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Unprecedented Times

When it was first announced that people in the UK should avoid “Pubs, clubs and theatres”, I initially wanted to visit small businesses in order to support them (and did initially) but was a double-edged sword as that could inadvertently help spread the COVID-19 virus.  Now that the UK’s stance has officially closed all restaurants et al, I am only pleased there is clarity for all these businesses, big and small, as they should now be able to lean on insurance and 80% wages from the government in an unprecedented assistance package.

This small update is to say that obviously posts on this website are cancelled for the duration of the measures in place.  In terms of my movements, as a Reservist in the UK Army, I will now be switching focus to volunteering to helping the national effort, mainly in London and turning myself into a Deliveroo service for my parents.

As I said on twitter, I would like to extend my earnest wishes to absolutely everyone in the hospitality industry and hope that everyone’s alternative plans afford them security during this challenging period, the length of which is uncertain.  Stay well, healthy and safe in the meantime to everyone.

Richard Bagnold, 23 March 2020

A Return to Nippon

I was fortunate enough towards the end of 2019 to attend several games of the Rugby World Cup in Japan which, as you can imagine, was a wonderful experience.   I flew from Paris owing to a good flight deal and on the way out, I clearly had to look at dining somewhere and chose the fabled Arpege, a 3 Michelin starred predominantly vegetarian restaurant which proved to be wonderful food in a non-glamorous interior and with a stubborn attitude from the team.  Thankfully the first visit to Japan in the cherry blossom season of 2018 had taught me a lot about how to actually book restaurants and my review of Ex-3 Michelin starred Jiro should expand on this more.  I say Ex-3 Michelin starred as this was the first big news for the recently announced 2020 Michelin guides for Japan in that Sushi Saito and Jiro have both been removed from the guide and all their stars with it along the way as they do not cater for any new diners – you can only gain a reservation if you are an existing diner which is fairly catch 22(!).

Elsewhere in Tokyo I was very pleased to have tried the 3 Michelin starred Chateaux Joel Robuchon where the real class of the venue lies in the food rather than the decor in my opinion and I was equally thrilled to try what simply must be the best Tempura restaurant in Tokyo, possibly Japan which is at the 2 Michelin starred Nanachome Kyoboshi.  There was a hefty price tag to this latter meal which is sadly similar to the rise in price tags to any product – you can get a very good sound system for £200, but if you want the absolute best, you need to splash at least £1000 for example.  My reviews will outline all costs of these two, but having said that, it is hard to begrudge when you have had the most unconditional service and rare privileges in the world.

After Tokyo, the shinkansen (bullet train) was taken to the historic and wonderful Kyoto.  I was very pleased to have done Tempura Matsu, a delightful and family-run restaurant way out on the West of the city and with a mix of innovative Kaiseki and tempura dishes that were really good and not nearly as expensive as those higher in the ‘pecking order’ which I learned on this visit very much applies in Kyoto.  As the epicentre of the traditional in Japan, you can easily find yourself almost being looked down on by various staff in high-end establishments based on your ‘status’ or which hotel you are staying in which was very surprising to me.  This did not happen though at genuinely first-class establishments such as Kichinsen, the impeccable Kitcho which is a dining experience that I have never had before in full, traditional Ryokan setting and a lucky seat at Mizai.  The latter is saught the world over, in some cases needing to book two years in advance and not even enquiring in Spring of 2018 was enough in advance to gain a seat for this visit, but it would seem the typhoon that brushed passed Japan on our visit afforded us a lucky cancellation to this magical and frankly one of a kind restaurant experiences. What was a lovely activity to do was have the traditional tea ceremony of Kyoto (where it was birthed) and have this explained slowly and calmly as this helps the understanding of its importance in Kaiseki cuisine and where this is done to life-memory experiences, such as those had at Mizai.

