Hallie

Sarah, I will go to bed each night praying that this happens soon. I wonder what the hold up is?

Wow. Thanks everyone. Keep them coming. Bapi, I believe the fishmonger is Walter Purkis and Sons. Its somewhere up around the Broadway. Whenever I've been there its looked great - mountains of ice with a rainbow of whole fish and fillets slithering around on top. That's one thing that I've never been able to find in NW3 - a decent fish monger. There also seems to be an old fashion looking grocer's shop with what looks like a complete Edwardian interior, selling coffee, condiments (sp?), and other deli -ish goodies. We've already sampled the Burger Kitchen (or whatever its called). It gets a thumbs up! Apparently a branch of Giraffe is meant to be opening this month. I like their breakfasts. We must try La Porchetta - sounds interesting. There seemed to be a number of places that looked interesting on the Broadway - among them a place with a Deli attached called Pickles. Anyone been there? Its good to hear about the places in Crouch End (Banners sounds like a winner). I had a look in the red guide and although nothing is listed for Muswell Hill (and virtually nothing for Barnet at all), under Crouch End the following places get crossed forks and spoons: Les Associes, Florians, and Bistro Aix. I had a thought - should we form ourselves into a North London gastronomic search party and perhaps hunt down some of the better spots in the area? Might be a fun way to get to know local e-gulleters as well as decent places to eat. Anyone up for it?

I'm very excited to report that we've just had an offer accepted on a flat in Muswell Hill. As the paperwork has been coming through I've realised just what leaving NW3 means . Aside from excellent tube access, I know where my nearest organic fruit and veg shop is, my amazing butcher is a stone's throw away, there are great delis within walking distance and Borough Market is that little bit closer. Not being hugely familiar with Muswell Hill, East Finchley, Alexandra Park or Crouch End, I've also realised that I haven't a clue where replacements for these types of establishments might be lurking. Strolling around Muswell Hill Broadway I was quite cheered to see a particularly good looking cheese shop, a very substantial looking fish monger's and two interesting looking delis. Actually, it was spotting these places that in the end convinced us that we could take the plunge and live somewhere with no direct tube access. If anyone can add to this list of food shops - or even very good restaurants in the area, I would be much obliged. Also; local outdoor markets, farmers markets, organic fruit and veg sellers, good butchers, etc. would also be appreciated. Please don't tell me that I can take a bus down the hill to Islington and find everything I need. That's just not fair.

Hummm...sounds a tad suspicious. Especially the 'open for breakfast' part. Then again, one never knows. Can't wait to hear your report (though not holding my breath).

I thought that I was the only person on earth with a hidden passion for these little things. They are pure comfort food - remind me of afternoons spent with my grandmother as a child (she used to stick them in vanilla ice cream). When compared with all of the other posh biccies on the supermarket shelves, the Duchy originals and the scrummy chocolate LUs, I always feel slightly embarassed about putting them in my trolley. Glad to know you are out there, Andy. My name is Hallie and I'm a recovering pink wafer lover.

How topical. I surfed on over to e-gullet while enjoying my post-lunch cup of coffee and biscotti. The proof is in the eating, as they say.

Yes again. This was my point. I wasn't complaining about bad service - the service was fine, I was only remarking upon the difference in service we received in at an urban British one star and at a somewhat rural French one star. Perhaps service does not factor into the star rating at all and is instead reflected in the number of crossed spoons and forks that appear. In this case both bear 3 and 1 star, yet there was a marked difference. My intention was never to put anyone off going - so John please go if youre so inclined, the place is brilliant!

I believe that should have been 'madeleine' cake. A rather insightful glimpse into the inner workings of my mind - feeling rather penitent after that unholy gastromic gorge.

My husband and I were discussing this on our way back from a day trip to France yesterday. We had a fantastic meal at a one star restaurant in Boulogne called Matelote. In terms of the quality of food, it was top notch. I was most impressed with our savoury amuse which came as a trio - a frothy leek and potato consume, an oyster baked in a lemon cream sauce and a mini scallop tagine complete with coos-coos. The starters (warm lobster and artichoke salad and fois gras and langoustine terrine) were as amazing as they sound. The mains: turbot sauteed in browned thyme butter and duck with yet more fois gras (the over indulgent choice of my husband) were also perfect. Dessert included another amuse - a magdalen cake with a compote of pears and dark chocolate, and not one but two trays of petit fours (one of mini pastries and another of home-made truffles) this was before my mango creme brulee arrived! ...However, the main point of this post is not to wax lyrical about the food (as good as it was) but to highlight the differences in what constitutes a star rating. The one thing we felt the experience lacked was particularly good service. The service was alright, but certainly not attentive to the degree that we were expecting. This made us think of a number of restaurants we frequent in London - some of which don't even have star ratings where the service is much better. The other week we had lunch at the Orrery which should, according to its one star rating have been a similar experience to that which we had in Boulogne. It was instead, much better. The food was equally as good but the wait staff jumped as soon as you looked in their direction. Every napkin was refolded on cue, every dish removed, every glass refilled. Isn't this supposed to be part of the 'star' treatment? Do British restaurants have to overcome some sort of prejudice against them? It seems that stars are handed out in France with much less compunction. I sense a bias.

