cabrales

PaulaJ -- Please consider trying: Bon 25, rue de la Pompe, 75 016 Paris (33.1.40.72.70.00). There is secondary reporting that the restaurant is open every day (unclear whether for both meals).

Helena -- Perhaps we could meet in person at the pot-luck, in keeping with recent NJ Pierre Herme discussions.

Sun Sui Wah has a website: http://www.sunsuiwah.com/ssw_english/e_seafood.html (including depictions of geoduck dish and Dungeness crab, aka "Vancouver crab)

stefanyb -- Thanks for coordinating on the pot-luck. I expect to be in town on that day, and would like to attend. As I have no cooking skills, items I could bring would be limited to: champagne/wine, smoked fish, cheese, pastries from Payard (if the place is open on Saturday or Sunday), or, my currently preferred option, a comparison of chocolates from Maison du Chocolat and chocolates mail-ordered from Wegman's (Pierre Herme line). Liza -- On a serious note, monkfish liver might be tasty.

I'd appreciate members' input on Ouest Restaurant in the South Granville area of Vancouver (2881 Granville St., near 13th, (604) 738 8938). (Note the correct spelling of the restaurant, in contrast to the thread title.) The chef David Hawksworth was the former sous-chef at Philip Howard's Michelin-two-starred restaurant, The Square, in London. The pastry chef is Thierry Busset. http://www.ouestrestaurant.com/ouest/chefs.html Below is a link to the indicative menu. Note the Canadian regional ingredients (Tofino Dungeness Crab, local oysters, Quebec duck, Quebec foie gras, Alberta beef carpaccio, Alberta beef tenderloin, Princess Island skate, Yukon gold potatoes, Pacific Ling Cod, Atlantic lobster). http://www.ouestrestaurant.com/ouest/menus/menu.asp?ID=60

The "illustration" in this week's Coren column is more gratuitously graphic than most prior ones. It depicts a woman, covered partially by a large version of a fan-shaped wafer, but otherwise without other clothing, sitting on a dessert trolley. While the contents of this week's column (on The Connaught, which, apparently is expected to have deep burgundy and olive color schemes when it reopens) and writing style were a bit better than average for a Coren piece, the column continued to have a gimmick-like quality to it.

Is there one banquet menu, or could bpsklar be looking for the translation of a different Chinese-character menu? (Note I am not familiar with the menus at China 46).

I was surprised that cardamon goes arguably with chocolate as well, under certain circumstances. Christian Constant, the French chocolatier (and not the chef at Violin d'Ingres), pairs cardamon with his little dark chocolates.

Jinmyo -- The difference is what one knows a bed pan once housed, at some point in time. A test tube that once held chemicals might be bad, depending on the chemicals, but I would hope Veyrat's test tubes had not beem recycled from prior non-culinary uses.

bpsklar -- If the restaurant is not forthcoming with an English version of the menu and there are no e-Gulleteers who could themselves provide a translation, I could attempt to get the menu translated through friends. However, that would be a more time-consuming process. Also, are you able to e-mail a scan of the Chinese names?

