If the Wolseley is the best restaurant in London, then what about the provinces? Leeds, for example, has a proud tradition of brewing beer, staffing call centres, building the world’s first Dalek shaped skyscraper, and breeding people who say “eeh bah gum!”. So surely not a place for fine dining then?
Prezzo, the Italian restaurant chain whose only USP seems to be weird artwork has opened a branch in Thame, Oxfordshire.
Do you eat ready meals? The UK is one of the world’s leading producers (and consumers) of ready meals, and I mean by volume, not necessarily quality. Is that good or bad? What does it say about our work addicted society that we no longer have time to enjoy a home cooked meal with friends/family at our own tables?
I went to see Private Lives, the excellent Noël Coward play, at the equally excellent Library Theatre, St Peter’s Square, Manchester. So needing sustenance to prevent my guests having to suffer the slings and arrows of my outrageous belly rumbles, we pulled in to Gio’s on Lower Mosley St, opposite the Midland Hotel.
There is a brilliant pre-theatre menu at £8.95 for two courses. I picked the Insalata Caprese and the Penne Tagliatelli alla Francesca.
Here’s a tip. When you order a pasta dish, always mix and match the pasta with the sauce.
Just down the road from the entrance to the Ritz on Arlington St, just off Piccadilly, you will find Le Caprice, a favourite haunt of the stars for several decades. This part of London is over-endowed with decent restaurants. To quaint northerners like me this seems unfair.
The Wolseley is just round the corner, as is Langan’s Brasserie, Claridge’s, Scott’s of Mayfair, and Fortnum & Mason. Meanwhile in the nearby West End, The Ivy, sister to Le Caprice, is undoubtedly one of the best restos in London despite the nouvellement célèbrés and the nouveaux riche who visit only to be seen rather than to enjoy food and wine. So was Le Caprice, part of the group that owns The Ivy, as good as its sibling?
Of all the restaurants where I have sat beneath a canopy of Maple leaves, Le Perron in Geneva is undoubtedly the best, or come to think of it, actually the only one. Having said that, I suppose I should be grateful to be sitting outside at all in October in Europe.
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At this time of year our thoughts turn to giving, and particularly to those less fortunate than ourselves.
Menu for Hope is supporting a school lunch programme in Lesotho via the UN World Food Programme – a very worthy cause.
I have just bought some raffle tickets and hope to win a fantastic prize, like lunch in Heston Blumenthal’s Hind’s Head pub, or going on a restaurant review with Jay Rayner of the Observer. Top prizes are available in North America, UK and Europe, Asia Pac, and Australasia. Even if I don’t win anything I know that my donation has done some good.
You can find out more about how to join the raffle, donate and win prizes at www.chezpim.com.
Just do it. Why are you still reading this?
Manchester is one of, if not the, best cities in the world. So you will not be surprised to hear that I find Manchester’s Chinatown to be even better than London’s. I admit that I have never been to San Francisco where Chinatown has its own website so must be impressive. But for now, let me tell you that if you fancy Chinese food, Manchester is a better place to eat it than Peking. At the risk of supercalifragilisticity, let’s drill down a little further. Pacific is one of the best Chinese restos in Manchester Chinatown.
So it was natural to want to check out the second floor (which is the Thai menu) and presumably just as good as the Chinese on the floor below? Er, no….
I went to The Ivy for lunch yesterday and whilst the food and service was impeccable, we were hounded off our table.
Arriving 11:55 for our 12:0pm table we had to queue outside whilst the staff were briefed. Eventually by 12:10 we were seated and ordered as quickly as allowed. We ate as quickly as one could reasonably be expected to eat without incurring indigestion.
At 1:20pm the Ivy Gestapo kindly permitted us to order a “quick” dessert or coffee, and leave. The Obergruppenführer waiter tried to look suitably embarassed but failed miserably. We were then encouraged, cajoled, and finally pressed to make our exit.
It’s a shame really when this sort of place leaves a slight tinge on an otherwise superb experience. But I don’t want to be rude to my hosts so I won’t complain any further.
The oysters were legendary. The Ivy Hamburger perfectly rare. The Grüner Veltliner extremely competent, and the coffee (macchiato of course) not bad, despite the rush.
My last (and first) visit to Fortnum & Mason 1707 Wine Bar was such a success, the very next time I was in London I revisited.
This time my flight comprised three Pinot Noirs and I also added a plate of charcuterie to nibble on. At £13 an American would starve on this dish, but the quality soared. The meat was, interestingly, not Italian, the most notable of a good bunch being Gloucester Old Spot Prosciutto which stood up to any Italian prosciutto I have ever tasted.
The Pinot Noirs were all worthy of drinking, for the record:
Fortnum & Mason Bourgogne Rouge Drouhin 2004 – soft and supple, the most subtle of the three with redcurrants and a creamy finish.
Merricks Creek Pinot Noir Victoria 2004 – a powerful strawberry flavour wine, jammy and louder than Ian Paisley in full rhetorical flow.
Pegasus Bay Pinot Noir Waipara 2004 – the most interesting of the bunch. Cherries and some mineral. A bit like the French one but with a bit of kiwi intensity and sharpness.
I couldn’t resist trying one more wine and was pleased to see the Fortnum & Mason Pomerol Clos Rene 2003 served in a Riedel Bordeaux glass from the Vinum range. Black fruits prevailed in contrast to the red fruited Pinots. A bit of cooked cabbage, quite tannic with a long finish. Quite a serious wine as you might expect
I tolerated some rude treatment from the staff because of the excellent pricing policy, £10 corkage being added to the shop price no matter the value of the wine. Clearly the place to go if you fancy a 1961 Latour.
So I award F & M my top prize for least rip-off wine drinking prices in London wine bars or restaurants.
I also enjoy trying the flights of three wines linked by grape and comparing the different treatments. But next time I think up an award, I really must construct a snappier name.
Finally, you don’t have to drink wine, coffee and tea is available. It is also very quiet, so I use it for meetings when I am in Piccadilly/Mayfair. I used to frequent The Wolseley for this purpose but it is nowadays too busy. Oh well, my secret is out. I’ll have to find somewhere new, now. Ciao.
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