MobyP

Those look good. I wonder how different they taste to the French Bresse. For that matter, how were they allowed to export them? We should find a friendly butcher, who wouldn't mind getting in an order for us so we could split it. I'll ask my local - who do an excellent organic bird (if a bit mild). They're always ordering odd things for me, so they should be used to it.

I've been reading lately about Label Anglais chickens produced in Essex - used in places like the Fat Duck and Waterside Inn - and I was wondering if anyone had tried them? How expensive are they? What's the quality of meat? And has anyone done a taste test against a Bresse bird? I found the market chickens in France incredibly flavourful (yes, sorry for that), almost gamey. Are the Bresse birds similar? Most UK birds, even the organic ones, are mild to invisible in taste, even when the texture can be very good. I'm thinking of lining up a blind bird taste test because - well - because that's the sort of thing I'd do. Any recomendations?

What dishes did you prepare? Were many others cooking for the festival, or just you?

That cooker is gorgeous. I think what Boris has is a molteni. Didn't you say you bought it from a restaurant closing down sale? What was the story? I'd be very surprised if you could find one new for 5 times 2 or 3 thousand. I was fantasizing about ECaumartins and La Cornues for a while, but the prices don't get started until the 12-14,000 pound stirling range. I'd imagine it's the same with such a prestigious manufacturer as Molteni (which I think makes the Ducasse stoves, among others). BTW - La Canche is a subsidury (I think) of E Caumartin. They certainly share a distributor.

Thanks Hallie. Sounds like a good place. You definitely get the adjectival descriptive chip award for June (check in the mail). Maybe we should make this a regular spot - the Taking Refuge/Must Eat Now Thread.

Charlie and Robin - welcome to eGullet.

Isn't Moto (sp?) in the Chicago area? I didn't see it on your list. And what about Charlie Trottersky's - that famous poish sausage joint I keep hearing about? Suze - you should try to go if you can.

You have to be careful with that French 'Non.' The rule in at least one Parisian top end place is: if you can't see it, smell it, or taste it, it's not there. Even when it is.

There is what I can only describe as an absolute modesty to the food. The absence of fireworks is so apparent, one realises what they've been covering up all this time. I might be over reacting - I'd just finished reading a book which described all of those Careme center pieces. I imagine many of us have seen pictures of the Troisgros salmon with sorrel - a not particularly clean cut piece of salmon, pan seared and sitting centre plate, surrounded by a rich looking cream sauce mottled by sorrel leaves. By today's standards, it looks ridiculously under-presented. And yet it sent, I am told, shock waves through the industry. There's something of that simplicity in this food. This restaurant would be a corner bistro for Louis XVI. Possibly a greasy spoon for Siva. But the food runs deep here - so Suzi, you of grand palate, of course you would enjoy it. Just make sure you give them Jack's credit card! Oh, I forgot to mention, the charming sommelier (grey haired gentleman in his 50's) actually walked through our room cracking his knuckles when he thought he wasn't being observed. [Edit to add] The traditional methods with spices in most sub-continent and Asian cuisine is to fry them in oil/ghee with a soffrito of garlic, ginger, onion etc., prior to adding the other ingredients. This gives the spices a roasted flavour, similar to caramelizing sugars. In the langoustine dish, the curry powder actually tasted slightly raw, as if it were added towards to end rather than the beginning.

Did you consider Bocuse? What else were you doing in Lyon - did you try any of the famed Bouchons?

Boris, welcome. Aren't you the one with a magnificent French restaurant cooker? When do we get pictures of your kitchen?

The only real let down was the pigeon. The amuse failed, but failed at a rather high level. If this was indicative of a general standard of cooking or conception, then I'd be dubious about returning. But the langoustine (curry powder excepted), the sea bass. and the desert were so exceptional, and the rest of the menu so interesting, that I wouldn't hesitate to return. Back to the pigeon - I very much got the impression that it was cooked and presented exaclty as was meant - so I'm unsure why it fell so far short of pleasing me. The service, also, was efficient, and kind. When I booked, they didn't insist on a Parisian number (as some do), and just asked that I reconfirm the morning of. The only let down was when I told the sommelier that I was inexperienced in wine, a mist of boredom fell over him and he immediately went to the cheapest half-bottle on the list and suggested I might find that appropriate. A shame, also, that there weren't more wines by the glass - but understandable given the size and style of the place.