Then it was on to Hiroshima for some further okonomiyaki (fried eggs noodles done in a variety of different ways depending on region) and to see the incredible Atom Bomb museum which I would say is a must to visit if there.  Another day on the shinkansen allowed me to go further south for some further rugby games in Beppu, a spring water town way in the south where, interestingly the countryside trains do not share the same incredible punctuality as the shinkansen.  After these, I was northbound again to my final stop of Osaka where I ate in two different 3 Michelin starred restaurants.  One was a Kaiseki restaurant called Koryu which, although with some lovely presentation and courses, made me surprised at its rating.  Coincidentally, it lost its third star in this recent 2020 guide and has been reverted to a 2 star which I think is just about appropriate (it could easily be a 1 star), but it was a pleasant meal all round.  The 3 Michelin starred Hajime however, was an absolute gold find.  This was stunning skill and combination of flavours and lovely to have a French-Japanese fusion meal and I would fly back to this restaurant in a heartbeat – please see this review as to why.

A final stop in Sydney was the last move after the travels to catch up with some dear friends who took me to a lovely restaurant called Cottage Point Inn overlooking an inlet roughly 40 minutes drive north of Sydney.  You should see quite easily in this review why this is such a lovely spot, which most people actually travel to by seaplane or boat and the food was competently done. I fear this may have been affected by the recent and devasting fires of New South Wales, but do not know to what level.

After a very quick flight change in Singapore (to take advantage of catching up with my old school buddy), I landed back in Paris to have a final lunch at 3 Michelin starred Le Cinq at The Four Seasons which was a superb meal in one of the prettiest settings I have ever been in and quite possibly the world.

And that was the end of a superb and very lucky escape from the UK.  All the restaurants highlighted have links to my reviews of each one.  A wonderful trip but not cheap you can guess.  It was comforting to hear from so many of the rugby fans and travellers how financially painful their trips had totalled, one person I met having re-mortgaged his house in order to cater for his 3 weeks in Japan.  So it can be very expensive if you want the best restaurants as the only way you can really gain these is by staying in luxury hotels.  It is also possible, by the way, to live and eat in Japan cheaply, but you will mainly be staying in a cubicle and living off ramen and soba to achieve this.  I am returning to Japan in the summer of 2020 for the Olympics and having focussed on the high end for this (above) trip, I will enjoy focussing on the lesser-known and more, ‘hole in the wall’ venues for this next trip to see where the better low key options can be found (with one or two fine places as well).

Between now and then, I have roughly 20 newly awarded Michelin starred restaurants in the UK to be visiting (some of which I have already done) and that will be the focus between now and the Summer along with exciting new openings such as Trivet by the Fat Duck’s Jonny Lake and Davies and Brooke in Claridges by the 3 Michelin starred Daniel Hulme of Eleven Madison Park.  Until next time, happy eating!

Mission Michelin 2019

There were 19 promotions or awardings of new Michelin stars in the 2019 guide for the UK (21 in total for GB and Ireland and I am looking forward to Ireland in due course).  Some of these I have been to already, but I have now completed my rounds to visiting all newbies (with several revisits to established venues as normal) and this is the summary:

It was no surprise to me at all that Core by Clare Smyth gained 2 stars straight away, in fact I actually predicted this in a tweet of mine just before the announcements along with some other crystal ball guesses that seemed to come alive.  Core is a beautifully slick restaurant in Notting Hill and the years as Chef Patron at 3 Michelin starred Restaurant Gordon Ramsay probably made Clare Smyth ready for this day long ago.  The other promotions to 2 Stars were Kitchen Table at Bubbledogs by James Knappet which I have been to more than once and I thought was a worthy contender, as was the fantastic Moor Hall which has a fabled dish in the baked carrots alone.  I visited here before it gained its second star and suspected about half way through that meal it was on its way in that direction – very pleased they achieved this.

London received five new 1 star entries and these are my summary impressions: Ikoyi is a small and charmingly minimalist restaurant serving West African cuisine and is definitely worthy of a visit.  It is a little expensive comparitively for the portion sizes, but it is out of the norm with carefully designed dishes.  Brat is one of Shoreditch’s new starred collections which will please those in need of being trendy with its woodfired oven use only and retro decor.  This is good for drop ins at the counter, small plates and the cheese cake which has been taken from a pintxos venue in Old Town of San Sebastian called La Vina which was immediately obvious to me on seeing the cheesecake drums having enjoyed this at La Vina in San Sebastian last year.

