No Expert …but I know what I like – Food Blog, Restaurant reviews – Page 33

Eddie Gilberts – reasons to leave London? (Closed)

Will Eddie Gilberts do for Ramsgate what the Sportsman has done for Whitstable?

Does it give gourmets a good reason to leave London?

Well, it is most definitely a find, already fully booked weeks in advance, and serving up top notch food that puts a lot of London Restaurants too shame.

Getting there is really easy now too, 1 hour 16 minutes on the high speed train from St Pancras to Ramsgate then a 5 minutes taxi ride.

It is located on Ramsgates’ King Street. Not the most salubrious of locations as it is a few streets away from the more attractive harbour area. However as soon as you part the chainmail curtains at the entrance to the fishmongers on the ground floor you just know this place is a quality establishment.

To start we had the scallops and what is fast becoming Eddie Gilberts signature dish, duck egg and smoked eel soldiers, both delicious. Then came the main courses, we went for the turbot and the cod with chorizo, another two stunning dishes. All the dishes were well cooked with nicely balanced flavours. You do get the impression that you could choose anything on the menu and not be disappointed.

We were also pleasantly surprised by the quality and presentation of the desserts. The only weak spot if we were being picky was the limited choice of dessert wines, from an otherwise fairly impressive wine list. The Trimbach Pinot Gris was a good match for the dishes we chose.

This restaurant deserves the plaudits it has received from the national press. We certainly plan to return.

Marks 7/10.

UPDATE : August 2011, added a few more pictures from a return visit.

UPDATE: May 2013 – Sad to hear that Eddie Gilberts is closed, see Thanet Gazette article.

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Peyton & Byrne – false economy

Made a pit stop at Peyton & Byrne in St Pancras Station. I just do not get it. What is the point of building up a brand as something a bit special, then cutting corners. Mass market coffee shops like Starbucks and Cafe Neros for example do not resort to using paper cups and plastic crockery for non take away customers, so why somewhere more bespoke like Peyton & Byrne has to, is beyond me. Invest in a dish washer or two please.

Marks out of 10

Food 4

Service 3

Ambience 3

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Michelin Star list for 2010

The new Michelin star listings came out this month, see:-

Michelin Guide – Press Release

Glad to see that Le Bristol retained its 3 stars, see post:-

Le Bristol, Paris – oh la la

But there were a couple of surprises there too:-

Surprised that L’Astrance and Hibiscus kept all their stars, both are over rated in my view, see posts:-

Surprised that El Celler De Can Roca got promoted to a 3 star, see post:-

El Celler De Can Roca – numbers do lie

Shocked that Parc des Eaux Vives lost its stars – not that the food has gone down hill, see post

Parc des Eaux Vives – a bit of a surprise.

It is just that this wonderful restaurant is closed. So glad we had the chance to experience it twice.

For more on the Michelin star system see post:-

Michelin Stars v AA Rosettes

The Wapping Project – Hardens Reporter evening

Attended the Hardens Reporter evening at the Wapping Project, one of my favorite venues.

The atmosphere was very relaxed and informal. We were in excellent company, indeed I think I talked more than I ate.

The evenings program included :-

Canapés prepared by Philippe Saint Romas (former pastry chef to Jacques Chirac and from the world renowned kitchens Les Ambassadeurs, Le Crillon and L’Ambroisie ) accompanied by an apéritif of Rémy Martin Coeur de Cognac

A two course ‘eat together’ menu of fresh seasonal food and wine from Wapping’s head chef Cameron Emirali. The starter, an Octopus salad was particularly delicious.

Dessert by Philippe Saint Romas served with a digestif of Rémy Martin Coeur de Cognac. The dessert (pictured) was very interesting, like a deconstructed key lime pie. I also had far more than my share of the lovely chewy nougat served with the coffee.

An opportunity to meet Philippe Saint Romas – he sat at the head of table and happily answered questions throughout the evening with the help of his translator.

An opportunity to view the current Wapping Project installation ‘A French Picture Show’, introduced by Dr. Jules Wright (curator/director of The Wapping Project) – who also explained the Wapping Projects relationship with Rémy Martin.

For more on the Wapping Project, see our earlier post:-

Wapping Project at the Hydraulic Power Station

UPDATE : Restaurant Closed

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Foliage – The Last Post (Closed)

Last Post for the Foliage, not last post for No Expert – we are still going strong. The Foliage at the Mandarin Oriental however had a farewell lunch service today. It was lovely to be there but tinged with sadness, as it marked the end of an era for us.

The team pulled out all the stops. We started with a complimentary glass of superb champagne and some very tasty canapes. This was followed by the amuse bouche. We then had the opportunity to go off menu to choose some of the dishes. One of the standouts being the Sea Diver Scallops with chicken and mushrooms. It was also impossible not to order our last gnocchi, one of the Foliages sublime dishes. For main course we choose the lamb and an off menu beef dish, the wine selection chosen to go with this was absolutely stunning. Indeed all the wines selections were off a very high standard. I especially enjoyed the Trocken Beerenauslese, Nittaus, 2004 dessert wine.

The ever attentive staff were on hand to bring us up to date on the progess being made to complete the Daniel Boulud Restaurant (Bar Boulud) in the basement, due to open in May, and the Heston Blumental Restaurant which would be the Foliage replacement, due to open towards the end of this year. It is just a shame that a such a fine restaurant is closing prematurely to make way for these changes. It was good to see the Head Chef Alex Marks come out of the kitchen to talk to some of the regular dinners, where he received some direct praise for his teams work over the years. It was also a nice touch to be presented with a copy of the menu signed by members of staff as a memento.So it’s a fond fairwell to the Foliage. We and the other regulars will miss you.

See also Post – Fairwell to Chris Staines

Marks out of 10

Food 8.5

Service 9

Ambience 8.5

UPDATE : January 2011 – Alex Marks in now the head chef at Maze.

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5th View @ Waterstone’s – Book it

The 5th View @ Waterstones in Piccadilly is a real find, an oasis in the heart of the West End. It has however now “been found” by a lot of people, and has grown to handle its success. It now takes up the entire top floor. The expansion is extensive, as well as a larger bar area and more seating, there is now an attractive Champagne and Seafood Bar, which can be booked for private functions. To find somewhere stylish and quirky that delivers good quality food and top notch cocktails in a book store is unusual to say the least.