MacD

The Relais Chantovent in Minerve, just north west of Carcassonne, is very good and worth a visit if you don't mind a drive - it's not very far though.

The probable lack of atmosphere is less to do with it not being the British way (you only had to be in Liverpool when LFC won the Champions League to see how we are more than up for celebrating in the pubs and on the streets as soon as a game has finished) and more to do with the fact that the results just trickle in, and we won't know much till the early hours of the morning, as others have said. It might be a good idea to find out what pubs near to where you are staying have televisions, and whether any of them will be having election special nights. I usually have friends round to our house, and I think many others do the same, but there will be some pubs open all night for the results. Whether or not there will be an atmosphere worth soaking up will depend on two things - the luck of the draw (some places/groups of people will never generate much electricity) and who is winning vs the political views of the customers! Clerkenwell has more of a local/neighbourhood type feel than other parts of Central London, so you may find a good local boozer to see it all unfold.

Could you be more specific? Area, type of food, etc. There are loads of good takeaways - often the same places which people recommend as restaurants.

Glad you enjoyed your visit. The Side Door is definitely worth a visit in the evenings too - I really like the room and the atmosphere, and it is pretty damn good food without all the frippery. I'm intrigued by you saying you saw lots of Thai restaurants - I can only think of two in the city centre... I'm also intrigued by you finding all the bars etc closed - what night was it? If it was a Monday or Tuesday and after midnight, I wouldn't be surprised, as there are probably very few clubs or pubs open that late, but any other night everywhere should be open. I guess it also depends on where abouts in the ciy you were walking - like in the City of London, some of the pubs in the business district of Liverpool close around 8pm when the after work drinks people have gone home.

The Red Lion, Stathern, Leicestershire (I think!) I have been meaning to eat here for a while, as it is the sister/brother pub to the Olive Branch in Clipsham, which I love. It is a gorgeous old pub, and it has a rpoper bar where people not wanting to eat can sit and have a drink. They do good beers too. The dining room is lovely and so are the staff - the two we spoke to when ordering at the bar really seemed to know the menu and what each dish was like. The food was a bit mixed though - which is a shame, as I really wanted to love it. My starter of ballotine of fois gras and sauternes jelly was amazing - the jelly was fantastic, and saved me having to order a glass of sauternes ... the other starters were not so perfect - cold meat platter, with "cold" being the operative word; lobster spring rolls - a bit strange - I think I would have preferred a proper chinese tasting spring roll and I have got very bored with the ubiquity of the sweet chilli dip; and the squid would have been great if it hadn't been for the strange accompanying dip - the menu advertised a sweet chilli dip (again), but what came was something that looked like mayonaise, but tasted of absolutely nothing. My friend is someone who doesn't like to Make A Fuss (in that very British way), but when he had nearly finished it he asked what the dip was. The reply was "garlic butter"... Well - apart from the fact that it didn't taste of butter, let alone garlic, why was this served with battered squid? Bizarre. And this was the only time when the waiting staff didn't seem to know what they were talking about. We even told her that it was supposed to be a chilli dip, but she didn't respond... Main courses were also mixed. My rib eye steak wasn't great - it was nearer blue than rare, which I don't like, and didn't have much flavour. The fish and chips ordered by two of us was pretty damn good though - perfectly cooked and nice home made tartare sauce, mushy peas and brown sauce. The chips weren't bad either (thank the lord they weren't chunky chips - I hate them). The Beef Wellington was very good too. It was a bit pricier than I had expected - 30 quid a head for two courses each, two beers and a bottle of wine between four people, not including tip. It had some great highlights, but needs to work much harder if it is to be as good as the Olive Branch. Sorry if this is a bit long ...!

Not sure what price range you're talking, but here are some suggestions: Relais Chantovent in Minerve isn't too far from you. we had a lovely lunch there recently - very good value at around 22 Euros for a three course meal. Lovely room and great cooking - traditional food in a modern style. Carcassonne isn't great for food, but I know there are one or two places known for good cassoulets - so if you Google it, then you may find somewhere in or near the Cite. We had a good lunch in Narbonne - I'm not 100% certain of the name of the restaurant, but I think it's the Brasserie L'Estagnol - again, good value and good food. If you visit Beziers, there is one of the Pourcell Brothers' outlets - the Comptoir de Compagnie - Ive not been to the Beziers one, but have been to the Montpellier and La Grande Motte branches - excellent food. There are also some nice small places near the cathedral and Les Halles for more traditional lunches. Don't miss the opportunity to explore the mountains to your north and north west - it's stunning scenery and there are some excellent fine-dining type places worth going to. The Ochre Rouge in Herepian is sad to be one of the best in the region, and Les Marroniers in Lamalou Les Bains is wonderful too - and he has an amazing value lunch and evening menu at 14-15 euros. Further into the mountains is the Auberge de Combes - great food and amazing views across the mountains from floor to ceiling windows. Pezenas has one or two places worth a visit if you are in the area. I like Apres Le Deluge, and there are some newish places which have been recommended on other sites.

So what about Puschka, 60 Hope St, Ziba, The Side Door, London Carriage Works (sometimes ... not always consistent now), Delifonseca, Italian Club (both of them), Host ... And there are others which I have not been to for ages (eg. Simply Heathcotes - was great at times, but some inconsistencies) or not eaten more than a light lunch in yet (San Carlo - enjoyed lunch and heard good reports), or not got round to going to yet (Chaophraya, Merchant Bar and Grill, the Maritime Museum restaurant, Exchange (in the Hilton Hotel) and The Stables in Garston - all have had good early reports). And some old favourites which are pretty good, but won't blow you away - The Olive Press, Picolinos, Everyman, Yuet Ben, Mayur, Il Forno (can be great, but some consistency issues). Granted, there are places I would describe as being all fur coat and no knickers - such as the Radisson Hotel restaurant, The Restaurant Bar and Grill, pretty much anything in the Albert Dock (except Vinea, some of the places in Allerton (but not Spire) and the Malmaison are some examples. However, there are more decent places to eat then I think you are giving the city credit for.

Liverpool eating may be not as good as it could be, but it is not a culinary desert. If you are using Fraiche as your benchmark, then I think it is more than a little unfair to compare everywhere else to that. There have been several good or very good fine dining-type places already mentioned on this thread, and there are other good mid range places too.

Other places in Liverpool include The Side Door, the Italian Club (very good tavola calda for an informal lunch if you are on your own or with one or two others) and its sister restaurant up the road the Italian Club Fish (very good fish and a few other dishes and a nice buzzy atmosphere). I also like Puschka - which is a small friendly place serving very good food. Others have mentioned some of the top end dining places, and I would add the Ziba, which is in the Racquet Club - very good food and a lovely dining room.