I consider lunch at Claridge's to be a better value-for-money than that at The Capital, and that's saying something. The background against which to consider my write-up is that I like Gordan Ramsay's style of cuisine (at RHR, that is) and the price at Claridge's was Pounds 25 (although it became more than triple that by the time my 4 different champagne and wine selections by the glass and the extra cheese course I ordered had been factored in). A good lunch, with respect to the cuisine. Tagliatelle with mushrooms, rocket and parmesan, veloute of morels Roasted rib-eye of beef, truffled potato puree and Hermitage sauce Cheese course -- selected Roquefort (not Societe), Forme d'Ambert, Stilton, served with red grapes (a service miscue) (not included in set lunch) Baileys bread and butter pudding, Baileys ice cream Glass of R of Ruinart, Rose, champagne (Pounds 12.50) Glass of Feiler-Artinger (7.00) Glass of Gevrey-Chambertin, Mortet (12.50) Glass of Verdots '97 Dessert Wine (10.50) Coffe (5.00 supplement) [Above dish names based on recollection] The room is more beautiful during the day than I remember. The luminous blush pink color of the fabric portion of the elongated lamppieces hanging from the ceiling -- their fabric imbued with small, small pleats. Also, the same pleating effect on certain lighting fixtures adorning the walls. The large mirrors with the etchings of trees and other scenic landscape (likely vestiges from the prior dining room). I was comfortable in this environment. Unfortunately, the "normal" lead person was not there, and the older default lead seemed to be an individual with no French serving skills (note this is not French language skills) and who, I was told, hailed from the Dorchester and not from another GR establishment. The younger default lead was much more professional and kind. For example, the older default lead asked whether I knew what cut rib eye was in a steak. Pl---ease; if I did, I was insulted by his question. If I did not, I would not care about what cut of steak I received. He could not speak French, and seemed to be dodging about in a not-so-attractive way. This was the only material negative aspect of the lunch. Note the sommeliers were attentive and knowledgeable, as was my waiter, who spoke French fluently. The amuse was misguided, not in conception, but in execution. It was a cauliflower veloute, served not in the usual pumpkin soup vessel with a lid, but in a medium-sized cup. The veloute did ring of cauliflower tastes, but, sadly, those were overpowered by truffle oil which drenched the dish. There was a bit of olive oil near the top of the veloute, and also some diced chives. Not an auspicious beginning. The tagliatelle with mushrooms (wood mushrooms, with an almost entirely black top, and not of a prized variety I recognized) was quite good. It was a good size for an appetizer, and the morel veloute was sufficiently flavorful to amply coat the tagliatelle noodles, which were not al dente, but also not overcooked (I do not like my pasta al dente, as background). Nice, limited utilization of rocket and of parmesan, which were mixed in with the noodles like the sliced mushrooms. Not bad, and a good recommendation by the sommelier with respect to a wine-by-the-glass pairing. The roast rib-eye was also good, although I had ordered rare and receive medium-rare (normally a significant negative, if I were not in the process of switching from medium rare requests to rare indications with respect to beef and venison). The beef was sizable, although not particularly thick. The meat was nice -- being sufficiently fatty and well-prepared. Perhaps there were also a few tendons in the cut I received, but overall it was satisfying. The Hermitage sauce was, of course, a wine reduction, and here, it was executed nicely as a relativley thin sauce, but with a bit of character. And what can I say about Gevrey-Chambertin with beef? Not only is Gevrey-Chambertin one of my favorite reds, but here, despite the acidity of the 1999, it was an appropriate pairing. The cheese selection was good, but weaker than that at Fat Duck and, interestingly, slightly weaker than that at Petrus. The desser wine chosen was appropriate, although I would have preferred certain ones that were not available by the glass. The dessert of bread pudding was fair, being not warm enough for my tastes and not anything special. However, the Baileys ice cream accompanying the dessert was good, with the alcohol effects becoming pronounced in the aftertaste. Overall, a very good value-for-money and good cuisine, although clearly not approaching Gordon Ramsay RHR. I would recommend GR Claridge's over The Capital for lunch. If wine ordering is done carefully, a lunch at Claridge's could be an enjoyable way to spend part of a Saturday. Note the clientele is fairly well-dressed, with many (but, of course, not all) men wearing a jacket. The 3:00 pm reservation did not prove to be a hindrance. I arrived at 2:30, being ready to potentially take champagne in the lounge or at the bar. However, my table was ready and I proceeded to ordering reasonably quickly therafter. Note there were 6 appetizers and the same number of main courses from which to choose as part of the Pounds 25 lunch menu. The mains included a lamb rump and a fish like sea brill. The appetizers included rilettes of salmon. The range from which to select was better than most prix fixe lunches I have encountered in London. I may attempt to revisit Foliage for lunch this coming week.