A remarkable lunch a L'Ambroisie on Saturday. Called on Friday, and was lucky enough to get a table (for 1) at short notice. I was in the middle room with the drapes. Overall I was impressed at how unostentatious the food was. There was no fancy crockery, no overly-architectural or vertical presentations. Everything was classical, surprisingly simple, and when a dish worked - perfect. The table next to me, a family of several generations, ordered a couple of Bresse Chickens with herbes, and I was incredibly envious to see the classical presentation of bringing the roasted birds to the table, removing them for plating, returning the plates simply dressed, bringing the side dishes (everything in polished copper). All of the food seemed composed of simple elements, done perfectly. And if you're reading this as I did the above, not having been there, and thinking it doesn't sound all that impressive, you should reconsider. This is old school dining, somehow, at it's most luxurious. You know what it is? This restaurant has no bling. I think Ducasse/Athenee has bling. It's that nouveau riche thing. This place has a classical finesse. I'll keep this short, as most of my opinions have been covered by previous posts. An amuse of Royale de romaine. This was a dark, dark green warm mousse - I guess of romaine lettuce and spinach maybe, on top of a warm royale of foie gras ("Oook hiver" said the waiter. "What?" I said. "Dooook Leeeever" he repeated), with an emulsion of mustard. This didn't really work. The green mousse with the emulsion over-powered the foie. Then to start with, the 'Feuillantine de Queues de Langoustine aux graines de sésame, sauce curry.' An incredible but flawed dish, for all the reasons previously stated. To start with I've never had better, fresher, or more tenderly prepared langoustine. The pastry was magically delicate. The layer of spinach beneath was good, but I thought there was an absence of anything - usually nutmeg - to take away those tanin-like after tastes. And the sauce was exceptionally light, but the curry powder tasted uncooked to me. It tasted as if it was prepared by someone who didn't really know what to do with it, beyond its superficial application. It's interesting to me, as I've come across many dishes in cookbooks, from Robuchon, to the Roux brothers, to Girardet, all of which use curry powder in a similar way, and I had wondered how it might behave in such a classical format. I think someone above, or in a different thread, said it was a mistake. I believe it was. There's a far more pure dish here not contingent on the use of curry powder. I hope one day he finds it. Next - the 'Escalopines de Bar a l'émincé d'artichaut, buerre léger au caviar.' Sea bass on a bed of thinly mandolined artichoke heart, with a butter sauce with caviar. Could anyone tell me what "léger" means in this context? There was a little wine and fish stock, I believe, in the background. This was a perfect dish. The very generous amount of caviar mixed with the perfectly cooked sea-bass and light fragrant sauce to create an explosion of the sea in the mouth. Once again, an immensely understated dish. Just remarkable on every level. Then 'Pigeon glacé aux sucs de fenouil, étuvée de carotttes a la coriandre.' This was the let down of the meal. The pigeon , though perfectly cooked, and beautifully pink, was a little tough. Not enough to complain about, but not of the Gagnairian standard I was hoping for. The glaze was over sweet. The carrots also were very sweet for my taste. And this was in stark contrast with a quenelle of fennel purée which was much too strong and clashed with the sweetness of the other elements. I decided not to have any cheese, and went straight onto 'Dacquoise au praliné, giboulée de fraises de jardin' - which, much to my surprise, was a slice of cake, with some warm strawberries cooked in syrup on the side. I thought this was hilarious - I've become so used to monoliths and avant guard pieces disguised as desert plates. I've seen cakes in pictures from old 3 star restaurants, but I never thought to be served one today. This was - even more surprisingly - also perfect. A miracle of lightness, and texture. Of taste, and comfort. They sent enough mignardises for two, and so I finished them bravely. With one glass of champagne, a half bottle of Chateau Bellegrave 2000, and a couple of half-bottles of evian, this was the most expensive meal I've ever had. It was so much, I'm embarassed to write it here. It made a dinner at Ducasse seem like a bargain. But I would go again in an (incredibly expensive) second. Probably best that several hundred miles, and a few lengths of ocean separate us.

This is quite true. I think I was shivering - except for the heatwaves - for the entire 1970's. It wasn't until I moved to America that I knew what 'real' central heating was. As you say: a hot pastie on a cold and windy high street. A bowl of stew to chase away the damp. A cup of tea in the afternoon to banish the sniffles. Fantastic stuff.

