Matthew Grant

I think that you need to re-read the Michelin press release (here). It already has got the one star which, as you say, it definitely deserves. Edit: What the press release actually says is that, in addition to having one star now, it is a rising two star restaurant... ← That's what I meant, solid one star cooking, nowhere near two for me

Nathan Outlaw is in Fowey which isn't exactly loca to Padstow but easy enough to do for lunch. I had a good meal there though I'm surprised to see it as a rising star. Solid one star cooking for me. Fowey itself is lovely, well worth a trip if you've got time.

I'd second Steins Fish and Chips, one of the finest pieces of cod I have in or out of batter

Aside from Rick Steins you have Basildogs place "Margot's" which is popular and well worth a visit, the other options is No.6. I've said elsewhere that for a Foodie village it is really lacking in options if you don't want to eat at RS places. Still a lovely place to be though. As for "authentic" English pub food, I don't know what is authentic anymore. The Anchor and Hope is great but again you may have to queue and the food is not typical pub food which these days tends to be covered in breadcrumbs and fried from frozen or Thai.

Finally got along here last night. Pigeon Terrine and Celeriac remoulade. Rabbit Leg baked with root vegetables, prunes and smoked sausage. Warm Ginger loaf and creme fraiche. All lovely, especially the terrine. Too much wine so suffering this morning

That bird writes on here you know! I'm sure she'll be happy to hear how much you like her!

what you need to try is lamb breast - cook it for about 1 hour, bone side first. superb (if the lamb i sany good ) -che ← I presume you are talking grilling rather than smoked if its only cooked for an hour?

I just took delivery of a Weber Smokey Mountain, I'm hoping to do my first smoke easter weekend. BBQ's galore has 20% off at the moment (I have no connection to them) BBQ's Galore Edited to add, interesting to see you doing lamb , one of the things I look forward to trying most onthe smoker is lamb and mutton, the American BBQ forums are virtually lamb free! I'm interested in experimenting with Indian spicing and a light smoke..

I got a copy after mark askew showed me it at RHR a few years ago, it's in french though, try amazon.fr for a copy. ← The cheapest copy on amazon at the moment is £382! I think the rrrp was around £30 criminal?? ← Are they being serious? I might sell my copy at those prices!

A less successful meal here last night. Service is a big problem for me here. A request for a different table and another for a starter portion of a Ravioli dish listed under main courses were dealt with by the maitre d' in a very awkward fashion that left us feeling like naughty schoolchildren. As it was a single Pumpkin ravioli was charged at £5.50, a main course one was £10.50, apparently the main course only contains three ravioli which means that it is getting on for River Cafe prices without getting anywhere near the quality! Another service error included a request for a Carafe of Sauvignon Blanc and we were then bought a carafe of red wine supposedly because we had requested Cabernet Sauvignon. The girl bringing the bread just couldn't work out where to put the bread and butter and it was moved several times before she was happy and she handled a water bottle as though it was made of diamonds she looked very scared! A starter of Baked vacherin with an almond and truffle crust served with Bayonne ham, potatoes and pickles was a good hearty starter A main course of the lamb pencil fillets looked like regular loin this time, it was requested pink but came out verging on rare, the sauce was once again over reduced. Roast Black leg chicken was bought to the table whole with sprigs of rosemary, sticking out the top like a couple of sparklers. It was set on fire and smelt like Marijuana as it smoldered away. It was held in front of us and we were asked "do you like the way we have cooked your chicken?" As I hadn't tried it was a little hard to tell. As it was it hadn't been allowed to rest properly and the breast was a little overcooked, though not as much as the wings which were actually burnt . The accompanying Coq au Vin sauce came in a little copper pot and was topped with a slice of foie gras and was nicely smokey, very nice. Desserts were a mixed affair, my chocolate fondant with amaretto ice cream was good, however I thought Illes Flottante a little disappointing, the meringue not sweet enough and tasting a little eggy. A custard tart had horribly pale, limp pastry. When the bill was presented I was told that they hadn't charged me for the carafe of Red wine that I didn't order. Well thanks for that! I get the feeling that this is a restaurant that doesn't know where to pitch itself. If it wants to be more formal then it needs to up the service massively, it felt incredibly awkward and fidgety when the restaurant was full last night. IMO they would be better off trying to be a little more relaxed and friendly, maybe they need to smoke some of the rosemary before service.

