Topic: The Fat Duck & Fine Dining Thread

[Veinticinco de Mayo]

Can you stay Hass?

Might try and stay there before a ferry/tunnel crossing sometime if so.  We stayed here this summer.  Very pleasant indeed.  The smoked eel on a beetroot, potato and caper salad was bloody gorgeous.

I should really get round to listing a few of the places we ate in France too.

[Jookie]

jookie - i though it was off the scale.  we went for dinner on the saturday night and kicked things off with rock oyster and chorizo - a wee fried slice of their home made spiced sausage dropped in just before serving adds a wonderful depth to the briney taste.  for my starter i had a slip sole which appeared to be a skinned fillet cooked in seaweed butter.  simple, succulent and delicious though if i went again i would opt for the blackened mackrel which is marinated in mirn and soy before being bbq-d and served with a simple garnish of apple and horse-radish.

for my main i had steamed sea bass with a mussel tartar and then we shared a tart tatin for desert which came sprinkled with some powdered malic acid to intensify the flavour though the vibe was still classic brasserie rather than heston blumenthal.

we went back on the sunday for the general's 40th and 20 people got stuck into the same menu.  this time i kicked things off with the home cured whisky smoked salmon on their own soda bread and their own (again home made) butter which was suitably comforting after a late night on the sauce.  we followed up with the best roast pork i've ever eaten.  a thick slice of loin fillet served with a single rib and a large slice of armour plated crackling on top of some mash potatoes, some home made apple sauce - malic acid again ramping up the intensity - and runner beans.

there wasn't really room for a desert but i plumped for an apple sorbet served with a crust of space dust so it crackled on the palate.  it came with a burn cream or creme brulee depending on your perspective and a chunk of home made short bread which i think was the only part of the meal that disappointed.

chi-chi its not with the restaurant being a converted pub with old pub toilets but to focus on that kind of thing misses the point.  this is seriously good food well worthy of a trip down from london in itself. 

five dancing men.

Salivating just reading that! I've had the roast pork in there before and it's top, top drawer. Like you said the place is all about the food. Anyone expecting a plush, modern restuarant is missing the point with this place. Like I said in a previous post I love the atmosphere in there and the feel of the place as much as the food.

I defo need to get booked in there again since I haven't been for about 6 months. I don't live too far away so it's pretty easy to get to within 30 mins.

Glad you enjoyed it anyway mate. Definitely of my favourite places to eat and I would say in the top few in the South East (excluding London).

[Jookie]

Can you stay Hass?

I know this question wasn't directed at me but I don't think you can stay in the The Sportsman. You're better off staying in Whitstable, which is about a 5-10 min cab away. There's a few decent places in Whitstable to eat as well if you were round that area for more than 1 day.

[hassinator]

Can you stay Hass?

Might try and stay there before a ferry/tunnel crossing sometime if so.  We stayed here this summer.  Very pleasant indeed.  The smoked eel on a beetroot, potato and caper salad was bloody gorgeous.

I should really get round to listing a few of the places we ate in France too.

you can't stay at the sportsman though the general has his own secret room - owners perk i suppose.

we stayed in the continental hotel in whitstable which was £135 for a double room with a sea view.

they did a nice dressed crab and some rock oysters as an afternoon snack.

i'd love to hear about some of your french eating experiences if they're anything like the hand and flowers which looks ace.

[hassinator]

What do people know about Hix, Brewer Street?

i haven't been yet but word on the streets of soho is that its very ace indeed.

i'm still struggling to understand how many high end eating places are opening in a recession.

there was a superb japanese place called - i think - aya that was one of the first casualties to the market dropping.

i wonder if hix has opened on the same site?

[hassinator]

It is the same site, as far as I understand.

makes sense.  very jazzy space.  they had a cocktail bar upstairs along one side of the room with restaurant tables then a lavish downstairs built around a full sushi bar.  all models working as the watiers and actually the food was very good.  it went tits up in about 8 weeks.  i wonder if they've just ripped out everything they put in as decor or they've managed to live with the (very good) leftovers?  i will check it out and report back.

[penfold102]

Speaking of Soho, has anyone been to Yauatcha? Thinking of booking it for our work Christmas dinner and wondered if it was worth it.