Hide was a certainty to recieve a star with the financial backing it had and Ollie Dabbous taking the role as head chef (Michelin already like Mr Dabbous).  The open space, light and view of Green Park from the upper level is very nice and although my meal at Dabbous was more memorable, this was comfortably in reinstated starred territory for me.  What was not in the same bracket for me were Sabor and Leroy.  Sabor is the solo drive of the former Executive chef of Michelin starred Barrafina and group (Nieves Barragan Mohacho) which had unusually bland flavours and overpriced items for the true cost (far more than is the norm); and I have rarely been so amazed of an awarding of a star as I was after my visit to Leroy, which is the relocated and former Ellory from Hackney to, wait for it, Shoreditch.  Some things there were pleasant, but I’m afraid I have absolutely no idea why this justified the awarding of a Michelin star on any level.  Restoring the faith a little was Roganic in Marylebone which, I would say you should go to for purely for the food and withold expectation for the other facets of the restaurant.

Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland did not receive any new stars (not complaining about as in some cases it is actually easier for me to fly to European cities) however, England outside of London gained 11.  Sorrel in Dorking is serious in its outlook and has an intricate dining feel in a very nicely restored building.  Thankfully these complicated dishes from Stephen Drake were not just style and were on the harmonious ball throughout.  Bulrush was the fourth addition to Bristol’s starred venues with innovative dishes, but a very mixed bag in terms of flavours, taking a long time as a meal overall and in a restaurant that was not very comfortable, albeit with friendly staff.   Sorry, but this one’s just not for me to revisit immediately.  Another ‘southerner’ was The Blackbird in Bagnor, just outside Newbury.  Classic cooking I think shows the real talents of a chef more as there is no liquid nitrogen to hide under and although the decor inside is not what I would go for, Dominic Robinson is doing a very good job here with the food and is a skilled chef.

Salt in Stratford-upon-Avon revealed a charming neighbourhood restaurant with honest cooking and a very reasonable menu at the same time.  In a similar way, Oxford Kitchen became the only starred restraurant for the city of Oxford and performs this affable option for lunch and dinner for its own city customers well.  Further east and just outside of Canterbury lies the Fordwich Arms which was a genuine pleasure and pleasant suprise at the same time which I will repeat another time.  Heading north only 40 minutes drive from East London I finally got back in to (now) Tim Allen’s The Flitch of Bacon and if I had to nominate a favourite of the whole bunch it is this one.  A very reasonable menu with some knock out dishes in a lovely pub village setting made for a lovely meal and this is barely weeks after reopening following a major electrical supply issue for 6 weeks from the local power station.  So if this is what can be produced off the hoof in quick reopening time, I am more looking forward to getting back here than any other as something tells me there is a lot more to be offered here.

Heading north I passed through Burnley where a small hamlet called Fence is now the proud location for a new Michelin starred pub called The White Swan.  An unassuming area in general with a delightful pub, this was a small kitchen (Tom Parker and just two others) with some bold and gratifying flavours.  Once again, outside of a major town the prices become far more reasonable and if I lived in Burnley I would probably be coming in here to eat out every week.  Further upstream I revisited Rogan and Co which I already loved from the 2012 Great British Menu victory dishes (I was lucky enough to have these).  Now, seven years later, it has new furniture, a new menu but the same old lovely feel.  Some very good canapés to select from by the way(!) all in the charming village of Cartmel (metres opposite its older and senior sister, 2 Michelin starred L’Enclume).  I had already been to Winteringham Fields near Scunthorpe and was very pleased for Collin McGurran to finally get the star, after many years of persistence and graft, just as I was when Adam Byatt got his at Trinity.

Back in Devon and in another year of change, Gidleigh Park lost Michael Wignall and with it, their two Michelin stars which he afforded them following Michael Caines’ departure to Lympstone Manor, but Chris Simpson’s take over won it back a star in this first year.  I was reasonably happy with the meal at Gidleigh Park, but it is a huge price tag compared with some frankly better options that can be found for considerably less and I gather there are more movements with the head chef here.  Precarious times still it would seem in Chagford and for the Brownsword Hotel group.

