Matthew Grant

What a great idea, that Vic Reeves sketch is fantastic. For those of you who have not seen it:

I turned of at that point when I realised that they still don't know what they want. They seem to be looking for simple dishes with a high degree of technical skill, something different and classic . John Torode still can't stick a fork in his mouth without rattling it against his teeth, something to do with him shovelling it towards his mouth so fast that you would think rats were chasing the food. Do we really have to hear the lip smacking at such high volume. I presume that a lot of decent chefs (of the non-celebrity variety) are put off entering non-celebrity masterchef because they don't know what the judges want (and neither apparently do the judges). I prefer the old format.

I think your right about the pastry judging from the way it was wrapped

We had dinner at La Cuisine last night with mixed results. I'll start with the service which was amateurish at times. The bar (which I was encouraged to use when I made my booking) is tiny and when we arrived 45 minutes before our table they had no room but we were advised we could stand at the bar, except there is no room to stand at the bar as the staff use it to as the route to the tables. We were fortunate(?) to be moved quickly to a table which had no lights above it so we were quite literally in the dark. Cocktails (French 75 and a Classic Champagne Cocktail) were OK but nothing to write home about, they cost £13 each. After finishing our drinks we asked to be shown to our table, a waiter returned and advised that they were trying to find us a table. This confused me as we were already booked and they had already asked us if we wanted to be seated early! 15 minutes later I asked if there was a problem only to realise that they had actually forgotten about us (probably because they couldn't see us in the dark), only then were we taken to our table. We were escorted down in the lift to the first floor restaurant where there were approximately 20 covers - not what I would expect of a major new opening. There were spaces at L'Atelier when we arrived as well although the receptionist told me there were no spaces available. Is the site jinxed, the maitre d' advised that it was a deliberate policy until things were running smoothly Overall Service was friendly but clumsy. Cocktails had to be asked for twice, our table was so dark the waitress couldn't even see where to put our glasses, in the restaurant we asked for a glass of champagne which only arrived 10 minutes later after we were asked a second time if we wanted an aperitif. Water also had to be asked for twice. I realise they are bedding in but these are basic mistakes. According to the receptionist Robuchon left on Monday but "he is with us in spirit" (reach for the bucket), according to a waiter he left yesterday. On to the food, we chose small plates all the way. An amuse of Lemon jelly, fennel cream, tapenade and basil oil was fine individually but the lemon overpowered everything when taken as a whole and the basil oil didn't seem to make an appearance. Les Legumes was a selection of vegetables sat atop a basil pastry. Asparagus made an unnecessary appearance for the time of year and added nothing to the dish. The pastry was terrible, like cardboard and combined with the dressing it had a terrible artificial taste. A shame as the vegetables would have been nice, the pastry would have been far better with a small disc of puff pastry. Iberico Bellotta with tomato bread was a good size portion of exceptional ham which the waiter confirmed was Joselito, freshly carved and an instant punch in the mouth. Superb. Tomato bread was some derisory flavoured chopped tomatoes on bread - why bother? there was probably wround 50gms of ham, at Brindisa you can buy 50gms for around £8 so £9 for the dish seemed a relative bargain and once again the ham was superb. Langoustine fritter was an eye watering £20 for 2 superb Langoustines cooked just so, a small piece of Basil beneath the thin crisp batter. We were advised to dip the Langoustines in the pesto they came with but in my opinion Langoustines like this should be adorned with as little as possible, the basil under the pastry was enough and the pesto threw it out of balance a little. Mackerel tart was also a delight, crisp pastry topped with translucent slices of mackerel, barely warmed through, olives and parmesan. Next came a "gift from the chef", 2 scallops still in their shell, roe removed. cooked with generous quantities of butter. A good scallop but I prefer to have mine with a little caremelisation to accentuate there sweetness.. Another service error next when Lamb cutlets with thyme arrived at the same time as the Quail stuffed with foie gras accompanied by truffle mash. That in itself wasn't the problem but our sea bass dish had been missed and arrived about a minute after these 2 were delivered. Reasonable but unexceptional lamb, not comparable to the chops served in the Paris branch. I'm a lover of English lamb, especially as it becomes a little older and develops some stronger notes but the Paris version of this dish was simplicity itself. Previously I described these as having been "taken from its mother moments after birth". The lamb they have sourced was not special enough to serve so simply. A pot of the famous puree was served alongside. Granted it's lovely but it's a cheat. It tastes like butter, pure and simple, lashings of the stuff. The Quail breast with Foie gras was eaten without even noticing the foie. I chewed on the leg. The truffled mash was also the famous mash with thick slices of summer truffle which had negligible flavour although they had to be sliced very thick to make it noticeable which spoiled the effect. The Sea bass was advertised with Macaroni stuffed with ricotta, basil juice and olives. It came without any pasta and artichoke instead. We queried this and were advised that the garnish had been changed. We stuck with it but it had caught Rachel's eye because of the pasta and we should have been advised when ordering. Desserts were pretty much a disaster. Chartreuse Soufflé with pistachio ice cream was over cooked and eggy tasting. Le Rouge Frais was strawberries with Lemon sorbet (I think it was meant to be lemon and basil) and topped with a raspberry cream. The sorbet had clearly been made with too much pith which had turned it horribly bitter, I can't believe that anybody in the kitchen had tasted it before serving it to anybody. The raspberries reminded us of Angel delight. Overall some good food, some average, some poor and they need to get service sorted out. The bill, including 2 cocktails as described, 2 glasses of champagne (£9), 2 500ml (cheeky) bottles of Evian at £3.50 each, a bottle of Chateau Beaulieu Comtes de Taste at £36 and service at 12.5% it came to 25 pence short of £250. We both could have eaten more.

