whipped butter flecked with chicken skin, and purple potato powder. SQUID TARTARE and PICKLED RADISHES, SAMPHIRE and FROZEN SQUID INK JUS. Was quite a surprise texturally and very comforting on a hot day. Next up was a homage to the humble BEETROOT, in textures, GREEN APPLE and GOATS CURD. From memory, roasted, pureed, pickled, jellied? Again a good starter and served cold. The tartness of the apple comlimented the dish. The very unusual vessel that the KING CRAB with ASPARAGUS ribbons and COCONUT TAPIOCA was served on took my breath away. Nuno Mendes served this dish as he did with a few others. The kitchen was an orderly environment with hardly a word spoken. Mendes himself is quietly spoken and explained the dishes in detail as he served them. LEMON SOLE and BRIOCHE, YEAST and CAULIFLOWER had a crispy topping and was served with a yeast foam. It looked a dogs dinner, but ate rather well, in fact it ate very well indeed. PIGS NECK with PRAWN and RYE was sadly a dish that I did not photograph however I recall it being pleasant enough but not having the wow as some of the others on offer. Again the next dish I can not recall eating, I know that I should, and even seeing the photo again I,m not sure so will not comment on it. LEMON and THAI HOLY BASIL sorbet, was a zingy palate cleanser before the chocolate fest to follow. DARK CHOCOLATE and WATER was an homage to chocolate with the granita there simply to cut through the richness. PETIT FOURS were Cep infused chocolate bon bons with a glass of creme catalan which, completed a teasing and thought provoking meal Clearly this was a bit of a marathon and we only had the six courser, and no, we were not hungry afterwards. I,m sure I have heard that Reni Redzepi (amongst others) has influenced and indeed advises?, and if this is the case it certainly shows. This is sophisticated, creative and complex food that strangely quite a few people just dont get. I personally think its a bit precious and based on the food that we have eaten this year its an instant Michelin star. Its not cheap as you may expect and you could easily notch up a £200 bill for two. A good value £25 three course lunch is on offer although I can not comment on it as to quantity as the portion size that we had was quite small.

Totally agree, wonderful stuff. Keep em coming.

Anyone got any recent updates? I,m still looking to go to The Samling and have focused on Hipping Hall also. Reports would be most appreciated, Ta

I love this thread Keep up the good work nikkib. Looks like you have plenty to do and are not missing London by the looks of things Its true what they say "Every picture tells a story"

I second Harters choice of Hibiscus although its a while since we have been. Another standout is Ledbury, fantastic value for lunch and the quality is truly top notch, but I have not been for some while. The best lunch that we have had this year was at the five star Lanesborough in Knightsbridge, my current favourite dining locale. Don't believe the reviewers, (what do they know )michelin starred Aspleys is amazing. The best Italian food we have ever had, by a country mile We had course after course of superb food including more freebie courses than anywhere else, and if you go I hope you get treated the same as we were. I am sad that I did not post a review on the relevent thread as I lost my notes but thankfully not the memory of it. Currently three courses are £28 but you should get way more than is listed on the Menu del Giorno.

Thank you kind Sir Happy Eating

The blackbirds ate most of my ripe ones in the garden the other day, best head down my local for a few punnets

Pam, I kid you not, when I cut through them the juice that escaped on to the chopping board broke my heart. We had one and a half each and that was enough for me, and that is saying something. The last lobster meat we ate was very recently at Bar Boulot and hand on heart these were comparable.

Thanks for the advice Pam, and the recommend. My wife does not like me taking photographs but I feel that they convey such a lot more than my limited vocab, so she puts up with it. Note for the diary. MUST TRY HARDER

Thanks for that vote of confidence Its hard to please all the people all the time and as you well know it takes an awful lot of time, effort, and a considerable amount of money to post a review. Just a shame more people don't contribute.

You are of course entitled to your opinion as this is an open forum, however the photographs convey a reasonably accurate view of the food. I am fairly certain people would rather see them than not. I did actually speak to the chef on the day, he offered me a tour of the kichen, and jokingly offered me a days work. I will speak to him later to get his opinion on them. In the mean time let me stress that I do not get paid or get any freebie wine or food, I pay my way and enjoy sharing with this community, perhaps you could do the same. What about a review from yourself. I know it takes time, and sometimes a lot of it but I,m sure there are lots of people out there who enjoy reading other peoples accounts, as they may never get the chance to enjoy them themselves. In the meantime I shall continue sharing.