So that just left one last one to do which occured recently (5 Jul 19) in Bath, and in the underground level of the Queensbury Hotel – The Olive Tree.  Chris Cleghorn has done a good job at providing numerous menus here and also given Bath its only starred restaruant (The Bath Priory lost their star in last year’s guide).  A snug area for a restaurant but with some definitely heightened moments.  If you have vegans, vegetarians or children in your group, this is a very good option for you to look at as will cater for you well.

And so, that’s a wrap as they say!  Overall, some very good things – I have not mentioned the deletions, but I do intend to go to some of these to see what the score is.  The next look forward this summer for Major Foodie is 3 Michelin starred Maaemo in Oslo, a lobster festival in Denmark, a possible trek in a Tesla through Sweden and another trip to Japan to target the big hitters in October.

However, for now, that’s the rundown and refresh of the whole of the UK Michelin starred scene again from my view…. just in time for them to go to print for the 2020 guide for the whole process to start again in Oct!  Happy Summer all.

China Town, My China Town

My first visit to China was this year in Easter of 2019 and was a long time coming.  Not only to see one of the wonders of the world (which can actually be tobogganed down from), the Forbidden Palace and Tiananmen Square, but to experience one of my favourite dishes of all time – Peking Duck.  I tried this at 4 different places, in Beijing and Shanghai and there is no doubt that these were the finest examples of this dish I have ever had…and probably not surprising, having tried it in the area it was conceived (Beijing, standing for North Capital, was formerly called Peking).

Beijing is, as you would expect, the political homeland of China as opposed to Shanghai which is considerably more International, looking more like Singapore than China.  Even Beijing itself had Gucci, after Rolex, after Apple stores and at times I couldn’t see how it was Communist at all.   The two cities are also connected by a magnetic speed train taking approx 4 hours called the Maglev which, at its fastest even trumps Japan’s Shinkansen.  A word of advice: if you are getting the train in China, this is not like jumping on the 15:34 from Waterloo to Twickenham; owing to the sheer volume of people, you need to get to the train station roughly an hour before your train to queue just to get in to the train station (showing passports and having luggage scanned through security just to enter).  You will understand why when you get there and discover that their average rail stations are such that you could comfortably fit 3 or 4 Waterloos in these to start.

So, one of the first port of calls was to take the Maglev from Shanghai to Hangzhou which takes about 50 minutes by hyperspace train and is a picturesque lake city.  The real reason I wanted to go there was to experience everything at The Grand Hyatt’s main restaurant, 28 Hubin Road (pictured).  This was a superb experience to have on my trip and revealed a gem of a place.  Not hole in the wall (which I also very much enjoy), but not elitist at the same time, just a very pleasant setting with some absolutely fabulous local chicken and pork dishes from the surrounding Provinces, showing plenty of heritage and twists from the past.

On to Beijing and the first duck tried was at Dadong, a chain, revealing quality duck amongst some visually pleasing but not as effective dishes.  This was my first Peking duck in Peking and here the duck skin, meat and an array of additives are displayed to place in each pancake.  The next venue to try the duck was at the hotel we stayed at which was The Peninsula and their main restaurant, Huang Tang.  Here, the roasted duck we received was in the Cantonese style which was is a little saltier compared with its mainstream Peking style.  This was equally very pleasant with the duck fat being poured back into the duck sauce in generous portions.

And even though I tried a 2 Michelin starred Peking duck back in Shanghai at The Peninsula’s main restaurant Yi Long Court, which was good, the absolute crown goes to Made in China, which is at The Grand Hyatt in Beijing.  I am written about this meal in detail at the above link, including a 7 step process that they kindly described to me in how their duck is prepared.  No word of a lie, this was the greatest duck I have ever had in my life, from the faultless, crispy skin that was fatty yet with no flood of oil, that was to be dipped in to sugar, to the skill of the cutting and the flavour of the duck altogether in their separately layered pancakes, it’s worth the 5,000 mile flight just for this.

