marcusjames
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Posts posted by marcusjames
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I am dabbing (no tenuous relation) warm tears from the corner of my eye as I type...
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Felt very sorry for Aiden. I do like that classical approach, perfectly executed with contemporary presentation. I don't quite know what happened over Aiden's tenure at The Dorchester, but it would have been very interesting to see where he would be today had he remained... multiple stars would be my guess.
Going back to Johnny, I don't know how much editorial production and the guest judges liaise, but giving him 2 was asking for it. Compared to the other scores, it put him so far out of touching distance what was the point of carrying on? He could never have caught up. Having said that, and again a BBC issue, it would help if they gave a chef with an actual restaurant a shout. Have I got it wrong, or is Johnny currently a chef without portfolio? Even if he did/does have a venue, he was totally outclassed. I think any member here could have told them that well in advance of the competition. Aunty, if you're reading, call me, I could spare you these blushes! ;-)
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Yes, I actually could David. Beyond that I could even elaborate on how these things have involved and their garnishes changed (with the exception of the B&W dessert, that I've never seen). But I won't. It's so not fair David. Sat and Amanda are true professionals who I admire and respect very much. They know their product better than I dropping in to eat every 2/3 months or so. Message boards are all well and good but there comes a point when it's no longer your issue. And by that I mean mine.
PM or reach out to Sat privately David. Seriously, I think this is an overly public miscommunication that, at best, is very unfortunate.
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David - I nearly always agree with your assessments and thoroughly enjoy your reports. In this instance I think you've got the wrong end of the stick. I'm not going to elaborate, but suffice it to say, having lived in Notts for over 10 years, I've got to know Sat and the team pretty well. Yes, his responses are often dry, but his tongue is always firmly in cheek. I won't say any more because he can speak for himself. He's also fitter, taller and more toned than I... even if a large part of my indiscipline is his fault for over-feeding when I go there! ;-)
Speaking of which, I went last week and had some incredible dishes. At this level opinions, to a large extent, become subjective. The execution is always perfect, but that's why they're 2 star and others aren't. To give you fair credit, I think you kind of hinted at that. But please don't castigate them just because Sat was unable to say hello.
Right, despite earlier promises I've said way too much, but wine's involved! Thank God it's not Vat 209 gin from Mount St.Helena (in joke)! I'd be on a right waffle.
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I actually think it's just great that chefs are pushing the envelope like this. And brilliant that it's going on outside London; understandable I know, but the capital has more than it's fair share of talent and venues.
Am off to Sat's later this week. First trip this year and can't bloody wait!
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It's great when chefs expand in inventive ways like this. With all due credit, Simon's not the first to do it. Sat Bains opened a development kitchen (further to the chef's table) exactly the same as this well over a year ago. I think Ollie posted something about it in the lengthy SB thread already running actually.
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Certainly Michelin have a history of this in the UK. Marcus Wareing is perhaps the best example, though Tom Aikens is also of note. Both 5 star AA rosette and high-end GFG scores, yet MW was a single star for years, and Aikens - putting his more recent troubles to one side - never got elevated even. Basically, all the other guides jumped in ahead of Michelin and it would appear they kinda threw their toys out the pram as a result.
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.. through the sauce / puree / chutney etc
So many British restaurants are doing this. Does it have a future? Or has it had it's day? It's beginning to get on my goat a little bit. Am I the only one?
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Apologies Hermes, I really did Brian a massive disservice by using him as part of that analogy.
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I wouldn't call The Bleeding Heart or Simpsons Tavern fine-dining, which they obviously have a preference for, so not quite sure why they appear to have changed tack on choice of venues. It's a bit like sending Brian Sewell to judge a primary school art competition.
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Didn't Syke also say she wants to move closer to the West End? Well, if she thought a star brought a new raft of overly expectant, rude clientele wait till she gets closer to the City and the bunch of bankers that come with it...
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I see that you're easily influenced by this Nordic nonsense practised by Brits, all the restaurants that you mention veer towards that particular style, the only exception being Texture, who indeed pays homage to his homeland. I find these imitators shallow and soulless, completely preoccupied with Noma. I personally found Noma very pleasant and hugely interesting, but that cannot be transferred here. It will be very interesting to see what direction these lost sheep will follow when Alinea gets top spot in the ludicrous worlds top 50 this year.
Sorry Trencherman, I'm not sure I agree with any of that. The industry needs innovators and it's natural others will follow. I'm sure many chefs were obsessed with Escoffier a hundred years ago and where would we be without his influence today? Answer: without much of the basic cooking technique employed at all these restaurants!
The influence of Noma may be writ a little too large in many of the gaffs recently mentioned in this thread, but they are far from shallow and soulless. It's doing them a disservice in fact. Yes, they may not be perfect, but there is a lot to be admired in all of them. And why is Texture of greater provenance just because the chef's actually Scandinavian? Take Simon Rogan, for example, who is perhaps one of the most considered supporters of British produce and its sourcing. I think it fair to say his food does have its own domestically inspired identity. Heck, he has even gone to the lengths of starting his own farm, or do you think that's just vapid because he's also treading in Passard's footsteps?
And to give Aikens due credit, despite my niggle about the aesthetic similarity to Noma, the general consensus is that he's producing truly fantastic food.
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I don't like Michelin at the best of times, I find them incredibly bias in favour of french chefs but I actually sympathise for them a bit here. They try to expand the remit of their one star establishments and then get criticised for it. Or, more accurately in this case, get criticised for the clientele it has attracted. They're kinda damned if they do and damned if they don't.
I also find this 'expectation' line as the reason for Skye leaving highly suspicious. The prices at Petersham are totally discriminatory from the off. £30 a main plate means you already have a certain degree of expectation and, given they were full day in day out, can't quite figure out where all these ignorant oafs appeared from all of a sudden. If they did they could only have been few and far between in amongst their already established customer base.
