Gavin Convery

Ditto. I can't think of any place in Barcelona proper which outdoes Can Roca. In fact I'm going there on Friday. ← SD - please report back! I am already getting hungry at the thought of my meal there in April....maybe hunger is not the right emotion...more like ecstatic anticipation!

There's also Hisop which I am booked into followed by Can Roca for lunch the next day....

Here is the list online... http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_...06/ai_n12769247 Egullet in at number 5....

A slight change to the plans as I was blown out by Sant Pau....instead I have a table at Can Roca! Very excited about this after I read vmilor's review on gastroville. So Hisop for dinner when we arrive on the Friday and Can Roca for lunch on the Saturday. Now I just need to decide what to do on the Sunday for Dinner which seems to be a bit of an issue.

Any more recnt views on this place...?

I did look at Gaig and it looked interesting. A friend of mine went to Jean-Luc Figueras and really enjoyed it. Any other views on some of the other michelin starred restaurants that don't get many mentions - Caelis, Neichel, Hoffman....?

So Hisop accepted my reservation request, so there is only one night to determine. Which of the other 3 (or 4 incl Sauc) would you go for?

Off to BCN in April and trying to do my research. Firstly it is clear that Hisop and Cinc Sentits get positive reviews from the slew of non-michelin starred establishments. Abac and Raco d'en Freixa (RF) are both rising stars in this years Michelin. I have already made a request to Sant Pau for Sunday lunch. So with 2 possible dinners (allowing for no dinner on Sunday night), the question is which of these I go for? Abac has a thread which gives me a positive feel. A search for "Freixa" returns no results so what is it with RF - any views? Sauc also seems to get good reviews. Here's my proposal: Hisop and Abac? Is this the best way to go if I choose one michelin and one non-michelin place?

Hey, well I hope he does well with this new venture and makes a great success of it. Err it's just up the road from me but don't want you to think that influences my views... ;-)

Ermintrude, Excellent review and I think very fair. Agree about the service - some pruning may be required, but the head waitperson(woman) is excellent. Some things definitely work better than others, but it is exciting to go to a restaurant which is trying so hard to push boundaries and inevitably things may not work. It is still early days yet and I think another year will allow things to settle down. It will be interesting to see whether it will become as popular as we think - mainly because some of the combinations are so unusual. Given you've been to El Bulli (I haven't but been to Fat Duck) I'd be interested to see what, if any, comparisons can be made.

Can't see Tom Aikens getting a 2nd star on the basis of the reports I've heard here and elsewhere. Arbutus for a bib gourmand. Couldn't see the Wolseley with a star. Bacchus for a star! OK I don't really think it will get one - not sufficiently michelinny (?) Has Galvin Bistro Deluxe got a BG?

Zoticus, It's not necessarily that they are better, just that with limited dining opportunities these are the ones that stand out over the year. I would love to have the time to revisit some of my favourites from the past such as Michel Bras, L'Aubergade and Maison Bricourt but limited funds and travel opportunities prevented this. That said, I really loved Bacchus because it gave me something that I hadn't experienced before in a great relaxed atmosphere. Yes, that suggests novelty, but not for its own sake as the food tasted great and that is all that matters in the end. On the other hand I had that old stalwart Le Gavroche on my list as well because it also gave me something new within the confines of a quite classical cuisine. For me restaurant of the year is not just about the absolute quality of the food but just the overall package which brings something new to the scene and more particularly to the jaded (spoilt) palates of foodies such as egullet members. It's great to have other views especially if we bring up some of the slightly forgotten classic restaurants such as Bocuse. The only surprising thing as has been mentioned is that Bocuse which generally lost its reputation (allegedly, in some quarters - I can't comment as I've never been) was cited as a restaurant of the year. I guess we shouldn't assume that "old" restaurants are good any more than we assume that "new" restaurants can't be good. The role of Egullet is to judge on the merits as seen by the members so it's good to have new reports on "old" restaurants too.... Now, Gary, I need to know more about L'Arnsbourg as I was thinking of a trip to Alsace.....

