david goodfellow

yep, especially when dunked in the soy sauce thingy too. ← I'll admit to being something of a dim sum 'n00b', but i just found them kind of sloppy and boring. Maybe i need to try harder. Next time i think i'll be going for some sort of crispy beancurd. Any other recommendations? ← Just noticed your from Leeds, however the manager from the Manchester branch mentioned deep fried beancurd as a recommend, however I can't seem to find it on the menu I'm almost certain to go with his recommends on our next visit unless I weaken at the last minute and go back to the old favourites

" Hello, The Crown at Whitebrook, James speaking" "Any chance of a table for two, tomorrow lunch?" "Sorry were fully booked" "What about Friday?" "Yes we do, would you like to book that?" "Yes please, but can I just check that chef will be in the kitchen?" "Yes I will be" As beautiful a setting that you could imagine, the Crown is hard to find even with a high end sat nav which actually lists, and locates it. I say locates it, Audrey as we call her announced in her snooty voice "you have arrived", but we had'n't. We seemed to be on this one track road for an age and was convinced we had somehow past it. Mobile phones don't work here so a call to the restaurant was out. Its a real sleepy almost eerie sort of village, with no movement whatsoever for about ten minutes, then like a bolt from the blue some d-ckh-ed driving a Volvo estate comes bombing down the hill , horns blaring ,and presumably nostris flared almost trying to bulldoze me out of the way. Had the post office been done over? Or is it just that road rage is everywhere? Well the point I'm trying to make is that once on this track just keep on going and fingers crossed you will finally get there. Before I move on to the food I would just like to mention a bit about the staff who are superb, especially Alexandra our waitress from Avignon, and the lovely lass from Cambridge who is a big fan of Midsummer House. The sommelier,( who's name I'm ashamed to admit to forgetting) was extremely helpful and informative, and a thoroughly nice guy. We went for the lunchtime Taster Menu, 6 courses for an amazingly good value £39.95. Braised Ham hock, langoustine, celery and mustard. Butternut squash, goats cheese and hazelnut tortellini, avocado, red pepper. Pan seared John Dory, tarragon gnocchi, cardamon, tomato dressing. Roast beef sirloin, braised brisket, artichoke and lentil. Blood orange jelly with honeycomb, vanilla ice cream. Apple and cinnamon terrine, white chocolate and butterscotch. A number of the dishes that were on this menu, ElisG ate and reviewed above so I wont go over things again, I'm also pretty much in agreement with the tasting comments, save for one thing.( which ElisG did not have) The beef, the sirloin and to a lesser degree the brisket was slightly disappointing The dish in itself was fine, it was just a bit chewy, when I expected meltingly tender. Although that was a minor point in amongst some very accomplished cooking. Before we left James came out of the kitchen, for a chat, about GBM and his ambition for another star As I mentioned on another thread he is full of confidence, and happiest when he is in his kitchen, working the sort of hours most people would find abhorrent. This was a very pleasant day out, with good food ,excellent service, and a smattering of drama thrown in for good measure. Food miles 224 Food smiles

I belive it probably is the best in Birmingham. You do have to choose well though. My tip would be the goat biryani which comes in a clay pot, lid sealed by cooking the rice. And we'd always start with the tasting plate of vegetarian starters. And the rasmalai for dessert is always a hit. Some of the other dishes are a bit 'one-note', and I'd stray away from any of the standards like sag aloo etc. Next time you go, ask them to give you one of their cookbooks which was prepared with U of Warwick to encourage people to cut down on their saturated fat intake. Reading the recipes you can see they go the extra mile, doing things like smoking the curry afterwards for extra flavours. I too would be interested to know if there is really a hidden gem in Sparkhill, or whether its all "tourist curry", i.e. shit. ← Mmmmm, Goat biryani, never had Goat before, always wanted to try it, most definiteley next time. Have to make a concerted effort to try Itihaas, looks pretty posh, but was sadly closed on our impromptu stop That is of course if I'm not seduced by that bargain lunch at Purnells Thanks for the tips, your obviously a seasoned campaigner.

My choice is simply to enjoy what is deemed to be considered to be the best available food in the British Isles and indeed some may consider the best in the world. For a chef to reach the status that Heston Blumenthal has, who am I to question his skill in presenting his "best dishes" in tasting format. Go with the flow,98% can't be wrong. I know you will differ!

