Bacchus, Shoreditch

[TheBacchus]

But why not 'Halibutfish' or the more common 'Tunafish'? I accept that it's pedantic, but why else ask for feedback? Codfish, as I say, has another shade of meaning and is normally used to describe the salted article. Just seems a bit silly and pretentious, that's all.

←

You've obviously not been to Bacchus then. Believe me we are not pretentious.

Asking for feedback muichoi is simply my way of finding a sounding board for our ideas; Bacchus is my first venture in the restaurant business and i dont even have a hospitality background, but because i'm not arrogant or naive enough to think that I know it all, I like hearing the different opinions by people who I believe have a treaure trove of information on this type of thing, including this website. It certainly doesnt mean that i'm going to agree with all of these opinions and alter the restaurant accordingly though...

The reason it says codfish is because it is Nuno's (Head Chef) dish and Nuno is portugese. In portugal it is codfish and therefore we decided to keep it the same.

Hope this clears it up

Phil

PS. we can be a bit silly though

[naebody]

But why not 'Halibutfish' or the more common 'Tunafish'? I accept that it's pedantic, but why else ask for feedback? Codfish, as I say, has another shade of meaning and is normally used to describe the salted article. Just seems a bit silly and pretentious, that's all.

←

How about codswallop?

[apshelbourne]

An end to all pretentious menus, I say! How's about:

Big plates

Cod, with other stuff

Dead pig, bit spicy

Some veggy stuff for your girlfriend

Different sort of fish, with some very strange stuff. Don't ask.

Steak - now that's more like it.

- Tony -

(You can take the man out of Yorkshire, but...)

[TheBacchus]

An end to all pretentious menus, I say! How's about:

Big plates

Cod, with other stuff

Dead pig, bit spicy

Some veggy stuff for your girlfriend

Different sort of fish, with some very strange stuff. Don't ask.

Steak - now that's more like it.

- Tony  -

(You can take the man out of Yorkshire, but...)

←

Tony, now your talking. It's uncanny how much that looks to our first draft...

(I'm from Burnley and you can take the man out of Lancashire...)

[Bapi]

(I'm from Burnley and you can take the man out of Lancashire...)

←

What? So why are you opening a place for poncy southerners? Come back up here to Lancs immediately please.

[TheBacchus]

(I'm from Burnley and you can take the man out of Lancashire...)

←

What? So why are you opening a place for poncy southerners? Come back up here to Lancs immediately please.

←

It's true i'd like to in the future but sadly Burnley is the only place i know that had to shut Buger King down because people thought that McDonalds was better value for money. (this is 100% true)

Even the Pizza Hut downgraded from restaurant to just takeaway...

[Bapi]

It's true i'd like to in the future but sadly Burnley is the only place i know that had to shut Buger King down because people thought that McDonalds was better value for money.  (this is 100% true)

←

Now that is funny Well ok, maybe not Burnley itself then. But just think of the fun you could have up here.

Sous Vide Hot Pot has got to be a winner, or even better- Sous Vide Bury Black Pudding

[TheBacchus]

It's true i'd like to in the future but sadly Burnley is the only place i know that had to shut Buger King down because people thought that McDonalds was better value for money.  (this is 100% true)

←

Now that is funny Well ok, maybe not Burnley itself then. But just think of the fun you could have up here.

Sous Vide Hot Pot has got to be a winner, or even better- Sous Vide Bury Black Pudding

←

As i have said on many occassions sous-vide is not suitable for everything and some things should be left as they are. My black pudding is most certainly one of those things!!!

Speaking of sous-vide(ing) unusual foods we are back in Helsinki this Xmas with our new addition to the family (t'other half is due next Saturday!). I'm cooking at a restaurant over there and am doing elk and reindeer in the circulator with elderberry foam I need locking up, honestly

I cant wait...

[Chloe]

The reason it says codfish is because it is Nuno's (Head Chef) dish and Nuno is portugese.  In portugal it is codfish and therefore we decided to keep it the same. 

