a hard couple of days in the smoke

[Simon Majumdar]

Come on Simon, surely you can see I'm winding everybody up, it's surprisingly easy!

I know.

I was making general comment rather than specific ones

[Gary Marshall]

Went back to locatelli last thursday evening, still full, still great.

prefered my first lunchtime visit, but am realising all my best meals this year have been lunches so that may be a factor. Also tried to order differently to last visit and found that the two meat dishes we had last time are probably the best, rolled pork and the rabbitt. So could do with a menu change

This time i had a salted ricotta and grilled aubergine salad (OK), tortellini in brodo (excellent) and veal which i seem to remember being £28 and wasn't £28 worth imho. Again i had the strawberry and mango lasagne (excellent).

washed it down with a taittinger (good value i thought at the time), vernaccia di san gimignano and a good red recommended by the sommelier to match the veal which was about £40 and v good, unfortunately lost the bill and i've slept since so memory vague.

guests were unaminous in their praise of the restaurant, if it wasn't so hard to get a table i'd eat there a lot more!

[Gavin Convery]

Gary, How hard was it to get a table, i.e. how far ahead did you have to book??

[Gary Marshall]

hi gavin

i booked the table at the end of july when i had lunch, that was the first thursday they had free for 6 people, for two was much easier.

My lunch booking was for a friday i called the day before and went on the waiting list, they called friday am, however this tactic has failed recently.

my colleague wanted a table and found they are now on the old 'we open bookings for that date a month before' type of arrangement, but they did get what they wanted ie table for 6 on thursday, with a months notice.

so i'd say either set a date in advance and look forward to it or try a 'cheeky' booking a day or so before if it's for 2 you may be ok.

they did say a lot of their regulars live locally and all go away at the weekend so sat lunch might be a good call? (they're shut sundays)

cheers

gary

[peterpumkino]

Sorry, but going back to AA Gill. Did anyone read this weeks offering? Hmmh, I thought not! It's an amazing and very accurate piece of writing about Italians. It describes Italians as great fun but lacking in humour and that's so true. His comments about Italian cuisine are spot on (especially his comment that 'we just don't do cheap Italian food').

Even Simon should like his comment about 'Lardo di Colonnata' ('one of the great delicacies in the World. Put bluntly it's cured bacon fat, sliced thin and eaten on crisp toast. Of course, for most of you, the idea of willingly eating silky hankies of piggy cellulite is utterly disgusting'). Over to you Simon.

Finally he brought three Italian art dealers with him and, when he asked for their comments, 'They shuffled. They minutely regarded their fingernails. They brushed imaginary motes from their Milanese tailoring' etc etc etc finally stating 'the mushroom soup, she was beautful but she wasn't Italian.'

Wonderful stuff and a must-read for anyone interested in Italians and their food.

PS I know, I know, it was only Caluccio's at Fenwick's but the principle remains the same.

[Gary Marshall]

i think he's a must read too peter, and i'm doubly thankful this week as not only was it a decent review, i now know what to do with the lump of lardo that i brought back from italy!

[Tonyfinch]

Of course, for most of you, the idea of willingly eating silky hankies of piggy cellulite is utterly disgusting

Note the snotty sneer in Gill's tone. "For most of YOU" not "For Most of US". And that "of course". How the hell does HE know what "you and I do or don't find "disgusting"

The man is a putz.

[peterpumkino]

In your humble opinion.

[peterpumkino]

Thanks Gary, at least there's someone on this site that appreciates good things and has not got a highly inflated opinion of himself.

ps Can I help you eat the lard!

[Adam Balic]

In Edinburgh VALVONA & CROLLA sells it and suggests that you fry it like bacon .

[Tonyfinch]

Thanks Gary, at least there's someone on this site that has not got a highly inflated opinion of himself.

Gary,don't you have a highly inflated opinion of yourself? Maybe you should seek help.

[Gavin Jones]

Of course, for most of you, the idea of willingly eating silky hankies of piggy cellulite is utterly disgusting

And to think I'd just changed my signature from 'lust for lard'.

[Tonyfinch]

In your humble opinion.

It's not my opinion,matey. It's the truth.

[Andy Lynes]

Thanks Gary, at least there's someone on this site that appreciates good things and has not got a highly inflated opinion of himself.

Well, he'll have to go then.

[Gary Marshall]

i try to keep my ego in a reasonably well sealed box but it does get out now and again

i used the fat from the lardo to cook roast potatoes on sunday and it worked quite well for that, looks like the true way to eat it is a version of our northern classic, bread and dripping...

[Adam Balic]

Gary - you used the fat from the Lardo? What else is there?

[The Artful Dodger]

We non-Italians love these rules (I know I do) because they're so easy to learn, and you can quickly become (95%) confident you're doing the right thing and snigger at people who aren't.

MMmmmmmmmm

[Gary Marshall]

Gary - you used the fat from the Lardo? What else is there?

Gary - you used the fat from the Lardo? What else is there?

Adam, it has a herb encrusted skin on it, i wasn't sure if it would melt like lard so i tried and got quite a bit of fat out of it but was left with a piece of skin, which i now know i should have eaten on a piece of toast

[Adam Balic]

The examples I have seen are skin off, whith maybe a very few streaks of meat at one end, which get trimed off..

My friends insist I eat great amounts of this every time I vist them, there is something very funny about non-Italians eating apparently (much like when I asked for a custurd filled doughnut, which in the local patois also translates as "blowjob") . Always on crostini/toast