I remember years ago reading about the balti triangle in Birmingham. I had to make the journey, The talk of the town was Adil, in Sparkbrook. What a load of tosh, who dream,p't this bollocks. Unconvinced by my original opinion we visited again a few years later, again, absolute bollocks. Years later we visited Lasan, and hey flavour, and unusually with many Indian restaurants, different flavours! Have I finally found the balti triangle? or is it a mirage? I think so, this is the real deal, perhaps as good as it gets for Birmingham? Nickloman is correct, in as much that I have heard good reports of Itihass but likewise have not dined there yet, but its not on my doorstep, so planning is in order. I would be most interested in some insider information as to the true balti triangle in Birmingham Does it exist, or is it a mirage?

Slate tiles are at every restaurant of late, I can only reason that they are popular . in that, in the chefs eyes they display their food to maximum effect. It won't be long surely before this fad takes a back seat. ← I'm not sure that it's a fad,every restaurant i've worked in has used slates (the past 8 years ) I don't think we should under estimate Stephen Terry he's a seasoned pro !!!! ← I don't for one minute think anyone under estimates Stephens talent, I for one have watched him from afar so to speak, from his early Marco, chef de partie days at Harveys,eating his food at Canteen on to Coast etc, etc. Think I heard he has worked at no less than thirteen Michelin starred places, including two of his own, plenty of Crufts winners would fight for that sort of pedigree He stumbled a bit last year,early on, but of course won through in the end If he were in my locale we would be part of the fixtures and fittings, mainly because we luurrv big flavours and big portions. All will be revealed very soon

Another welcome newsletter from Purnells, this time with some across the board reductions. Its bargain time in Brum!!!!!!!!! http://clownfish.corporatemailer.co.uk/rea...3de410125bbc84c

Slate tiles are at every restaurant of late, I can only reason that they are popular . in that, in the chefs eyes they display their food to maximum effect. It won't be long surely before this fad takes a back seat.

There isn't really anything stunning to be said about this week. As Bryn Williams said after the mains last night there is nothing yet which stands out - both meals look OK and there are no obvious disasters yet. Personally I am getting very irritated with what seems like posturing by James - it seems like he has decided that Stephen is a country bumpkin who doesn't know how to cook "real" banquet-style food. What I can't decide yet is whether this is arrogance on his part, or if it indicates nervousness about what Stephen might pull off on Friday... I see that Marcus Wareing is back next week as the "mentor" for the North-West, which is a pity since with the NE heat it looked like he thought he was mainly there to stir things up... ← Nothing has me sitting on the edge of my seat, I must admit. I met James after our recent meal at The Crown, and for a little guy he's not short on confidence, he has utmost belief in what he is/has done for Wales by being the only Michelin star. So much so that he is aiming for two! Marcus Wareing is a big fan of Aiden Byrne's and Aiden of Marcus, be interesting to see if there is any bias. Nigel comes across as a really laid back, nice kind of guy, so i don't think there will be much "niggle" in the kitchen. Shame!!!!!!!!!!

Its all very quiet with regards to the GBM, can I read into that? 1, No one is enamoured with the food? or, 2, There's no real vitality in the kitchen? 3, Or? OK, who's the winner?

JudyB, in answer to your question in GBM. As from the 30th June the A la Carte which is being dropped is being replaced by????? Absolutely nothing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Its being dropped quite simply because 98% of diners choose the tasting menu. It was intimated that they may change/add ? a few of the courses on the tasting. We are having the tasting next week Countdown begins today PS They are still fully booked for two months although you can put you name down for a cancellation

Your timing is spot on ElisG, good review. I now feel a bit guilty not posting my thoughts on our visit but will try to put something up soon. Shame that I can not view the photos, was much looking forward to them, although having said that I admit to being a bit of a thickie brown loaf when it comes to my own foodie photos. Shame I don't have eight year old kids to show me how to do it Phil, your proposed trio of dining events does look very appealing