Hope this clears it up

Ah!

To be really pedantic, in Portugal it's bacalhau ...

Seriously, I always translate "bacalhau" (whether salt or fresh) as "cod" and always change "codfish" to "cod" (or salt cod, or whatever) on menus sent to me for revision. I don't quite know why the Portuguese are so fond of "codfish" but it is commonly found here. For menus, I much prefer plain old "cod" and "salt cod". Codfish somehow sounds faintly comical, slapping fish around in Asterix books, or something ...

Chloe

[Stephen W]

Nice review from Marina O’Loughlin in today's Metro - four stars (two more than she gave to Gordon Ramsay).

Unaccountably she doesn't seem to have gone off the deep end about the wording in the menu - she's not one of these strange people who think that food is the most important thing in a restaurant is she?

Edited October 25, 2006 by Stephen W (log)

[Matthew Grant]

At at the other end of the scale comes Maschler, soon to be seen sqauring up to the young pretender to the crown

[cachan]

Nice review from Marina O’Loughlin in today's Metro - four stars (two more than she gave to Gordon Ramsay).

Has she ever awarded any restaurants with five stars ?

If so, which ones ?

[TheBacchus]

At at the other end of the scale comes Maschler, soon to be seen sqauring up to the young pretender to the crown

←

Actually i thought that Fay's report was very much like Gustav Klimt's 1907 painting, The Kiss...

[rjs1]

[tsg20]

Rather less complimentary review from Time Out:

http://www.timeout.com/london/restaurants/reviews/9226.html

[Gary Marshall]

'fine dining in trainers' - good line that.

[Charlie O]

Went to Bacchus last week but haven't had the chance to write it up - sorry if my memory is a little hazy.

Passing a reasonably quiet looking Bacchus on the way home we decided a quiet dinner locally might be just what we wanted. So after a quick bag drop, we returned 10 minutes later to find the place busy. Jay (FoH) was only momentary panicked to find that we didn't have a reservation before she managed to squeeze us in on a small table. The restaurant was busy throughout the evening which is great news.

The food has really improved since my first visit (during the soft opening) and many of the dishes felt comfortably well put together. I had a starter of scallops (as the menu said, though when it came it was actually only one) with cauliflower purée and pinenuts. A good combination, although I felt that the scallop (which I assume had been cooked sous vide) lacked a bit of flavour because of a lack of browning. I can't remember what my girlfriend had, although she really enjoyed it.

For mains, I had a cod dish that was very well put together (though I can't remember all of the components - if only the website was up and working so I could go back and remind myself ). My girlfriend had Halibut which she was very impressed by.

We split an apple dessert, which I liked a lot more than the dolce latte ice cream I had last time.

We liked the friendly service - Jay and her team have really got the right balance between informal-ness and knowing about each of the dishes as they present them. She had said that it had been a steep learning curve but from what I saw, I think they're well into their stride now.

[TheBacchus]

For mains, I had a cod dish that was very well put together (though I can't remember all of the components - if only the website was up and working so I could go back and remind myself  ). My girlfriend had Halibut which she was very impressed by.

←

Your wish is my command Charlie....

www.bacchus-restaurant.co.uk

Very excited about our new menu too. I'll post it on here later today

Phil

[Jon Tseng]

Menu looks lovely as ever. Three course still looks relatively adventerous (which is a good thing re possible need to tone it down mentioned b4)

One piece of advice. drop the "chicken skin" reference from the tasting (or at least make it more diplomatic. "chicken crackling" perhaps???)

I can just see the punters now "eeeyew chicken skin. lets just go for the three course". Accompanied by the sound of twelve quid gross profit vanishing down the pan.

With the exception of the words "chicken feet" and "boiled" that's probably the closest thing to menu-terminology-instant-death I can think of...

!!!