Never fear, you are only a short walk from the unbeatable Monmouth Coffee Company on Monmouth Street (off Shaftesbury Ave., parallel with Neal Street). If you walk by too quickly you'll miss it - its just a little place and pre-dates the Starbucks mania. Their beans are amazing. Now I'm going to say something contentious - I find coffee much better in the UK than in the US. Obviously, its not quite at Italian standards but its also not watered down. Even the Starbucks variety packs more of a punch here. At the Bonnington you will be a couple doors down from Caffe Nero, a chain which is much better than Starbucks, if the urge suddenly takes you. Another thought has also come to me. You were looking for things to take away and eat in your room - Neal Street also is home to Carluccio's Neal Street Restaurant and Deli. I've never eaten at the restaurant (I hear its very good) but I often pick up things from the deli counter for lunch. One warning; once crossing the threshold you will find it almost impossible to leave without making a purchase. The smells and sights are a little piece of edible heaven. They have a fantastic selection of salads and meats behind the counter.

Breakfast is always a tough one. I have only ever had breakfast out on a weekend and therefore I'm not in a good position to make suggestions. However, one thing does spring to mind - though its about a 15 minute walk out of your way. Bank, on the Aldwych does do breakfasts and despite their trendy appearance seems to be quite happy to cater for children.

Ah, the Bonnington. If you have a room facing the street make sure you draw your curtains when you change - our building is opposite the Bonnington and we've seen many an exposed body part from our office (and classroom!!) windows. Mela on Shaftesbury Avenue seems to be quite family friendly and is probably one of the best Indian restaurants in London - they also do affordable and delicious lunches (and perhaps take-aways as well - I'm pretty sure). Another idea for take-aways is the brilliant vegetarian cafe on Neal Street called Food for Thought. They do, without a doubt the best quiches in the world - a slice is thick and big enough to be a meal on its own. Their soups, stir-fries and soups are also amazing. People regularly queue out the door. Its been a London establishment for years and offers a bit of hippy chic. I have heard differing reports lately on the Great Court Restaurant in the British Museum. I still think they are fine for a traditional English tea. I will probably be castigated for this one by fellow London e-gulleters but - Wagamamma, the Japanese noodle place is always a hit with people with kids. I hope this helps somewhat.

You know, its funny you should say this - that is precisely what my friend and I were discussing when we were having our less than brilliant meal in Soho. Its partially what inspired me to post this topic in the first place. Now that you mentioned it I'm coming to believe that its not just that we are getting older but that Soho has actually 'died on the vine' so to speak. I think it was one of the places about 7 - 8 years ago that reasonably priced, interesting food could be had in London before things began to pick up. Since the mid 90s the gastronomic scene in London has changed massively. Perhaps some of that original energy was focused in Soho and has since dispersed. I do worry about the getting older bit though. Maybe Soho ceases to appeal because I'm now over 30

Yes, in fact Hallie was looking for that place...she failed to find it though. The question is (if I may reiterate) has anyone else found it?

It was a complete fluke that I ended up having dinner with a friend in Soho last night. The two of us were engrossed in conversation and ended up pounding the pavements in this neck of the woods, looking for somewhere to eat, passing by Quo Vadis and Mezzo and Busabi Eathai - we just wanted a simple, reliably good meal that wasn't overpriced. Is it me, have I missed something or has Soho just become a graveyard for has-been restaurants and a conservation area for crappy little cafes? We ended up at some mediocre North African-Middle Eastern place where throughout dinner we were rattled by the drilling going on in the restaurant's basement. It seems that they were putting in a new function room and attaching plasterboards to the ceiling that lay beneath our feet (this was after 7pm - I hope they were paying the builders well). I particularly loved the owner's way of getting rid of us as we lingered over our bill and the last sips of mint tea. He pointed to our table and shouted across the room at the two men waiting for seats, 'This is your table, they are leaving now!' This whole experience just seems to highlight why I never eat in Soho anymore. I've had so many run-ins with boring food and rude staff and bad value for money. I can't help but to think that there is something better to be had here and I just haven't found it yet.

