London has shut down

[dallardice]

There's a Korean near Highbury Corner I've been planning on checking out that looks interesting, but haven't made it there yet.

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If you're talking about Bu San, go soon. The block it's in is up for redevelopment to become a Tesco Metro with flats above, although planning permission has not yet been granted...

[Tim Hayward]

a transformation brought about largely by Patricia Michelson owner of La Fromagerie.

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So although the plans were definitely well on their way she was crucial to their plans and to the general devpt of the area. I think she still has some involvement in what opens there.

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Does she really wield that much power? Divertimenti and Ginger Pig were there well in advance of La Fromagerie

[MobyP]

Moby P (who's posts i generally very much respect) suggests that in order to improve dining in London, we need more Blumenthals.

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Sorry if it came out sounding like that - and sorry for missing this compliment - I was eSkimming. The point you made wasn't what I meant. Rather, I thought Blumenthal was one of the few people doing his own thing in the admittedly high end of the scene. I didn't mean to sound like I wanted him to be reproduced anywhere else. Similarly Aikens is at least doing his own thing, even if it's some distance away from being mine.

The reason I posted about both is that I knew - or thought I knew - that the subtext of Matt's post referred to a certain kind of cooking. The really ambitious, haute stuff. To be honest, there's buckets of good low and low-mid food out there (price be damned), but I almost never get to eat out anymore. A ten month old boy with large gnashers has seen to that.

On a wider point, I think Matt was addressing the issue of the board - two or three years ago there were a large number of restaurants of all levels being posted about. Now, it has become pretty quiet. Anyway, enough of this rarified air. If you have anywhere that's of interest, I'd like to live vicariously through your description of it, as there's not much chance of me getting there any time soon!

[MobyP]

I have no interest (financial or personal) in La Fromagerie but I think that is a deeply unfair summary of them, especially the staff... It is expensive, but also they generally have products there that you can't get easily elsewhere.....

I think Patricia Michelson is great. I used to live around the corner from the Highbury shop and went there weekly. And she receives a not ungenerous proportion of my annual food allowance today - especially on one product, not cheese, which I shan't mention here, but is I think the best of its kind to be found anywhere in the world and I don't want anyone else buying it so there's always enough for when I show up.

That said, there's that great Italian stall in Borough (Matt, help me out) that used to be opposite the pork pie stall. They were importing at one time the most incredible ricotta, still wet in cheese cloth. Fantastic flavour. A single bag cost a Borough Market exorbitant £5. I went straight from there to the Marylebone Fromagerie shop one weekend and saw the exact same ricotta for £9. What's that, an 80% mark-up?

I'm very very happy that Patricia is doing well. Truly I am. I just wish it didn't have to go hand in hand with those sorts of prices, and my increasing inability to pay them.

Edited February 18, 2006 by MobyP (log)

[Scott]

My understanding is they went cap-in-hand to Patricia Michelson asking her to open a shop and advise on other shops to invite into the area.

sorry to but in, but that makes no sense.

why would anyone go cap in hand to someone who doesn't own a shop, begging them to open one? that might be the way someone likes to tell their side of the story, but it seems a bit far fetched.

[MobyP]

My understanding is they went cap-in-hand to Patricia Michelson asking her to open a shop and advise on other shops to invite into the area.

sorry to but in, but that makes no sense.

why would anyone go cap in hand to someone who doesn't own a shop, begging them to open one?

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Don't follow. Didn't she own La Fromagerie in Islington?

[Matthew Grant]

That said' date=' there's that great Italian stall in Borough (Matt, help me out) that used to be opposite the pork pie stall. They were importing at one time the most incredible ricotta, still wet in cheese cloth. Fantastic flavour. A single bag cost a Borough Market exorbitant £5. I went straight from there to the Marylebone Fromagerie shop one weekend and saw the exact same ricotta for £9. What's that, an 80% mark-up?[right']←

I'm not sure what the name of the Italian place is called. I won't be able to sleep tonight unless you mail me the details of what product is so good that you are spending the child allowance on it!

