david goodfellow

No shellfish on the menu Just as a precaution!

What? He wins Masterchef and gets offered a job from the man behind the rival show The Restaurant. It's reality food TV gone mad I tell you I am sure a stint at Brasserie Blanc should bring him a little bit closer to that predicted star. ← Well,it won't be the Manchester one They just closed it!

Just read it in Catersearch Brilliant news.!!!!

That is really disappointing treatment of customers,many, of whom are prepared to travel vast distances to dine here. Just imagine what its like for an overseas visitor,who is not up to speed with any of this. That said Heston needs a Max Clifford to help him out of this situation. I really feel so sorry for the guy. If it were me I think the nearest cave,with no whisper from the outside world would have to be high on my visit list.

According to the Daily Mail,Raymond Blanc is considering offering Mat Follas a job, So no restaurant venture now. What's interesting in the comments section is the huge support he seems to have.

I'm pleased that you enjoyed it. 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!

It seems to vary slightly depending on the chef (I'd had a degree of heat-levels even within the Manchester restaurant) but I have to say I've never known them serve the hot poached lamb without a copious amount of dried chillis. Just to be clear we're not talking about long finger-sized dried chillis of the sort you see draped along the fixtures and fittings in bad Mexican restaurants, these babies are no bigger than your little fingernail and have a punch to match. I just managed to inadvertantly book myself into Red Chilli twice in one day - lunch and dinner tomorrow. That did seem slight (only slight) overkill so against my better judgement I swapped my lunch meeting to Abode. Luckily I'm also taking the team there for dinner next Tuesday so I'll still get my twice-in-a-week Red Chilli fix. Cheers Thom ← You are addicted. Big time. Thank your lucky stars its on your doorstep. I'm envious,of course.

Just an update to whet your appetite,for the screening which starts on 30 March. As you are no doubt well aware Daniel Clifford of Midsummer House is up against Glyn Purnell(Purnells) Well I took the opportunity to dine at Midsummer this weekend. I was able to do this by putting off one of my dining exploits in London on Saturday by heading out east ,then on to London for an overnight stay,then on to Locatelli on Sunday. I will post my review on the Midsummer link save it getting overlooked. Not a lot to report really,other than all of the filming has been done. Obviously a winner has been chosen,but even if I knew who it was, I would not spoil it for anyone by disclosing it. I was curious as to how both cooking styles would compare,as I had a very good meal at Purnell's in January,and a previous one,not long after they opened. Will try to post it today if I get the time.

Franck Cerruti (must be the same one) had a Michelin starred restaurant in Nice. I remember him. On one occasion when we were dining there,an irate Frenchman stormed into his kitchen to complain about his courgette flowers not being to his liking. A rather perplexed Cerruti shrugged it off and told me,"It is his right" I wonder how the foul mouthed one would have reacted?

Boazi Inn (peoples commune,-in Chinese) a recent opening in Chinatown, is from the same team at Bar Shu. It specialises in street food from Beijing and Chengdu Quite a few food bloggers are talking about it favourably. Timeout magazine also rates it very highly.

We were very fortunate? The place was quiet so we had the booth to ourselves,but still had the wedged in effect. Heaven forbid what its like when six diners are eating! These seating plans look great to architects and interior designers,but in practice do not work. It certainly does not bode well for any conversation,everything can be heard by the adjoining table. Even the close proximity of the waiting staff,stifled ours. Not enjoyable whatsoever.

