Matthew Grant

Really? I nearly floated home I was full of so much of it!

Thanks bapi, indeed I was talking about Hibiscus, but there are elements of the Fat Duck that are very classical as well - when I was last there one of the items was a Venison with Poivrade sauce - sure it was composed of some otherwise less classical elements (I can't remember what exactly), but the basis of the cooking has a lot of classic elements

Classical cooking with a nod to modern ideas and techniques. By the way, my memory is slowly coming back - the Smoked Cauliflower sauce was with the scallops (I think )

Andy, I agree that the style of food reminds me of The Fat Duck but Claude doesn't feel that it is an influence. They had an interesting list of restaurants that they had eaten at recently but I am not sure about specific influences. I hope that they will contrinbute to the board - they are great restaurateurs

I can't believe that Hibiscus didn't have its own thread! Hibiscus deserves its own thread! Unfortunately I didn't take notes and a drink addled weekend means my memories are probably less than accurate, however, I do know that we had an outstanding meal at Hibiscus on Firday. Solid cooking enhanced by modern touches which complimented the meal perfectly. Feta Cheese sorbet served with a beetroot tart was exceptional, Foie gras ice cream met my approval but Rachel is less than impressed with any savoury ice cream. Pigeon with white beans was perfectly cooked with slices of summer truffle, Rachel enjoyed some of the best veal I have tasted - it actually had taste and wasn't reliant on the saucing. Other dishes of Salmon with an Orange sauce (slightly bitter) and Sea Bass which was accompanied with a beautiful Olive Oil. Somewhere there was an excellent smoked Cauliflower sauce/puree (I think with the Foie Gras ice cream). Slightly disappointing was a dessert of White Bean Panacotta which I felt was too grainy, this was acknowledged by Claude Bosi, however, I'm not sure if this was the effect he was trying to achieve. The meal was exceptional value at £50 for 9 courses. Wine mark-ups were excellent, Chateau Musar '97 was £26 and a Wither Hills Sauvignon £28. Service was fantastic and showed up many a top London establishment. Clare and another waitress managed 28 covers efficiently and formally whilst managing to keep an informal air. At the end of the evening we kept Claude and Clare talking for over an hour, I must confess to thinking that it was Sunday the following day and that they didn't have to work, they smiled throughout, even when showing us out of he door at 01:15am - if Clare or Claude is reading this, please accept my apologies! Hibiscus must be a candidate for 2 stars in the new year!

Cata 181 does a fantastic version of a Bikini which includes truffle butter - I was sceptical at first but it worked very well.

I'm rel;iably informed that the chilli plants that you can buy is garden centres and supermarkets are jalapenos (courtesy of the network support guy sitting in the corner) I have a plant that is now in its second year and is producing a healthy supply of chillies that have an excellent falvour but no too much heat. Next year I am going to try growing Thai chillies - apparently you can get about 200 chillies on one bush!

Mmmmmm..... this is a first for me. Here apparently is a picture of a white summer truffle dish: Here! Looks suspiciously black to me but that doesn't change the fact the Caroline has eaten them. Tuber borcii are a white summer truffle - see HERE Caroline, what did it taste like? The reports I've found suggest it smells of garlic and is not very highly regarded? However, back to my original point, the summer truffle is not also known as black truffle.

Summer truffles are pale, but as far as I am aware, black. Maybe they were bottled white truffles? Pictures here

This is not true. A summer truffle (Tuber Aestivum)is a type of black truffle but will be far less potent than its winter counterpart and is far cheaper. The best truffles (black or white) are found during the winter with Perigord and Alba being the most famous truffle producing regions for black(Tuber Melanosporum) and white(Tuber Magnatum) respectively.

I hate to argue with the teacher but I'm under the impression that it is dangerous to put hot foods into the fridge, this is especially true if you have a large stockpot that will raise the temperature of the fridge and create a happy environment for bacteria. It is far better to cool the hot stock down rapidly by placing the stockpot in a sink full of ice and then if necessary put it in the fridge to allow the fats to solidify. Alternatively, split the stock into several smaller containers so that they cool down more rapidly.

These were two of my favourite dishes. I think the 'meat and potatoes' you described was the Bull tail Parmentier which was outstanding. The other thing that struck me about the meal was what good value ot was. I can't remember the exact price but was very surprised when the bill arrived.

WOW! Just imagine how easy it will be to make risotto once the 'automatic liquid dispenser' attachment is developed.

cheers for the websites guys. the bayless book makes a big distinction between sauces and salsas made with dried chillis, and those with fresh. i'll just have to get started on the dried ones. can anyone shed any light on which "breed" the chillis you find sold as "mixed chillis" in the supermarket are? Tarka, not sure on the mixed chillis, but the large chillies sold in most supermarkets are, I think, Jalapenos. Co-incidentally, I work with people that have no interest in decent food. However, I discovered the other day that the networking guy sitting in the corner runs a website that has more information than you could ever want about chillies. If you have any queries he is the man. He will also be able to fix any network issues you may have Chile-Head - click here

Any chance of a write up on Comerc 24? It was one of my favourites in Barcelona also.

Quaglinos

I might be popping up to Gateshead (stress the might). Is there anywhere good around there to eat, not necessarily in Gateshead but an easy drive away.

Of course, Pacific State (one of their best records) was a coded reference to the, at the time, little known "Pacific Rim" style of cookery.

Just to bring this back on topic: 808 State do not own any Michelin starred restaurants (to the best of my knowledge)

Great bass sounds from that machine, always annoyed me that it took so long to get a midi interface. 808 State still exist. They made some great records. They also made some crap ones.

Oi! mr Lynes - you changed your post whilst I was replying you sneaky git!

I always think of S-E Asia as being a little further down: Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Laos, Burma etc. This is especailly true when I think of it in food terms. This sounds like a Chinese restaurant with a hint of South-East Asia!

Does Shanghai count as South-East Asia?

Hornet, I would recommend booking, this restaurant is very simple and VERY small (think 16 - 20 settings). For some reason it conjures up images of a beautiful sea front restaurant with lots of tables and spanking fresh seafood. Nothing cuold be further from the truth (apart from the spanking fresh seafood) See HERE for further details.

Maybe I won't try it then!