Degustation -- When you have a chance, please respond to whether you would accept food that once had been in a antique bed pan, even assuming that the pan had been thoroughly washed, etc.! I would not knowingly take food from such a container.

Lesley -- When you have a chance, please consider discussing what seal meat tastes like, if you have sampled it.

Have members had the Pounds 25 lunch at Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's? I secured a last-minute reservation for the 3:00 pm lunch seating. Below is a sample menu from the hotel's website: http://www.savoy-group.co.uk/claridges/din...msay_lunch.html

Patrice -- I'll investigate during an upcoming weekend, and report back. Thanks again for the update. Even if Amat only supervised the creation of the menu, BON would be an interesting place to visit. How are decorating and menu creation proceeding with respect to your restaurant? Have you decided on a name?

Patrice -- Thanks for the update. Did the G-M souce indicate Amat is cooking regularly at BON? It may be the case that he is a consultant who provides direction on BON's menu. When I called the restaurant tonight (to obtain a reservation, which I am keeping for now), the receptionist responded that Amat is, sadly, not regularly cooking at BON. (Perhaps she had not received the good news?) http://www.winespectator.com/Wine/Daily/Ne...45,1620,00.html (February 2002 describing the Amat ouster; "For Amat, the bad news came on Feb. 20 in the form of a registered letter from partner Jean-Claude Borgel. 'Professionally, I am a dead man. I am 56 years old, and [borgel] has liquidated me.' . . . [borgel] has chosen Michel Portos, chef of Côté Théâtre, a one-star Michelin restaurant in Perpignan, to replace Amat. . . . In anticipation of trouble at St.-James, Amat became a consultant to restaurant Bon in Paris a few months ago.") http://www.lemonde.fr/article/0,5987,3238--264378-,00.html (February article in French also describing Amat as consultant)

The following is a rough translation of an article (not necessarily particularly recent) from Le Monde: "The day after they received three stars, the three chefs were invited to prepare one of their dishes for a 'family photo', an exercise that was more revealing than a lengthy speech. Guy Savoy chose his braised veal knuckle with winter vegetables and a truffle juice . . . . Christian Le Squer, chef at Ledoyen, from Brittany, paid hommage to the lobster of his country, cooked "au naturel", with its own juices elevated by Thai [curry?]. Delicately placed onto the plate with the shells removed from its legs, the piece of crustacean seemed to be [bursting forth with a base] of cannellonis pigmented by the cuttlefish ["seiche" in French] ink and stuffed with "blettes" [this is an ingredient Gagnaire seems to like to use as well]. . . . For the same occasion, Jean-Georges Klein, the brilliant self-taught chef at L'Arnsbourg, encouraged by [restaurant reviewer] Gilles Pudlowski, presented a series of amuse-bouches: a parmesan 'croute', oysters 'a la diable', a capuccino fo potatoes and truffles, a gelee of snails with a mousse of confit of garlic. Tiny mouthfuls . . . according to the 'deconstructionist' culinary principles claimed by Feran Adria . . . ." It is interesting that Guy Savoy chose a veal knuckle dish. When Steve P, Marc and I visited Guy Savoy (see "Guy Savoy" in this Forum) shortly after the chef had been awarded his third star, we sampled a veal knuckle dish that looked wonderful, but with the taste of which we were not particularly impressed. Also interesting is Klein's decision to serve multiple, small-sized dishes.