yes , the difference between one and two stars is nearly always tablecloths ← Gary - although it was a tongue in cheek comment from me, it may be a more serious point than you give credit for. The psychology of dining is complex, and even "highly trained" Michelin inspectors will find it hard to overcome first impressions. OK Michelin is "all about what is on the plate" but the set up of the meal which includes the staff, room, and supporting paraphanalia does make a difference. IMO it will never disguise bad food, but can lift good food. Food1 - Wishart would be my 2nd best meal, we had a superb meal there as well, and I would agree that it also deserves more. We had a dire experience at LCS, all I really remember is the frosty reception, the amateur service and very brightly lit dining room. As I said above the psychology of dining has a major impact and LCS was all wrong that night. I was reading Mattbites recently and he linked to a bloggers code of conduct which makes the valid point that we should visit a restaurant more than once or twice before making a definative comment. I wish I had both the cash and time to do that. A number of visits would even out and peaks and troughs in the kitchen, hopefully balance any emotional highs and lows, and ensure spouses are not unwell. I am keen to revisit LCS as our experience seems very different to some (but not all); did we simply catch the FOH team on a bad night? Nathan may be in the news this week, but I had been hoping to get there for 18 months and had been following some good reviews like Duncan's. On this visit he was on top form, it is a pity he is so far away from most people as it would be good to get a broader range of opinions. ← In and ideal world, going to a restaurant at least passing judgement would be ideal. This is especially true with restaurants which I had a less than stellar experience from and perhaps deserves the benefit of the doubt. However, I doubt many professional critics (you know the likes of AA Gill, Fay Maschler etc.) follow this 'code of conduct' and give restaurants the benefit of the doubt? On the other hand, some restaurants simply do not offer enough incentives in terms of a constantly changing menu to make it worth going again. A good example of this would be the Fat Duck (and come June they won't even have an ALC menu available come July). After all, you can only his snail porridge that many times.... ← Aren't they adding another tasting menu at the fat duck though? I remember there was talk of it (from Heston himself) a year ago but surely it would make sense to coincide with this? ← I'll ask him personally when I dine there next week

Tonights menu, Smoked eel, pigs trotters, cauliflower, maple and sherry vinegar. Sea bass with cockles, bacon & laverbread. Yum, Yum, could eat em both. If you want to cook them, click on the links, but don't spoil your viewing. http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database...ter_91188.shtml http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database...sba_91192.shtml

Had some business down the M5 last Thursday which was a bit unplanned and did not think I had any chance of a lunch visit to Purnell's. Well you guessed it, we finished a bit earlier than anticipated and a quick phone call and fingers crossed managed to get the last table for two. I was under a bit of time pressure due to a fifty mile dash up the M6 after lunch to visit the mother in law who had a nasty fall resulting in a broken shoulder and a compound fracture of the wrist! On arrival we could see how busy it was and I asked if it were possible if we could have a table in the main room, rather than the small overspill room. Thankfully my request was granted. All of the tables for two look into the room, and this is my preferred option. We had a couple of Campari and Sodas to sort out the taste buds then Ham hock & Chicken terrine-apple-Celeriac-smoked paprika honeycomb Poached egg yolk-potato& leek salad-Vinaigrette of green beans and chive. Smoked haddock-avocado puree-Quinoa-White asparagus cooked in orange,Baby fennel. Slow cooked Ox cheeks-vanilla dipped Potato-Jerusalem artichoke-glazed Pear -English asparagus. Lemon delice-white chocolate-lychee and basil sorbet-crystallized basil Rhubarb Pavlova-rhubarb sorbet Mrs G had the terrine and I had a taste and we both liked it,I wished now that I could remember the honeycomb, but sadly not,it must be an age thing. I seem to be eating a lot of eggs and smoked haddock of late, but opted for the egg starter, and we both had the Ox cheeks because they were sort of irresistible. The eggy starter and the terrine were a decent prelude to the aforementioned cheeks, which we were very much looking forward to. Now I really, really, wish that I could cook like this, to get so much flavour packed into the dish, to the layman, is something to wonder at. We liked the potato and pear element, and I'm a big fan of jerusalem artichoke. The asparagus gave it some colour and a touch of extra flavour. This is a very rich portion of meat and was incredibley more-ish however I felt it needed a little bit more potato to break the flavour up a bit, don't get me wrong its a fantastic dish its just perhaps too much of a good thing, but i could eat it again and again. Desserts as always were top notch, we tried them both, me taking the Rhubarb which was enjoyable, we both liked the Lemon Delice. Now as I sat there, mind drifting, in a euphoric sort of state, I pondered on the many twenties of pounds that I've spent with no joy attached, but here I am with good company,great service,excellent food, and metres away from one of the best chefs in the country who is ALWAYS in the kitchen when his customers are in the dining room. Now we all know its more than twenty quid when you add a dining companion or a drink or two, but you could still walk in off the street(if you could get a table) and eat top quality food for twenty pound, thats got to be a bargain. If I were down to my last twenty I know where I would spend it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 2 x 3 course lunches £40 2 Campari & soda £11 2 glass's wine £11.50 service charge £7.81 Total £70.31 Jug of severn trent water foc.