Moby you understood my post just fine. I was talking about mid to high-end restaurants but my initial post was bemoaining the lack of reviews of any kind.

[battleofthebulge]

Regarding reviews, maybe we should have a thread like the one on the Vancouver forum, where people post quick reviews of the last three places they've eaten at. No need for long screeds with photos, just quick food highlights, overall impression and total bill. Quick to do and gives a really good feel for where's popular and interesting. So, my latest 3 would be The Wine Factory in Notting Hill, Thai Silk in Waterloo and Glas in Borough Market. Anybody else interested if I started this up?

Sarah

[MobyP]

Sure. Sounds good. Show us the way.

[Winot]

Regarding reviews, maybe we should have a thread like the one on the Vancouver forum, where people post quick reviews of the last three places they've eaten at. No need for long screeds with photos, just quick food highlights, overall impression and total bill. Quick to do and gives a really good feel for where's popular and interesting. So, my latest 3 would be The Wine Factory in Notting Hill, Thai Silk in Waterloo and Glas in Borough Market. Anybody else interested if I started this up?

Sarah

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There's nothing new under the sun.

[silverbrow]

My understanding is they went cap-in-hand to Patricia Michelson asking her to open a shop and advise on other shops to invite into the area.

sorry to but in, but that makes no sense.

why would anyone go cap in hand to someone who doesn't own a shop, begging them to open one? that might be the way someone likes to tell their side of the story, but it seems a bit far fetched.

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Scott

As Moby said, she did own a shop at the time, the one in Highbury, that is and was very successful. When the De Walden estate asked her to open a shop in or near Marylebone High Street, they did it as the first part of a plan to make it a food dominated area. They realised that by getting someone of her calibre in would attract others. My understanding is that as part of her deal, she got to play a crucial part in who else came into the area.

Divertimenti and Ginger Pig were there well in advance of La Fromagerie

Divertimenti may have been, Ginger Pig certainly wasn't. Neither was the organic store next door, neither was Rococco, neither was Paul, neither was Pain Quotidien. I'm not saying she was responsible for every last one of these, but we can thank her for turning MHS into a food street - even if most of the shops are v expensive.

[Raj Banerjee]

Had another lovely dinner at The Walpole this evening. Really love this place. Its so comfortable, and the is just the sort of place you go eat at, rather than just go out to.

The husband and wife team who run it are absolutely lovely. The staff were charming. Let me be frank about having a weakness for the sort of bistrot/brasserie food that they seem to do so well here, but what I enjoy even more is the fact that this place is about food, not necessarily cuisine or cheffiness, but just good food.

Risotto with wild mushrooms, then confit duck. Creme brulee for dessert. Could have had it anywhere, but very few places as simply yet competenly done as here.

Great selection of wines, but I was the only one drinking, so just had carafes of house white and red.

I want one of these in Kensington!! La Bouchee just doesnt cut it and its too self conscious.

Ok, moan over.

See, London hasnt totally shut down, its just that overheads make it hard for neighbourhood places that do simple things well to operate in central London. Someone mentioned earlier about eating out being a lifestyle choice rather than a hunger choice nowadays. So true. Bring back the neighbourhood bistrot and out with the neighbourhood chain/asian fusion place.

Raj

[battleofthebulge]

I want one of these in Kensington!!

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Have you been to Whits on Abingdon Road? Charming service from Eva, excellent steaks and a separate souffle menu as well as the dessert menu! Wine list is a bit limited but the food and ambience more than make up for that. Here are the londoneating reviews:

http://www.london-eating.co.uk/4035.htm

About £40 a head.

Sarah

[cachan]

The Walpole in Ealing - the chef is Louis Loizia who I understand opened at Cantina del Ponte, and FOH is wife Wendy. Well cooked food and large portions! But dinner is Friday and Saturday only.