Winot
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Posts posted by Winot
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I agree that hanging around a bar, drinking, while waiting for a table rather spoils one's dinner. However, Anchor & Hope's proximity to the Old Vic makes it an ideal place for after-theatre supper: by that hour, the wait is minimal or non-existent. At the same time, of course, many items are off the menu, but there's enough to put together a good meal. Is that not the key to visiting no-reservations restaurants: going at off-hours?
And at the other end of service, we have used it successfully many times for a pre-theatre meal.
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I currently (and temporarily) happen to live almost next door to Bibendum and was hoping to take a friend arriving on a late flight to dinner there next week before bedding him down. After reading the reviews I've decided not to do it.
But where to take him then? In Chelsea, within walking distance?
Racine? French comfort food a 10 min walk up Brompton Rd.
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Sounds good, will try to give it a go soon. Are your opening hours constrained by the market hours as for Ecos previously? For example, will you be open Wednesday lunchtime when the market has half day closing?
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I have been involved with a new project that should open next Saturday in Brixton.
We have worked on the dough recipe, sourcing an authentic neapolitan oven and mixer from Forno Napoletano and consulted on other aspects of the concept.
I will give you further info later in the week, but I am pretty confident that this place should shoot up at the very top of the Neapolitan Pizza offer in London
Is this in the old Francos/Eco site in the market? Or are you from Eco?
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going on the madelines and fruit and the egg nog I would say l'astrance, which makes the missing dish the mushroom foie gras thing.
It is L'Astrance - well spotted. However the missing dish is the "ravioli" of crab, with avocado slices taking the place of the pasta. This was the Menu du Printemps of June 2002 (a bargain 60 Euros lunch) when it was still 1*.
Jay's turn...
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Lucky guess.
OK, this is a two parter. First guess the restaurant; second guess the missing course. And to make it a bit harder these are descriptions from my notes made after the meal not directly from the menu.
Amuse - melon puree on violet yoghurt topped w/ and olive oil emulsion
1. [guess the missing starter]
2. Languostine w/ coconut sauce
3. Confit of salmon w/ carrot & ginger salad
4. Puy lentils w/ fermented lentil broth, chorizo cream and onion sorbet
Surprise course here - chicken stock, pain grille, smoky bacon
5. Lamb, date & geranium paste, coriander & mint sauce, lemon zest
6. Madelines & fruit
7. Chocolate brownie w/ pistachio ice cream & pistachio spun sugar
8. Jasmine scented egg nog.
Over to you...
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Escoffier?
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We went for lunch a few weeks ago and thought it was great. Yes the space is difficult but on a sunny day it's actually stunning in a minimalistic way. The service couldn't have been friendlier or more relaxed and the food was on the whole fantastic (the only let down was fishballs and tofu that you cooked yourself in a pot of fish stock at your table... I'm always suspicious of food I have to cook myself). The menu structure wasn't too difficult to navigate but the portions varied wildly - the last dish was a pot roast of blackleg chicken which was HUGE. Luckily we are greedy.
Just looked back at the bank account and the damage was £128 for two inc. service (and some sake) so I suppose it is quite pricey but we didn't feel ripped off.
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Ouch! Maybe I should have worded my request as, "where can a couple have a decent meal on February 14 DESPITE Valentine's Day"?
Roz
Tayyabs?
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If it were "gigot a sept heures" I would have said Les Halles, New York.
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Similar idea to tailors offering £45,000 bespoke suit (all handmade and we will fly anywhere in the world to fit you etc.).
Crap marketing bollocks leftover from the 80s.
*waves loadsamoney wad*
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[double post]
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I actually find if you have your child on a chair on even the sideboard (breaking every health and safety rule in the book) they get huge pleasure from getting involved in the simplest elements of cooking - adding dribbles of this or spoonfuls of that, and sprinkling in seasonings. Of course the results can be a little haphazard so it pays to steer clear of recipies which depend on ultra-accurate measuring.
Agreed - our toddler loves sitting on the worktop and helping out - sometimes it's the only way to engage her interest and get on with what needs doing at the same time.
Have some great photos of her sticking garlic slivers and rosemary in a venison haunch and (this Christmas) brandishing a goose leg she was helping me confit whilst pointing to the Hugh F-W cookbook.
[/proud parent]
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Congratulations to Upstairs in Brixton for their Bib - as it's 3 mins from my house I hope I can still get in.
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St. John takes lunch reservations till 3pm.
Or The Wolseley.
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Thanks Timothy.
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What about Leicester?
I've heard that this is another city in the Midlands with a substantial Asian population.
Do they have restaurants there also, or is it mostly crisps?