I had a lovely lunch here yesterday. It’s a really lovely spot and the restaurant has a lovely feel to it. I started with Bacon, black pudding and pigs ears, the belly was excellent (how had it been cured?) the ears lovely and crisp the black pudding not a bit stodgy – very good indeed. The other three all ordered the Parmesan risotto, two of them are new acquaintances so I didn’t feeol able to nab any from their plates but I would have thought that Rachel might have shared some with me. As it was she apologised briefly and without much conviction before finishing the last mouthful. A freebie from the kitchen of the pigs trotter croquette was, for me, an absolute star dish, the acidity of the caper and raisin puree was lovely against the rich trotter and hock meat. Not so sure about the tomatoes but a minor issue. In both my dishes the pork itself was excellent quality. Mains were more traditional roasts, beef for three of us and pork for the other. Good quality beef served medium rare, slightly yellowing fat which I love. My only criticism would be the Yorkshire puddings which were too bready for me. A pre dessert of Vanilla Pannacotta and Granny Smith apple granita was another successful dish, presumably form the ALC? Lemon tart with blackcurrant sorbet was very good, great pasty, nicely balanced filling. Rhubarb and apple crumble with vanilla custard finished off my meal in a very satisfactory manner. Great food, we hope to be able to return for the ALC? Mention should be made of the charming service, relaxed and professional, perfectly suited to the restaurant, my apologies if we kept them longer then they wanted to be there!

There is no nicer place to spend easter Sunday (and a whole pile of cash) than the River Cafe. That's where I'll be, with any luck the sun will shine and we'll be sitting outside

Simon is still reading/posting here, not sure if he will speak up on Alexanders though.

Good meal at the Anchor and hope last night, we looked on forlornly as the Rib of beef for two got crossed off the list so made do with a starter of new seasons garlic soup with Lancashire cheese on toast, and followed up with braised Hereford beef with swede and pickled walnuts. The soup was great, thick with garlic which had lost its pungency but not so much that the soup lost its garlick chracter. The Beef was rolled flank, which had really good flavour, nicely browned and crusty on the outside, melting in the middle and came with an intense cooking liquid, a great winter warmer of a dish. Rachel had roast pigeon with a potato cake cooked in goose fat. The cake was a little greasy but when its goose grease that doesn't matter so much. Marmalade ice cream for dessert was a great idea though an Almond pot with blood orange didn't work so well as the Almond cream was a little grainy.

What is the point of creating an "ordinary" restaurant? The acclaim it is getting is going right over my head, is it simply because everybody has a soft spot for Rowley Leigh?

My post was going to start "If Conran had opened this restaurant...." then I reread this thread noticed Tim's post. The first thing we both said when we walked in was "It's like a Conran place, like Bluebird". This is the sort of food that you should be able to get in every suburb of London in a small family run restaurant. Nothing wrong with the food, indeed the Boudin was a very nice dish, however, everything else about the place just screamed early 1990's. Do I really have to get a tram, a train and two tubes to get roast pork with apple sauce? Roast middlewhite pork with apple sauce, was exactly that,, leg of blackface lamb with celeriac puree came with black truffle which smelt damp (frozen or tinned?). Everything was very ordinary IMO, nothing to set it apart except the large room which I imagine would be very nice for lunch. I'm just not getting the adulation at all, overall pretty dull and I don't care if it belongs to Rowley Leigh or Terence Conran, you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference.

I think you'll find that is exactly what he does, temperatures, pressure, time etc. etc. All designed to give exacting results every time (That's not knocking him by the way) ← Another way it could be described is taking the risk out of service or consistancy, ← I totally agree, I was just cracking a joke on the "cooking by numbers" pun.

Is it my imagination or was the sauce with his venison reduced to a solid state?

I think you'll find that is exactly what he does, temperatures, pressure, time etc. etc. All designed to give exacting results every time (That's not knocking him by the way)

Isn't new season Olive Oil, exactly that, the freshest, just pressed oil at the beginning of the season? I never saw that as a promotional thing for Sainsburys, surely its available at any good purveyor of olive oil

It is massive! Croydon is a culinary wasteland despite a huge catchment area and pleanty of money around. We are stuck with a whole street full of your typical cheap Italian/Tapas/ French (actually the French place is seen as the height of sophisitication by some people I work with). Even Smollenskys couldn't survive in Croydon High street, I hope that Le Cassoulet can buck the trend.

