shilly

Hi there We're about to host our first ever Seder and we're making a Sephardi chicken soup mentioned in Claudia Roden's "The Book of Jewish Food". Does anyone have a recommendation on making the chicken stock? I was thinking of using a standard stock a la Raymond Blanc etc, but I wonder if there are more specifically Jewish methods that produce type B chicken soup (Type B = delicious, Type A = horrible watery grease, and I can't seem to get one rather than the other consistently ). Thanks in advance Steve

Sure -- but I was being slightly flippant. I was referring to the fact that El Bulli and Juniper are each said to have an approach to food that is intellectual -- careful choice of ingredients and techniques that make you rethink what you're eating. And instructions on how to eat them (at El Bulli). It felt as though some of that was being attempted here, with some of the dishes: choosing combinations carefully, applying non-standard techniques, at least non-British standards eg sashimi of sushi. But as I said, it just wasn't tasty enough to be worthwhile. It felt like there was too much thought, too much technique and not enough passion in the food, so that the overall experience was a bit flat. I might not have tasted a particular combination before, but it didn't seem to matter that much. Maybe it's different when Jamie's cooking himself -- he seems to love his food. I wouldn't read too much into my remark anyway. And I'd eat in the bar again just to support the charitable endeavour. Thanks for the compliment Steve

The sad thing is that it was so unmemorable that I can't describe it properly. I've had a quick look on his website to see if there are menus there to jog my memory, but there aren't. Starter was a sashimi of scallops. It involved pomegranate seeds, something that I seem to remember being described as yuzu plums although I'm sure that yuzu aren't plums, and perhaps caramelized ginger as well. All this was in the sauce and there were instructions on how to eat it (which made me think of El Bulli, although actually all I was told to do was eat all the components in one). My wife had a "fantastic salad" which included good ham and bitter leaves but was rather less than fantastic -- it just didn't really sing. My main course was scallops again. Odd, I know, but it sounded tastiest, and this time they were seared (carefully and correctly) and served with borlotti beans, I think. My wife had a roast fish but I can't remember which -- it was a bit garlicky. I think I can best sum it up by saying that a few weeks before we had friends for a blowout dinner and I did a French Laundry dish of scallops with ceps (no morels around) and asparagus. My scallops weren't anything like as pretty as the ones in 15 (I'm no chef and I should have shucked them myself as the ones I had were too full of water to sear properly), but dammit they were much much tastier! That shouldn't happen at these prices. I'm afraid that dessert is a total loss....

We had to book about 12 weeks in advance. I should be clear that I really wanted to like the restaurant because although I find Jamie Oliver's manner grating, I also think that what he's done is a really good thing. It's a big deal to give that much back to the community and take a risk like that. Maybe he'll be super-rich out of it, but there are plenty of others who've done less who make much more! I just don't think that the prices were sustainable for the type of restaurant it is, and I think it actually threatens the long-term viability of his project, which is a shame. I am pretty sure you'll like Locanda. You could go to its website and plan your meal in advance if you wanted! Steve

Recently went to Jamie Oliver's 15 and to Locanda Locatelli and had two very different meals. 15 was one of the most curious meals I've ever had: interesting menus, with unusual ingredients that were apparently carefully sourced; competent cooking, better than I expected, with the only fault being that everything wasn't quite hot enough; but -- and it's a big but -- it just wasn't very tasty. Intelligent cooking, yes: the first food for a long time that I've had that made me think of what I've read about Juniper or (obviously on another level) El Bulli. But just not very tasty. In fact it made me think of what I'd be nervous about if I were to visit El Bulli -- that it wouldn't be lip-smacking enough. The other disappointment was the cost -- starters were £10 to £20, mains were £20 to £30, and the entire meal, including tap water only and one measly bottle of wine, cost £130 for two. I don't mind paying that sort of money, but I expect something spectacular for it: great service (it was enthusiastic but inept), comfy chairs (we were on plastic seats with no wall behind either of us), intimate setting without crowding (the restaurant space manages to be both too cosy and not cosy enough all at the same time), relaxing music (instead, it was piped from the bar above and hence was much too buzzy and clubby for a posh meal) and little bits and pieces. I'd have been prepared to forgo much of that for an unequivocal statement that an extra 20% had been tacked on to the prices to go to charity -- because I think that what Jamie Oliver has done is a very fine thing. But the bill wasn't justified by the food, the setting or the service. By contrast, a meal at Locanda Locatelli restored my faith in great cooking. The food was memorable: deep-fried calf's foot was fabulously sticky, papardelle with kid goat ragout was the best pasta I've ever had, trips to Italy notwithstanding, the breads were individual, tasty and interesting, the chocolate truffles were much better than usual (way ahead of brands like Prestat or Ackermans), and the almond biscuits at the end actually made me look forward to Pesach cakes (Jewish readers will know what I mean, although they might not believe me). The setting was comfortable and intimate -- but a little bit too dark, so my father-in-law had difficulty reading his menu and seeing his food, and the service was extremely professional. In his review on Friday in the Standard, Toby Young moaned that he thought the waiters were overdoing the Italian theme of the place -- I thought they were just being Italian, which seems fair enough, given that that was what they were. I cared more about the fact that they anticipated our needs every time -- with water, wine and attention, that they were prepared to give their opinions on what to eat and what to drink, and that they were willing to engage with us instead of acting like automatons. But the thing I was most impressed with was the price -- for cooking of this quality, which I think is up there with Le Manoir, the Glasshouse (when it first opened, not recently), the Waterside Inn etc, we paid £45 a head. That included a generous tip for excellent service, wine, mineral water, coffee and no sense of stinting. As we were with family, we drank a bit less than we otherwise might, and we didn't choose from the upper reaches of the wine menu (there weren't many bottles at under £20, but we found a nice Sicilian red at £12 that I thought was an absolute steal). But I thought the meal was tremendous value and was hugely impressed. I'm left feeling sad that I didn't enjoy 15 as much as I'd wanted too -- enough so that I wouldn't recommend even trying it unless you've got money to burn (although the bar made good cocktails and the bar menu looks good) -- but delighted by Locanda Locatelli and thinking of excuses to go back. Steve

Merci Marc! The Favela Chic sounds great! I'll pass on the suggestion Steve

Thanks for the suggestion -- I think they're probably more interested in discussing bodies than looking at them! Any other thoughts...? Steve

Dear all A plea for help from my wife: she is organising a hen night (bachelorette party) in Paris for a good friend. She'd like to sort out a meal on the Saturday night, with the following in mind: 1) budget of £30 to £40 per head excl wine (~50 to 60 euros) 2) lively and capable of dealing with a party of 12 or 13 loud excited women without batting an eyelid, but.... 3) classy (eg not TGI Fridays) and good grub (although no need for anything sophisticated, just tasty) 4) a flexible-ish menu given that someone is likely to be veggy 5) possibly incorporating some sort of entertainment 6) relatively central is this possible? all help gratefully received steve hill