MobyP

No Alcohol Either!! No, that was most helpful fi, thanks very much. I just signed up for abel and cole, so we'll see how that goes. [weeping]Barley cous cous?[/weeping]

Dan - do you know any local places in (west-ish) London that might stock it? {Edit to add] Thanks for all the suggestions! And any recipe ideas welcome!

Wholemeal, spelt, corn fusilli (that was the worst). Makes you want to run infront of a bus.

A glass of beer, and a bowl of pork stew at Pinoxto bar, first thing in the morning in the Bocqueria (sp?) market in Barcelona. Lovely.

I've been forced onto an extreme diet (well, agreed willingly, but that's another matter) which means: No white flour (pasta, bread) No white rice (rice noodles, dim sum anyone?) No sugar No caffiene No red meat No non-organic white meat All veg should be organic where possible. Ugh. It's brutal. Which means, of course, I break it once a week or so (damnit, don't these people know about eGullet?). Anyway, I've had to roam the organic aisles of every market I find, and I can't believe how bad the veg is at the two big name organic supermarkets. Has anyone else had this experience? This is veg that was fresh and wild a week ago! On several occasions I've found it dessicated, droopy, soft rubbish. Artichokes almost completely open. Parsnips that bend 90 degrees without breaking. And, of course, the pricing is appaling. And people are leaving these places believing it's because they're organic, rather than poorly handled. Where are the places to go for fresh organic veg? Which markets support organic farmers? And the next time I break my diet, where should it be?

Howard - it's the same kitchen upstairs and down. But downstairs the tables are made for people under 5ft 7inches. Scott - you'd be welcome anytime. and that pea raviolo Boulud was very nice indeed.

What dishes have you had this year that stand out? Which are the most memorable? And they don't have to be from a restaurant. (In no particular order) Salt and pepper quail - Yuatcha Snail porridge - Fat Duck Sweetbreads in hay - Fat Duck Morels cooked in foie gras fat - home. Broad bean/pecorino ravioli - home. Braised pig's cheek - home. Roast pork belly - Ebury Hmm - it's been slow this year for restaurants - I'd better get moving.

What an incredible, thorough, and inspiring course. Coungratulation to all.

You're going tomorrow???

Would someone remind me why Sheekys is so popular? I had a very expensive, completely forgettable meal there last night - although the service was good. Razor clamb sauteed with a little chorizo - mostly tasteless and rubbery. Whole roast turbot - absent of any discernible seasoning. Not much flavour. And 54 quid for 2! Sides of oversweet mushy peas and adequate spinach. Microwaved spotted dick - tasting suspiciously of microwaved spotted dick. The fish pie - had by a friend - was tasty, but unforgivingly heavy. She managed about a third of it. It's a nice place, and good service, but I couldn't recommend it for serious food.

Wine in the UK Press Anthony Rose "At this time of year, a wine writer's fancy turns to thoughts of ... spring-cleaning." Cellar notes #33: Bring on the Dom. Andrew Catchpole looks for the Perfect Pint. Tim Atkin - Does money grow on vines? Super Plonk. Tim Atkin - Paradise aisles.

"Chocolate bars that could help men and women orgasm are on the way." Yes - but will they be fair trade!

It is described twice in this thread, Tarka. By the way have you heard about the Chicken Tarka dish. It is like Chicken Tikka, but it's a little otter. especially moderation. Oh dear oh dear. And the eGullet luncheon voucher goes to...

I can't believe he's only twenty-blinkin-four.

