david goodfellow

As a bit of a post script to the above, a certain Mr Jay Rayner dined at the very same establishment not many days prior to our visit. Interesting to see, what he makes of it! I for one appreciate the fact that,out of town,(up norf) restaurants are getting reviewed Thank you Jay!

Apologies to the Mancunians out there(Thom,Bapi,etc) for posting this here,but because GBM starts on Monday, I thought it was appropriate, here,rather than on the Manchester City Centre thread. Abode, Manchester,one of two starred Michelin man Michael Caines restaurants is currently serving some of the best value food in the country. Ian Matfin, head chef is competing in next weeks challenge so I though I would give it a whirl. Well, the restaurant isn't on our doorstep so we decided to go for lunch and dinner so we could get a better idea of what was on offer. Twelve English Pounds buys the three course lunch, and for a further £6 or £9 you can have two or three matching wines Now by any stretch of the imagination this is stunning value! Especially when you consider just how much money they have chucked at this place. I have to point out that the portions are "grazing size" but certainly substantial enough to take us through to the early dinner slot. The early dinner deal (between 6 n 7) is £14.95 for 2 courses, £19.95 for 3. Again,excellent value for the quality. The portion size is normal a la carte, so no bag of chips on the way home. Pan fried Red Mullet, ratatouille, parmesan tuile. Breast of wood pigeon,rhubarb puree', mixed cress. Braised Guinea fowl,"Coq au Vin".pomme puree',mushrooms,lardons. Roast Hake,watercress puree', salsify, and chicken jus Home made arctic roll, compote of local rhubarb Ginger and lime souffle',lime confit sorbet. As the menu is the same for both meals we were able to try plated portions of what we both liked, there is a choice of 3 dishes on each course. We both really enjoyed the Red mullet, a true classic, close your eyes and your in the South of France, Oh deep joy!!! The wood pigeon was good, but we felt the rhubarb somewhat overpowered it. The Guinea Fowl was classic Michelin, just superb,wonderful jus, although there was less of it in the evening dish, I seem to remember, it was mostly replaced with a foam of sorts. The leg was serve at lunch, with the breast making the evening slot. The Hake was a very satisfying dish, again very moreish and wonderful jus. Ginger souffle' was classic again, and perfectly acceptable. Arctic roll was fine, if a little bit uninspired But hey come on this is peanuts money. I nearly forgot the bread which was superb at lunch, but didn't quite have the same zing at dinner. Of particular note was the red pepper and olive, I could, and nearly did over face myself with it. Michael Caines has made no secret that he expects a Michelin star here,when the awards come round again, and given that Ian Matfin did nearly all of the cooking for some number of years at Gidleigh Park, Caines flagship two star Devon restaurant, who can argue? Now I know that we ate off the super value lunch and dinner menus, but some of these dishes are on the carte. That said Matfin's food is as good as any Michelin starred restaurant that we have eaten at this year and is Michelin through and through So there you have it Manchester, your return to stardom is fast approaching!!!!!!!

Matthew,you seem to be the man in the know. Not been to Wild Honey yet, although I did try for an on the day table about a month ago. How do the two compare? and who is normally in the kitchen at Wild Honey? Obviously now with Demetre in the kitchen, food will be superb, how has it been recently as the thread is inactive?

Just received THREE texts from Midsummer House to remind me to watch Great British Menu on Monday. Phoned them out of interest, and was told Daniel Clifford was on all week, and his dishes on the show would be put on the menu in May. Can't wait!

Mrs Woman, The other Mrs Woman has just reminded me of our slight disappointment at our last meal at Pant-yr-Ochain It was below par Must be about ten months ago though,so thats not recent. I may offer my services to them as a mystery shopper!!

Hi, Mrs Woman, Thats a real shame. The front of house at the Dysart are the same as always, obviously I don't know about the kitchen. The last time we went to The Aldford it was really busy and I must admit I did'n't notice any drop in quality. That said, if the quality drops noticeably,customers will no doubt vote with their feet. I for one hope that the owners sort this lapse out. Thanks for the heads up on Stuarts Table.We will give it a whirl. Happy Dining!

