beef_and_burgundy

The term 'flight' has been used to describe series of things for at least 300 years. So as far as the etymology goes, it's probably (though I'm not certain) no more than an industry adopting that specific term through common agreement. Interestingly, the Oxford English Dictionary have recently included an entry pertaining to the specific use of 'flight' in the context of food and wine. Currently the earliest noted mention of the term is from the NY Times in 1978.

Brilliant! Can't wait to have a thorough read of this article. On the same topic, I found a recent article in Chemical Reviews (below) to be a very good (and simple) summary of the current thoughts about taste. It covers some of the issues raised in this thread too. Molecular Gastronomy: A New Emerging Scientific Discipline. Peter Barham, Leif H. Skibsted, Wender L. P. Bredie, Michael Bom Frøst, Per Møller, Jens Risbo, Pia Snitkjær, Louise Mørch Mortensen

I'm about to start playing round with it in order to attempt to make dairy-free sour cream. My partner is allergic to dairy and sour cream is something I find especially difficult to substitute (for sweet dishes in particular). Oat cream is probably going to be the base from which I'll start. If any one has had any success with something similar, I'd love to hear about it.

Hi Richard, Thanks for the welcome. Any updates on the yuuki-cha Oolong experience? I don’t know too much about the Ceylon unfortunately, except that it is a late-summer harvest from Dimbula and OP grade. Following an odd logic, I keep seeing the discussing on Makaibari and thinking that it’s been a long time since I enjoyed Mokalbari Assam. I’ll have to put that on the shopping list for the weekend. It’s almost certainly the Scottish winter that’s making me favour strong dark tea lately.

Today it was Dimbula Ceylon with Matcha buttercream macarons; not a bad way so break up the afternoon.

Apparently, Abstract did send out a press release saying that they were closing the Edinburgh branch in order to concentrate on Inverness (easy enough to read between the lines on that one). It's a pity to see that lunch deal disappear from the city. I get the impression that it was almost too good and that dinner (especially the a la carte) seemed a rip-off, even if only by comparison. Re Ondine, they took on two new senior FOH the week before last: a sommelier and a new assistant restaurant manager. It looks like Tom Kitchin took on a number of the old Abstract staff.

Does anyone know what's going on with Abstract? An attempted booking last Saturday and a glance at the place as I walked by last week seemed to indicate that they had moved, shut down etc. It'll be a pity if it is the latter.

I use dull knives quite a lot for increasing the surface area (roughing up) of certain ingredients. The two that spring to mind are cutting potatoes for chips (french fries; rough chips turn out crispier) and a sichuan cucumber dish (where the rough surface means more of the chilli-oil dressing sticks to the cucumber).

From an Edinburgh perspective, I’d like to see Wishart rewarded with another star as they seem to have reached that benchmark. Though I don’t think that 21212 deserves a star, I expect that it will be given one for the same reason that the Plumed Horse is now stared. Judging from my partner’s recent reports of Michael Caines' in Manchester and the Church Green, both seem to be off the mark of their first star (largely due to mistakes front of house).

I have to say that I'm pretty happy to have had Ondine open too. I've had lunch there once and was very impressed by everything there. I had a round of oysters (Maldon, Cumbrian and Oban from memory; the choice of champagne by the glass is very good, if slightly limited). I followed this with a fillet of Turbot on a bed of artichoke puree (garnished with some sort of cured pork, though my memory for the further detail fails). The food and service was top draw, though one waiter did seem slightly under-confident (understandable so soon after the restaurant opening). The wine list was a very limited affair, though I understand that they have a new sommelier arriving in January so this should be remedied soon.

Thanks for the link. Might head over and add my 2 pennies (from my generally positive experiences at The Kitchin). Interestingly though, I really didn’t get any sense of ‘Henderson-ness’ from the dishes there. I’ll go off and deliberate about exactly where the differences lie. As for Point, I have to admit that I know more of him and his cooking from reputation (through Leibling etc.) than from any first-hand look at his writing. It’s something I really need to look into closer.

Ross, you said before that you liked the style of Wishart's but not of Kitchin. Any chance of you expanding on this in the interests of a bit of light-hearted food geekery?