I sometimes struggle for choice on Sunday dining in the Capital, perhaps because I'm a bit fussy, or it may be that the first choice places that I want to try are not open. This last weekend, unable to decide I clicked on Toptable to see if there was any tempting offers on there. Bingo, among adverts for Gordon Ramsay restaurants, Imodium (for diarrhoea relief),and Louise Redknap flashing her ample curves, advertising Triumph titty supports, I stumble on a 50% off deal at Tamarind. Now these deals are to get bums on seats on a deserted Mayfair Sunday and indeed it seems to work, at least it did last sunday. Now I have been meaning to dine here for some considerable time, however as is perhaps normal I don't always fancy an Indian, but this just seemed right at the time. Right next door to Gordon Ramsays Murano restaurant (or should that be Angela Hartnett?)this basement restaurant was quite busy, unlike the eerily quiet street above. Its a little dark down below and I was concerned that my photos would not look good, as good chap that I am I don't use flash. We were seated right next to a window looking into the kitchen, watching the chefs working, and literally a metre or so away from two charcoal tandoors where one of the chefs was making naan bread in one and huge skewers of various meat and fish in tother. Looking at the menu proper, some of the reviews from Fay Maschler, Gordon Ramsay, etc, etc, make comforting reading, assuring us that we are in safe hands. From a choice of six to eight courses, listing, Curries, Kebabs, and Vegetarian choices it all seems quite traditional. Our "Sunday Lunch Menu" reads like its a mountain of food and I am wondering whether or not I will manage to still have space to eat some of the huge Tandoori Prawns that have caught my eye emerging from said vessel. GRILLED COURGETTE, AUBERGINE and PEPPERS with CHARD leaf and BABY PLUM TOMATOES; toasted cumin and lemon dressing. KINGFISH, baby SQUID and PRAWNS in a gram flour, paprika and curry leaf batter; served on a juliennes of pickled Carrot, Cucumber and beetroot. TANDOOR GRILLED BONELESS LAMB with raw PAPAYA, yogurt, chilli and ginger; served on mint yogurt. Admittedly not the most visually appealing food, it was certainly zingy and delicately spiced. Next up were the mains described as, SPICED GROUND LAMB with GREEN PEAS, Onion, Tomato and spices; finished with Spring Onions. CHICKEN TIKKA tossed with GREEN and RED PEPPERS and pureed Tomatoes flavoured with green Chilli and dried fenugreek leaves. Served With, SEASONAL VEGETABLES in an ONION, TOMATO, chilli and cumin sauce, BROCCOLI, and baby POTATOES tossed with cumin and freshly ground spices. YELLOW LENTILS with Ginger, chilli and fresh CORIANDER. STEAMED Basmati RICE. BUTTER NAAN. Sorry about this photo folks, I wanted to take one of the individual dishes, however the camera kept shutting down because the battery was flat. Perhaps it conveys what I mentioned upthread that there really is quite a lot of food for your money and in honesty we were both full, but just managed to polish it off. There was no chance to sample the Tandoori Prawns that I lusted after, enough was enough. In my humble opinion what makes a good Indian restaurant stand out from the crowd is the different identity of each dish. The precision in the cooking. No masking the true flavours with samey sauces and mind numbingly hot spicing. Each and every dish had a bit of excitement to it. The Naan bread was the best I have eaten. Finally the dessert, Warm GULAB JULUN with PISTACHIO KULFI. A fitting finish to the meal, a syrupy creamy concoction of the correct proportion. Before I forget, I need to mention the wine list which in my opinion is very user unfriendly as there is only one bottle below £30. I think this is a mistake that needs addressing. There is wine by the glass and a couple of beers for £5 (inc service) for 330ml. I did not notice any wine bottles on any tables from memory which must tell its own story. We have only been to one other Michelin starred place in the UK which was Quilon, and yes we did enjoy it. I am looking forward to dining at Rasoi (who,s cookbook I have), Benares, and Amaya in the coming months to see how they compare. We really enjoyed this food and even though the ingredients are humble in origin the same chefs cook them for you. The pricing on the carte is gentle too given its location and rents for Mayfair, and if you are into cars, as I am, take a walk around the corner to Jack Barclay,s showroom and lust over the million pound plus Bugatti Veyron before returning to the real world, comforted by the fact that your Volkswagon is from the same group. Multi course Sunday lunch 50% offer £32 for 2 2 glasses of Viognier £11.50 1 Cobra beer £4.50. As much Thames water as you can drink FOC. Service charge £6 Total £54 _ For anywhere a real bargain, for Mayfair an absolute steal