Had a very tasty Lancashire hot pot with pickled red cabbage at The Dysart Arms in Bunbury,a very pretty Cheshire village close to Tarporley. Mrs G chose Braised Lamb shoulder (on the bone) dauphinoise potato,minted gravy (excellent choice). We eat here fairly frequently,as we do at two others in the group http://www.brunningandprice.co.uk/ The Grosvenor Arms Aldford, just out of Chester,and in Chester proper The Old Harkers Arms. The food is consistently good, certainly at the ones we have tried, Combermere Arms,Pen-Y-Bryn, Pant-Yr-Ochrain and Hand and Trumpet. They have a highly successful formula,of quality food,good service,excellent locations,and very comfortable interiors. We are big fans!

Now 529 people claiming to being ill. Plus a bit of criticism http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fo...og-1650609.html

Just a bit of an update, worth a look http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=new...id=amjD4j7EN3ZI

http://www.caterersearch.com/Articles/2009...ts-by-2012.html Ambition from Michelin Man

At last a pub worth returning to. Not since our visit to The Sportsman the other year have I had a pub experience worth repeating. We went to The No Body Inn the other week it was awful but this time we struck lucky. I must admit due very much to e gullet, you have all been going on about the great £10 lunches at The Hand & Flowers in Marlow for a while, well we eventually made it and I have to write about it. I have written about The No Body but it won’t encourage you to go there so there is no point in putting it on here! The H&F is a Greene King I see, opened in 2005 by Tom and Beth Kerridge it gained a Michelin star in its first year. Divided into three eating areas which were obviously the original, public, private and snug bars it oozes old world charm with beamed ceilings and heavy oak scrubbed tables. We booked fortunately, by 1.15pm they were turning walkins away, one party of eight was most upset. It was a warm spring day so some were offered the use of the garden which they readily accepted. The only problem was that this put the kitchen under pressure to say nothing of the waiting staff who were running in and out and the service got slower and slower. We sipped a glass of Prosecco while we scanned the wine list and enjoyed an appetizer of deliciously crisp white bait with a Tabasco dip. Food was quickly ordered as there were only two courses to choose from on the £10 menu, the wine took a little longer but as usual after going through the whole list we settled for a carafe of house red - a vin de pays. If any foodie pub can’t offer a good house wine it is not worth patronising - we weren’t disappointed. Bread was freshly made, a soda bread and white rolls, served with a good quality slightly salted butter which was spreadable - alleluia - not straight out of the fridge. My first course of west country pork pie with piccalilli was very good. The pastry was not too thick and heavy and the filling was tender and tasty with plenty of jelly and the piccalilli was not vinegary. My partners leek and chive velouté was lacking in salt but blossomed when some was added. Our Hand & Flowers Lasagne was different. Served in deep bowls the freshly made pasta encased a tasty mix of shredded beef, rather than mince, mixed with tomatoes, mushrooms and herbs. I must admit, when I thought of the shredded beef, a naughty thought went through my head ‘mechanically recovered meat’! But no, the beef was good. The dish was finished with a béchamel sauce sprinkled with nutmeg. A gratined cheese topping would have given more life to the dish. Puds were, a very dry chocolate tart with super thin pastry served with malted milk ice cream and a rum baba with coconut sorbet. I enjoyed them both but my partner was not impressed, not being a pud man, it takes a lot to impress him. Mind you I ate half the rum baba but couldn’t taste any rum. Three courses were £13.50 - a good quality, reasonably priced pub lunch. I would love to try the à la carte but starters average £8 and mains £17 and by the time you add puds, coffee, drinks and service it becomes a special occasion venue. ← Pam, Thank You. I was starting to lose hope in anybody actually dining here. It was getting to the point of me making a stupidly long journey to satisfy my curiosity It certainly seems that you enjoyed yourselves. Clearly its working for them,I wish them well. Happy Dining!