[JP-65]

Speaking of Soho, has anyone been to Yauatcha? Thinking of booking it for our work Christmas dinner and wondered if it was worth it.

Been there many times....it's not expensive.

Good dim sum.  I think it has changed ownership, I believe Yau sold off his "Asian" restaurants.

[penfold102]

Been there many times....it's not expensive.

Good dim sum.  I think it has changed ownership, I believe Lau sold off his "Asian" restaurants.

Cheers, although Hix is sounding good so I might give that a go.

[hassinator]

Speaking of Soho, has anyone been to Yauatcha? Thinking of booking it for our work Christmas dinner and wondered if it was worth it.

i like it but think its not as good as it was when it first got a michelin star.  still i prefer it to hakksan as little dim sum portions - chinese tapas i suppose - mean you can eat lots of different tasty treats instead of one big plate of something that can sometimes seem a little cloying by the time you finish.   you can eat there pretty reasonably but save some room in your stomach for the amazing cakes, chocolates and macaroons they do upstairs.  i particularly like coconut macaroon and the shanghai lily but the mrs is more on a chocolate tip.

[JP-65]

i like it but think its not as good as it was when it first got a michelin star.  still i prefer it to hakksan as little dim sum portions - chinese tapas i suppose - mean you can eat lots of different tasty treats instead of one big plate of something that can sometimes seem a little cloying by the time you finish.   you can eat there pretty reasonably but save some room in your stomach for the amazing cakes, chocolates and macaroons they do upstairs.  i particularly like coconut macaroon and the shanghai lily but the mrs is more on a chocolate tip.

Hass, I think that's because Alan Yau's sold it and it's under new management.  To be fair, I haven't been there lately so I can't comment if it's changed.

[penfold102]

i like it but think its not as good as it was when it first got a michelin star.  still i prefer it to hakksan as little dim sum portions - chinese tapas i suppose - mean you can eat lots of different tasty treats instead of one big plate of something that can sometimes seem a little cloying by the time you finish.   you can eat there pretty reasonably but save some room in your stomach for the amazing cakes, chocolates and macaroons they do upstairs.  i particularly like coconut macaroon and the shanghai lily but the mrs is more on a chocolate tip.

Thanks Hass but Hix is now booked - the menu started to make me drool. Went to the Ivy a few years ago and enjoyed it but the menu here looks even better.

[hassinator]

Hass, I think that's because Alan Yau's sold it and it's under new management.  To be fair, I haven't been there lately so I can't comment if it's changed.

my office was just up the street so i tended to take clients there on a friday but these days its all about barrafina - i'm going again today :-) - have you checked that one out jp?  you can't book but very much worth making an effort for.

@penfold - very much looking forward to how you get on.  i'm taking my girlfriends mum out for a birthday dinner and wanted to go somewhere nice.  i'm thinking of bistrotheque in hackney as i'm going to disco bloodbath afterwards but i've only been for a set sunday lunch there before.  is it any good?

http://www.bistrotheque.com/sub.php?ID=24

[JP-65]

my office was just up the street so i tended to take clients there on a friday but these days its all about barrafina - i'm going again today :-) - have you checked that one out jp?  you can't book but very much worth making an effort for.

@penfold - very much looking forward to how you get on.  i'm taking my girlfriends mum out for a birthday dinner and wanted to go somewhere nice.  i'm thinking of bistrotheque in hackney as i'm going to disco bloodbath afterwards but i've only been for a set sunday lunch there before.  is it any good?

http://www.bistrotheque.com/sub.php?ID=24

Haven't gone there yet, but know about it.

[penfold102]

my office was just up the street so i tended to take clients there on a friday but these days its all about barrafina - i'm going again today :-) - have you checked that one out jp?  you can't book but very much worth making an effort for.

@penfold - very much looking forward to how you get on.  i'm taking my girlfriends mum out for a birthday dinner and wanted to go somewhere nice.  i'm thinking of bistrotheque in hackney as i'm going to disco bloodbath afterwards but i've only been for a set sunday lunch there before.  is it any good?

http://www.bistrotheque.com/sub.php?ID=24

I've been wanting to go to Barrafina for ages but every time I go near there the queues put me off. Is it really worth the wait (or what time is the best time to go?).