First of all - you win the prize. Lamb sweetbreads are supposed to be the best thing going. Standard op with sweetbreads - soak them over night, changing the water a couple of times to get all of the blood out. Blanch for 5-10 minutes in just sub-boiling water (depending on thickness). Plunge in ice water, drrain. Remove the membrane, skin, any fat, blood vessels. Cover with clingfilm, and place on a roasting sheet (or plate). Cover with another roasting sheet (etc) and weight down - leave in fridge over-night. Next day, cut into portions, dredge in flour (shaking off excess), season, and saute in butter until crispy, 3-4 mins, turn over and do tthe other side, 3-4 mins. Serve with a wedge of lemon, or any extravagent sauce you can think of.

Steve, I think you're being less than absolutely generous about Suzi's reaction to someone who's cooking you obviously admire. Like many of us, Suzi is autodidact in the realm of food. More than anyone I know, she travels thousands of miles, planning months in advance, to be able to experience the work of a chef who she's heard good things about. She doesn't carry around the burden of self-conceit, just an inspiring passion. If she engages someone in conversation, it isn't to trap them or trick them, it's because she has a great desire to learn and experience more. Obviously she went to this place and had not only a disappointing meal, but also a lack generosity in the service. I think it's not so diffficult to leave it there.

I don't know. (Other than raising my hand to be your valet shoe-shine boy food taster for what will be a trying time) I always think of street food as somehow indicative of LIFE. It's what you grab with your hands from people in the street and consume as if everything depended on it. Just had a great trip to Naples, btw, where pastries, arancia's, pizza lure passers by like Donald Trump to a large metal sphere covered in glue and money. It's entirely visceral and unfair and fulfilling. The other meals - Gagnaire, Ducasse - they're the opera. They're expendable, but it would break your heart to do it (once you've done it, that is).

[Lifts head]I notice from thhe pics that they seem to be using the same cotton candy machine as Ferran did at the demo in London.[/ducks]

I have reservations to Anthony's for Sat night which (sob sob) I can't make. Would anyone like them?

What would maximum numbers be?

My god man, have you no shame? It's taken me two days just to catch up with two days worth of blogging. "El Mongo Magnifico Del Blog-blog" will be the tattoo of indignity imprinted on the arses of all who make it to page 8 of this master-work - and yea, they shall know each other in public places by much limping... I obviously have to declare myself as an unparalleled and much-lauded expert in all food that I love (I pat my own back regularly), but in my recent so-joorn in Los Angeles, I found the level off Indian food to be much higher than I'd expected. By London standards (which is by no means the highest pedestal in England), one or two meals were even exceptional. I compare this, in my feeble-minded degenerate way with the New York Indian food of the early-mid 90's - which IMHO was to Indian cuisine what the first Russian snow flakes were to Napoleon. My increasingly deluded point is this: now that New York seems out of the rabid curry dark ages, and areas as disparate as Los Angeles and Colorado are making a fair go of it, how do you think Indian cuisine will develop in a culture which doesn't carry the colonial, societal or historical burdens that so clearly existed in the UK - most heavily in the 60's-80's (but of course the residual effects are still there)? The best Indian meals in LA had taken on part of the California aesthetic of fresh ingredients, a pronounced separation of flavours in a way that was tremendously compelling, and of course a type of menu not dictated by the '10 pints of lager and a vindaloo on a Friday night' crowd. And what of your own ex-pat experience? Do you find your culinary desires dictated as much by nostalgia as any desire to break (you revolutionary you) - or see broken by others - new culinary ground? Where do you see the threshold moving to between those home cooked-regional dishes unavailable outside of their region, and the diaspora of proselytist chefs in the US at the moment?

Man, it's threads like these that make you proud slkinsey got game.

Someone ordered that pizza at the next table (I think they were Danish) from me - but I couldn't say whether they were cherry shaped or mini-plum.

Good point - I forgot to mention price. Both places were charging around 3.50 Euros - which was incredibly reasonable. No wonder they couldn't afford evo - I'm surprised they could afford flour, at that price.

Jon - 35 quid for 1 or 2? If it was just one, you must've been going for a record! Kate and I were absolutely stuffed at 36.50, including extra portions of toro.