Bit of news from down under .http://www.hospitalitymagazine.com.au/article/Noro-virus-likely-cause-of-Fat-Duck-illness/473898.aspx It makes great reading.

Try this http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/200...ink.restaurants

Well who can resist a midweek treat.Not me of course. So Tuesday afternoon , decided on a drive to Brum the following day for lunch. As it was Birmingham was bathed in sunshine, and to make the journey even more pleasant,I was able to park the Batmobile virtually outside Purnells. This was a real pleasure,because that is part of my love-hate thing with big cities especially London. Great stuff to do but driving can be an absolute nightmare.And parking even worse. Well I want to try the tasting menu,but will save it for now as they are close to changing the menus,and the game season has now finished,so will wait a while. The lure of the excellent value lunch menu at £20 for 3 courses was too much to resist. You can of course take 2 for £17 but go for the 3 as the desserts are F A B. Ham hock cooked in hay-Maryland Veloute of butternut squash-feta-pine nuts-coriander seed oil. Smoked Haddock-egg yolk-curry oil-Salsify Aubergine puree' Glazed Pork belly-prune and Earl Grey Puree-Seaweed-white cabbage-lentils. Caramelised lemon tart-Lychee and basil sorbet-Blackberries. Dark chocolate truffle-pumpkin ice cream-Orange. We both had the Ham hock,quite simply because my wife has been masterful in the kitchen with her rendition of Artichoke veloute,so we both wanted a change. The Ham was served cold with pieces of banana and some crushed sweetcorn and small droplets of what turned out to be a rocket and wasabi puree. We did ask the waiter what it was, he went to the kitchen and returned asking "us" what we though it was.We thought it was watercress as there was no fiery hint to it. I assume this little tease was to test our palate's. I fancied the Pork but conceded and chose the Haddock instead as I wanted to taste both dishes. The Haddock is one of Glyn's signiture dishes minus the cornflakes this time. It went down well.But have to admit I had my eye on the Pork. I kept looking at the Pork and rather belatedly I was offered a couple of tastes. Pork with Prunes is just great, the little side dish of puy lentils with veg dice was a welcome addition. I had the Lemon tart which was just terrific, pretty as a picture and I wolfed it down. The Chocolate truffle looked and tasted the part and both desserts were up there with anything else we have had this year. We had coffee and petit fours but I was deep in conversation with one of the staff about foodie things it was cold before I could drink it. Service as always was slick under the watchful eye of Jean-Benoit Burloux,described as a man of " ludicrous beauty" by our very own Jay Rayner. Just before we left Glyn Purnell slipped out of the door in his shorts, perhaps on the way to the gym for a workout, or to engage in his new love, which is boxing. I did not see him sadly, or I would have asked to see the tattoo on his leg of a Michelin man that he had done to celebrate winning his first star at Jessica's. Who knows he may have two? Well there is always next time!

Well we just had to try Rogan & Co,given that we had dined at L'Enclume the previous night.(this last weekend) The first thing that we noticed, was, it seems to have a bit of an identity crisis. It wants to be a restaurant, and be a bar at the same time. Nothing really wrong with that, its very good business sense. The problem, or part of it is, the passing trade. A large proportion of whom are ramblers and perhaps deem it too posh , and head for one of the numerous pubs,a short stroll away. I think that because the bar is perched at the rear of the room it also confuses. However that said it was fairly busy downstairs, on the eating, and coffee-ing .(sunday lunch) I did not see much evidence of drinking.(as in alcohol). I like the space. A lot of money has been chucked at it,and it works. The comfy settees and armchairs around the fire are much sought after. With the right choice of table I could see myself dining here rather than upstairs. The animation was quite appealing. Upstairs in the restaurant proper was very quiet,with no more than a few tables occupied. Although after two, it started to fill up a bit. We had a good table looking into the room. We chose from the Sunday Lunch menu.Two courses £15.95 Three £19.95. Smoked Haddock cake,shallot,grain mustard. Yorkshire blue cheese tart, fragrant leaves,balsamic. Roast Cumbrian beef Yorkshire Pudd,horseradish. Roasted belly of pork, thyme potatoes, cider apples. Now then,with the name Rogan above the door I think my expectation level was too high. What we ate was pretty OK-ish pub food not dissimilar to what I could myself do at home. The blue cheese tart was itself a lesson in simplicity. It was ok but looked not dissimilar to ones that I have made using the far tastier(and more expensive ) roquefort. The mains as I said were OK. I cold nit pick but I won't. Service was generally very pleasant and obliging,with just one slip. Our waiter served the main course then disappeared. We wanted some english mustard but no one came back to the table until I had finished my meal, and because it was quiet we could not attract anyones attention. A very simple visit to the table midway through the meal could have rectified this. This really is a welcome addition to the dining scene in Cartmel, with a very nice upmarket feel to it. Whilst some of the above may seem negative, we would most certainly recommend it.

