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Michelin Guide 2006

Benjamin
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Corinna Dunne

Corinna Dunne

Posted
Posted
????Chapter One has a star, are you saying it doesn't deserve one or deserves two?

The Irish version I think :unsure:

Yep... the one in Dublin... sorry, should have mentioned that. I'm not sure that it's quite at one star level, but not giving it a bib is unbelievable, especially since the grossly inferior Jacob's Ladder (in Dublin) gets one.

Corinna Hardgrave aka "Corinna Dunne"

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https://corinnahardgrave.wordpress.com/

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IanT

IanT

Posted
Posted
Yep... the one in Dublin... sorry, should have mentioned that.  I'm not sure that it's quite at one star level, but not giving it a bib is unbelievable, especially since the grossly inferior Jacob's Ladder (in Dublin) gets one.

The price limit for a bib is £27 (€38) for three courses at dinner. There's no way Chapter One qualifies!

That said, Jacob's Ladder and Bang both got one and neither of them would qualify either. The Irish Bib gourmand section of the guide is very poorly informed.

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Corinna Dunne

Corinna Dunne

Posted
Posted
Yep... the one in Dublin... sorry, should have mentioned that.  I'm not sure that it's quite at one star level, but not giving it a bib is unbelievable, especially since the grossly inferior Jacob's Ladder (in Dublin) gets one.

The price limit for a bib is £27 (€38) for three courses at dinner. There's no way Chapter One qualifies!

That said, Jacob's Ladder and Bang both got one and neither of them would qualify either. The Irish Bib gourmand section of the guide is very poorly informed.

Chapter One's pre-theatre menu would be enough for them to qualify. Jacob's Ladder has a fixed price menu, but I'm not sure that Bang does, which would make them the odd one out. It's academic really. Just one of their flaws!

Corinna Hardgrave aka "Corinna Dunne"

CorinaHardgrave Twitter

https://corinnahardgrave.wordpress.com/

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culinary bear

culinary bear

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Posted

Mixed feelings...

+ve

... We kept our star.

... Fraiche is on its way to a star, thoroughly deserved.

-ve

... Winteringham Fields down to one, which is bound to be a kick in the teeth for Robert.

... Watersreach in Manchester lost their Bib...

Allan Brown

"If you're a chef on a salary, there's usually a very good reason. Never, ever, work out your hourly rate."

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Gary Marshall

Gary Marshall

Posted
Posted
Torquay - the new Ludlow...

Its a shame you won't get royalties on that phrase - I think we'll be seeing a lot of very similar sentances very soon.

telegraph article, dominated by a basil fawlty picture naturally!

are both places really owned by the same people as the article suggests?

that is quite a coup.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml.../20/ntorq20.xml

you don't win friends with salad

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cachan

cachan

Posted
Posted (edited)

Also great news for Vineet Bhatia and Brett Graham (The Ledbury)

Post #80

It must be doubly disappointing for well-regarded La Trompette to miss out yet again when its new young sibling The Ledbury has got its star now.

Edited by cachan (log)
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Andy Lynes

Andy Lynes

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Posted

Trompette was rather troubled for a while and obviously hasn't been settled long enough (ie summer 2005 until the guide's October(?) press date) to satisfy the Michelin top knobs. My last meal there was very impressive so if they persist they will be in the running. However, they do so many covers that I wonder if it's really an issue for them.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Julian Teoh

Julian Teoh

Posted
Posted (edited)

Very sorry to hear about Thorntons. Kevin travelled to Singapore for the World Gourmet Summit last year and I had a chance to interview him. He mentioned that there wasn't much of a market for his style of cooking in Ireland, and to an extent, that's borne out by the restaurant's profitability. But if he is relying on an overseas audience, and that appears to be the case, I hope the loss of this star won't be the financial death knell for this quietly-spoken and extremely talented chef.

Corina, would you say that the quality of the food at Thornton's has deteriorated in the past year, or is it some other factor? Kevin's degustation in Singapore was excellent. He flew down some king scallops and sea urchins from Ireland and it was an absolutely tremendous meal among a very high number of tremendous meals. I recall thinking in between mouthfuls that it was much better than what I've had at some mainland three-star establishments.

On a brighter note, well done to ginger chef. Keep the stars twinkling over Torquay.

Edited for typos.

Edited by Julian Teoh (log)
Julian's Eating - Tales of Food and Drink
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Corinna Dunne

Corinna Dunne

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I haven't been in a long time (although hope to go for lunch soon) so couldn't say first hand that the food had deteriorated over the past year. I don't know Kevin personally, but as you say, understand that he is a very quiet and sensitive man. I get the sense that he hasn't been too happy since he moved from his previous premises in Portobello, which was cosy and seemed more appropriate. Also, his wonderful Maitre d left early last year to set up Dax and I think this probably had a significant effect on things.

The unfortunate thing is that the locals who really appreciate his standard of cooking can't afford to indulge too often and for corporate and tourist business, he's up against Guilbaud's which is in a much nicer room and hotel.

Edited by Corinna Dunne (log)

Corinna Hardgrave aka "Corinna Dunne"

CorinaHardgrave Twitter

https://corinnahardgrave.wordpress.com/

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Julian Teoh

Julian Teoh

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Posted
I had a good lunch at Thornton's on Friday.  More detail on the Thornton's thread.

Thanks for the insightful report, Corinna, and thanks also for keeping your promise to lunch at Thorntons, although I assume it wasn't too onerous a burden :laugh:

I'm just happy to hear that his cooking remains excellent. However, I must say I am quite surprised that the room (and FOH) were diagnosed as the problems seeing that he appeared quite confident of completing his set after moving into the Fitzwilliam.

Clearly, people are not convinced by the new setup. If that's the case, the sooner he finds a new home, the better.

Julian's Eating - Tales of Food and Drink
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Simon_S

Simon_S

Posted
Posted
[

Clearly, people are not convinced by the new setup.  If that's the case, the sooner he finds a new home, the better.

Time will tell whether that new home will be in this country or not. I'm in no way connected nor do I have any inside info, but I wouldn't be hugely surprised if Kevin Thornton looked elsewhere.

Personally, I'm glad Thornton's lost the star. In my view it was totally deserved, not for the food, but for the experience of dining there. I will put more detailed thoughts in the Thornton's thread.

Si

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