Matthew Grant

You mean the ones that get rejected at the first stage?

I can't remember the final bill. Steaks are around £27 each, sides £4. The website (HERE is pretty accurate for price.

I didn't bother with starters, I had 1/2 kilo of meat to get through

Excellent steaks at Goodman last night, probably the best I've had in a London restaurant. I told our waiter that I wanted something quite gamey so a 500g Bone in Sirloin (£27) was from a grass fed animal. Although the menu says "dry aged 28 days" they can apparently go anything up to 50 days depending on the marbelling. Rachel on the other hand ordered a grain fed USDA Prime 350g Striploin (£27) this was wet aged and I was surprised to find myself enoying the less gamey flavour of the grain fed animal a little more than my grass fed beast. Good chips, creamed spinach and a side salad. Worth popping down to the walk in fridge where they age the meat if only for the magnificent smell. Interesting to see the charcoal ovens as well, they are burning 24 hours a day and around 400 degrees. The one thing I would like to see is a bit more of a crust on the steak, it is well browned but not a crust, I guess this may be difficult in the ovens they use without getting the coals glowing red. Definitely worth a visit if you need a steak fix. Incidentally some of the Irish beef is supplied by Jack O'Shea

I thought I had already posted that Farmer Sharp is no longer at Borough market, I have heard that they went bankrupt

Unfortunately I can't generalise a Michelin experience, for me experiences at 3 or 1 star are totally different things and I couldn't give you an "overall" answer to some of those questions

I'd also add that my responses would differ depending on the type of Michelin starred restaurant I was talking about. e.g. My criteria eating a Japanese meal might be different to that of a French or Italian meal. My reposnses would also differ dependant on how many stars the restaurant had. e.g Q4 if I was in a 3 star restaurant I would answer yes, If I was in a one star restaurant I might answer no.

Just regarding this point...I was always under the impression that costs are higher in Paris - for ingredients, for staff - then in London. Taking l'Astrance say, it is E190 for dinner (~£175), that is only £65 more than GR. And it does not turn tables. And it has only 25ish covers. ← L'Astrance is an anomaly though isn't it? Most 3* restaurants in Paris are vastly more than Royal hospital road. €90 for a starter isn't unusual.

You can.

I reckon you might get a substantial discount if you did that

I won't disagree that is a good value lunch. I was really referring to dinner. I didn't think you had a choice in the evening at L'Astrance I thought it was €190? At Arpege isn't it €285/360 in the evening? That is considerably more than Ramsay. Even if you take the lunch prices into account I guess that Ramsay would still need two sittings to match the takings of Arpege! Anyway, my main point stands, you don't have to take the reservation if you don't want your table turned, the same applies at any restaurant and I often move the time if I'm told I may be thrown off my table. Going back to Per Se, I seem to recall that they do turn some tables, maybe not all

Couldn't agree more. Clearing the tables for another sitting and a sense of rushing should stay in the fast food outlets where they belong. If I'm going to spend £300 a head on a meal I'm going to take as much time as I bloody well want. ← You can take as much time as you want if you eat after 20:00, nobody has forced you to take a table that is going to be turned. Gordon Ramsay is £90 for 3 courses or £110 for the tasting menu, Aren't L'Astrance and Per Se are at least twice that with no option of 3 courses (lets not discuss the realtive merits of the meals)? Don't get me wrong, I certainly wouldn't take the table if it is going to be turned but if that is what it takes for a decent restaurant to survive in London surely that is what they should do? I'm sure Ramsay (and I'm not his greatest fan) would happily charge £200 for dinner and only have one sitting. Plenty of 3 star restaurants have gone bust!

What time were you eating? If I was in France I wouldn't expect it, then again if I'm in 3* in Paris I'm more than likely paying twice the price of RHR. I don't see the customer has any cause for complaint if they have been advised that the table would be required again at the time of booking.

Greedy or buisiness minded? Restaurants, whether we like it or not, are a business there to make money. Chefs/owners with 3 stars or those aspiring to 3 stars (or those who aren't capable of getting them but using it as an excuse ) often complain of the expense of obtaining and maintaining a 3 star restaurant. If their business model requires them to have two sittings to stay in profit and you are informed beforehand that you will have to vacate your table what is the problem with this?

Prawncrackers, I'm in the UK, and have cooked pork butt recipes using regular rolled shoulder (Skin off) weighing 4 - 5 lbs with great success. I've not found any necessity to cook such large pieces as some ewcipes suggest (not necessarily here). I'm cooking them on a Weber Smokey Mountain. Although you've got a kettle there is plenty of good advice on the Virtual Weber Bullet website Pork Butt Selection and preparation.

Didn't know that. And it might explain a couple of the odd entries we've come across. Not that I'm suggesting anything untoward - but if you live in an area which doesnt have many half-way decent restaurants and you then have to review one which you regularly frequent as a punter, you might be more inclined to be generous in your view. But if any GFG inspection team recruiters are reading, feel free to make contact with this respected pillar of society - retired civil servant, likes good scoff, willing to travel, etc ← I think that is one of the major problems with Hardens, villages that have one restaurant with a loyal following might get a disproportionately high rating.

Not exclusively but mainly from Borough Market. My favourites are White Park, Dexter Steer or Red Poll from Northfield Farm or Longhorn from The Ginger Pig. The Dexter is normally hung for around 5 weeks but before it got too popular I managed to have a piece hung for 7 and it was fantastic. White Park and Red Poll hung for 6 - 7 weeks and The Longhorn for 7 weeks. I've noticed that beef tends not to be quite as good during the summer months, I wonder if this is to do with the weather conditions affecting the ageing? Edited to add: Note that those hang times are my preferred times, its not often these days that you can find beef at Borough market that has been hung that long unless you have put in an order in advance.

Following the review above I was invited back to eat on the house. This meal was better. Starters of Crab Mayo and Courgette flowers were good and steaks were decent enough (Rib-eye and Sirloin) though not as well flavoured as some breeds that have been hung for 8 weeks can be. Having said that I've never found steak in any restaurant as good as I can buy and cook myself Service was efficient and charming and I was more than a little surprised to find that I didn't have to pay for my wine either which makes me wonder whether I should have ordered something more expensive or something a little cheaper Incidentally it was still daylight outside and the room looks lovely, I imagine it would be very good for lunch.

One Label Rouge bird may not be the same as another. Label Rouge is not a breed or producer and could be any number of breeds of chicken or farmers that raise their birds to a certain standard. (See here: Label Rouge Poultry) I would still suggest Label Anglais are the best and most consistent if cooked carefully. I would also say the larger birds, around the 2kg mark are better than the 1.6kg birds.

I would say it is a British 3*, of course Michelin will claim it is the same standard the world over. Having said that I would have been happy having that meal in France. I've heard that Monaco isn't as good recently, incidentally the lunch is probably on a par price wise with the lunch in Louis XV.

I think the £45 lunch deal at Ducasse would be worth considering. It will be a 3 star come the new year! Lovely room as well.

A salad consisting of raw and cooked asparagus, thinly sliced courgette, peas, radish, fresh almonds, goats curd and Joselito Gran Reserve.

Had fantastic, if a little mean, potted crab at Great Queen Street last night. I thought we might have peaked early but the Steak and Mushroom Pie for two was really good as well though I couldn't find any obvious sign of mushrooms. Fantastic pastry and a marrow bone for a pie funnel. Finished with a milk pudding with some very nice strawberries.

For The French Catalan coast TRY HERE

Did he sell out when he bought the Hinds Head?