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I like those a lot, despite the awful cost. You can get them from Solstice. I'd be interested to know what you think.

Yes, the hoardings are up in Belsize Lane, announcing that XO will be opening late 2006. Pan-asian; owned by Will Ricker, owner of e&o and 8 over 8 (he evidently takes the view that no one who lives in Belsize Park will ever have heard of Shoreditch ). clb

It's been great for my two (4 and 6): excellent for parents and children alike and you can potter around Spitalfields and the market afterwards. clb

Hakkasan: v expensive for dinner but a bargain - for the quality - for lunch. Children love it - the darkness, the glamour, the amazing loos - and the dim sum is the best in London. clb

You are correct in that it calls for only 1/3 of the crust recipe, however, that recipe calls for 2 cups of pine nuts! and Keller discourages making a smaller quantity of the pastry. Around here I could probably buy a bottle of Armagnac for the same price as 2 cups of pine nuts. So I am wondering if it would be at all feasible to substitute hazelnuts? I'm no baker so I have no idea if this would work or not but it seems possible. Anyone care to comment? ← I substituted ground almonds and the crust and filling/pastry balance worked fine. I don't like pinenuts; I don't think I've ever bought a packet without at least some rancid nuts in it. The tart was wonderful . clb ← All right! We love almonds so I will give that a try until I get to check out the cost of pine nuts at Costco. Did you substitute weight for weight (10ozs) of ground almonds for the pine nuts? Many thanks. ← Yes. clb

I have, but I'd still prefer to use another nut. I don't have any problem finding fresh almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts etc and keeping them that way for the few weeks they survive in this household (I keep them in the fridge). clb

You are correct in that it calls for only 1/3 of the crust recipe, however, that recipe calls for 2 cups of pine nuts! and Keller discourages making a smaller quantity of the pastry. Around here I could probably buy a bottle of Armagnac for the same price as 2 cups of pine nuts. So I am wondering if it would be at all feasible to substitute hazelnuts? I'm no baker so I have no idea if this would work or not but it seems possible. Anyone care to comment? ← I substituted ground almonds and the crust and filling/pastry balance worked fine. I don't like pinenuts; I don't think I've ever bought a packet without at least some rancid nuts in it. The tart was wonderful . clb

Anyone wanting to try out Manresa in 2006 might want to mosey over to Pim's blog where, in return for a pledge of as little as $5 to help earthquake victims in Kashmir, you could win a $200 gift certificate for dinner at Manresa. clb

Refettorio? clb

I brought a bag of Kenyon's Corn Meal home to London from Massachusetts this summer. Just made the Bittman pancakes: thank you, they were much appreciated, especially by two small children. clb

Neal's Yard Dairy in Covent Garden had them last week - may be worth calling to check first. clb

Depends on the game and what you mean by farmed. The "wild" boar is conventionally farmed (in the open), pheasants and partridge are raised as chicks by game keepers then released in to the wild (but there are a lot of wild breeding birds as well, especially the Grey Partridge), the red grouse, ptarmigan, snipe, woodcock and ducks are wild birds, although in the case of grouse their habitat is managed to some extent. The Roe deer in this butcher is wild, but there is farmed deer in Scotland as well. ← The ducks are often fed by the keepers too, in my experience. Fascinating blog, Adam. I shall be using that bit of info about sweet potatoes. clb

It's Jacques SELOSSE. I googled it and the second reply was Berry Bros again (no, I'm not on their payroll). clb

Bibendum's Californian list looks quite extensive (don't know much about Californian wine, I'm afraid). They're in Primrose Hill. Berry Brothers in St James's might be worth a look, too. Geoffrey Roberts used to be the main importer of good US wine, I think, but since he's died I don't know who's taken over. Clarke's restaurant and deli in Kensington Church Street always have a very good selection of Californians which they used to source from him. Certainly no need to settle for Gallo. clb