Ah Mr Pomerance, I wondered where you were All we need now is a particular man of Swedish descent.

Not sure how much of a secret that is? Aren't Clifton developing a home range? On their website they ask you specify your interest and one of the options is "domestic" .

As in Vivat Bacchus?

Thanks for the suggestion Swiss Chef, I'm looking for somewhere to eat in Alba. I presume you are talking about eating in the downstairs restaurant (La Piola) rather than upstairs? Incidentally, I won't be eating at Boccondivino in Bra, I really will just be bedding down there, we'll be out and about during the day so don't worry about us getting bored

Need to get a decent priced and suitable vac pac machine in the high street first. I know cheap ones exisit but from what I've read they re not particularly good for sous vide cooking.

Thanks for the replies everyone. I've now booked my accommodation based a little on your replies I am now staying in Alba, La Morra and (shock horror) Bra. I'm mainly staying in Bra for Renzo so that I am nearby but also because the Albergo Cantine Ascheri appealed visually . Good to hear that the Pizzeria in La Morra is good, its within easy walking distance Corte Gondina where I am staying, it was this hotel advised me that the taxi to a restaurant 4km away would cost €40 -50 (they advised against it)!!!!!

Thanks for the info on the truffle fair. I am also there at the beginning of November. Be warned that when you say that Alba has 6 michelin star restaurants they are not actually in the town. The nearest to the town centre is 4km, not a huge distance but my research has led me to believe that taxis are infrequent and expensive. Indeed a hotel in La Morra advised me that the 4 - 5km trip to a local restaurant would cost approximately €40 (I presume this was a return but I wouldn't take it for granted). I hope that taxis around Alba itself will be cheaper!

Have you stopped going to the cinema/theatre because they prevent you taking photos?

Apologies Jay, I didn't read properly, I thought I was replying to Vadouvan who had originally raised the issue of the TV deals. Looks like you need to have words with your researcher

Not as I understand it. The first Hell's Kitchen was shot in Los Angeles in October of 2004 (lucky me: I got to eat there on its second night). The deal with Fox to do it predated the shoot by a good few months. Indeed I believe it was only a few weeks after broadcast of the first british one, in May of that year, that the Network contracted him.. And at that point, according to the Ramsay organisation, they had no plans to do anything in the US. And I would challenge you to find anything in the cuts that proves otherwise. ← I'd hazard a guess that if they announced a deal in March 2005 they were probably looking a good long time before that, as I say I remember Ramsay talking about the states a long time ago (I'm from London inceidentally), my only surprise is the amount of time it took him.

Ramsay had plans to open in America long before he signed TV deals. If I'm not mistaken, the first season of Hell's Kitchen was the middle of 2005 in America? Ramsay has certainly spoken of opening up in New York long before that. The earliest example I can find online is an article from the Scotsman in March 2005, 2 months before Hell's Kitchen aired. But I'm sure I remember him talking about opening in New York a long time before this. The Scotsman

More details please! Did you eat at Atelier or the restaurant? Can you give us some idea of prices? How long did you queue for?

Yes, but did they say it on the BBC news?

Bill, you misunderstood (i didn't make it very clear in my original post), I will have a rental car and am happy to drive but in the evenings I like to drink so want to be within easy reach of restaurants either by a short or reasonable priced cab ride or by walking.

Publicity machine for this place is good! Managed to get a mention on TV this morning - BBC London news no less! Story went along the lines of "One of London's best restaurants is finally getting some competition. Joel Robuchon has 6 Michelin stars and is opening next door....The Ivy said that they welcomed any competition..." It was very brief but to get a mention on the news is pretty decent. I had to laugh at the competition quote. Just imagine the celebs from the Ivy queuing outside L'Atelier for a couple of hours.

Thanks for the suggestions! I didn't realise Bra was so close to Da Renzo! That is probably the answer, presumably getting a taxi in Bra will be relatively easy!

I want to get as many different meals as possible. I'm still left with a similar problem at Da Renzo though, we want to drink, I don't want to have to drive. Does anybody know anywhere nearby to stay?

Do you know how much is a Taxi likely to cost me from Cesare?

Thanks Andrew, I have seen most of those threads, most of my issues are with being able to stay close to the restaurants. Most of those mentioned appear to me as if you have to drive.

The price creep is there but it is still mainly under £30 for 3 courses unless you order the most expensive things like the bouillabaisse.

Help! I'm travelling to Piedmont in November. Now I know that there are a 101 threads on the area but I'm struggling to get a grip on the major towns/villages that I should be visiting or staying in. Currently I'm in Alba for two nights and thats it. I've another 5 nights to fill. My main problem is staying close enough to the restaurants I want to eat at so that we don't have to drive (We both like to have a drink and Rachel is never going to drive onthe "wrong" side of the road). For instance, I want to go to Da Renzo, what is my best option for nearby accomodation? Same applies for Da Cesare, is it easy to get a taxi there from Alba or is it going to be some ridiculous price. If I stay in Barolo for a night or two, what are my dining option there keeping in mind my driving dilemma (incidentally try typing Barolo in the EG search engine, you'll see why I'm having so many problems tracking this down myself). Has anybody got a suggestion for somewhere more luxurious for one night, the rest of the tie we're happy to stay in B&B's or simple hotels.