Winot

Thanks for all your help. Was tempted by Pearl/Moro but have gone for Matsuri (not teppenyaki). They do a private room for £30 which seems a good deal, particularly as the bank manager speaks softly (and yes, he does carry a big stick). Will let you know how we get on. PS SamF - I thought Sweetings didn't accept bookings? Not really suitable for business lunch if so.

Thanks for the thoughts. Nice and close -- any more details? I read it had a number of "spaces". What should we go for? I think Sinjen might be a bit much for the company, and I've been recently. Club Gascon is a possibility, though I'd heard reports it had gone downhill. Any recent visits anyone? Report here. Did the Chancery with my business partners. Report here. Been once to the White Swan restaurant; wasn't impressed with the service. Two hours to serve a chicken kiev. Lovely room though. Heard terrible things about Patenosters but prepared to be persuaded. Hated the BH last time I went. Report here. Can you tell me more about Clerkenwell Dining Rooms?

Agree with you in general about Thresher but Louis Jadot stuff can actually be pretty decent.

Good people of eGullet, I need your help. Our bank manager has offered to take us out to lunch, and I am at a loss as to how best spend (though not waste) his money. We are based near Holborn Circus (London). I need somewhere no more than 10 minutes away (walk or cab) that's suitably slick on the service but not at the expense of the food. Options I have considered but rejected are: Smiths Top Floor - my favoured option round here but have been twice recently. Cafe du marche - not quite slick enough; also been recently. Pearl - have been put off by the unfavourable reviews. 1 Lombard St - ditto - unless anyone's been recently and liked it? Flaneur - not businessy enough Vivat Bacchus - went last time So - any ideas? Bonds/Axis/Prism? Thanks - Winot

Rejoice! Rejoice!

Or Hugh F-W's River Cottage Meat cook book.

Quick review -- despite some negative comments on this thread I gave Sheekey's a go on Monday for lunch before seeing Caravaggio at the National. I started with the razor clams and chorizo/broad beans mentioned by Moby above. Fortunatley I had forgotten his comments as this time they were excellent - tasty and not rubbery; good chorizo and tender broad beans. A great combo but ouch £12.50 for a starter. I followed up with whole gilthead bream cooked with olive oil and herbs - very simply done and perfect results. Sides of mash and creamed spinach were good. To drink half a bottle of bourgougne blanc, very drinkable but ouch again £21/half. To finish an excellent espresso and truffles. I ate alone at the bar which was pretty comfortable with plenty of room. Service was efficient and just the right side of brusque, but for some may verge on rude (this was from the moustachioed chap that I assume from him manner is an "institution"). Lovely room and lighting; great food but close on £70 for lunch for one - ouch ouch ouch.

I had a similar experience with one of my favourite meals ever at Astrance in Paris (*) then a really disappointing experience at Les Jardins des Sens in Montpellier (***). However, isn't this really about the arguable flaw of the Michelin grading method rather than anything about the relative experience of the diner?

I've been keen to visit Anthony's for ages now, but if that's the quid pro quo I may have to reconsider.

More to do with celebrity than cooking surely?

amateur night

This is a man whose household income is generated by his moaning in one paper about how ill he is whilst his wife writes about her hypochondriac husband in another.

Is the Sutton Arms still open on Charterhouse St? I've heard good things about Cafe du Marche also in Charterhouse Sq.

I seem to recall that Sophie Grigson use kiwi fruit juice as a ceviche marinade in her excellent Fish cookbook. I think it's an idea from New Zealand. So origamicrane is in exalted company.

and dogs must be carried

New Tayyab (pakistani/indian). There's a thread somewhere. Tas is a good choice. There a new one near the branch in The Cut. Lunches in higher end places are cheaper than dinner. Noodle bars in the West End eg Satsuma (Wardour St)

Asmara is an unpretentious Eritrean restaurant on Coldharbour Lane in Brixton at the Dog Star end. It's run by a lovely couple and the food is fine but the service can be a bit slow. I think there's another one on the Brixton Rd up at Angell Town but I've never tried it.

The disparity between the quality of the music (and associated service) at Tesco and that at an independent music shop is if anything even broader than the analogous disparity in the case of food. This is because the majority of the public have no desire to buy anything other than bland mass-produced product (in music or food). Who was it who said that no one ever lost money by under-estimating the taste of the general public? EDIT - written before having read Charcutier's post, who said it better.

I don't think you'll need to book on a Monday night. Besides, their booking policy is a bit nebulous as Suzi found out recently. It might be worth checking they're open though.

Kebabs are a traditional end to a British pub crawl, though they're not usually of the New tayyab quality.

New Tayyab isn't too far from St. John B&W. There's a relatively short walk you could do which gives an interesting perspective on the many tribes of London and which takes in both places: Get the tube to Liverpool St (Central/Circle Line) and take the Bishopsgate exit. You're in the heart of the financial district here (and in the shadow of the Swiss Re building aka "the erotic gherkin"). Also a short walk from Leadenhall Market. Walk north up Bishopsgate then east down Brushfield St to Spitalfields Market (great views of Hawksmoor's beautifully restored Christchurch at the end). St. John B&W is on Commercial St opposite the main market entrance. Not sure if the market's open during the week. After lunch, wander down Fournier St and check out the stunning houses built by the Huguenots (French protestants) and inhabited now by the great and the good (and the rich). And by Young British Artist Tracey Emin, I think. At the end of Fournier St is Brick Lane and you're into "Banglatown" (where many of London's Bangladesh community live). At the end of Fournier St you're in sight of a mosque and also an original frontage of a Jewish shop (earlier inhabitants of the East End). Turn left and you'll find some trendy shops and the Vibe Bar which is pretty good until it fills up at about 6pm. Turn right and you run the gauntlet of the curry touts. But press on until Brick Lane turns into Osborn St, then turn left into the Whitechapel Rd, where the Whitechapel Art Gallery is a hop and a step away, if that's your bag. After that you'll be in 5 mins walk from Fieldgate St, home to New Tayyab, where you can eat the finest sheek kebabs and nan bread and be thankful you avoided the reconstituted gloop of the Brick Lane curry. And if after dinner you're still after more, Rhythm Factory is just round the corner for a nightcap and perhaps a dance before heading home.

I'm afraid you're already out of date -- the accepted term is now Veloute Vorticists.

A post-script: Berwick-on-Tweed has the lowest average weekly income in the UK W.

That's a real pisser if true. As well as the food it was a great bar which was never too crowded by West End standards (errr, hang on...).

I suppose I'd better try to come up with some now. (*makes note to avoid ill-thought out sweeping statements in future*)