Hi,

I am off to Glasgow for a reunion with ex colleagues, can you reciommend somewhere?

I am also in Mardrid for a short holiday later this year, again, any recommendations?

Nev

Thanks for you questions, my recommendations are as follows:
 
They are all reasonably priced except the last 2 in Madrid.
 
Glasgow
Babbity Bowster – 16 Blackfriars St G1 1PE 0141 552 5055
This is a fun place and is good for a gathering traditional Scottish Fare witha French twist.

http://www.list.co.uk/place/19508-babbity-bowster/
 
Re Madrid,
 
Botin, oldest restaurant in the world, walking distance from the grand via, excellent roast suckling pig, suckling lamb. Book now!
http://www.botin.es/INGindex.html
 
For seafood, try
 
http://www.ladorada.es/
 
Used to have Julio Inglesia as a part owner in the 80s. Short taxi ride from Grand Via.
 
 
Or, if you are visiting the Prado Museum (don’t queue downstairs. You can get in upstairs and its a shorter queue) or the Tyssen Museum,
try the garden restaurant in the Ritz Hotel
 
http://www.ritzmadrid.com/web/orit/hotel_ritz_madrid.jsp?c=ppc&p=worldwide&cr=rtz_dynamic&gclid=CIKMuffYiKMCFR4B4wod7zDWZQ
opposite the Museums. This is slightly pricier.
 
To go all out at over €100 plus a head, try Le Terezza de Casino (round the corner fdrom Grand Via). This is serious cooking, the chef was trained at El Bulli (was best restaurant in the world) and the menu mirrors El Bulli – similar to The Fat Duck.
 
Regards
 
E

http://www.bottlesandcooks.com/?s=traeth

Click on the link again

Address: High Street, Ombersley, Worcester W9 0EW

Telephone number: 01905 620552

Website: N/A

Date of visit: 17 July 2010

Approximate cost per head: Fixed price set meals only. Evening £36 for 3 courses, coffee and petit fours. Lunch £26 for 3 courses. No added service charge.

Comments on wine list/beer: Fairly extensive list well served by the New Worlds. Wines from around £20 to over £100. Mark up around 300%

Summary:

This is my first visit in the evening.

As usual, the place is packed and even managed to get 2 sittings on certain tables.

The Venture In describes itself as a French restaurant and it’s old school cooking. There is a lot of heavily reduced sauces and  cream. This is not a place to come if you are on a diet. The cooking is very similar to The Forbury Restaurant in Reading but at about £20 per head cheaper.

Two stories about the Venture In. Firstly, this is apparently one of Margaret Thatcher’s favourite restaurant. She now visits it about twice a year with her police escort. Her picture is fondly displayed in the bar. The other story is that the chef used to be at the Worcester Golf Club but his cooking was considered too “intricate” for the members taste.

On the night we went, we had the twice baked soufflé, soup and gravadlax. The soufflé which appears regularly was deemed as good as ever. My “home” cured gravadlax was what you expect – no more, no less. On the plus side – it was not heavily dilled and over sugared.

My main course of loin of lamb was served as noisette with a kidney tart – chopped and fried lamb’s kidneys in a pastry bottom. The lamb in my view had too much fat rolled around it. As it was served pink, the fat had not been rendered. Maybe the fat was unnecessary.

What I like about this place is that although you plate comes well decorated, vegetables are provided on the side, so you do not end up with two peas and a centimetre of carrot. They usually provide a generous helping of some vegetables deep fried with a coating of breadcrumb and a green vegetable. We had courgettes and carrots with breadcrumbs and green beans.

My friends had confit of duck and sole in a narge enriched with cream. The plates were clean at the end – a testament to the cooking?

For deserts we had chocolate mousse and crème boulee.

We had two bottles of wine. A Montagne 2005 at £30 was light and refreshing. We then had a Lebanese red at £24 which was on the acid side.

E

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/how-to-get-the-salt-out-of-your-food-2032310.html

As you may be aware, I am an avocate of “low salt” not “no salt”. I hate it when restaurants over salt their chips and sauces.

E

July 2010

Japanese Rice is a cross between sticky rice and normal rice.

Here is the “correct” way to cook it.

http://www.japancentre.com/recipes/15

E

July 2010

http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2010/jul/20/eat-like-local-in-rome

E

Address: 5 Prospect Street, Caversham, Reading RG4b 8JB

Telephone number: 01189463400

Website: http://www.myalacarte.co.uk

Date of visit: 21 July 2010

Approximate cost per head: Set meal £10.50 for one course, £13.50 for 2 and £16.95 for b3 courses . Available : Mon – Sun for lunch and Mon-Wed for dinner and also Thur-Sat before 7pm. Check out the Website if you are not clear.

Comments on wine list/beer: Reasonably prices wines. Several good ones at under £20. Beer is from Loddon Brewery

Summary:

My friend A took me there as we have not met up for a long time.

Apparently, the winner of The Apprentice’s (2008) brother runs it – a bit of useless information.

As soon as we sat down, we were offered tap water – none of this sparkling or still nonsense. I was also quite impressed by the set meal which is available most of the time and it changes daily.

We ordered goat cheese salad and duck gizzard salad followed by chicken oysters with sauté new potatoes and courgette.

Let’s start with the salad, they were pretty substantial. My gizzard salad had heart, liver and kidneys in it. All very tasty but it was all cooked well done – not pink. But then this is Reading and the tastes are much more conservative.

The main course was in fact a chicken thigh with the back (oysters) attached and not morsels of chicken oyster meat. The potatoes and courgettes were more a la plancha than sautéed. It came with a thin gravy.

The meal was accompanied by a bottle of Rioja Red crianza 2005 @ £18.50.

My overall conclusion was that it was a good meal and a little gem.

By the way, the menu also offered pork scratching for £2.50 or bread. I have never ever come across this as a menu item anywhere in the world.  (Sorry, The Half Moon also offer home made scratchings on the side in a packet

E

PS The Independent revioewed Myalacarte in Dec 2010

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/reviews/mya-lacarte-5-prospect-street-caversham-reading-berkshire-2151373.html

Pickle Food – Boston Globe

http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/food/articles/2010/07/21/loaded_with_nostalgia_the_humble_pickle_may_be_the_ultimate_comfort_food/

Black Beans – Jerusalem Post

http://www.jpost.com/ArtsAndCulture/FoodAndWine/Article.aspx?id=181926

Video recipes from South China Morning Post

http://www.scmp.com/portal/site/SCMP/menuitem.d53bd88267636ee6a3e27910cba0a0a0/?ss=HK%20Eats&s=Video&bcpid=1873859725&bclid=1551132416&bctid=1683828113

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/news/not-enough-beef-let-them-eat-insects-2029759.html

When will we stop this nonsense!

The other day, I received an email inviting me to a RSA discussion on how to change our feeding habits – i.e. how to convince people in become a vegetarian.

This whole thing of not enough food, climate change, economic plight etc boils down to a simple fact, the world’s population is growing. Why don’t we address the real issue – population control. We might also be able to cut down AIDS –  as a side effect of population control.

OK!  Here is a totally irrelavant article

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-10708737

E

PS If you want to try insects, go to Fortnum and Mason. They sell insects (cooked) –  from ants to tarantula – I kid you not – in the basement

July 2010

Fine wine does not attract Capital Gains Tax! Read on.

http://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/cgt-investors-seek-out-wine-tele-83c007a592bf.html?x=0

E

July 2010