Please note : some of these links may require free or paid registration to view. This week's selection comes from: The Times The Independent The Guardian The Observer The Telegraph This is London Restaurants Terry Durack - Inn the Park, London SW1. Richard Johnson - Crazy Bear. Belinda Richardson - Marrakech and Howard's House. Trencherwoman reviews Margot's. Giles Coren - Yauatcha. Matthew Fort - Quartier Vert, Bristol. Jay Rayner - Morgan M Features Anthony Flinn, just 24, has gone from a provincial catering college to Britain's brightest culinary hope in short order, and Michelin stars are sure to follow. Atul Kochhar's new book don't look like the fare on offer at your local Indian. "Everyone knows one - the friend who, when they realise a restaurant bill is going to be split among all diners, orders the truffles, followed by the lobster, washed down with a bottle or two of Montrachet." "Every morning, thousands of Hanoi citizens start the day with a steaming bowl of 'pho' - the street food at the heart of Vietnam's life and culinary renaissance." Food From wafer-thin Sardinian carasau to hearty French fougasse, Mark Hix reveals why flatbreads mean more than just pizza. Frying, stir-frying and grilling recipes. 3 from Jill Dupleix. Kate Hawking's fishy tales. Gordon Ramsay's Summer puddings. Heston Blumenthal - The appliance of science. Nigel Slater - Dangerous liaisons. Wine und booze Anthony Rose "At this time of year, a wine writer's fancy turns to thoughts of ... spring-cleaning." Cellar notes #33: Bring on the Dom. Andrew Catchpole looks for the Perfect Pint. Tim Atkin - Does money grow on vines? Super Plonk. Tim Atkin - Paradise aisles.

If I could recommend this weekend's Independent Food and Drink section - I think it has the OFM beat hands down.

Fantastic piece in this weekend's Indy on Anthony's.

Toothsome sounds like a desperate replacement for al dente invented by an accountant.

Someone brought a Green and Blacks fruit and nut bar around the other day - alas I couldn't do any scientific experiments due to overly harsh diet, but it stared at me tauntingly.

Paula - I think if you look at the dates on the posts, you'll see that most of them were made 3 years ago. That's not a piece of vitriol that's ongoing. Still, the arguments here (occasionally) get pretty heated. Do you mean Lord Micheal Lewis by your Lord comment? No - he wasn't - or isn't one. Nor is he a member of the site any more. He apparently was a chef though, who (allegedly) got his start cooking at the Fat Duck (before or during Blumenthal, I'm, unsure). If you're back-reading through old threads (which is a lot of fun to do), keep an eye on the dates. Bainsey and Calimero - welcome to eGullet! WGallios - it's been my job to collate the restaurant reviews and food press in the UK Digest every week (haven't had a chance to do it this week yet). Occasionally the OFM was a pleasure - but as you say - G Moore in bloody Gstad? Sex witth vegetarians? It's unbearable (though it depends on the vegetables, obviously). The biggest Sunday food section, and I haven't mentioned the last two in the round-up. And I used to love Nige and his cookey ways - but it's become like listening to 23 versions of Cocacabana in a hotel lobby. Hmm - did I say the vitriol was gone?

Moby - Thank you for that, I cooked a huge pot o' favas at the end of last week and when we got tired of eating them with corn bread I threw them in the freezer. Tortellini is what I'll do with the rest. Having seen your blog - I wish I was your neighbour!

Had a very large lunch there on Friday. The quail were outstanding, and among the best thing I've ever had at a dim sum place. The cheung fun was pretty good - but for the most part I found everything else passable - not the exceptional I was expecting. And the scallop shiu mai - as balex points out - seemed less than absolutely fresh. I do like the sharing table idea - if only for unorganised sods like me who would never get in otherwise. Worth a second trip, I guess, but not in a hurry.

I tried a higher percentage - almost 40% - of semolina this last time around and found the dough much sturduer than usual. Normally by position 8 on my Atlas, the dough will tear unless I'm careful about continually cleaning out the rollers, but this time I had no problem at that thinness at all.

I wanted to report that - in the UK, at least - fresh favas/broad beans are available and one of the best treats of the year if you turn them into a stuffing for tortelloni or tortelli. I did this last night, and served them with some young braised artichokes. It's simply one of those things that shocks you into remembering how good life can be. Unfortunately my camera was down so no pics. But has anyone else done this yet? Here's a fava bean recipe from the eGCI course.

Romaney - welcome. I'd be interested in the rate of change at Ramsay's as well - which I suspect would be much lower than somewhere like Aikens which is in constant transit. I still think everything about Ramsay's is essentially a conservative experience. I think by keeping the parameters relatively narrow, he maintains very high standards. Jon - I've had the hungarian tokaji with foie gras at RHR. Unbelievable. [Edit to add - oops, sorry. Went back to check my menu, and I'm wrong about the foie. I had it with the tatin. Apologies.]