I will let you know about Hix - really looking forward to it. I'm a member of Milk & Honey so it's cocktails there first followed by a short walk down to Hix (might have to go back to milk & Honey afterwards!!)

[Jookie]

Speaking of Soho, has anyone been to Yauatcha? Thinking of booking it for our work Christmas dinner and wondered if it was worth it.

Looks pretty plush for a works Christmas dinner!

Think we are off to one of Michael Caine's place for our work Christmas dinner. It's not Gidleigh Park unfortunately! Has anyone ever been there by the way? I've got to go down that way soon and was thinking if it was worth stopping for a night and paying it a visit.

[hassinator]

I've been wanting to go to Barrafina for ages but every time I go near there the queues put me off. Is it really worth the wait (or what time is the best time to go?).

I will let you know about Hix - really looking forward to it. I'm a member of Milk & Honey so it's cocktails there first followed by a short walk down to Hix (might have to go back to milk & Honey afterwards!!)

if your going for lunch i would suggest getting down there about 2pm on a friday.  you may still have to wait about 10 minutes but they will let you eat tapas and have a glass of wine while you wait.  last orders are 3pm but you can order desert after that and sit at the bar all afternoon if you fancy a roll over dinner which i've managed on two occasions.  dinner wise either get there before 6pm or you're at the mercy of the crowd.  generally it takes about 20 minutes to get a seat if you're at the back of the queue and yes its definitely worth waiting for.  its my favourite place to eat in london.  other places may be better technically but the space, atmosphere and excellent quality of the food and staff make it very special.  i offer you a hassinator guarantee that you will enjoy yourself

[hassinator]

Was just looking at the figures for Hix. They're paying an initial ground rent of £165,000 p/a plus a geographical premium on top of that. Probably looking +£220,000 p/a for the site.

I agree with you about the baffling number of high-end places, but I suppose Hix has only got to clear perhaps four grand a day to stay solvent, and I imagine that he'll do that easily.

The place I used to work in would clear £4,000 on the three weekend days easily, and that was in the middle of nowhere.

And it was unmitigated rubbish.

lfsea you are remarkably well informed.  are you a chef or working in the hotel and catering industry?  very interesting stuff.  the site would be very expensive though i'm guessing they would get a rent free period as its been empty for nearly a year.  the rates are another massive thump on top of the rent as i well know from having my office here.

[Jookie]

After being reminded about what a great place The Sportsman in Seasalter was in this thread recently, I decided to pay it a visit again last night. It was an anniversary with the missus - not our wedding but one of those one only girls remember like x years since you first went to Sainsburys together or something! Used this as the perfect excuse to go out there and sample some amazing food.

As always they bring you a selection of amazing breads, homemade butter and olives before for even get your starter! The problem is that the bread is so nice you end up eating it all and feeling stuffed by the time main comes along. Last night I went for pork terrine wrapped in savoy cabbage to start. Was served with pickled gherkin, a homemade whole grain mustard, some really beautiful small pieces of pork crackling plus a piece what I would say most closely resembled garlic bread. It was a really thin piece of toasted bread that definitely had a strong garlic flavour to it. The Wife had a roasted vegetable salad – was a nice dish but not amazing. Was very delicately prepared though and she seemed to enjoy it.

*EDIT* -  the roasted vegtable starter was called Salmagundi.

The main courses were very, very  good. I had duck served with roast potatoes, cabbage  plus a smoked tomato/chilli salsa and sour cream. I know this sounds a really strange combination but it worked perfectly. The Wife had the pork belly served with mashed potatoes and greens. After eating half a loaf plus a starter she could only manage half of her dinner so fortunately I managed to have 1 and a half mains. The pork was amazing, as it is every time I’ve ever been there.

For desert, I had the three pronged apple sorbet, burnt cream and homemade short bread that Hassinator described above. The only thing I would disagree with was that I really like the shortbread. The star of the show was definitely the burnt cream. A really good desert all round and for me the deserts are one of the stars whenever you go there, even though I’m not a great lover of desserts! My Wife skipped desert and just had a desert wine instead.