Just got back from Cartmel,after an overnight stay in the village. Not at L'Enclume they were full. I did however dine there last night,and we had lunch at Rogan & Co, today. Have stuff to do, but will post reviews asap. Cheers!

Its years,and years,since we went there. It used to be OKish Spotted the odd "Corie" star or three, during its heyday Not to mention the odd football manager. "Odd" perhaps being appropriate looking back Ah memories!

Well this thread seems to have gone dead for some reason .So I will start it off again with my visit last Saturday. I've looked at Midsummer House for a number of years now, wondering how to link an overnight stay in Cambridge,with a visit. The draw of Cambridge has always been overshadowed by the Big City! The thought of two Michelin starred meals in a weekend will always win! However,this time,I realised that with adding an extra sixty miles to my journey I could take in lunch then drive on to London. I booked late on Friday, and set off not too early Saturday morning,for the two plus hour journey. We were in my wifes little " pocket rocket",with no sat nav,just a print out of directions from google maps. If you don't know the area,beware, its quite difficult to find. The house itself,and its location is spot on! Lots of animation by the riverside,and indeed on it. The greeting was inviting,and we were seated in the conservatory,which we were pleased with. The restaurant was full to capacity including a private(overspill) room above. As a concession to the state of the economy,a good value no choice three courses was available at £17.50. We chose the £30 menu.Three courses plus amuse and pre-dessert. The bread and butter was the best so far this year! Smoked Haddock,Grain Mustard,Mustard Cress.(amuse) Ravioli of Pigeon,Sweet potato,and Chocolate. Confit Salmon,Langoustine and Cauliflower Puree,Crab Cannelloni.(moi) Ballotine of Chicken,Mushroom Puree,Creamed Leeks,Dauphinoise Potatoes,Morel Cream.(madam) Rose and Lychee(pre dessert) Blackcurrant Souffle',Liquorice Ice Cream The Amuse Bouche and Pre Dessert are actually part of the tasting menu,so we had at least a sample of that. Both of the above were good,in fact very good. The pigeon was tasty The salmon was slightly uninspiring but ok.It was under seasoned.The sauce looked "muddy" and the dish didn't look very pleasing to the eye. I prefered my wifes Chicken,good earthy flavour,and the little saucepan of Dauphinoise was lovely. The Souffl'e was as good as it gets,the ice cream also worked imo. What does appeal to me is the man size portions,that gets straight to my heart. Simon Warr was in charge of front of house on the day. There were nine staff in the kitchen,and Simon kindly showed me around,and introduced me to Senior Sous Chef Sean Dickens who spent three years at Per Se no less Daniel Clifford had left already. Well, the draw on this occasion was the very topical Great British Menu as I've had a couple of good meals at Purnells recently. And of course Daniel and Glyn are head to head. The verdict. I really feel that I need to sample both tasting menus to decide. I do however wonder about the two star rating Would I return? Most certainly,even given the distance apart. We loved it.