No matter how much money you have, everybody loves a bargain, so imagine my surprise wandering through Lidl and finding their normally priced £4.99 frozen Lobsters reduced to £2 Now, we have had these before on a number of occasions and they are pretty decent taste wise, although as you may imagine size wise, smallish. They are Canadian and frozen in salt water The ones that we ate yesterday were larger, full of eggs and an absolute delight to eat. Doused in butter, some baby potatoes, an interesting salad of various micro leaves, some mayo and a couple of glasses of bubbly made this lunch a quite memorable event. Can I suggest that you check first at your local store before making a visit as they may just be at some stores.

Well we cooked the Pheasant from the freezer on Saturday, pretty much to the above recipe of Micks, with a bit of variation. Ours was taken from a much battered and loved cookbook "Great Dishes of The World" by Robert Carrier. His dish is titled Normandy Pheasant and of course features Calvados, apples and double cream all of which is classic for Normandy. My wife reminded me that this bird was one that I had picked up on the roadside, it was a cock bird and would not be as tender as a hen. She was of course right to a degree. The breast was cooked to perfection, meltingly tender, terrific flavour and great Pheasanty aroma. The legs were however tough to cut with a knife and fork so I resorted to caveman mode and devoured it with no problem at all. Initially I thought this bird had been strutting his stuff with some vigour so his leg muscle was toned a bit, but on reflection what I shall do in future is take the legs off the bird and cook them a little differently. We used dessert Braeburn Apples which were ok but I should plump for Bramley's next time. Jersey Royals, steamed carrots with a bit of dill and, cabbage and petit poits were also served. I have paid some serious money dining out and sometimes not enjoyed the food as much as this. My wife pointed out that if we stop for a Roadkill bird again, its my turn to gut it and prep it for the table.

Still not seen or heard the last remaining Pheasant but last night as I went to check on my ducks I spied a fox cub on the other side of the pen sitting looking longingly at them. I wonder what it was thinking? I know what I was thinking as I looked at it, and as I chased the cocksure little bar steward away. I could not help but wonder if its mum or dad had offered up fresh pheasant for a recent meal.

Thanks for that report JudyB, not been yet, perhaps soon. I,m assuming that you ate from the "Orwells menu" not the "The Room" menu, as I say we have not been yet but I understand "The Room" is the consevatory. The desserts look generous portions, according to the website they do a dirt cheap lunch deal for £10, very similar to the very popular Hand and Flowers one which was well covered on here last year. Clearly your a lot, lot, closer than me, perhaps on your next visit you could report back on that one, no pressure, just a thought

A butcher neighbour of ours who lives a couple of fields away bred some this year and they wandered onto our land in abundance. When I spied the first group of three handsome males and eight dowdy looking females the saliva started to flow. We spotted many many groups of birds over the weeks and months, however I am too soft to shoot any especially as another neighbour fed one of the said males regularly and it was so tame it virtually came to our door. As the weeks progressed into months they have all but disappeared, the females first, strangely because I would have thought the noisy males with their vivid plumage would be the first. Only one male remains, who come to think of it I have not heard or seen for a couple of days. Our butcher neighbour never comes on to our land so their demise is most certainly down to the fox population, the very one(s) that bit through the wire into my duck pen and killed six of the twelve that I thought were safely ensconced there. This very short lived killing spree was in broad daylight and thankfully ended when I paid one of my twice daily visits to witness said fox killing the last one. If not for that visit they all would have perished. Don't let anyone kid you that foxes are anything other than killing machines, that is what they do. By strange coincidence we have a pheasant in the freezer that we will pot roast at the weekend. This creature was one of a brace of birds from a local game dealer which cost me £5 for the pair and truth be told I,m happier paying for them as I did and do miss the pheasants walking through the fields, it just seems so natural. I have in the past resorted to stopping my car and picking the odd roadkill bird up, much to my wifes embarrassment. Still best that we eat it rather than the crows and magpies.

