Tony Finch

The Laddie Who Dinae Get His Pasta There was a precocious young masta Who refused to have lobster with pasta The chef said "F--k,NO!" The dad said"Let's GO! That Hollihead he's a right basta..." (Well it is only a first draft)

Hey folks.Simon and Jay Rayner have suddenly fallen in love and are trying to work up a "US/UK split" over this issue over on the general topics board. Fun though it may be,I don't really detect a split.I've already said that I think Embassy were in the wrong over the laddie's pasta.But Andy said above that at Bibendum off menu requests were made "all the time",and ,presumably,not for children.Presumably this must be the same at other restaurants. Doesn't anyone think it at least odd that,faced with an exciting and original menu,so many people choose to disdain it and ask for something else? In fact if there is a split at all its in the attitude of the punters rather than the chefs.There is a certain strain of British punter who feels uncomfortable and insecure in a decent restaurant and who compensates by behaving as though s/hewere Emperor Claudius,with the restaurant and its staff existing to pander to whatever ludicrous request they deign to make.I've actually been in a restaurant with a chap who said "I never order what's on the menu.Its a matter of principle" When I asked him what principle he meant exactly he replied"the principle that in this situation I GET SERVED". I suspect only a class-angst ridden Brit woud think like this but I reckon there's a few around.

If a restaurant is willing and happy to provide for off menu requests without notice then more power to that restaurant.My point is that punters do not have a right to expect it to do so.The restaurant has stated via the menu what it will cook.You're not being forced to eat there.If you don't want to eat what's on the menu you can eat somewhere else,cant you? Asking for something completely different and then getting all huffy if refused strikes me as the behaviour of a not very secure person.

While I agree that Embassy/Hollihead could have made more of an effort to accommodate this particular request,I think in general there is a balance to be struck. A restaurant formulates and posts a menu for all to see and the kitchen is geared to producing that menu.I do not think it's necessarily reasonable for a punter to expect a chef to produce something completely different without any notice whatsoever.I would imagine that most good chefs would be willing to meet most special requests made in advance.There's also an implied insult to the chef's menu(nothing on your menu interests me) and ,in the Bibendum case,if the customer cant find anything s/he wants from a list of 18 starters I think the chef might be entitled to ask why they have attended the restaurant in the first place. Reasonableness cuts both ways and while I agree with Jay Rayner in this instance,in general,as Nico famously said,the customer is not always right.

I'm not sure how Jay Rayner's unfortunate punter was planning to spend £1000 at Embassy,even on 10 people. Average cost of 3 courses without wine,service is about £34. Presumably all those youngsters would not be consuming £600 worth of wine. Perhaps keeping costs down is part of the problem.If customer relations are not Gary Hollihead's strong point ,the restaurant might do better to employ an experienced front of house manager to sort out these kinds of problems.There certainly didn't seem to be anyone with that sort of authority the night I was there,despite the fact that the service was very pleasant.

Well they let me in for dinner so it sure isn't a club.Actually,Andy,because of a comment you made re. Gary Hollihead on another thread,I rather unfairly asked our very pleasant waitress what the chef's temper tantrums were like.She looked extremely unsure and embarrased and I was about to tell her that she didn't have to answer when she came out with"well,they're OK.I mean they're no better or worse than anyone else's." You've got a good'un there Gary.Give her a pay rise.

Did have the phone number from a review,but no more.The restaurant is in Old Burlington St,W1.Apparently it used to be the night club Legends so Directory might still have it under that name. T

We really enjoyed our anniversary meal at Gary Hollihead's Embassy,near Bond St.,last night. This is real F-R-A-A-N-S-H food,not "Modrn European" or whatever.Once I tasted the incredibly rich,creamy,lemony hollandaise for Roast Langoustines Thermidor,I was transported to my earliest,wonderful French restaurant experiences of blagh years ago. Similar with Chicken Rossini and wild venison en croute with creamed spinach and Pommes Anna(totally yum). Apart from the veggie option for sad souls who won't eat fish,fowl or meat,this is a place where EVERYTHING on the menu appeals.And its terrific value.The most expensive mains are around £23,and that's for lobster.Others are £16-19,with starters around£8-10 and puds at £5-6. Excellent for a restaurant of this quality in London. Also there's none of this little-for-under-£30 nonsense with the wine list. It starts at £14 and there's plenty for less than £20. This is the "upscale" restaurant you've been waiting for.Service was sweet and attentive(although the cruise liner like room was three quarters empty on a Monday night in Jan.) I'm already booking in again for my wife's birthday next month.My advice is --get in there!

Oh God,Andy.I've just booked Embassy for my anniversary in January.I wish you hadn't said that about Hollihead.I'll have to think about whether to cancel now.Or am I being daft?

Mr Ramsay may be a fine cook and all but I,for one,will not hand over my money to anyone who thinks its all right to humiliate,abuse and deprive people of their livelihood whenever the mood so takes him.If he's "a nice guy really" and its all done for publicity then that just makes it cynical in my book.I'm not saying that you have to like a chef in order to enjoy his food, but it must help if you don't have to sit there thinking "yeah the man can cook despite the fact that he's a twat"

Paxo Sage & Onion Stuffing Heinz Sandwich Spread Birds Custard Camp Coffee Bisto Tins of Curried Baked Beans Rowntrees Jelly I could go on.By the way,Andy,tomatoes and mushrooms in Shepherd's Pie?Now THAT's Heresy!