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What a bang-on and insightful post Jon.
Personally I don't mind the style so long as it's executed well and has flavour. It can be very exciting. There's no doubt the Scandinavian movement has become the biggest influence on gastronomy since the Spanish wave.
To clarify a bit more about TA though, it's the look of the place; the colour scheme, chairs and tables (without cloth) are near enough the same, why? Then there's the bread in the hop sack, and that's all before you consider the presentation of the food. I'm all for influence and homage, but it does appear to have strayed across the wrong side of the line. Putting the moral debate over the suppliers to one side, they had a blank canvas at their disposal so it would have been nice to see them develop something more original.
Still, the food's obviously brilliant. I'll certainly be checking it out at some point in the near future.
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A friend who's in the industry went the other day and his comments matched David's. Very impressive indeed seemed to be the consensus.
My only initial observation is could it get any closer to Noma if it tried? The look and feel appears to be very, very close indeed. Perhaps a little too close...
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Putting the actual food to one side I think there are some aspects of JR's review that are quite unfair.
I agree it's not cheap, but it is value for money. You get an awful lot of bang for your buck which Jay fails to acknowledge. And it's not as if Nuno doesn't use luxury ingredients; note lobster and truffle get mentioned in that review. Again, the wine list may not start at the obligatory £20, but it is full of interesting quality and their mark-ups aren't as severe as some more central peers I could mention.
The dining room was packed and humming on all my recent visits. It's not a big room, but it certainly had atmosphere and was a million miles away from 'gently hushed'.
The Heston comment is perhaps most ridiculous. Has the Fat Duck closed all of a sudden? He didn't move on with Dinner, rather created a concept and style of food that could accommodate 100 covers and had some distinction from the Bray flagship.
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I was there just before Xmas and it was rammed, but I guess you'd expect that at the time of year.
T'was very good too. Had a fantastic Bowland Limousin rump steak.
If it's gone this would be very sad. With the exception of The Cartford Inn there's very little else of this calibre on the Fylde.
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I don't think the ragu was meant to be judged on its own. If the dish was the same as my visit, it's scattered across and throughout the plate and was, I assumed, meant to be a form of seasoning as a result. That in my book is called playfully clever, but each to their own.
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I think it is the usual paradox. Their reviews wouldn't have been a big deal, but they since they actually became a big deal themselves (much of it thanks to Marcus Wareing) the context changed quite radically.
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The main complaints against CC seemed to be that:
a) they were wealthy
b) they weren't running with the pack
c) they weren't Guardian readers
I don't think it was that Sunbeam. More their very high-handed style that was frequently founded upon an obvious lack of knowledge and understanding. I am sure they are lovely people, but the voice of their pen had a distinct narcissism and ignorance about it. Having said that I can only assume their knowledge would grow in tandem with their experiences so, despite my criticisms of them, makes it an ironic shame they've now chosen to bow out.
And no one can deny they stimulated more than one lengthy, interesting debate/thread in their time. For two people who weren't actually food professionals they manged to make a very big noise in quite a short period of time.
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I'm not going to write this up in full as just back and very merry, but by god lunch was value today. Taste of Britain lunch menu - 7 courses - £50. It included amuses, but for £40 extra they serve a glass of wine with every course, and there's some quality producers in amongst it. Supposedly it's 100ml a go, but even with wine goggles they're the most generous free pours I've ever seen.
Today they added in an extra course (pumpkin, parmesan and shaved truffle no less) and a glass at no extra charge.
As before it's very good one star cooking. Beautiful setting and service, so a lovely overall experience. But, bottom line, I'm not sure there's better value fine dining to be had any where right now. Fair play to them.
Maybe all the (relative) value I'm encountering is recession induced, but I'm really loving it either way!
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Good morning and luck David. Pray God you enjoyed it as much as I did, having a slight case of nerves now! Looking forward to an assumed report with trepidation...
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I seem to be on a right value for money kick at the moment as have just sounded off about how reasonable Pollen St is. However, I must add, I too had that Fischers Taste of Britain menu last autumn and it has to be one of the most competitively priced degustation menus in the country; certainly that I've experienced in my gluttonous adventures to date. £50 is an absolute steal for what you get (am off their next week for lunch as it goes, booked before this thread re-reared its head).
Would love to try the Vicarage. Interestingly, AA Gill gave it five stars not long toward the end of last year.
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Oli - hope you're well mate.
Set menu - £25. Squid was around £10. Even if I'd added in cheese or another course I'd only just have been touching the £45 mark. I think the food's incredible value. Oddly, they suggest turning starters into a degustation on the website, but not the menu itself once there. Still, at those prices, whichever way round, it's very doable.
PM me, we should catch-up and maybe munch somewhere!
Hedone
in United Kingdom & Ireland: Dining
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Scott - I did add the words 'locality and budget' in that statement and I have acknowledged their sourcing is incredible in an earlier post. I think you need to consder the point in context.
But! Hedone ain't cheap and has to be judged in those terms. I'd like to see anyone pull this concept off in a town or city beyond London. I doubt the pricing would fly so (with one or two notable exceptions) regional chefs simply don't have the option to go to these lengths.
And is the quality of the turbot really better than The Ledbury, or (since he keeps coming up in the thread), Ducasse, to name just two? Those are restaurants who, albeit with different styles, manage to produce dishes where there's a lot more technique going on around the main ingredient. Admittedly, they have much larger kitchen brigades, but that's part of my point - it's there to be seen on the plate.
All that being said I have to admit, it's nearly a year since I've been to Hedone and should really give it a second chance.