thampik

The sidecar recipe has been road tested now and is a definite candidate. Thanks for the garnish tip Will, as it is not the most enticing looking drink and for the other suggestions. sbumgarner, The bramble recipe sounds interesting - one to try later tonight! weinoo, I have several bourbons and malts which I prefer drinking straight and which I cannot contemplate (rightly or wrongly) using in a cocktail. Though, there is a horrible Makers Mark lurking in the cupboard (gift) that I could throw into the mix!

Somehow I have it in my mind that I want to serve cocktails made "a la minute" - so the punch option does not quite fit the bill here. Any other suggestions? PS: I know very little about making cocktails so please do elaborate when it comes to recipes etc

FrogPrincesse, Thanks for the link and suggestion, but the "recipe" requires ingredients not in my list? brinza, Sidecar is definitely on the short list and will be road tested with the missus today!

Danne, the plan is to serve fizz as the guests arrive and then follow that with cocktails. brinza, how would you make a sidecar - as below? 1 1/2 measure Cognac 1 measure Cointreau/Grand Marnier 1/2 measure lemon juice

I am holding a New Year Eve party at my house and intend to serve cocktails for a change. I do not want to buy spirits/ingredients that I will probably not use for the rest of the year so this would have to be based on what I already have in my drinks cupboard. Smirnoff Vodka Bacardi 3-year old French Brandy Creme de Cassis Grand Marnier Cointreau All ideas/suggestions gratefully received (and hopefully will be road tested between now and the 31st)!

I have been to Bar Shu a number of times and have always had a really good experience. Bar Shu

Nikki, great blog! Looking forward to the rest of the week.

I have had to cancel a few times for a variety of reasons but have never had to pay a cancellation charge. Most recently, I had to cancel a table for three at Arbutus and they took it pretty matter-of-factly. Usual practise seems to be that someone from the restaurant calls the previous day to confirm the reservation... I would be happy to provide a credit card by way of showing real intent to fulfil the reservation, but would never choose any place that mandated a cancellation charge.

Three of us had dinner there yesterday and endorse everything Chris and Juniper say upthread. Forewarned by Chris, I asked about portion size and was told (by an excellent wait staff) to expect generous quantities. Accordingly we shared a Duck and Foie Gras parfait served with toasted brioche slices. Lovely taste and texture and well complemented by a (fig?) chutney. To my sorrow, Roast Hog was off the menu, so all three of us had the slow cooked Duck Breast with Savoy Cabbage, Duck Fat Chips and Gravy. Served on a wooden board, with Savoy cabbage in a Staub cocotte and the chips in a small copper pan, it was a picture and ate gloriously. Definitely in my top 5 main courses ever. I (and the daughter) have a sweet tooth and have never knowingly passed up on dessert, but (both of us) had to admit defeat and settled for Espressos instead! To my mind this kind of place embodies an ideal of Modern British fine dining - relaxed ambience, unstuffy (but knowledgeable) service and food forward. It is amazing to think that Michelin get this! Top tips: Unless you have a (very?) large appetite, do not eat up all of the bread served at the beginning, share the starter and you may just have a shot at trying the desserts. Do not get here too early. There is very limited space at the bar and one is always in the way of the wait staff trying to get to the tables past the bar :-)

Thanks for the update, Chris. Much appreciated. I am eyeing up the pork dish as well... planning to skip lunch :-)

I am booked in for dinner next week and saw a very lukewarm review in the Telegraph. I think the food looks very enticing, but has anyone been recently?

I am planning to be in Mumbai on two separate ocassions in Aug and would be grateful for recommendations from those in the know. As I am travelling to Kerala and other parts of Maharasthtra as well, anything other than South Indian or Maharashtrian food would be first preference...And I would like to avoid the 5* restaurants if at all possible. Here's hoping for more respones than what Percy got

the one that's my pet hate by a long way on this show is "wow factor". Kill me now.

Just caught up todays mains. I think this week has been by far the most entertaining. In terms of the skill, creativity and expression of individuality on show. The minimum amount of fast forwarding needed all series

The brand that I regularly use is President, which I think is way better than Kerry Gold....