Andy, Remind us where he is cooking :-) No...ignore that I did a Google. Looks interesting.....now how can I fit that in to my trip to Newcastle....! anyone been...couldn't find any substantive reviews on Egullet ← Absolutely fantastic restaurant, which to my surprise has not been reviewed to much. I went over the summer and had the tasting menu. I have a copy somewhere so may do a review. Great beer list too. It is very hard to find and in a strange location. ← Hasn't Gary Marshall been - it's sort of up northish (well Midlands if you come from Newcastle ;-)). RDB, I think we need a review... ;-)

Andy, Remind us where he is cooking :-) No...ignore that I did a Google. Looks interesting.....now how can I fit that in to my trip to Newcastle....! anyone been...couldn't find any substantive reviews on Egullet

Excellent review and I like the film ;-) In some ways I'm glad not everybody gets - I think that shows you're doing the right things - I'm sure the Fat Duck got the same response. But whereas I felt the Fat Duck (for me) didn't always hit the right notes (it was quite a few years ago now), Bacchus hit all the right spots for me...and it's a lot cheaper!

Interesting restaurant, but not sure I'd want to trek out to Tottenham for it. Good on them for trying something good in a bit of a dodgy location though.

Not heard of this place - any details of the menu etc?

Really? I think the room is nice, certainly not in any way offensive that I can see. I feel a lunchtime treat with the wife coming on.....

Wow, best meal this year...that's quite something.....looks like a return visit is due, especially if it can bring back memories of Michel Bras. Although nothing can replace the sunset view from the dining room at MB and the state of the art 2001 a Space Odyssey lounge...

Its just so nice not to have to travel for hours to get a half decent meal. I don't ever really get tired of restaurants at any level. I had a great lunch at St Albans the other day (a lovely quail dish which I can't remember the exact details of) and I visited upstairs at Sketch for the first time last week (the whole building was absolutely rammed by the way which came as a real surprise to me) and had a pretty fabulous meal there. Arbutus is always a joy and I'm looking forward to dinner at Theo Randall tomorrow. I was reading the menu at Alastair Little and it sounds really good. I've never been and as Juliette Preston is back in the kitchen I'm very tempted to make a trip there early next year. My favourite meal is always the next one. ← Interesting news about Juliette Preston - I think I ate at AL when she was still there some years back. What has brought her back? Will we see your review on St. Albans soon or will we have to pay money for that?

I loved Providores when I went a couple of years ago, so glad to hear it's still doing well. Two votes for River Cafe - is this quietly going up again? Shame it's so bl**dy difficult to get to....

Andy, you're obviously tired of all that high end dining you do for your day job and have gone all homey....

Bacchus - agree!

Couldn't find this thread in recent months but apologies if it has been done. This is the normal time of year for a bit of review so give me your top three. As I don't get out so much these days so this is quite simple for me. In no particular order: - Bacchus - Arbutus - Le Gavroche Local favourites: - Crown @ Stoke by Nayland - West Mersea Oyster Cafe, Mersea Island - Crown and Castle, Orford

Thanks to Phil for sending this to me - this is the menu we had: Scallop Sashimi, rhubarb, ginger crumbs, citrus ≈ Baby squid, potatoes, garlic, chervil, black paella paint ≈ Pork jowl, langoustine, leek, nashi pear ≈ Rabbit mousse, potato leaves, cherries, hazelnuts, sprouts ≈ Free range egg cooked at sixty fi ve degrees, dashi, chicken skin ≈ Salmon belly, black olives, date and hazelnut puree, pate de brique ≈ Lamb loin, vanilla parsnips, fi gs brulee, cocoa oil ≈ Apple pannacotta, ginger bread grounds, lemongrass bubble bath, Thai basil oil ≈ Black olive fi nancier, roasted pear ice cream, pine nuts