The manager mentioned a couple of dishes we may try next time, I have a feeling they were slightly "off piste" so to speak, but I think the menu is inevitably full of wonderful surprises.

yes , the difference between one and two stars is nearly always tablecloths ← Gary - although it was a tongue in cheek comment from me, it may be a more serious point than you give credit for. The psychology of dining is complex, and even "highly trained" Michelin inspectors will find it hard to overcome first impressions. OK Michelin is "all about what is on the plate" but the set up of the meal which includes the staff, room, and supporting paraphanalia does make a difference. IMO it will never disguise bad food, but can lift good food. Food1 - Wishart would be my 2nd best meal, we had a superb meal there as well, and I would agree that it also deserves more. We had a dire experience at LCS, all I really remember is the frosty reception, the amateur service and very brightly lit dining room. As I said above the psychology of dining has a major impact and LCS was all wrong that night. I was reading Mattbites recently and he linked to a bloggers code of conduct which makes the valid point that we should visit a restaurant more than once or twice before making a definative comment. I wish I had both the cash and time to do that. A number of visits would even out and peaks and troughs in the kitchen, hopefully balance any emotional highs and lows, and ensure spouses are not unwell. I am keen to revisit LCS as our experience seems very different to some (but not all); did we simply catch the FOH team on a bad night? Nathan may be in the news this week, but I had been hoping to get there for 18 months and had been following some good reviews like Duncan's. On this visit he was on top form, it is a pity he is so far away from most people as it would be good to get a broader range of opinions. ← I like your link to the bloggers code of conduct, it all makes perfect sense, however (as you rightly point out) its almost impossible to make multiple visits to some of these restaurants given the distances involved. Nathan Outlaws is a prime example, for me its about five hours away. In a couple of weeks time Edinburgh beckons, thats five hours drive. We may end up flying there. The Fat Duck next week is thankfully closer at just under three hours. You certainly need dedication, time, and financial clout just to make one visit, never mind multiple ones. As unpaid "worker ants" to the restaurant trade, bloggers are sometimes chided by the very trade that we pay homage to, perhaps of course worried about unfair or biased opinion. I personally never ever go to any restaurant looking for negatives, only positives. My good or bad meal, can only be a snapshot in time of a very personal and mostly very pleasurable experience. I know that a large number of members also eat at the places mentioned throughout the forum, but for one reason or another they don't post a comment. That is a real shame because however few lines of script that is submitted its still valuable comment. Please make the effort guys!

In my mind, all the exciting stuff is past the starters, so we skip them and get straight down to the main event so to speak Not tried the Beancurd with Beef or the Pork with garlic shoots yet, but thoroughly enjoyed the Daquian Chicken.

From a personal point of view, I was not really wowed by tonights efforts. James's dish seemed to lack that something special Stephen's dish looked ham fisted and completely lacked finesse, its very clear that he turned his back on Michelin style some long time ago. Don't want to be unkind, what do you think of it?