London was a bit of a late choice as a dining option this last weekend. In fact Friday had already arrived. I had toyed with the idea of going to L'Enclume and on to Rogan & Co. Another option was La Becasse. The thing that swung it was a decent hotel rate on Laterooms. I always wanted to go to LL,since seeing George and Tony Allen strutting their stuff on TV,some years ago now. Well as you may gather,from the above,I was feeling indecisive all week,and had not booked a table yet. At half past eleven Sunday morning the table was booked for a one thirty slot. I somehow knew I would'n't have a problem. The room was more than three quarters empty! I put this part down to the state of the economy,the rest down to the grasping pricing,giving no concession to lunchtime dining. We were seated in the first booth in the restaurant proper, which initially I found acceptable,as it afforded me a fairly full view of the room. This was a big mistake,as not far away,in fact about three meters,proved to be a meeting point for the front of house staff. At different times during the meal I counted up to seven staff,babbling on,in native tongue about their various going ons. This was made of course all the more worse because the place was empty. So bad was it that two groups of two,who followed us in,asked to be moved. By this time we were part way through the meal,and I did not want to move,even though it was becoming more annoying. The food! Well I expected good. No, I expected very good. Did it arrive? Did it hell. Michelin star? Expect to lose it this year! Guaranteed! "George is not in the kitchen anymore" Well he bloody well needs to be matey. We started with Oxtail ravioli (for me) Pan fried Scallops,celeriac puree,saffron vinaigrette (madam) The ravioli was,well,OK nothing special The Scallops were again,arguably OK,however we both thought the "vinaigrette" clashed with the principal ingredient. Now bear in mind we are talking £15 and £17 respectively for starters,(including service charge). I want better than just OK. I want fireworks! Veal cutlet,crushed potato,braised(globe) artichoke.(me) Breast Guinea Fowl,black truffle,glazed carrots,liver crostino. The cutlet was on the small side,but tasty none the less.The crushed potatoes,well crushed potatoes.The artichoke was bitter and stringy. The sauce had no real depth of flavour and did not lift the dish. Even with more seasoning the fowl had little flavour. The rest of it was not at all memorable. What was memorable was the cost. £33 for the veal,and £30 plus for the fowl is taking the mick We skipped pud,we had had enough. The bill, Well £115,for the above and the cheapest bottle on the list £18(plus the dreaded.) Did I not enjoy!!!!!!!!! Would I return? Only if George were to E-mail me and invite me back as his paid for guest. And only if he was doing the cooking! Thats it, question answered. No chance! BTW on the two hour plus journey home,My wife solved the seating problem out. It took about five minutes on the back of a napkin. Oh, if life were so simple!

It is a very good observation by Tim Hayward Somewhat ashamed to admit it,but I have suffered for the cause. Thank you Margaret.

Employee costs totalled 34% of full year revenues. It would be slightly higher as a % of total costs given you will be stripping operating profit out of the denominator. I would assume GRH would have a lower than normal contribution to costs from rent due to their special hotel deals, and high contrib from cost of sales and staff due to their high end positioning. Ta J ← Food. Hockey. Food. Hockey. Food. Hockey. Accountancy. Come on Jon admit it. You're a bleedin' accountant.lol.

... um, it's out now ... and it's absolutely stunning. Some classics, some new ones, , some of the recipes and photos actually made me want to go and be in a kitchen very very soon - and am particularly tickled by the vegetable section. Can't say any more, need to go and caress my copy of the book. ← "Essence"is already a must have for any foodies bookshelf. Part of its success is the use ability of the recipes. Sounds like"Dessert "will be the same!

It is indeed the very same. I knew the name rang a bell. He had a Michelin starred restaurant,many years back,inside a hotel called, On the Park.in Cheltenham.(the hotel still exists) We ate there regularly,and stayed overnight,spending many happy hours with the then wonderful owners discussing all manner of things Including the very large amount of rent outstanding! As it was,he was a very fine chef,who did not get the support,perhaps of the fine folk of Cheltenham that he should have done. Now then you foodies will love this. One Sunday, guess who he had as guest chef? Your not going to believe this Marco bleedin Pierre White,thats who. I was invited with my wife,and two best friends. As paying customers of course. The food was excellent as you would expect. The disappointment was,that he did not come to the dining room,typical Marco. I at first doubted,perhaps he may not be in the kitchen,but fear not. He was sitting out in the garden,after service still in his whites. He was like a rock god then,to be admired from afar. Well thanks for bringing back these memories. Hope this has been of some help. ← BTW I forgot to mention. I bought Marco's book prior to a visit to Harvey's and took it with me to try and get it autographed. It never happened! I took it again to Pat Macdonald's, And guess what!

