Scott

i know a large, profile london restaurant desperate for a high quality pastry chef, as they have / are being sodomised by agency fees. they're paying as I understand it, but can't find the quality.

To be fair they weren't given away and until they're received who knows if they'll like them or not? ← did you "ask" or order them, or did they come as part of the kitchen just sending out things? ← the kitchen sent them out as part of a tasting menu. not requested. ← ahh. Ok I'd be a bit pissed off if it were me. however... consider this; last time I was there I was speaking with Lennox the sous chef (good brisbane boy and the only one who spoke english!) and he made the point that they have such an eclectic range of customers. from the locals who just come in wanting some steak or whatever for their tea, and guys who fly in with helicopters looking for some of the best produce in the world. a very different set of demands, and they were sometimes caught a bit trying to juggle. He also made the point that it was well worth coming seasonally and personally vouched for the elvers; when they were in season we just had to come in and give it a go. (nb. elvers don't sound my cup of tea, but they are to some people obviously). and as Culnista says if they are one of the 2 places with live ones, they are going to be on the hit the list for those people who do. anyway, point being you guys obviously looked like food tourists of the helicopter variety and they assumed that this was the sort of thing you were here for. think of it this way, if you were there for the elvers - and its not totally out of reason that you parked your helicopter on a side road - you would expect 4 portions. perhaps they should have asked though. surprised you weren't that impressed by the steak, I've had nothing comparable in this country at all, not nearly. amazing char, texture and flavour. was it still the the 16 yr old dairy cattle?

To be fair they weren't given away and until they're received who knows if they'll like them or not? ← did you "ask" or order them, or did they come as part of the kitchen just sending out things?

one of the problems of the london restaurant industry is that there aren't any. there is so few of them, and they get no recognition. they command high premiums. the system in that regard is a teensy bit broken

Well, the way I understood the exhange developing was that Brighton Chef made reference to the fact that Tom Kitchin had Pierre Koffmann's old plates, then you said no, he had Koffman's old hardware including kitchen stoves which seemed to infer that he wasn't using Koffmann's plates, so I said that he did in fact use Koffmann's plates, but only those from the Berkeley. I said that because Tom Kitchin told me that was the case when I interviewed him. What I didn't mean to infer, and don't think I ever said, was that plates were kitchen equipment. Hope that clears that very important point up. ← Andy that's about 150 words more than my post deserved

nope the hardware... the lot. stoves etc... Tom used to be one of Pierre's "students" ← They use the plates from La Tante Claire at the Berkeley Hotel but not the logo'd ones from Royal Hospital Road although i understand they have those as well. ← just out of curiosity, isn't it a stretch to call plates "kitchen equipment" or "kitchen hardware"

lets be fair Matt, you do seem to be the only person never to have had any negative experiences at Arbutus or WH

I know!! And, how is it that Extebarri makes it onto the Top 50 for the first time this year? ← Are you saying that it shouldn't be on there? I haven't been myself, so i can't say one way or the other, however, its reputation has grown dramatically over the past couple of years, so I'm not surprised that it is now on there. ← I think (s)he's saying is that it's nuts that this is the first year on the list. this place is certainly one of the finest dining destinations in europe today.

I know!! And, how is it that Extebarri makes it onto the Top 50 for the first time this year? ← Extebarri shows what's wrong with having St John at no.16. St John is a produce based restaurant where the produce is only 'quite good' versus the 'Feck off, oh my' level of ingredient at extebarri.

Nice plates in Tom`s Restaurant??? ←

Friends of Pierre's knew he wasn't coming back any time soon, when only a couple of years ago he sold all his old kitchen equipment from Tante Claire that had been in storage since it's closure. Sold, well he pretty much gave it away - to Tom Kitchen to open his restaurant in Edinburgh.

I have heard from sources i consider to be very reliable, that it is good. very good infact. However I went for lunch recently, and the lunch itself was mediocre though the room is spectacular. the wine list was as if they weren't even trying. 3 wines by the glass, presented as part of the bar menu. and a full list that could not have been more ho hum. a child with a blindfold, a pen and a broking list could've done it. there was nothing interesting or speaking of care.

I know I'm being thick, but what would be the advantage of the restaurant hanging on to the last bottle of a particular vintage rather than making the sale of a £100 wine? ← Keep the bigger selection on the list and steer the customer to a wine that costs the same but that they have cases of. ← unlikely. the silex is a fine drop - except in 2003; but there is no kudos or cachet from having it on the list. you have so much, you sell out. or not. if they cared that much about the gravitas it brings - they can get some VERY easily off broking. I don't know why she was trying to talk you out it, but I am not sure it's that cynical. ps. if it was the 2003, you deserve all you get for ignoring her the 2004 is my favourite since 1996.

no.4? maybe a touch underrated too

oh c'mon no one ever cared about those awards either.

if the site is good enough for Nico Ladenis, it's good enough for the likes of you!

well go to RJ's then. if the wine is serious enough, that's what matters. let me tell you though, no one in that group goes to wine dinners there. no one! RJ's doesn't do anything sophisticated enough for that moniker! they eat there, but no one ever had a wine dinner there. Ransome's dock is pretty good and they will def accommodate you.

first off, the A&H is not worth the grief that a visit ALWAYS entails. however, that is just what it is. very poor form to wander off, and expect them to hold a table. it's a pub. there may not have been room to comfortably hang out, but that's ultimately irrelevant. there was OBVIOUSLY another table of 5 waiting, who were there. and I'd expect, being there, that we get that table. how are they to know the difference between someone lounging at another pub who does want the table, versus someone who has gotten jack of waiting and gone home? and why should they care? they have a party of 5 there, then, and willing. it's a pub, a bloody annoying one at that, but you still got it wrong.

depends on what you mean by half decent. half the london wine trade dines regularly at Rotisserie Jules. great roast chicken, and the trimmings. St John, allows BYO and has a private room. would fit the bill if you don't mind a produce restaurant where the produce is only pretty good. Pied a Terre, has a fairly friendly policy if you speak to them in advance. but basically, as long as you tee it up, plenty of places are ok with BYO. they just don't advertise it.

you must have been very unlucky. deep frying causes the fish to steam inside the batter, keeping it moist. if the oil is hot enough or the batter is the wrong consistency it can be very greasy, but not normally dry. drying out would normally be associated with the use of a hot cupboard.

anyone for force feeding a protester, and then letting hannibal lector loose on them?

or course not! if the fish is fresh and of good quality, and it is prepared correctly and expertly, and the chips are again handled and prepared properly - what's not to like? moreover it allows a benchmark for relative comparison. or are you taking a stylistic perjorative from your own bias? it may be a stable contention to argue that fish n chips may never be high cuisine (and it's arguable of course) but to say it's never particularly good. well that's just you.

why would anyone want Blackpool grade anything? lol

really? based on what? in the dozen or so times I've been it's been fantastic. the quality of the fish is first rate - same place that supplies River Cafe & Theo Randall - and the square also I think? its always been cooked correctly, and is priced very, very fairly. the reviews and awards are numerous, for example Time Out's No.7 restaurant in london - for quality/value/style, runner up last year in Observers best cheap eats in britain etc I personally think it's as good if not better than anything else of its kind. what makes it crap?

only the latest medical research? your previous medical research subscriptions must be well out of date your analogy is pretty thin on the ground, at best. since when did we all disappear up own arses to think we were better than the law of the jungle - it's this same law of the jungle that allows us to segregate babies from dobermans. though that's as far as I'll go with that silly example. when did we extricate ourselves from mother nature, was it in one of those medical research journals