I wonder how the chefs being judged feel... he comes across as being incredibly patronising

I also suppose that the vast majority of farming in asia does not use organic methods. Large (and not overly properous) populations dictate that cost is a major consideration. So local and seasonal, but not organic. Two out of three ain't bad Its ironic that the three supermarkets where I live have inverted this order. Not much (hardly any) that is local, a hell of a lot that is not seasonal, but a fair bit that is organic.

I would venture to suggest that the majority of "normal" asian resataurants in asia are using seasonal ingredients - not beacause of ethical reasons, but because they are more readily available and are cheaper. High-end asian restaurants are probably more prone to using non-local, non-seasonal ingredients because that is what defines luxury.

4 cups flour, 2 cups water, 1/8th tsp yeast (half as much as in my previous attempts). Wheat used was "Waitrose Very Strong Canadian Bread Flour". First proving for about 10 hrs (at around 20C) loosely covered with plastic wrap. Stirred to remove air pockets and left to prove again for 12 hrs (at around 16/18C) - covered with a cotton kitchen towel. Removed from bowl, folded over four corners and left to rest for 15 mins. Shaped the dough gently. Left to rise for 2 hrs. Pre-heated oven to 230C with a cast-iron cocotte for 40 mins. Put the dough in cocotte and closed the lid and baked for 30mins. Removed lid and continued baking for another 20 mins.

I think this has been the best one yet - better flavour, more oven spring (not sure why), same crust and crumb.

We had lunch at Le Gavroche last month and the service was impeccable. The lunch deal itself was excellent value - I especially commend the generosity - we were offered more bottled water and several rounds of coffee and not charged extra. All four of us were extremely positive about the overall experience. The food itself was a bit disappointing. One of us ordered Jersusalem artichoke veloute as the starter and did not like it. Out of curiosity, I tried some and found it not partuclarly tasty either. I think I understand what the chef was trying to do i.e not add so much cream that the j.artichoke flavour was masked, but I think they got the balance and seasoning slightly wrong. However, the wait staff noticed that my friend was not eating her soup and we had the maitre'd come up to enquire. He immedietly offered to send a replacement starter (a rabbit terrine), which was v.gratefully received. Michel came out to enquire as well and was told by my friend that she did not approve of the veloute and that it was too thin - it was enjoyable to watch Michel react to this critique, which he managed to do gracefully. From memory only the main dish (lamb) really stood out, the rest was a bit meh. Considering that the lunch was not cheap and the food not that memorable, amazingly all four of us agreed that we would come again; probably for a special occassion. BTW Heston was lunching there the day we went so the food cannot have been that meh.

Blether, Some interesting points to consider. Thanks. I am in the middle of a variation to my original approach. 4 cups flour, 2 cups water, 1/8th tsp yeast. I'll prove it for about 10 hrs. Stir it to remove the air pockets and leave it to prove again for 12 hrs. Will post the results tomorrow.

Blether, Can you share a no-knead recipe that delivers on flavour? While I was delighted with the crumb and crust quality, I felt the flavour was a little lacking as compared to the regular sourdough bread that I normally bake. The only thing I can think of where I am not following the NYT recipe is in allowing it to sit for 18 hrs outside as I think it would be significantly overproofed - mine feels on the edge in about 10-12 hrs. Maybe I am putting too much yeast (1/4 tsp) in? Any thoughts appreciated.

Thanks, Blether. Now to stop myself from eating the whole damn loaf!

Been meaning to try this method for ages and finally have - twice in a week - using the original NY times recipe (3 cups flour, 1 5/8 cup water etc) and a Le Creuset cocotte. The crust was fantastic and the bread itself pretty good. Using a sourdough starter and a slower fermentation would make it even more flavorful I would imagine. For the first loaf, I used 2 1/2 cups of Tipo '00' flour with 1/2 cups of Rye flour. 1/4 tsp yeast. 1 5/8 cup water. 2 tsp salt. Left outside for 12 hrs and in the fridge overnight. In pre-heated hot cocotte with lid for 20 mins and 20 mins without. /monthly_03_2011/post-63400-0-33807600-1300799942.gif' class='ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image'>