I loved this trip however, be prepared for some pretty abrupt taxi drivers, you need addresses for EVERYWHERE written in Chinese (showing a hotel name, even ‘Grand Hyatt’ in English on a phone or on Google maps will not work with your driver 99% of the time) and you will not be able to use Google, Facebook, Instagram or Gmail accounts when you are in China, in the main owing to their great firewall as well. I would also offer a friendly caution to get your Visa well over a month in advance before your travel as I had to have three separate visits to the Chinese Visa issuing office in the City of London (near Bank) and each time was uneasy with so many people desperately wanting news or to progress and, if it is your first time, you will also need to pay £150 for the visa (which lasts for 2 years) and you cannot pay by credit card – visae debit or cash only!

Some past posts…

September 2017

One would have thought that having completed all the Michelin starred restaurants in the UK as of Aug 17 that I would be in need of a break and you’d be right…however, funny how things don’t go to plan all the time.  That break was had, but come Sep 17, I think I actually increased the visits in the available time slots that emerged, ending up visiting 16 restaurants in Sep alone.  Ouch.  However, all very necessary.

There are multiple restaurants that I need to get back to, having been focussing on the pursuit of completing all UK starred restaurants.  I was therefore more than happy to get back to as many as possible, now armed with a decent camera and eager to bring reviews back up to date.  Within this pile were revisits to Angler (excellent), The Ritz (lovely all round), Texture (very good value), Galvin at Windows (disappointing), Greenhouse (quality), Benares (only ok), Pied a Terre (interesting), L’Atelier (hugely welcome), Noble Rot (marvellous USP on breads), Murano (pleasant), Galvin La Chapelle (wildly disappointing) and Petrus (fantastic).

What was new and brilliant to do was A Wong in Victoria.  At the time of the visit it was just a couple of weeks prior to the new Michelin Guide for GB and Ireland 2018 being published and prior to A Wong receiving a Michelin star.  After my visit I was teetering as to whether it would or would not gain, but irrespective, I found the quail croquettes, pork with frozen foie gras shavings and duck egg custard buns a complete joy.  It was pleasing to see them get a star and I had already decided I would be coming back for the full Peking duck menu at some stage.

Another newbie that I had the pleasure of being nearby to one evening was Flitch of Bacon in Essex.  This is Daniel Clifford’s pub which has seen a change in style since its opening and in general I found this pleasing to do with on stand out food moment.  The pub is noticeably nicer than most and now with rooms, it is a lovely little option and definitely worthy of popping in, but do not expect your average, pub menu as it is now more upscaled (no bad thing).

For Oct, the highlight will be going to San Sebastian where I will be in full-blown attack mode, hitting two of the 3 starred venues, an iconic 2 Michelin starred venue and as many Basque tapas places that you can shake a stick at and will report all naturally.

August 17

This month marks a special marker in the calendar in that, ‘it’s done’!  I have now completed eating in every Michelin starred restaurant in the United Kingdom (2017 guide).  Ireland will be done at some stage for sure, but for now, all four countries of the UK are complete and all on this website – I would recommend using the Restaurant Map to have a look at the whole picture, to see where the nearest one to you is and filter by any category (you can also click each flag for a quick summary and then click that to go to the review of the place itself).

There were only two Michelin starred places left to do this month and as such, I will not be doing any other places in Aug in order to allow a recess.  The first was the much-anticipated Fraiche in Birkenhead.  Having spent my earlier days traveling through here to catch the Birkenhead ferry to Northern Ireland, this image of a Michelin starred restaurant in this area was particularly intriguing.  On arrival however, it appeared to be in a cosy part of the town, more akin to the image I have in the head of the rest of The Wirral.

The other reason I was so intrigued to finally get there is that for some reason it was more difficult to arrange a table at Fraiche than it was at The Fat Duck!  Although the hysteria of The Fat Duck has gone down somewhat over the last few years (I would still say it is utterly unique and special as an experience), during the meal at Fraiche it became apparent why this restaurant became full so quickly on the online booking tool (3-month advance calendar only).  There are three main reasons: a) there are only 5 tables as I could see, so the covers are taken up more quickly; b) the restaurant will reduce the number of covers it can do on certain evenings if they are aware periods of lowered staffing levels in order to guarantee the experience they wish it to be and c) the food turned out to be just so unarguably divine – virtually every mouthful.