Malcolm John has taken a bit of a chance and opened up a second restaurant in Croydon to add to his Chiswick restaurant Le Vacherin. This may not be the biggest event on the culinary calendar but I can safely say that it is pretty much the biggest event in the culinary calendar in Croydon, possible the biggest event in the last decade. Set back a little from Croydon High Street and the string of crappy restaurants (a branch of Mirch Masala aside) where there is little in the way of serious food, Le Cassoulet may have a job convincing the Croydon hoardes to spend a bit more than the usual £20 per head but simply trying is to be commended. Ballotine of Foie Gras, Apple, Endives and Golden Raisins, Brioche was decent enough but could needed to be out pf the fridge a little longer before serving, a little more tartness from the apple would have been appreciated but overall it was pretty good. Cassoulet, Duck & pork was also a decent dish though for me the underlying smokiness of the dish was overpowered by very strong garlic. This was otherwise a generous dish with good pieces of duck and pork and nicely cooked beans. The other half had an enjoyable Onion soup, followed by Lamb Pencil fillet, beetroot, carrots, Boulangere. The lamb looked as though it was the smaller of the fillets from the saddle so they need to keep an eye on overcooking, here it was just the wrong side of pink but in the grand scheme of things it was a minor problem. Pain perdu aux Prunes d’Agen finished dinner, in a satisfying way, lovely plump Prunes and well judged sweetness. Overall a decent meal, it is a very traditional Bistro menu and I would like to see service mirror that by becoming a little more casual, some of the wait staff seemed unduly nervous, perhaps their first night and hopefully this will settle down in due course. Certainly worth a repeat visit and a welcome addition to Croydon. Website here Soupe à l'Oignon Gratinée £4.95 Baked Vacherin, with Truffle & Almond Crust (for two) Served with Bayonne Ham, Pickles, Celeriac Rémoularde, Ratte Potatoes £20.00 Potted Ham Hock, Dijon Mustard Gherkins, Toast £6.00 Shallot & Goat's Cheese Tart £6.50 Six Fine de Claire Oysters £10.00 Warm Salad of Diver Caught Scallops, Black Pudding & Alsace Bacon £7.95 Ballotine of Foie Gras, Apple, Endives & Golden Raisins, Brioche £10.50 Escargots de Bourgogne £6.95/ £10.50 Steak Tartare & Condiments £10.00 Beignets of Lamb Sweetbreads Sauce Gribiche £7.25 Moules Marnières £5.95 Cassoulet, Duck & Pork £14.00 Bourride of Seabream, squid, Mussels & Aïoli £12.50 28 Day aged Châteaubriand Roast Bone Marrow & Green Beans, Frites (for two) £36.00 Whole grilled Lemon sole, Tartare sauce £15.00 Cote de Boeuf, sauce poivre or béarnaise £17.00 Fillet of Wild Seabass & Salsify Gratin £16.50 Roasted Black leg chicken, sauce Coq au vin, creamed potatoes (for two) £28.00 Confit Pork Belly, Parsnip pureé, Puy Lentils £14.95 Pumpkin Ravioli, Sage, pinenuts, brown butter £10.50 Lamb pencil fillet, beetroot, carrots, Boulangère £13.95 Red wine poached duck egg, flat mushrooms, bone marrow toast £10.95 Joue de Boeuf Braisée à la Bourguignonne £14.00 Valrohna Chocolate Fondant, Amaretto Ice-Cream £6.50 Apple Fritters with Vanilla Ice-Cream served with 25ml of Calvados £6.25 Ile Flottante £5.50 Crème Brûlée £5.95 Custard tart with Nutmeg ice-cream £5.25 Tarte Tatin et Glace Vanille (for two) £14.00 Pain Perdu aux Prunes d'Agen £5.95 Choix de Glace et Sorbet £4.95 Assiette de Fromages £6.95

The Waterside inn?

Alexanders in Limpsfield?

I think consistency is one of Arbies strong points, helped no doubt by having a couple of strong chefs to support Anthony. Colin Kelly is well publicised as being head chef at Wild Honey but a little less known though no less deserving is Alan Christie at Arbutus who holds the fort when Anthony is occupied elsewhere. Saturday highlights were a rich ragout of game with Macaroni which had great depth of flavour. Bavette of beef exhibited none if the toughness that plagued this dish a while ago due to supply problems, if I had any criticism this time it would be that it was too tender! A freebie course of Seabass with Octopus was excellent, crisp skinned seabass and tender octopus (apparently cooked for days), a couple of tough skins on the accompanying beans were a minor flaw. The rabbit dish was as good as ever, the cottage pie immaculate and for me once again the star of the dish rather than the side dish it appears as. Good Cheesecake with rhubarb and champagne finished off the meal. I think the other thing that has got better over time is service, friendly, casual and efficient, just as it should be in a restaurant like this. You can take your amuse bouche, pre desserts, fancy cutlery and table cloths, I'd rather have good food at a decent price any day.