Well, I have been meaning to try this out since it opened but getting a table at a time that suited has been a problem. This is not entirely due to us not living in London and our not so frequent visits, more to the online booking system of Gordon Ramsay restaurants. Let me explain. A few months ago I tried to book a table, on a weekend, at Murano, online, but the computer kept saying NO. Repeatedly I tried different dates (even during weekdays) then eventually well and truly peed off I phoned them direct and guess what? Yes indeed, success. Here we go again, tried online, same old rubbish, phoned them. "Hi, there, any chance of a cancellation for this Saturday for lunch, two people" "Cancellation?" "Yes, your online reservations will not accept a booking, so I assume your fully booked" "What time would you like to dine" "One thirty would be great" "No problem at all sir, can I take the name please". And guess what? the place was half empty, (or half full depending on your outlook). Little wonder the business is losing money. I like this area very much, not far from the hustle and bustle of the main drag with Harrods, Harvey Nicks et al, but a million miles away in terms of ambiance. It is also very convenient to park, especially after one thirty on a Saturday, and it is free. We bagged a space right outside the restaurant, whoopee. We like the room very much, simply because everything revolves around the central climate controlled wine cellar. It looks like there are no bad tables. Mr Ramsay is annoyed with Google maps as when you pump "Petrus" in the search, it comes back with The Berkeley as its main location when clearly it no longer exists at that location. We were eager to try the lunch menu at the bargain price of £25 assuming that the three courses would be laden with extra freebie bits and bobs, we were not disappointed in that direction. The amuse was the same (I think) velute that Lizzy Wizzy had, a creamy roasted onion offering, which on reflection was ok-ish. Bread was again "ok-ish" First of the starters was PRESSED RABBIT and FOIE GRAS mosaic with CARROT chutney and HAZELNUT salad. This was not my choice and I can not remember trying it, but no complains from across the table so it must have been "very nice" My starter was, ROAST CURRIED POLLOCK fillet, with braised LENTILS, and CAULIFLOWER soup. This dish appealled to me as I enjoy lightly curried ingredients and have a soft spot for cauliflower, however it would not set the world on fire, but it was tasty none the less. We took an extra main dish in the form of a fish course which was, PAN FRIED SEA TROUT with SWEETCORN, wild MUSHROOMS, and SORREL sauce, (£15). Again this was simple and pretty straight forward cooking, letting the ingredients speak for themselves. Next up was, BOILED BEEF CHEEK with root VEGETABLES and CARDAMON consomme. Good piece of tasty beef in a tasty broth, however it was ever so simple and lacked any whoomph. Perhaps as it was a hot day the dish was conceived to be on the lighter side. Pre dessert were some dinky little ice cream cones A very refreshing MARINATED PINEAPPLE with COCONUT pannacotta, LIME and CHILLI syrup was my dessert choice, and very nice indeed it was too, just the right balance, it slipped down a treat. Next dessert was again the same as Lizzy Wizzy had, CHOCOLATE SPHERE with MILK ICE CREAM and HONEYCOMB. From memory the hot choclate sauce was poured over the sphere quite theatrically, and MRS G wolfed it down without offering me a taste, so I pressumed that she enjoyed it immensely. On reflection I regret not trying Lizzy,s recommend of ROASTED FENNEL CREME BRULEE, with ALPHONSO MANGO. Still, perhaps next time. Thinking back I could swear that all the desserts from a choice of six were from the carte, which is a big thumbs up to put it onto the super value lunch option. Next up, and a bit of a surprise Finally we were presented with the 72% chocolates the very same ones that Lizzy had on her A La Carte meal This lunch turned out to be a bit of a marathon, and quite an enjoyable one. The ladies in front of us and the table for six (or was it eight) to our (my) left were very happy bunnies and so they should be, as value for money this lunch has to occupy the top spot currently in London if not in the whole of the UK. We were offered a view of the kitchen, no special treatment here, as others followed us dowm to the basement where we chatted to a very unassuming and genuinely nice Mark Askew (Executive chef). Head chef Sean Burbridge explained to me the pricing policy of the chefs table which has a splendid view of the kitchen and I,m sure it was mentioned you eat till you are sated which would suit a glutton like moi. Service as you may expect was very good and not as stuffy as could be expected at this level. Food was actually quite simple, perhaps too simple for some tastes, but for us this has to be our very best way to spend a Saturday afternoon, simple or not. Our bill with an entry level bottle of red, tap water and an extra main and service charge came to a touch over £100. Money well spent for the location and what was a very (if not excellent) value for money meal.

