Rossco

The fishmongers is called Linwoods, they've got a royal warrant and I'm sure they're over 100 years old. Get down there as soon as you can though as the good stuffs normally gone by around 1pm when the city boys get in there for scallops and lobster. They had some brill on yesterday which was fantastic - braised it last night with some hoegaarden, shallots, celery and carrot.

I stayed at the Loch Torridon hotel (www.lochtorridon.com) last february, and I'd happily reccomend it as much for its cuisine as the accomodation. Its in a superb setting, at the mouth of the sea loch inlet and directly opposite Liatach, one of the more majestic of the Western Highlands many peaks. Its got about 12 rooms and they all look pretty fine. On the dining front we took dinner and breakfast. Highlights of the dinner were a roast rack of venison, french trimmed and nicely rare. Served with a dauphinois topped with some stong, local gubeen cheese. A scallop and langoustine starter was immaculate as well. Breakfast is delivered with well deserved pride, excellent bacon, huge yolked eggs, black pudding, Inverawe kippers. The place is managed by a young couple, the service is excellent and the prices in my opinion superb - you'll get deals like £70 pp for dinner, bed and breakfast and to be honest in London I doubt if that would even cover the food. If you go make sure you install yourself firmly in the bar once dinners through. post-prandials are well and truly dealt with by the 140 single malts on offer....

I stayed at the Loch Torridon hotel (www.lochtorridon.com) last february, and I'd happily reccomend it as much for its cuisine as the accomodation. Its in a superb setting, at the mouth of the sea loch inlet and directly opposite Liatach, one of the more majestic of the Western Highlands many peaks. Its got about 12 rooms and they all look pretty fine. On the dining front we took dinner and breakfast. Highlights of the dinner were a roast rack of venison, french trimmed and nicely rare. Served with a dauphinois topped with some stong, local gubeen cheese. A scallop and langoustine starter was immaculate as well. Breakfast is delivered with well deserved pride, excellent bacon, huge yolked eggs, black pudding, Inverawe kippers. The place is managed by a young couple, the service is excellent and the prices in my opinion superb - you'll get deals like £70 pp for dinner, bed and breakfast and to be honest in London I doubt if that would even cover the food. If you go make sure you install yourself firmly in the bar once dinners through. post-prandials are well and truly dealt with by the 140 single malts on offer....

I have been working through a box of these over the last three days with my girlfirend, and they are really quite something. Its difficult to remain truely objective given the price (I am striving to find every last plus-point I can!), but in my opinion they are the finest chocolates I've yet eaten. In terms of mouthfeel and taste they have the edge on Amedei, Valrhona, Mary's, Wittamer. But the real treat lies in the construction and fillings. Marcolini has managed to build some kind of delayed reaction into the pralines, for instance the pistachio gianduja begins with a crisp dark chocolate shell, and a simple, single-note of bitter choclate flavour. After 2-3secs it lightens, and then a remarkably clear pistachio flavour emerges, before the chocolate notes reassert themselves and you're left with all the flavours blending on the tongue. I thought this must be a one-off but the same experience was built into the various tea-flavoured efforts, the champagne truffle. Undisputed pick of the box though was the 'Ballon de Golf Blanc', as the name suggests this is constructed as a half golf-ball. The shell is white chocolate, and within lies a shelled walnut, a puff pastry base and a veritable sea of creme caramel (I should add that the creme is very, very runny). Our policy of sharing half of each chocolate was swiftly set aside by myself following the first taste of this one. The shop itself is impressive, but more so was the experience and interest of the staff - trying hard to spread their message and more than happy to provide samples etc. The packaging is fairly smooth too, more in common with some of Cuba's finest no 5's than your average chocs. All in all, I'd recommend 250g's to all and sundry. The nights are still cold and dark and heres a good reason for staying in and making some coffee.

Thanks for the memory jog - I was introduced to these as an eight year old, huddled for some warmth as my family were foolishly trying to scale some austrian peak. Whilst already something of a 'vache qui rit' connosieur, I was not prepared for the divine delights of the tomato version. With a 40 cube box to get through, the prospect of sitting in the mountain refuge all afternoon suddenly seemed quite pleasant.

ts a very common fish in many Vietnames restaurants in the East End of London. Commonly steamed with ginger, garlic, spring onions or baked with a fish sauce and garlic paste smeared over. Both methods work pretty well for me...

I am a jealous, jealous man. Look forward to hearing the results of the taste-off! I was in Florence in October last year, we found a fantastic Bistecca in a trattoria named 'Baldovino' right next to Santa-Croce Cathedral (I will try to find the address...). The two of us were presented with about 900gms of immaculate chianina - dark, caramelised crust from the roaring wood fire, and beautiful rare meat within. I'd say the steak was a good 3" thick, and butter-soft throughout. Sides were just that - you hardly needed them but they were good nonetheless. We had a potato and artichoke mash and some dressed radicchio di treviso. A packed house, great service and good pricing - I have longed for a repeat since the day I got back to London. Baldovino is the sister restaurant to Beccofino, a more upmarket Ristorante on the south bank of the Arno, just west of Ponte Vecchio. I have heard good things about Beccofinos cuisine but its not the place for the Bistecca.