As Andy Lynes points out we do have restaurants. The asian restaurant scene is marked more by quantity than quality. There are some fantastic cheap and cheerful dhabas offering home-style food, a wide range of vegetarian options and countless tandoori restaurants on a scale from poor to good. In the last three months there have been two very intersting openings Red Veil , which is at the fine dining end of the scale, avoiding huges lists of slightly different curries and offering items such as sea bass, scallops in goan dressing, lamb shank in kashmiri spices etc. Then there's Halli which offers first rate Southern Indian vegetarian from Karnataka. Both of these are less than three minutes walk from the Station so timid types who fancy trying them won't have to walk through strange city.
In other cuisines Entropy is definitely worth a visit and also very close to the station. There are some other decent restraurants but much of the best food follows the money out into the county, such as Firenze in Kibworth Beauchamp, The Grayson in Quourn, Horse and Trumpet in Medbourne and of course Hambleton Hall in Rutland.
Oh, and right on Sat.
Does anyone have any recent recommendations in Leicester? We are visiting the in-laws this weekend and are looking for somewhere to go after seeing a film at the Phoenix.
Indian would be fine so unless there are any other options we may go for Halli mentioned above.
NB Entropy and Red Veil both appear to have closed, or at least not renewed their domain names.
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I am taking Mrs Winot for her birthday in a few weeks - have managed to squeeze into a 6.30pm slot which we've got till 9.30pm. It'll be the first visit for both of us.
Do they turn tables at Le Gavroche? If they do that's a shame.
I always assumed it was the sort of place that would never be so uncouth...
J
Only for "early" reservations (defined as those before 8pm I think).
As we have a toddler and a 4 month year old and are usually in bed by 10pm it shouldn't be a problem in our case.
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I am taking Mrs Winot for her birthday in a few weeks - have managed to squeeze into a 6.30pm slot which we've got till 9.30pm. It'll be the first visit for both of us.
The Time Out Guide suggested that there is a tasting menu for £95 (£150 with matched wines) but I can't see it on the web site*. Anyone know?
Otherwise, any recent visits/recommendations?
*Edit to add - just realised I was mis-reading the web site and a sample tasting menu is on there ("Menu Exceptionnal").
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And sorry to be incredibly thick, but what's the "alc"?
a la carte
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Tom Ilic has just reappeared at "Tom Ilic" in what was the Food Room in Queenstown Road. The cooking is as impressive as ever and the prices are almost stupidly cheap at the moment - £5.5 for the signature braised pigs cheeks and £11.95 for an assiette of pork that wouldn't look out of place in a two star restaurant. Its not the most luxurious of places to eat, but its comfortable enough. The critics are onto him already - Fay Maschler was in last night so expect a review next week I would imagine.
Had lunch there today and was disappointed. The alc isn't available and the lunch menu was very uninspiring - only three mains on offer of which I had an average rib eye steak and Mrs Winot a below average chicken dish which was overcooked. Starters were a bit more imaginative - red mullet with artichokes and smoked haddock tortelleni. The fish was superb but the dish as a whole was let down by an overly vinegary dressing. The pasta was fine. Puddings were the best of the lot - an apple cake with apple sorbet and gingerbread, rhubarb and an excellent lemon grass pannacotta. Wines by the glass were quite interesting - viognier, picpoul de pinet, something from the Cahors area.
Overall the impression was a kitchen punching below its weight. I've had better meals there in its earlier incarnations (Stepping Stone then the Food Room). I guess they have made a business decision to offer an accessible and cheap lunch menu and save the fireworks for the evening. Even so there was only one other table occupied there today. I'd be interested to hear reports of the alc, but I certainly won't be going back for its poor cousin.
Edit to add - website here.
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At the risk of being a me too, had a great lunch a few weeks back and they didn't bat an eyelid at our pushchair monstrosity despite the fact it's quite City at that time. Food reminded me a bit of the simpler dishes served at Trinity in Clapham - as noted above very meaty bold flavours French bourgeois/British.
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How about a suckling pig at St. John? They are meant to feed 14-16 diners (scroll down the menus page). And I've had some fairly drunken - sorry, lively - meals there.
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Green & Blue in ED is excellent. They have recently opened a branch next to Clapham North tube and the food is really good (as well as the wine of course) but the service leaves a lot to be desired (based on three visits).
d.c. delivery
in D.C. & DelMarVa: Dining
Posted
Any updates on DC delivery? We've just got back from a week on the Eastern Shore and haven't the energy to cook or leave the house. Ideally sushi or something spicy. We're staying with friends on Fulton St NW behind the russian embassy.
Thanks.