Interesting comment about the portions though, he's not the first to be disappointed with them. In retrospect, I was reasonably happy with the overall quantity, but would have liked a bit more variation ideally. The starter, main and cheese course were all more-or-less equal in size. My preference is for the main course to be the main course: or at least the peak of the meal (especially as we're talking only 5 courses here).

My partner and I dined in 21212 just after it opened. While there was a lot we enjoyed about the evening, we would end up leaving disappointed. This seemed to be due to what were a mix of teething problems, and some more worrying signs. I should quickly preface all this description by initially saying that my partner has specific dietary requirements due to wheat and dairy allergies. This said, we as much as anyone else appreciate how difficult this is to accommodate in a meal and gave 21212 three weeks notice about this. They said that they would be able to accommodate her. The evening is probably best dealt with in chronological order. We arrived to a half-full room that while breathtakingly elegant, was awkwardly quiet. The service on arrival was respectful while still appearing kind and sincere. Offered a choice of seating, we asked for a shallow table by the window, looking back into the dining room and kitchen. Sitting next to each other on a couch, the arrangement was an almost impossible mix of comfort and suitability to dining. This was perhaps, the nicest seating arrangement I have encountered in a restaurant. Saving discussion of the wine for later, I’ll start with a description of the starters, both of which were exquisite. We had the warm scallops with seven peas and the chicken BLT that have been described previously in this thread. These were brilliantly executed, challenging (to culinary norms rather than to the diner), and playful. The clarity and depth of flavour really stood out (as they would for all the dishes): which is saying a lot when you consider that we were using a benchmark set by Edinburgh’s Michelin-starred establishments. My partner was not able to eat the soup, so they very graciously provided her with a replacement course which seemed like a variation on the chicken dish I had to start, sous vide chicken with ‘trail mix’ and foam. Both the soup and the other dish were much like the starter: bright clear and defined flavours all complimenting each other in a way that seemed to defy their description on paper. The mention of trail-mix might seem an odd segue into discussion of the wine, but with all the nut and dried fruit flavours (the chorizo too) that feature on the menu, I was really wanting a wine list that gave more than a cursory nod to sherry. The list is comprehensive, but somewhat lacking in exciting or interesting bottles. While this might not be so noticeable in other establishments, the stark thematic contrast with the menu is a shame. This said, the pricing of the list will sit happily with the range of dinners that 21212 will be sure to host. The mains were much like that starters, original, witty and weird. I had the turbot, chorizo, vanilla, date and swede pure and my partner had the beef fillet with citrus custard and crushed green olives. Again, I was astounded with the precision of the technique used by the kitchen and the clarity of flavour. The cheese was plentiful, well chosen and served in perfect condition. Deserts were a joy for me and a resounding disaster for my partner. To reiterate, the kitchen had more than three weeks notice of her requirements, but on the night what they served her was a large portion of the ginger sorbet (which accompanies one of the desserts on the menu) with some dried fruit. The ginger sorbet is brilliantly firey, I’m sure that the three or so mouthfuls that accompany the dessert on the menu, it fits in perfectly. The problem was that no one in the kitchen had considered how a diner might feel about a larger portion. For my partner, the first few mouthfuls were great, and then she started looking a bit uncomfortable. By the fifth or six spoonful, she gave up as the ginger was completely overwhelming her palate to the point where it was starting to sting. To add injury to insult, the kitchen had left one of the dates in the dessert unpitted. She sent the dessert back less that half eaten and with the date pit on the side. Given that we politely informed the waitress about the problem, I was quite puzzled as to why the kitchen did not send an apology. The coffee was the second disaster and really needs to be addressed. To end of a meal which from a kitchen so obviously striving for culinary heights, with a sour, insipid espresso in apparently from a netspresso machine, to serve it in a disposable paper cup, and to not offer even a coffee spoon (replaced by individually wrapped and disposable swizzle sticks) was the most frustrating end to a meal I have ever had. The accompanying bon bons, I can not comment on as I felt it rude to consider eating them in front of my partner when she had not been offered any substitute. We ended up leaving with a definite feeling of disappointed. The meal had hit some very high highs, but the depths of its lows were not worth putting-up with. In retrospect, I just wished that I had my evening (and expectations) back.