Your right, he was the original GR but without the swearing. It made good viewing back then. His history is a bit sketchy to me now,I know that he was a sort of consultant to struggling restaurants,for a fee of course. He was, and still is a big man,just having seen a recent photograph of him. Not the sort of guy to have an argument with! Not sure about Pershore, thinking more a failed venture in Stow on the Wold? The last I heard of him before this fairly public airing was his restaurant in The Mailbox, an upmarket shopping complex in the canal district of Birmingham. It was called Paris?. I did mean to go,just to see if he could still cut it, but! Well what a wonderful day full of memories for me. On thinking about it,he was a very good chef!

Though, I suspect, like any top kitchen, some staff are stagiers, working for very, very little, if not for free. ← If I were a young chef I would pay him to work there!!!! No matter what the wages bill Im glad that its not coming out of my bank account! There is one positive out of all this. He is universally liked and very highly respected. I don't for one minute expect his business to suffer,when this chapter is over with. Just imagine if it were someone else's misfortune Gordon Ramsay for instance.

Its estimated to be costing him, something like £14,000 a day in lost takings. Remember that all of his overheads(except food) carry on as normal. What a body blow,it must seem like a nightmare to him. ← Does he own or rent the building in which the restaurant resides? ← Sorry can't pretend to know anything about his financial circumstances,leasehold or freehold.? I do expect his wages bill alone to be absolutley massive,especially for all the chefs he employs. Never mind front of house costs.

It is indeed the very same. I knew the name rang a bell. He had a Michelin starred restaurant,many years back,inside a hotel called, On the Park.in Cheltenham.(the hotel still exists) We ate there regularly,and stayed overnight,spending many happy hours with the then wonderful owners discussing all manner of things Including the very large amount of rent outstanding! As it was,he was a very fine chef,who did not get the support,perhaps of the fine folk of Cheltenham that he should have done. Now then you foodies will love this. One Sunday, guess who he had as guest chef? Your not going to believe this Marco bleedin Pierre White,thats who. I was invited with my wife,and two best friends. As paying customers of course. The food was excellent as you would expect. The disappointment was,that he did not come to the dining room,typical Marco. I at first doubted,perhaps he may not be in the kitchen,but fear not. He was sitting out in the garden,after service still in his whites. He was like a rock god then,to be admired from afar. Well thanks for bringing back these memories. Hope this has been of some help.

Its estimated to be costing him, something like £14,000 a day in lost takings. Remember that all of his overheads(except food) carry on as normal. What a body blow,it must seem like a nightmare to him.

That is a good price. I think the cheapest amazon do it, is forty something plus delivery. I am fortunate my local library have a fantastic selection of cookbooks including David Everitt- Matthias, Essence,which I too have cooked from It is very user friendly isn't it! My current favorite is Ripailles by Stephane Reynaud,as handsome a book on traditional french cusine you could wish to read. Its four hundred and eighty pages are full of culinary delight. Well I think enough about books there is another thread on the forum we best go on that if we want to discuss furthar. I may just visit La Becasse even though its quite a treck. Will keep everyone posted.

Food for thought is a pretty expensive book at £50 You must be a big fan. More to the point have you cooked a lot from it,or are you like me, only trying a few recipes I have quite a few books including first edition hardbacks of White Heat(Marco) and Nico(Ladenis),Paul Bocuse,Raymond Blanc etc,etc, although I'm by no means a collector. Its surprising how fresh some of the food looks now especially Nico's. I could eat it this minute. I will look up your review in a short while Thank You.