All round it didn’t disappoint. Price wise it was great as well -  beers when we first got in there (Whitstable Bay is my personal favourite), 2 starters, 2 mains plus a glass of wine, one desert and a glass of desert wine all for under £70! Was sat in the smaller room to the right of the main room, in front of an open fire eating amazing food. Doesn’t get much better than that on a cold winter’s night!

[Jookie]

Just seen this - National Food awards for 2009. Some interesting placings - The SportsMan came in 12th overall, and No1 GastroPub. Pretty good for a place in the a**e end of nowhere!

http://www.top100restaurants.co.uk/page/home.html

[hassinator]

Just seen this - National Food awards for 2009. Some interesting placings - The SportsMan came in 12th overall, and No1 GastroPub. Pretty good for a place in the a**e end of nowhere!

http://www.top100restaurants.co.uk/page/home.html

hey jookie jay rayner has said that steve harris (the chef) is the best up and comer in the uk so things are clearly going well for them at the moment.

i really enjoyed reading about your meal there and glad they nailed the short bread this time out.

i'm off to barrafina again for a late friday lunch.

three cheers for the weekend.

[Veinticinco de Mayo]

Interesting list that mate.  I have been to depressingly few of them.  So many eateries, so little time/money.

Of those that I have visited, I would rank them thus:

35 Northcote Manor, Blackburn, Lancashire
57 The Hand and Flowers, Marlow, Buckinghamshire
79 The Three Chimneys, Colbost, Isle of Skye
26 The Star Inn at Harome, York
74 Racine, London

The Three Chimneys wins hands down for location though.

I might even get around to doing my French list this weekend Hass.

[hooded claw]

98, Mint and Mustard, Cardiff. Our favourite local curry house. Its inclusion so low down gives me hope that it'll drop off the bottom soon and it won't start attracting poncy mongs there because it's on some spurious league table.
We can but hope, eh.

[Walshy nMe®]

The Yew Tree in Newbury, is amazing if you like Game.  Apparently all hunted and killed by Marco himself.

[hassinator]

i've done a few more vdm:

1. the fat duck
9. arbututs
10. st john
11. restaurant gordon ramsey
12. the sportsman
14. manoir aux quat'saisons
15. pied a terre
19. maze
22. the river cafe
29. bocca de lupo
31. the ledbury
41. hakkasan
42. hinds head
43. the ivy
45. atelier joel roubuchon
46. locanad locatelli
47. moro
48. roka
50. zuma
61. yauatcha
65. quo vadis


i will come back with wee notes on all of the above when i get a bit more time.

lunch is calling me...

[hooded claw]

How long has that been there Hooded Claw? I went to Uni in Cardiff and never heard of it (probably because I was too poor/drunk).

Must pay it a visit next time I am back on a 'reminiscion mission'.

It's on Whitchurch Road and we happened on it by accident. (past Maskreys and The Heath if you're on your way towards Gabalfa interchange). I believe it's only been open 18 odd months but it's sublimely good.

http://www.mintandmustard.com/menu.pdf if you're interested.

[Veinticinco de Mayo]

It's on Whitchurch Road and we happened on it by accident. (past Maskreys and The Heath if you're on your way towards Gabalfa interchange). I believe it's only been open 18 odd months but it's sublimely good.

http://www.mintandmustard.com/menu.pdf if you're interested.

That menu makes me wish that finals were still held in Cardiff (and reminisce about when we used to get to finals )

[hooded claw]

I had a look on Google Maps, and was wondering how I hadn't seen it. I left in '05, so my timing is a couple of years out.

Looks lovely. I've just come back from India, so my tastebuds have been reignited with regards to that kind of cuisine. The menu looks lovely.

I'm meeting a few of the guys in Cardiff in January, so I might suggest that as a pre 'going-to-the-bay-and-making-fools-of-ourselves' venue.

I had a look on Google Maps, and was wondering how I hadn't seen it. I left in '05, so my timing is a couple of years out.

Looks lovely. I've just come back from India, so my tastebuds have been reignited with regards to that kind of cuisine. The menu looks lovely.

I'm meeting a few of the guys in Cardiff in January, so I might suggest that as a pre 'going-to-the-bay-and-making-fools-of-ourselves' venue.

Avoid Moksh in the bay; overhyped, poncey tripe.