It was back in April that we dined here, exactly one week after our meal at The Hinds Head. Eager to make a comparison we made the long schlep down to Berkshire in anticipation of great things. Listing its location as Maidenhead, perhaps it was expecting too much for it to be in Maidenhead itself.It is in fact about five or six miles out of town and even with the help of google maps and my trusty navigator it was difficult to find. Pretty unassuming from the outside and no remarkable machinery on its car park it would be easy to pass by without a second glance. A bit later however a Maserati and another couple of heavyweights jostled for space. The welcome was excellent, top marks for waggy tails, although we had phoned to let them know we were lost and to expect us a little late. Another extremelly sunny day, so we declined a table outside as strangely no sun shade was evident on the tables and it looked as if those without sunglasses were squinting badly. We pitched up at a table inside with good view to the garden through our window. With a glass of beer and glass of wine we settled in to peruse the appealing menu. A choice of eight starters, mains, and desserts were offered plus Scotch eggs, Roll mops, and surprisingly Fried courgettes, also on offer were six side dishes. Tempting starters included Devon Crab, Somerset Smoked Eel, but I chose a truly wonderful, LASAGNE of RABBIT, WILD MUSHROOMS and CHERVIL (£12.50) Featherly light pasta, dense flavoured rabbit, perhaps a bit stringy, could have done with a bit more sauce. Wonderfull start to the meal, She who must be obeyed, chose the simple but effective, ENGLISH ASPARAGUS with a fried DUCK EGG and PARMESAN (£8.50) Freshness was the key here. A lot was made about the freshness of the fish which is bought in daily so I opted for fish, whilst our other choice was, PEPPERED HAUNCH of VENISON with CREAMED SPINACH and SAUCE POIVRADE,(£24) Judging by the oohs and ahhs from across the table this was most enjoyable I could not have agreed more as I begged for a taste like a lap dog to its master. A side order of MASH (£3,75) and CHIPS (£4) were also taken. Super smooth and creamy. Better than The Hinds Head version. Most appealing main dish for me was, ROAST SCOTTISH HALIBUT with SAMPHIRE, COCKLES, and MUSSELS,(£22). Now sad to say my first bite was not good, not good at all. Overcooked by a margin it was like soggy cottonwool, not that I have ever tasted soggy cottonwool but, well, This really is one of those moments that I dread, everything going swimmingly well and bang. I knew on my first mouthful that this had to go back, not only is the texture destroyed by overcooking a big part of the flavour evaporates too. Typically though for all of the normally fawning attention, where was the waiter? no where, thats where. As my other half was engrossed in said Venison I really had no other gentlemanly option other than to carry on with mine save spoiling her enjoyment. By the time our server had reappeared more than half of the dish had gone and I had second thoughts about complaint. " Was everything OK " Oh dear, I'm afraid the floodgates opened, and at this stage I regretted my spell at The Oliver Reed Charm School it simply did not help matters. Apart from pointing out that I NEVER leave a dish uneaten, perhaps I went on a bit much. Charming as ever I was offered an alternative dish but declined so as not to spoil the flow of the meal. Nice sounding, poor execution. Desserts were simple and homely sounding from Yorkshire Rhubarb Trifle to Coxs Apple Tart, I chose a creme brulee of sorts, billed as, CAMBRIDGE BURNT CREAM (£6.50) which thankfully was a big portion as I was still a bit hungry. Ever so simple but tasty no less. The other dessert was Warm VANILLA RICE PUDDING with JAM DOUGHNUTS (£7) This was declared "enjoyable" I almost forgot to mention the bread, perhaps because I forgot to take a pic. Its inevitable to make a comparison to The Hinds Head offering and if I was in charge here I would nick the recipe from the aforementioned. The offering here looked great, filled with holes like swiss cheese but it was hard work and much too dense. Domonic Chapman was not in the kitchen on our visit and his sous chef was eager to look at the fish dish that I sent back. I suppose its easy to get a bit of fish wrong by a couple of minutes but thats really what sorts the men from the boys at this level, most especially that they now hold a Michelin star. Service was really very good apart from the blip surrounding the fish dish. I feel that I need to mention that the fish dish was taken off the bill, as were the desserts and no service was added. I tipped generously but the manager? insisted that I accept it back, I off course declined. I would really like to give this place another go, but its just too far away for a second visit. I bet the locals love it especially when Sir Michael is in attendance. If your reading this Parkie, pm me, we just might make it again

