Winot

A three course lunch was £30 in early 2003 when we went for the other half's 30th.

[pedant alert] It's Juliet Peston. [/pedant alert]

William Rose. Used to be in Vauxhall (called Hesters I think). Yes, very good.

Too late, I'm afraid.

Thought I'd resurrect this thread as we are in the market for a 90-100cm cooker and I have a couple of questions: - I'd like dual fuel to get an electric oven, a gas oven and a gas hob. However most seem to have an electric grill whereas I'd prefer a gas for the speed of response (and I'd like it to be separate from the ovens). Does anyone know why so many have electric grills and is my scepticism misplaced? - What about induction hobs? Are there any in my price range (£1000-2000)? Many thanks.

Did a business lunch there a month or so back - it's fine. Nothing exceptional, with the exception of the cheese room (the full wine list may also be good but we didn't look at that).

Or you can live anywhere you like, cycle to work and spend the money you save on great grub.

A third lunch on Friday (well it is on the way home) with Mrs Winot and I'm pleased to say it really seems to be bedding down. I had the excellent value set lunch (2 courses for £11.50; 3 for £15 with 3 choices per course). This was showing a surprising Iberian influence for a restaurant I'd always thought of as British: Starter - baby squid stuffed with chorizo/potato and aioli - I've cooked a variation of this at home with larger squid and this knocked mine for six with seared sweet and tender squid offset by the filling - lovely paprika notes from the chorizo. Main - poached pork with clams. Quite salty but perfectly tender pork. Would have been nice if the chef had gone the whole Asturian hog and included some white beans but the sides of cabbage and new pots were fine. Pud - toffee pannacotta - did what it would have said on the tin if you could get tinned pannacotta. Mrs W went alc with 6 oysters and roast pork belly with roast fennel and black pudding (and no pud, the abstemious thing). We drank a very good bottle of Californian pinot noir (Cuvaison 2004 at about £35) and the total bill was £80 plus service including coffees. Edit to say that the wine mark-up seems to be 100% which is pretty reasonable, no?

It's a short walk to J Sheekey.

Amazingly good lunch there on Monday - probably the best cooking I've had out in the last 6 months. Intense but clear (and imaginative ) flavour combinations eg mackeral and red mullet escabeche with ginger and pumpkin puree. And a bargain at £26.50 for three courses. Only problem was the service - v. slow - took 30 mins to get menus and (a business) lunch took 2.5 hours. No excuses as the restaurant was less than half full.

An addendum - dined at St. John on Saturday night and the grouse was £28 (and not quite as good as the Franklins grouse from what I tasted - slightly too rare for my liking). My choices of razor clams for starters and crispy pig cheeks with dandelion stalks were however fantastic - one of the best meals I've had there.

A solitary lunch here today: Starter - beetroot soup. Nothing special - good flavour but underseasoned and was lacking something to lift it above the ordinary (eg creme fraiche, cumin or something would have been good). £5 Main - grouse cooked perfectly rare with a good bread sauce (not usually a fan) and sprouting broccoli which were a tad overcooked. Fantastic grouse though and £18 which I believe is quite good value? Pud - lemon curd ice cream - huge portion with lovely honeycomb biscuit thing. About £6? I drank a half bottle of 2004 Cotes du Rhone (£9.50) with the starter/pud and a glass of Noble One (£6.50) with the pud. Service was efficient and friendly but there were only two other tables in there when I arrived at 1.45pm and I heard the waitress apologise for the delay when serving mains to one of them which doesn't bode well. Also it's clearly quiet for them so far - perhaps the Masch-effect? They have a 12-7pm deal of two courses for £11.50 and three for £15 with (I think) 3 choices per course - looked tempting but I had to have that grouse!

Well I'm lunching on Friday so will do my bit to boost profits then.

I wisk Franklins well in their new venture - have always enjoyed the East Dulwich original, despite some fairly amateurish service ("What sherries do you have?" - blank look - "Do you have any fino?" "No sorry - we've only got Tio Pepe"). I wonder though whether the new site is able to provide sufficient custom - neither Painted Heron nor the one before that (was is called "Kennington Lane"?) managed, despite good reviews.

Phew, thank goodness for that. You guys really had me going for a while there.

15 August. ←

Matthew - any idea when? (I'm booked in for 16 August)

Fergus Henderson takes his son there; from The Guardian.

Sounds like a good list but you may find Tamarind's a bit similar to the kind of upmarket Indian you now get in Midtown Manhattan (caveat - I've only been once and that was years ago - others will have more up to date views). You should try (instead or as well as) some of the lower scale places mentioned on the boards e.g. New Tayyab in the East End or Kastoori/Shree Krishna/Milan etc. in Tooting. A good touristy location would be the National Portrait Gallery restaurant for a great view of Nelson's restored bum (assuming the scaffolding's now down?). Food is fine (overpriced) but location great. Only open some evenings though - check website. It goes without saying that you shouldn't bother with sushi or pizza.

Anyone tried the catering off-shoot of St. John, ARNOLD & HENDERSON NOSE TO TAIL EATING? Thinking about having a house warming party.

A quick lunch today with Baby Winot after Modernism at the V&A. Starter - Confit leg of Gressingham duck with butter bean and broad bean salad Really tender duck and good accompanying salad - decent portion. Main - Roast pollack on pea puree,saffron potatoes and rocket salad Beautifully cooked fish; excellent pea puree but I'm still not entirely convinced by the combination (peas a bit sweet for my taste). Potatoes not great - bit undercooked and no discernible saffron influence apart from colour. No memory of any rocket. £15.50 for two courses - bargain (bumped it up to £40 with glass of champagne; rose with duck & white with fish - left drunk in charge of a baby). Agree that room is nicer than Racine and they coped admirably with a loud infant throwing bread (as did baby Winot - boom-tish).

Why on earth would you want to give yourself food poisoning?

Is Blue Thames still going in Wandsworth?

We had a very nice lunch at the Real Eating Company in Hove a couple of Saturdays back - very fresh and tasty (half) lobster with good chips for £15 - wish I'd gone for the whole. Still hungry so shared a pudding, good cheeseplate and a huge charcuterie plate between three of us. From memory about £75 for three including service, coffees and a few drinks.

Not in the slightest; actually rather fascinating.