The chef at M&M specialises in Keralan cuisine, the cocunut and lamb stew was so good I almost cried. From some of the sounds emanting from the kitchen, he may be slightly Ramsayesque in his leadership style.

You know the kind of meal when you take the first bite of your starter on your first visit, then immediately start planning your return? It's one of those.

[Jookie]

i've done a few more vdm:

1. the fat duck
9. arbututs
10. st john
11. restaurant gordon ramsey
12. the sportsman
14. manoir aux quat'saisons
15. pied a terre
19. maze
22. the river cafe
29. bocca de lupo
31. the ledbury
41. hakkasan
42. hinds head
43. the ivy
45. atelier joel roubuchon
46. locanad locatelli
47. moro
48. roka
50. zuma
61. yauatcha
65. quo vadis


i will come back with wee notes on all of the above when i get a bit more time.

lunch is calling me...

Be interested to hear your thoughts on these. My mate is a big foodie and he swears by Maze. Reckon's it's the best restuarant he's been to in the UK.

[Jookie]

I've just come back from India, so my tastebuds have been reignited with regards to that kind of cuisine. The menu looks lovely.

I was exactly the same in India. Expected the food to be a bit ropey and was absolutely blown away by it. Unbelievably good food even though I was veggie for 2 weeks. It was mainly Keralan food , which is obviously different to the Northern Indiain food you tend to see in Indian restuarants in the UK.  Went Maharaja in Liverpool a few months back and that was brillant, and really similar to the South Indiain cuisine I'd eaten while away.

[Jookie]

I was in Bangalore and Delhi whilst I was there and the diversity in the cuisine was astonishing, to be frank. Problem being that it's very difficult to recreate those flavours in the UK, as I believe that most 'Indians' in the UK, are actually Bangladeshi(-influenced).

Some of the food I ate on the side streets of Delhi was some of the most perfumed, flavoursome food I've ever eaten.

I would love to learn how to spice like the Indians. It's a true art.

Know what you mean. Much, much more to Indian cusine then what you get at your local Indiain place.

Reading into some traditional Indian recipes the amount of spices you need is huge. Also, they are a lot more expensive here than in India. Would love to go back even if it was just to sample the food.

[fudge]

Interesting list that mate.  I have been to depressingly few of them.  So many eateries, so little time/money.

Of those that I have visited, I would rank them thus:

35 Northcote Manor, Blackburn, Lancashire
57 The Hand and Flowers, Marlow, Buckinghamshire
79 The Three Chimneys, Colbost, Isle of Skye
26 The Star Inn at Harome, York
74 Racine, London

The Three Chimneys wins hands down for location though.

I might even get around to doing my French list this weekend Hass.

I'd looked forward to the Three Chimneys for years and drove there which as anyone knows is a cock of a drive, stopped off in Fort William and had a massive steak and from that point deteriorated until i got to Skye, in fact on crossing the bridge i had to kick open a toilet in the first services and proceeded to vomit and shit at the same time. It was altogether unpleasant as to have that many muscles tensing was a new experience.

Anyhoo had to spend the next two days with food poising at one of the finest restaurants in the UK. That said i was quite proud i made it to dinner each night even though i spent the night chundering. But thats what oysters will do for you.
 

[Livbes]

Not quite fine dining but going to Inamo in Soho tomorrow, a friends recommendation, anyone been? Any good?

[penfold102]

If you happen to be in London I can highly recommend my local Indian place. It's called Omrith and it's in Dulwich/Forest Hill. I have not had better Indian food in London (haven't been to Benares yet but I can dream) - a great local curry house.

[hassinator]

98, Mint and Mustard, Cardiff. Our favourite local curry house. Its inclusion so low down gives me hope that it'll drop off the bottom soon and it won't start attracting poncy mongs there because it's on some spurious league table.
We can but hope, eh.

the tasting menu sounds superb - what kind of standard is it cooked to?  full restaurant jazz?

i went to university in brighton back in the 80s.  there was literally one good restaurant down there called the black chappati.  the cook had been travelling in india and was one of the first exponents of fusion cuisine in the uk a good five years before peter gordon opened the sugar club on all saints road and rocked the bells with a total paradigm shift on everything else that was happening in london.  i remember the restaurant critic of the times - jonathan meades - absolutely loved it and gave them a stonking 8 out of 10 which i felt was generous but still a reflection of how good it could be when they were on form and also how different and delicious it was at the same time.  unfortunately its been shut down since then and appears to be annexed by the local bike shop.