Anyone been to The Samling who can post a review? Considering it won a Michelin star this last time around, something good must be happening in the kitchen. Its been on my list since January but the lure of London always seems to drag me off in a southerly direction.

A touch of deja vu about our last meal here, it seemed that a fair few of the customers are lunchtime regulars, indeed most of the faces were familiar. I did not take any notes on the day and indeed apart from the above I can't remember much about the food but as I took some pictures I thought it would be nice to share them with you. Needless to say everything was up to scratch

This is a really welcome addition to the Michael Caines dining options especially so as it is just about an hour away from where I live. Its a while since we have been, but MaLO hits the spot with the description, so I will stick to posting some photos and be brief with the narrative. "Have any of the Hollyoaks cast been in yet" "No, but Anthony Worrall Thompson has" As has been mentioned, build your own tasting menu, plus three glasses of wine for under £29 is an absolute steal,however they have now upped the price a teeny bit to £19.95 for five courses. Still a steal for the quality of food coming out of the kitchen. Chef Stuart Collins was in the kitchen on our visit and he is clearly a talent, not surprising though given his background with Michael Caines and Gordon Ramsay ( with perhaps a bit of Jason Atherton thrown in?). Bread was very good and generous in choice. Leek and Potato soup, with a poached Quail egg, Salad of marinated Tomatoes, tomato foam, buffalo mozzarello, Crab cannelloni, chorizo, red pepper, lemon foam Wild mushroom risotto, herb veloute'. Pan fried Mackerel, crispy Squid, tagliatelle, spiced coconut sauce. Macclesfield Beef sirloin, shallot and horseradish confit, English Asparagus, Madiera sauce. Rhubarb and custard with lemongrass foam, rhubarb sorbet, Chocolate pot de creme, vanilla foam, warm doughnut. Lemon tart, confit lemon sorbet. Even though I say it myself I,m pleased that looking at the photos again jogged my memory as to how good the meal was. Clearly at £9.95 for lunch its a loss leader just to get you through the doors so that you can spread the gospel to your friends and family. Stand outs were the very smooth and extremely tasty Risotto, the simple but flavoursome Beef, and the very enjoyable ( but overseasoned ) Mackerel dish. The Rhubarb plate satisfied my sweet (and sour) craving, not so sure on the Chocolate pot. Portion sizes were indeed generous putting a few of the Michelin places to shame with their offerings. Three pounds a glass is about where I personally think wine should be, but clearly its not much on my horizon so we won't go there. Neadless to say (to my knowledge) you will not drink wine of this quality anywhere in the land at this money, except at a Michael Caines venue. Service was good and attentive without being overbearing. The glass fronted, temperature controlled wine room is the highlight of a not too bad looking room with its balcony overlooking Chester Racecourse. I followed this meal up with a visit to Manchester Abode the following week but I'm afraid you will have to wait until I post that review to find out what my thoughts were in comparison. Happy Eating

You most certainly did We have been pretty busy the past couple of weeks and in fact we were in London last weekend for a couple of meals which hopefully I will write up in the next few days. Gauthier is difficult on a weekend for me as they are closed on a Sunday and I prefer to have a long lazy lunch on a Saturday, but again they are closed. Glad you enjoyed yourselves.Good report too.