J

Edited November 18, 2006 by Jon Tseng (log)

[Bapi]

One piece of advice. drop the "chicken skin" reference from the tasting (or at least make it more diplomatic.  "chicken crackling" perhaps???)

I can just see the punters now "eeeyew chicken skin. lets just go for the three course". Accompanied by the sound of twelve quid gross profit vanishing down the pan.

With the exception of the words "chicken feet" and "boiled" that's probably the closest thing to menu-terminology-instant-death I can think of...

!!!

J

←

With respect Jon- that's absolute tosh. It doesn't seem to have put the punters in Leeds off at this place

[Basildog]

Chicken Skin , it is what it is.

Maybe it's just me having the mental age of a 14 yearold schoolboy, but i instantly think of ball bags.Sorry

[fisherman]

When I was carving today's roast chicken I thought of this thread as I was trying to divide the skin between everybody who wanted some, I wondered why the hell anyone would want to call it something different? As Basildog says, 'It is what it is'

[Gareth]

On a straw poll of…well…one, it was “Chicken Skin” that was nearly the clincher in steering me towards the tasting menu on Saturday, notwithstanding any childhood associations of the sort to which Basildog alludes. Mark you, I would probably have regarded scrota as just a further gastronomic challenge also, so I may not represent a mainstream menu marketing demographic.

The meal was, however, excellent, with the scallops and Japanese mushroom starter being a particular winner. Full marks also for the unfussy wine list, the by-the-glass bit of which had also been done justice. The only question mark was over the cinnamon pork, not in and of itself but (in a restaurant that clearly doesn’t shy away from putting several ideas on a plate) this one came strangely unaccompanied by anything that would cut through a relatively sweet dish whose sweetness was further heightened by the Salted Caramel ‘Crackling’ (or “Sugar Skin”, if you prefer, Jon…) that came with it. However, even this was quickly rectified by the kitchen whipping up (literally) a further portion of the unctuous truffled potato mash that came with my beef.

Really relaxed and enjoyable evening all-round and we retired, sated next door to the Macbeth Public House to enjoy a generous fireside armagnac. Er, no we didn’t. Having explored the diversity of Hoxton St, we fled back towards Old Street to the first pub we could find that didn’t either offer a quiet stabbing or, alternatively, the music and company of recent film school grads.

[Charlie O]

Really relaxed and enjoyable evening all-round and we retired, sated next door to the Macbeth Public House to enjoy a generous fireside armagnac. Er, no we didn’t.

←

I don't imagine too many of Bacchus' customers go onto the Macbeth...

Your wish is my command Charlie....

www.bacchus-restaurant.co.uk

Just had a look at the new website and it looks great.

[TheBacchus]

Yes here is a lack of decent bars in close proximity. Now wouldn't it be grand if some young and enthused entrepreneur were to come along and, say, buy the Macbeth then that would surely start to change things...?

...Please note: there is nothing that can be done about the quiet stabbings - sadly they are part of the scene

Gareth, really glad you had a good time here on Saturday - i was in myself with my family and new baby - only to be greeted with two other new borns staring down a plate of pork jowl. Was impressed with how well things went

You will have been one of the first to see the new and improved menu including the new 9-course Aventura menu for those who are particularly brave

We are having a lot of fun putting these together and it is really really interesting listening to how one person loves one dish whilst another hates it with a passion. There have been several 'heated' discussions on many a table

And you know what else? Its Xmas coming up so we thought sod it - we've gone and bought new chairs!!! Dear customers you may now lean back at Bacchus!

(although i'm still going to booby-trap Guy Diamonds for being so mean to us )

Website is nowhere near finished. A total utter cock-up if ever there was one. Its been designed by some award-winning animation company called Model Robot who are friends of ours. Unfortunately for us they got called away to shoot some film for MTV (nice work if you can get it) and then to America leaving us with an embarassing pants round ankles scenario and no website for a month after we opened. But they are back now so expect weekly updates to it including some video deconstructions of some of our dishes...now where did i put my Dyson?