[hassinator]

@ jookie i will stick a few comments on after each of the most interesting ones for now:

i've done a few more vdm:

1. the fat duck - one of the experiences of my life and top 3 best meals i've ever had.  it was a visit here that inspired the thread.
9. arbututs - one star french classical food.  i think its ok.  its 4 doors up from barrafina but just not exciting enough for me.
10. st john - amazing simple food elevated to the heights by top ingredients.   you have to check this place out.
11. restaurant gordon ramsey - brilliant 3 star food but another top 3 meal for me was his last ever dinner at aubergine when he only had 2
12. the sportsman - see above.  its ace.
14. manoir aux quat'saisons - its good but i found it a bit daily mail.  just to set up for the bumpkins for my taste.
15. pied a terre - classy modern british.  the lunch menu offers real value.
19. maze - indeed very special.  its post fat duck so check out the blt deconstructed into a three layer shooter drink.  its off the scale good.
22. the river cafe - one of my all time faves and host to the final of my best three meals.  simple italian food taken to the nth degree.
29. bocca de lupo - its very good but not up to barrafina for me and is more expensive.
31. the ledbury - its alright but not sure what its doing on here
41. hakkasan - past its peak for but still popular and a nice place to take the ladies
42. hinds head - the gastro pub offshoot of the fat duck.  more brasserie traditional but that's where heston made his name.  really good.
43. the ivy - i love it.  great place to go if you can get a good table the food is classics like shepherd pie to lobster with chips.  can't go wrong.
45. atelier joel roubuchon - the modern tapas thing taken to the super restaurant league.  really interesting but seriously expensive.
46. locana locatelli - top drawer italian but tends to over embroider.  stick to the specials and the pasta for most fun.
47. moro - the guardian canteen.  not for me this home style food just isn't restaurant for me but i can see why people like it.
48. roka - jazzy sushi for tv presenters.  really nice but you're paying for the privilege.
50. zuma - see above
61. yauatcha - more fun than hakkasan for me.  tapas styles which means you can eat loads but past its peak since alan yau sold it.
65. quo vadis - top of the range brasserie food and puligny montrachet by the glass.  half price recession busting lunches on tuesday.  i love it.


i will come back with wee notes on all of the above when i get a bit more time.

lunch is calling me...

[Ecuared]

I had a particularily good month at work and took the wife out to the newest hot-spot here in Quito, Zazu. It had got great reviews but I was weary as I am generally underwhelmed by even the best restaurants here in Ecuador. I was pleasantly surprised. The food was really, really good, and suprisingly the service was perfect (it's hard to find good service around these parts, most servers in good restaurants are wannabe models who know fuck all about food and even less about wine). The chef is a Peruvian, who has worked in Japan, Australia, and Italy. He is a sound fella too, sat down and had a Jack Daniels with me and my wife after the meal. I wouldn't say the food was anything really groundbreaking, but it was delicious and the attention to detail was clear.

I doubt anyone who reads this will be down these parts anytime soon, but here's the website for anyone who's interested in having a look.

http://www.zazuquito.com/en/home.html

[hassinator]

I doubt anyone who reads this will be down these parts anytime soon, but here's the website for anyone who's interested in having a look.

http://www.zazuquito.com/en/home.html

it looks amazing mate.  sunshine food - is it summer over there?

[Ecuared]

it looks amazing mate.  sunshine food - is it summer over there?

It is indeed, we should be well into rainy season, but the season hasn´t changed this year and instead we´re in a bit of a drought, gotta love climate change!

The curried grouper and fruits de mer sounded amazing.

My wife got that in her tasting menu, it was fantastic.

If I wasn´t broke I´d go back tonight. 

[hassinator]

It is indeed, we should be well into rainy season, but the season hasn´t changed this year and instead we´re in a bit of a drought, gotta love climate change!

My wife got that in her tasting menu, it was fantastic.

If I wasn´t broke I´d go back tonight. 

i'm starving too but right now its going to have to be a rollover special