I'm pleased that you enjoyed Lets hope success does not start to push the prices up too much. As I notice from your review the "tasting" is now £49,when it was £45 a short while ago. Not that I am nit picking,its just that the recent "tasting" I had at Fraiche was only £55 for an incredible amount of courses,and top,top,quality. Sorry if I give the game away,but I'm looking forward to your upcoming review. I won't name names,however we know its not Purnells (shame). I'm interested to see how you rate it! ← To be fair on them, our tasting menu did include a few more posh ingredients (venison, caviar, foie gras) and of course now features home made bread (always a good thing). I will get along writing the review of the other restaurant this weekend when I have a bit more time. ← Keep up the good work. Have a good weekend, and, Happy Eating!

If THIS is too long for you to read, in a nutshell: it was thought-provoking. ← Wow what a marathon,you were saving that one for a special occasion. I had to skip some of the review ,simply because I'm not entirely certain if I want to know all of the content before I arrive. As its nearly bedtime in blighty I shall sleep on it and decide tomorrow. As it is ,you have opened up another avenue for me to explore, Your very fine blog.

Thank you kindly.

Good news, for both you and The Fat Duck. So, I assume they had three-week gap (or more?) of reservations they needed to fill (I'm assuming they stopped taking reservations during the closure). Have they already been filled up? ← I can only reiterate what I've mentioned above. No offer whatsoever came forward other than the booking that I accepted. As it gets back to normal I may ask to be put on a cancellations list (if they do one.) The main thing ,from my point of view,is that I am in the system I'm sure the wait time will pass quickly. How was your experience?

The lady intimated there was no chance,whatsoever,(at least in the near future)of a dinner booking. Although she was very composed,I was clearly under the impression that she was under a lot of pressure. I was also mindful that they still had all existing bookings to honour,plus of course all the freebies to sort out. As I can be completely flexible with my times,I told her so and that was the first date that I was offered,and I gratefully accepted. I gave her a credit card confirmation,and she confirmed by e-mail,the booking. As it is, weekend dining is not that important to me.The same goes for evening I think that whenever I dine there it will be special. So there it is. Barring any unforsean circumstances May 12 its on!!!!!! Thanks for the good wishes.

Well, thats it . I'm in!!!!! Spent nearly all morning trying to get through(like everybody and his brother). Then eventually got through to the reservations line. Then spent a farther twenty five minutes listening to Alice in Wonderland (I kid you not). Worth it though. No chance whatsoever on weekends or any dinner service,drat! Gratefully accepted a lunch slot for exactly TWO months hence. Oh happy days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm not addicted, I'll be alright, I just need one more hit of that chilli... And luckily, I got it last night. A colleague was in town for the football (Altrincham born and bred, but ensconced in Rome for many years now) and when I asked what he fancied for a pre-match dinner he played into my hands by saying "Anything but Italian". "Spice", I said. "I bet you miss a bit of spice out in that there Italy." He did. I suggested Sichuan, he said it was his favourite (though his normal fix of chilli, sought out the minute he touches down in Blighty, is a blast of Thai), I thought for a while (milliseconds) and then suggested Red Chilli. Being with a newbie I played safe (and wheeled out the big hitters) by ordering us (all together now) spring onion bread, rice for two, Beijing dumplings and hot poached lamb. Service was a little slow (they were busy) but the food was as consistently wonderful as ever (overstuffed dumplings the only - welcome - derivation from the norm) so I won't recount the detail. My chum was, frankly, blown away. In an ill-advised homage to Michael Winner he declared the lamb "Historic". If that blew him away the bill almost finished him off - £32 a head for the food and four Tiger beers (still no Tsingtao - they're blaming the exchange rate) - less than a tenner a head for the food. Ah well, it should keep me going till the works do next Tuesday. Cheers Thom ← Yum,Yum I'm eating it all again. This is a very nice distraction for me,as I'm currently listening to Alice in Wonderland on The Fat Duck reservation line. I'm twenty minutes in,and hoping its my lucky day!!!!!!!!!!! Very happy dining.