I know your pain. I work in Bloomsbury and we are constantly at a loss about where to 'do' business lunches. Our main standby is usually Mela on Shaftesbury Ave. We have decided not to go back to Cigala since a Spanish workmate condemned the place as a disappointment. I'm not sure about the Perseverance - but I have heard good-ish things. The British Museum has a restaurant upstairs in the new bit - they do very good set teas and their lunches arent too bad either. The setting is quite spectacular and never fails to impress people we bring there (but generally those who work in higher education are quite easily impressed by the BM). Have you thought of Mon Plaisir on Monmouth Street - perhaps slightly out of the way but the food is very good and the environment is very bistro-like.

Auch! Worsley, Wolesley, Ivy....its all the same! ;-) Sounds worth a try.

The other week I passed by the building that used to be the China House restaurant on Picadilly. It seems as though the place has been gutted of its oriental fittings and kitted out in a 'grand cafe' style. I couldn't stop for long and only glanced at the menu, but things seemed reasonably priced. Fill me in - what is this place? It looks interesting. Is this a restaurant or a tarty tea shop? By the way - happy new year everyone. Its still not too late to say that I hope?

Then there's no legitimate excuse for gravadlax tacos. Oh dear, even writing that makes me cringe in horror.

How depressing. Maybe we can raise a subscription and send the chef to Mexico - or at least buy him a Mexican cook book. I guess this means that the quest continues...

good one, Marina. ...which leads me to my next olive anecdote; Picture the scene; the subburbs of Norwich, 1992 Two students enter supermarket in search of olives to garnish pitiful attempts at home-made pizza. In the condiments section there is only ketchup, brown sauce, pickled eggs, etc. to be found. An assistant is called and asked where the olives are kept in the shop. The assistant takes the two students down to the drinks section where 3 dusty jars of green olives are stacked next to bottles of Martini. After all, as your kind Blackpool waiter demonstrated, what else would you do with an olive other than float it in your drink? Mind you, this was a proper supermaket - not a corner shop and long before the advent of tapas. Oh, thems were the days...

Soft tortillas...chunky guacamole...this does sound quite good. I must check it out. This reminds me of an experience I had about 9 years ago in Leeds at a restaurant that claimed to serve Mexican food. I ordered something that came with guacamole (I'm probably spelling this incorrectly, so please forgive me) and when the plate arrived, there on the corner in a little dish was a pastey, greenish-grayish-white blob. I tentatively sampled the guacamole and all I could taste was salad cream with a few finely diced pieces of avacado mixed in. I notified the waiter that what I was given was salad cream and not guacamole. He took it back to the kitchen and returned with it, commenting, 'the chef says that this is guacamole'. I said, 'guacamole doesn't contain salad cream and its primary ingredient is avacado. This is not guacamole'. The waiter shrugged and said, 'Its guacamole in Leeds'.

I had wondered what had happened to Lee Purcell. About 2 years ago he took over as head chef at my local Italian restaurant, Artigano (same people who have brought us Il Convivio). About 2 years, with much sadness we also stopped going to our local Italian restaurant because of the disasterous things Lee Purcell did to the menu there. Gone were the experimental Italian signature dishes which used a range of regional Italian ingredients (things like pumpkin, sage, wild boar, etc.) and instead we got....chicken Milanese. I kid you not. Then, gratefully, about six months ago, Lee Purcell left and all has been restored. I don't know who the new chef is but he/she knows what they are doing. If Lee Purcell's idea of Italian food is Chicken Milanese, served with a wedge of lemon on the side, I can't wait to see what he does to Japanese food.

I'll second that. Either you are smoking or eating. I could never understand why anyone would want to ruin the taste of the food they are supposedly paying to enjoy at a restaurant by sticking a ciggie in their mouth between courses. I also really resent having smoke blown over me and my meal during dinner, as recently happened in a North Africian restaurant where I was dining. I literally watched our beautiful mezze platter disappear under the smokey fog that was coming from the couple at the table next to us. Disgusting!

I' ve heard all sorts of things about this new Sainsbury's in Pimlico. Apparently its a new 'concept' thing that attempts to make Sainso's seem like a farmer's market. Has anyone done their shopping there? Is it good? Please, enlighten us.