Tony -- I thought you might find the below write-up on Embassy in the April 27-May 3, 2002 edition of celebrity magazine "Heat" amusing. "The Ritchies' Hangout. . . . Madonna and Guy Ritchie recently did a turn on the dance floor there [i.e., at Embassy], and Emma Bunton, Chelsea Clinton, Kate Hudson, Tara P-T, Dannii Minogue, and Leah Wood have all been spied languishing on Embassy's banquettes [is that supposed to make us want to go?!] . . . Stealing more and more A-listers from nearby Attica, this is fast becoming the place to party. . . . Embassy plays host to Michelin-starred chef Garry Hollihead whose team will rustle up a selection of canapes for Pounds 19.50 . . . . How much it will cost you: It's guest list only, but if you have a meal in the restaurant, you can go straight down for drinks afterwards."

anil -- I ate at the Repulse Bay Hotel's restaurant several years ago, and don't recollect what the food was like (not a negative). I don't know when I can go to Hong Kong again, but will try and visit that restaurant when I do. (Other members: The terrace looks onto a large bay, and does have a colonial feel to it. Repulse Bay is an upscale residential area in HK.) HK has some member-only clubs that have decent (not necessarily good) restaurants/dining rooms. Some locals like to spend time at these clubs because the city is so crowded, and the lines for many other restaurants long on weekends. The Deep Water Bay Golf Club has poor food. However, the Hong Kong Jockey Club in Happy Valley has a formal-service dining room called the Darby Room (used to be better than it is) that used to offer items like lobster bisque, Lobster Thermidor, Angus beef, and oysters flown in from different places. This restaurant has declined in recent years. There is also a decent place for dim sum at the Jockey Club. The Aberdeen Marina Club, the American Club and the Hong Kong Country Club (for each of which membership is difficult to gain) all offer certain decent food (in the case of the last two, including large buffet lunches on Sunday).

ajay -- Based on my visits, that upstairs area is rarely utilized. The one time I have seen somebody up there, there was, as you saw when you visited, one table. My sense is that the restaurant may see its present capacity as relating to the ground floor area. SamanthaF -- When your friend telephoned, did she have to adhere to the 30-day advance reservation policy?

Leslie -- When you have a chance, please consider discussing what caviar from Quebec is like. Is it from a different species of sturgeon, for example? On BC's wild mushrooms, below is an excerpt from Miss J's bio that hints at them:

I revisited the Fat Duck for lunch today, and ran into fellow eGulleteer Jon Tseng sitting at an adjacent table! Although Jon was part of a 5-6 person dining group, we had a chance to talk for a while. This second FD meal was less enjoyable than the first (not a negative). One aspect was the reduction in novelty value (something to which I do not generally attribute particular weight, but which did have some effect in this case). The other aspect was that the individual dishes were not as good a fit for me as the ones I had chosen the first time around. As I adhered to the special lunch menu, note I have not yet sampled the a la carte three-course experience, or the tasting menu. Those menus would have likely provided a better avenue for exploring the restaurant's cuisine. -- Veloute of pumpkin, fricasse of ceps and pigs' cheeks -- Petit sale of duck, green coffee sauce, pommes puree -- Cheese: Selected Fourme d'Ambert, Roquefort, Stilton, taken with green apples (not included in special lunch price) -- Nougat Glace, praline rose, fromage blanc ice cream Glass of Louis Roederer champagne (13.50) Glass of Riesling Spatlese Rudesheimer Berg Rotland Schloss Schonborn 1995 (7.00) Glass of Saint-Joseph Les Royes Courtis 1997 (10.00) Glass of Monbazillac (sic) Coffee and petits fours (separate charge, 3.95) The lunch menu was as described in the first post, except that a pork belly dish had been substituted for the lamb shank I chose for the first meal. The amuses were as described for the first meal. I noticed a bit more the lime elements in the green tea lime sour, although the green tea aspects still appeared difficult to discern. The mustard ice cream in a red cabbage gaspacho was as I previously described. The pumpkin soup was of a brilliant color -- the yellow/orange of certain egg yolks or one of the shades that little kids sometimes utilize when drawing the sun. It had little green chive bits on top, and the sides of the relatively "tall", vaguely V-shaped soup bowl above the soup were encrusted with breadcrumbs (a bit harsh for the dish, in my mind). The pumpkin veloute tasted creamy, but lacked pumpkin flavor. Included in the veloute were tiny, triangular-shaped slices of an orangish vegetable that, based on the name of the dish, should have been pumpkin. However, I was unclear whether this ingredient was pumpkin or some type of carrot (likely the former). On the other hand, the small side helping of fricasse of cepes and porks' cheeks accompanying the veloute was good. I noticed that small, gentle trumpet mushrooms had been substituted without advance notice. As discussed recently on the board, I like trumpet mushrooms (even if not trompettes de la mort) and enjoyed these considerably. The pork cheeks were in small lengths, and were described as having been hammed. These two elements were combined with little diced onions (or a similar item) and a limited amount of the small, triangular-shaped orangish slices. They were bound by a meat jus-based reduction (likely) that had a very small hint of acidity as well as a bit of sweetness to it. I enjoyed this side dish. Then, the portion of duck leg arrived, sitting next to a large amount of potatoe puree. The maitre d' indicated the duck had been flavored with many spices, including juniper berries and anise. While not having the usual amount of fat (a point discussed with Jon, who appeared to have sampled a dining companion's duck dish and received a drier area), the duck meat was appropriate. The potato puree tasted wonderfully chock full of butter (another point discussed with Jon). However, the green coffee described to be the primary feature of the sauce was not noticeable to me. The sauce was an appropriate meat jus reduction, with spicing to enhance. It was perhaps a bit too reminiscent of the sauce for the lamb shank, and also a hint sweeter than I would have personally preferred. The cheese selection was strong, and included an unusual Bleu de Gex (a French blue I do not like). The pre-desserts have been previously described. The nougat dessert was appropriately creamy, but the fromage blanc ice cream was bland. Overall, a good meal, although not as strong as my first meal taken at FD. Jon and I spoke about how the kitchen was very technically capable, and how it is easier, on weekends, to find reasonably priced and appealing lunches outside London itself. Jon and I also spoke about the Shanghainese soup dumplings he recently described on the board. Amusingly, the only time thus far I have unexpectedly run into an eGulleteer was also the the occasion of my being the least "dressed up" I have been at a restaurant in a while. I had posted a bit and checked some work e-mails last night after the Club Gascon dinner, and had woken up late with little time to spare in getting to Bray.

With mushrooms (see the other thread)?!

B Edulis -- The dried version might be roughly and informally translated as "dung gwoo" in Cantonese. If it's the mushroom I'm speculating it is (unclear, though), it's one of the two or three "staple" mushrooms in Chinese cuisine. Sometimes, when a dish of simple vegetables is being prepared and depending on the vegetable, slices of mushroom (formerly dried) may be added. It adds considerable flavor, at least in the dried version. One tip is that the water utilized to soak the dried mushrooms can be utilized in saucing certain dishes, just like the water from soaking the dried tiny shrimp-lets also common in Cantonese cuisine. The same applies for dried abalone. As indicated in the photo, the cap of the dried mushroom is typically a brown or black color, and is textured with indentations and ridges. I have never sampled one of these mushrooms fresh.

LGF -- While my dream would indeed be to eat fabulously for free, I don't have jealousy issues with respect to restaurant reviewers. I wholeheartedly acknowledge that I am not qualified to be a restaurant reviewer, and I don't strive for things of which I know I am incapable. A stark problem is that I lack knowledge about Italian, British, Indian, etc. cuisine. Even on French cuisine, I lack an understanding of actual techniques and cooking methods, although that is currently the subject of another thread. Also, I adore French cuisine, and it might be frustrating over time for me to review a range of restaurants. My above post appears full of conviction because I do not think the reviewer knows his stuff. Or at least, if he knows his stuff, the way he writes about food doesn't seem to showcase his appreciation of it. Perhaps that's an unfair assessment, given that I have not eaten at many of the restaurants he has reviewed. :confused: