Suzi Edwards

So that's nought for two for Australian chefs in London. Firt East@West, now Osia. Dear Lord, please tell me that the Walkabout is next to go.

I entirely understand if you don't want to contribute to this discussion or reply to anything I've said, but for my part I think I've put my case as succinctly as I can, so can you please stop demanding that I write you lists? ← Dirk, I'm not demanding that you write me lists. I'm reading what you're saying with great enthusiasm. I just like to really understand the point that someone's coming from. Forgive me if you think I'm not contributing, I just want to understand more. At this moment in time I don't think you are making an especially clear arguement, but you do, so I'm just keen to understand who you are thinking of when you talk about Molecular Gastronomists* *often called Culinary Constructivists now BTW.

I want to make sure I understand your frame of reference Dirk. Can you list who you would call Molecular Gastronomists for us?

Beautiful photos. Wish I had known about this place last week. *Plans next trip*

Ruth Rogers and Rose Gray, maybe? I doubt they're on the line every night, but that's whose "concept" you are eating.

How about this for a concept? Molecular gastrononmy isn't a movement. It isn't a way of cooking. It's a pigeon hole. Punk was a movement. A group of people spotted a sprit of the times* and came together to create something that was different. A rejecting of what had gone before. That meant a lot to them. The term punk was self-embraced and self-chosen. Let's compare punk with Brit-pop. The former being a movement and the latter being a catch-all term created by the media that encompassed both Blur and Oasis. Every single chef I've met that other people would call Molecular Gastronomists would be clear in their distancing themselves from that label. If the only thing we can say about Jay is that he has enjoyed a meal at the Fat Duck and written about how he enjoyed it, well, I'd hardly call him Herve This. * I'd say Zeitgeist but then I'd have to stab myself through the fingers. And then put a safety pin through it.

I didn't realise that Jay had an unreserved enthusiasm for molecular gastronomy. What's your evidence for this statement Dirk? I'd love it if you could outline what "a firm basis in the actual eating of it" is. Maybe list for me where you need to have eaten to have an opinion that would be a considered one? Cheers.

Fantastic stuff. Could you share your recipe for Varenyky dough? What would the wild mushroom filling be made of exactly? What is the correct spelling of perogies? I have seen about two dozen this evening already ;-)

I'm going to be preparing a Ukrainian buffet for my annual Eurovision Song Contest party I've been doing some research about Ukrainian food and am starting to come up with some ideas, but I figured people on here would know a bit. Ukrainian food doesn't strike me as the easiest to turn into a sort of finger food buffet (given the length of the show it's hard to incorporate a full meal and it's nice to have stuff to graze on throughout) but I might be wrong. So far I'm thinking of the following: Varenyky with cottage cheese (does anyone have a mushroom filling for these or ideas for other fillings?) Mini chicken kievs (will take some trialling- any ideas how to best make them stick together?) Radish salad (who knew?) I'm completely stuck for anything sweet and I don't really want to repeat the Varynyky thing. I saw a recipe for Halvah on a Ukrainian site but that didn't feel especially authentic to me. Am I wrong? Would caviar be wrong? Smoked salmon and blinis? Any help, recipes and ideas appreciated!

I tried to go here a few (4?) weeks ago and realised they had closed. It was one of those places I'd always meant to go to...wonder if the same was true for lots of other people. Ironically enough,the Gourmet issue about London listed it as a great place to go, which made me wonder about their copy deadlines...

Maybe the point is that London has restaurants that are consistently good, that have built a reputation over a period and thus can offer reliable dining? While I like to eat in new places when I'm going abroad to eat I generally pick one new place and then the old guard. Not wishing to sound like a Gourmet apologist, but maybe they are trying to guide people to places that they can almost guarentee a good meal?

online food forum? ← *puts forum host hat on* Actually, it's the eGullet Society for Culinary Arts and Letters. There's much more to the site than just this bit (unbelievably) but you could say "the eGullet Society forums". Andy paid me to say that.

I'd be surprised too if they had different staff too. It's too small to be able to have too much rotation but maybe they sometimes use newer people on lunch? Although I'm sure Penny or Mary would still be there to make sure everything is looked after.

I've been once and am in no rush to go back. I have a vague recollection of recommending it to someone months after I'd been there as it always gets such good press. But it has struck me that most of the good press comes from Time Out and I think they have a habit of championing places and then never being able to say a bad word about them. Their sign in Islington, if I remember correctly, makes a big meal about the quality of the food you get for the price which is never a good claim.

I'd never post if I did that.

Interesting point about cultural subtleties. What are the clues you spot that help you decide about places you haven't tried before? I'm sure I have lots so I'm going to have a nap and then try and formalise what mine are as well.

So, I've just landed from San Francisco stopping in the newsagent in the airport to pick up the new issue of Gourmet. Having chatted with Moby I was ready to hate the issue, but actually, I quite enjoyed it. Ignoring the "best in the world" claim (and I shall otherwise we'll be back into the Restaurant Magazine 100 best restaurants in the world discussion) let's have a look at what's actually in the magazine.... We begin with editorial from Ruth Reichl where she says There's then an A-Z which has a section on cookery schools, gastropubs, eating outdoors, markets and traditional British food. There's even a bit about the West Country (I think they might have been struggling for a W) There's the usual from Nigel Slater about his favourite places, a piece championing smaller retailers of cookware, a piece about hotels and a large section about Moro with recipes. There's also a section about Brick Lane that tells you not to eat curry there.If I were an American travelling to the UK and I didn't contribute to any online food forums, I'd be happy with the magazine as a pretty complete guide to some of the places I could eat at and be guarenteed a good meal. There isn't a restaurant review in there there that I thought was miles off the mark. You'd eat well if you followed their advice. The whole thing can be compared with the "welcome to London" piece I caught at the end of a movie on United. It suggested that Papageno was the place to eat in London and that Sloane Street was off Oxford Street.

Here are a couple of threads that might prove useful... Convince me London has great dining Gastropub Club Suggestions on the Cheap Tired of London I'd steer you towards ethnic. Indian (Mela, Chowki and New Tayyab (just don't book online)) is very good in London and there are a lot of people on here that can guide you. I've just started exploring the Korean cuisine here and can recommend Woo Jung at 59 St Giles Street (just by CentrePoint) You can't miss GastroPubs if you want less expensive well sourced food. The Duke of Cambridge in Islington is (I think) 100% organic and is a very typical gastropub. Drapers Arms, The Ebury and (but I haven't been here for a long while) The Eagle could be worth a visit. Moro (again in Islington- can you tell where I live yet?) is also well known for good Spanish/North African ingredients well prepared. Shops-wise you will want to visit Borough Market (open on a Friday and a Saturday) and the food quarter in Marylebone where you'll find the Ginger Pig (butcher), La Fromagerie (cheesemonger), Roccoco (choclatier) and Divertimenti. When you're visiting Neal's Yard also get along to Monmouth Coffee Company on Monmouth Street (best coffee in London) and Paul Have a look at these for starters and get back to us if you need anymore help. I'm in Vancouver in September. Am really looking forward to it!!!!

Are the children ready for dim sum? Not having ever interacted with any children (since I was a child, clearly. As much as I wish, I didn't spring fully armed out of my father's forehead) I don't really know what they eat but there are often tablefuls of (admittedly Chinese) children in places like Royal China. On the Nando's front I'm starting to realise that not ll Nando's are equal. I went to the one in Tooting recently and the girl behind the counter looked at me like I had handed her a bucket of cold vomit when I asked her to remove the chicken remains from beneath my table. Also, avoid the new "Mango and Lime" flavour. It's a bit like chicken that has been dipped in Harpic.

Interesting choice on the fried eggs there. I prefer poached, but also find that poached are a better test of the kitchen's skill...but often to the detriment of my breakfast. Is it just a matter of personal taste or is there one preparation of egg that you really should have for it to be a "proper" full English?

Bapi, thanks so much for being my knight in shining armour and trying to get me squeezed in!!! That means a lot. Thank you!

Does anyone else find themself singing the name of this restaurant to the tune of "Crazy Horses" by the Osmonds?

Funny thing is that I googled them and another site (can't remember which) says that reservations are needed every night of the week. I just wonder if they've got really popular so have implimented that policy. Doesn't change that what they did was shoddy, nor does it help that Chowki really let me down with a meal that was nowhere near as good as the ones I've had there before. Oh woe is Suzi.

I have no ethics anymore. The La Brea breadstand in Shameburies makes very, very good bread. But Ottolenghi and Euphorium on Upper Street are good and you don't end up feeling like you've sold out if you shop there (if you're me)

They have a new chef, Tom Conran took over from his father, they put a rhino sculpture in the dining room. So much change...