Lord Michael Lewis

What are today's opson and garum?

On what dubious data do base your first non sequitur? Regarding the second utterance; how exactly is this clear from my post?

Plotinki, with all this talk of anti-Semitism, your anti-Britishness is hippocritical and highly innappropriate. Clearly you're not a person of principle, but merely the proverbial empty vessel.

I have eaten, slept and enjoyed several meals at Bras, I've also chatted with the man. He doesn't seem the type to come up with such a load Young Wertheresque rot.

Benidictine, the favourite of monkish brethren is popular for both its unctuous sweetness and excellent lubricant qualities. 'Better than Man-Glide' according to Cardinal Ratzinger.

I had the salted caramel at the Fat Duck and recognised immediately as Roellinger's, this was maybe four years ago. http://www.chowhound.com/boards/intl/messages/4442.html Here is another, interesting link giving Blumenthal's own take on the Coulant question: http://www.chowhound.com/boards/intl/messages/5250.html

Obviously I'm expected to dip my already waxy wick on this one so I'll say only this: Blumenthal is a consumate restauranteur. Not original, not clever, not cutting edge but with an unerring ability to judge and serve the tastes of the nouveau riche with a minimum of effort and maximum profit.

As a non-linguistic method of communication this would come under the umbrella of semiotics. Were a interpretation of what was on the plate possible it is unlikely that it would address the issues that customarily occupy philosophers.

Are you serious? The inverse is of this is - Why value creativity?

By giving details.

Indeed. It is surprising what some are prepared to ignore even in the face of overwhelming evidence. It seems that what many posters here value far above creativity are opportunities to schmooze with a famous person. Fame, like money, being an end worthy enough to justify unsavoury means.

I, and five others, were asked to leave the Fat Duck in Bray after Heston Blumenthal sat down uninvited at our table and began to expound on how he'd cooked our meal. One of our party told him she wasn't in the slightest bit interested in how he cooked the food, that she would really rather be talking to her dinner companions and shouldn't he be in the kitchen preparing the desserts. The maitre then presented us with the bill and told us that the chef was not prepared to serve us desserts and would we please pay the bill and leave. We did leave but, needless to say, we didn't pay the bill.

B Edulis, I visit San Sebastian on a regular basis, so if you'd like me to score you some Ambergris just forward me your address via the e-gullet messenger.

No, strangely enough. But but I do cherish a rather hazy memory of having tucked in to my dog.

Since reading Moby Dick as a lad I'd always been fascinated by this stuff some of which I bought in a shop in San Sebastian. It came in a dark grey ball with red and yellow spots and smelt sort of acidic and mouldy. I wasn't brave enough to eat it, and threw it away before returning to London as I was worried what our Customs officials might make of it.

How did she know?

I suspect that Adría has reached the logical terminus of this particularly personal cul-de-sac he has chosen to explore. Adría's cooking never stands still and it should be no surprise if he makes another culinary U-turn in the near future and employs his great skill in the search for perfection in simplicity and leaves the techno-rococo to his imitators. When I was there last year Adría spoke of his interest in Noam Chomsky's writings so who knows a Generative Gastronomy could be the next big thing.

How exactly do reduce a such seredipitous experience to such a neat, round percentage? Please explain your methods in detail? What do you do with a tasting menu? And, would a perfect main course served in a cold, wet toilet by a leper with a tinned Frutini cocktail for a starter and Angel Delight for dessert score an 8+/10 on the Macrosan Scale of Excellence?

Are all paintings art? I don't think so, but artesanal technique in the hands of very very special person; an artist, is all that's needed to elevate it to art. Art is the transcendent best of things. So why not cooking? Cooking then, like the manipulation of paint or stone or words or even tiddleywinks, in the hands of an artist can be art.

Judging by the cars parked outside at least half the diners are French. The proximity of France and the relatively low prices make San Sebastian restaurants a gastronomic bargain for the wealthier French.

If the funtion of the critic/reviewer is to inform (and it may well not be) then the critic should be above reproach. Spending 50 to 100GBP a head on the spurious recommendation of a professional is not remedied by voting with your feet, it's far too late and expensive for that. There are critics, Fay Maschler is one, who, whilst maintaining close ties with industry professionials, manage to maintain their integrity. And then there are the arse lickers.

This 'review' was written by Jay Rayner about the latest venture of his own newspaper's featured chef. http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/...4362028,00.html ?

Sorry Sandra, but nobody corrects Allistair Cooke.

The Guggenheim, Mugaritz, El Amparo, El Bodegon de Alejandro, The Kursaal (sp?) all fall under the Berasategui mantle but note that there is only one Restaurant Martin Berasategui the rest are restaurants on their own right with their own individual chefs but no doubt benifiting from being parts of greater whole. This seems to me like a satisfactory way of separating business interests from culinary ambitions. I think it's absurd for a chef two imagine that he can be in two, three, or even four places at the same time. I also think it's paranoid, egomaniacal and lacking in generosity. I think at 27 pounds for seven courses I can safely say the Guggenheim is extremely good value for money compared with London.

Indeed this is part of the Berasategui group, but generously Berasategui does not pretend to be the chef rather he brings on chefs from his homonymous Lasarte restaurant, in this case a certain Josean something. I will at this point comment on this strategy; Martin Berasategui has at least half a dozen successful restaurants and he does it without being an omnipresent egomaniac, also every young chef who enters his kitchen knows that they could end up with a restaurant and recognition, motivation indeed. This was certainly a 'one star' place in terms of service and I suppose food, although for me it lacked soul. I imagine I concur with Michelin on this although I couldn't tell you right now. Regarding Lasarte there is no comparison.