I'm very much looking forward to reading your review. Will you try to have a word with the great man, if he can find the time? Enjoy. ← It was a really great meal - full report here. I would say solid 2 star cooking, possibly better. My guess is the lack of tableclothes is the only thing that stands between him and the next star. The Brill dish is similar to the Turbot he did on the show. It is really, really good. The meat course was also very good, but interestingly one weak spot was the use of gels in the desserts which was one of the weaknesses the judges highlighted - they really are not very nice. But that said his Peanut Mouse was a superb dessert. We didn't manage to speak to the big man but it looks like they are doing pretty well. Apparently they served 22 set menus on Saturday in a restaurant dining room with approx. 30 covers. They have been pretty full since the beginning of March and this weekend they were full (with some added tables) and turning lots of enquires away. The hotel manager told us that Nathan has been offered a few other TV slots, and he really enjoyed doing the show. Hopefully we will see more of him....although we don't want to lose him from the kitchen. ← According to your review Michelin are spot on with their opinion of Nathan's cooking skills, and he may perhaps gain the other star? Its interesting to note your comments about tasting portions, I know entirely where your coming from. When I taste some delightful morsel, only to have it evaporate,so to speak, before I can fully appreciate its magnificence, its a complete let down. More and more my wife and I want proper plated portions to fully appreciate the dish. I know tasting menus are designed to show the range and quality of what the chef can do, however after two or three forkfuls some dishes do not deliver, quantity wise. Subject to how the menu reads I think we shall go down the "carte" route and perhaps add a dish or two. I notice by your photographs that some of Nathan's portions looked pretty much on the small size. It is sometimes frustrating when you have exquisite food that leaves you somewhat panting for more Its fantastic that Nathan is busy, due to the seasonality of his location, its extremely important to make the most of the good times. Long may it continue.

Just arrived back from our Red Chilli fix and have some good news, especially if you live in Birmingham. It would appear they are looking for a site, but are finding it quite difficult, to locate one. If you know of one? please get in touch. Well, surprise, surprise, the chef, Old Xie was not in the kitchen today. In fact this is the only time he's not been there during our visits. No problem, however it turns out he's on holiday in China("somewhere near Korea") I had no need to worry as the tiny kitchen had seven people in there even though there were only three tables occupied. Clearly they were prepping, expecting a busy evening service. Considering the above the food was very slow coming from the kitchen,normally its out in a flash on Sunday lunch. That said when it did arrive all the flavours were totally spot on. Well the Hot poached Lamb was the first order, followed by French bean and minced Pork, then we ordered Big Grandma's Stir fried Crab, this is also available with Sweet chilli or Ginger and Spring Onion. We can't make our minds up as to which sauce we prefer having tasted them all at different times they are all terrific, have to try them all again Now then, because I have assumed responsibility for ordering somewhat in a hurry, I am told off because I'm reminded that we were going to try one of the Frogs Legs dishes. So ever the gentleman I summon the waiter, and much to his astonishment order the Frogs Legs with red and green peppers. When the Lamb arrived it suddenly dawned on me the enormity of our task given the portion size of this dish alone, which is enough for two or more. Still we tucked in and started to make headway into the mountain of food. I think its fair to say that we have settled into the Lamb, Pork and Beans, and Stir Fried Crab dishes as favorites, however we did enjoy the Frogs Legs which had a sweet vinegar sauce and some very large pieces or black fungus which added a weird gelatinous texture to the dish. Very enjoyable. We all know how good a dish the Lamb is, but strange as it may seem there were a lot, and I do mean a lot less of those fiery little buggers in the dish, and to my mind better off for it, it meant that I could concentrate more on eating than wasting valuable time looking for the little nasal explosives The Crab and Frogs Legs are very more-ish but very messy to eat but we find them well worth the effort. The Big Grandma sauce is divine with the Crab and well worth all of the licking and sucking (careful) the spiny and sometimes painful limbs. The service was its normal laid back lazy Sunday style, the waiters seemed slightly amused and even bemused as they watched from afar, at our attempts to demolish enough food for eight people. All in all, everything is well up to normal standard, terrific saucing, which I would happily pay good money if I could learn how to replicate them in my kitchen Good quality ingredients in very skilled hands,putting on the plate exactly what the punters want. We were of course defeated by the portions, but not by much, we had a smaller doggy bag than ourselves and the waiters were expecting.

According to someone in the know, and quite frankly, someone who should know, Chris Staines leaving was not some rash decision,he has a new project! All will be revealed.

It is in CatererSearch. ← Well,Well,Well, Shock, Horror, Would like to have been a fly on the wall, with this story emerging, can't wait for a bit more news

I'm very much looking forward to reading your review. Will you try to have a word with the great man, if he can find the time? Enjoy.

Sorry to disappoint, next weeks chefs, James Sommerin Ex Marco Man Stephen Terry Guest chef Bryn Williams Welsh Rarebit v Chicken & Pea ravioli, Caws Mynydd Du cheese Oh boy-yo