My review of Fraiche obviously has more detail, but the summary is that this was one of the nicest places for all reasons that I have come across on my tour of all of the country’s starred restaurants.  The shame is that you will need to plan long in advance, but in a way, good things are worth the wait.  I can’t remember a restaurant that I would like to go back to more than this than any other and look forward to doing that sometime early next year whenever I can, if anything, to see whether this was a fluke or not(!).

As I started this venture in London, I thought it would be appropriate to leave the final one to be done in London and this was one that had gained its first star this year – The Five Fields.  This revealed a cosy and elegant neighbourhood restaurant just off The Kings Road and Sloane Square.  The service was as polished as the silverware and with a professional style throughout – something that I have found can very often not be the case when you head in to small, Michelin starred venues outside of London and other major towns.  Myself and my guest both enjoyed this meal, not least for the occasion, but also for the obvious care and attention to detail in the food and the evening as a whole.

And so that’s that…..! Until the new UK Michelin guide is released in (potentially) October sometime where any new ones will naturally be done through the latter part of the year.  I also have some legacy visits need to be redone, so I can go back round the handle for several of those and now armed with a better camera and a slightly more food-matured outlook, this will be a pleasure (and quite interesting to see any changes).  I’m also keen to improve my Arabic / Turkish / Mediterranean cuisine folder as well as vegetarian and vegan options that may be out there and obviously new, solo places opened….so there is no shortage of things to do.

For now though, I think a detox for a week or two, followed by some visits to the gym……!

July 17

This month saw a very welcome return to The Hinds Head and was especially good to see the new décor and menu.  As one would expect from Heston B, the new design has had no expense spared and does indeed look super, although this had a fraction more impact than the menu itself.  The pub had its customary charm and warm smiles from the staff seen throughout.  It’s good to see that the bar hasn’t been repositioned and the main change for the downstairs / bar area is that there are now dining tables around the bar as opposed to being a holding area for drinks – if you the latter, the newly decked out bar upstairs is superb and frankly worth going to just for a drink…if they are allowing this.

A first-time visit to Glyn Purnell’s flagship restaurant in Birmingham was also enjoyed and this really was fun.  I caught the place on its 10^th anniversary to enjoy some of its greatest hits including its winning GBM dishes over the decade.  Chiltern Firehouse is an old favourite and this was enjoyed again as ever for friends from out of town and ever the stylish and bubbly place that it is, I did detect a creeping attitude of some staff that the service will be provided is on their terms which didn’t escape the eye and is a pity.

A long overdue return to Restaurant Sat Bains was eagerly awaited as I haven’t been for quite a few years.  On reflection, that was probably my problem – eagerly awaiting, which always raises expectation.  It was a lovely meal without question but equally I did feel as though the record was familiar at the same time. The menu and delivery was well rehearsed by the staff and it was good to be in the hands of excellent hospitality throughout this visit.

One remaining pub with a Michelin star that needed to be done was The Crown in Burchetts Green (near Maidenhead).  A charming place run by an entire family, with the father, Simon Bonwick in the kitchen.  This revealed the most reasonable Michelin starred menu I have ever come across at £28 for a 5-course dinner and very much a family feel to the dishes as well, meaning this is the definition of why some Michelin starred cooking should not put people off.  If you ever passing by, I would say it is worth a drop in at the very least based on its warmth, good quality food and hospitality.

That left one, new place to be done in July: this was the outstanding Guy Savoy in Paris and this was not just outstanding because it is has 3 Michelin stars, but outstanding because it was perfectly evident how much dedication the restaurant has to making your dining experience as good as it possibly can be on every level.  Not many will wish to stump up the €395pp tag (before wine) for this experience, but those with a vested interest in quality food and dining I think would be hard pressed to see negatives in this venue…less the décor.  In terms of a finale to the month, it doesn’t get much better than that and is also one for the life-memory banks which will be cherished.

 June 17

June 17 has been a quieter month particularly as another two week trip to the United States meant less focus on the UK.  However, on return it was very good to get back in the swing of home grown options in the form of return visit to Scotland.  This was wonderful as two important food missions were complete as a result of this road trip: 1) it enabled me to complete eating in all of Scotland’s Michelin starred restaurants with a visit to the most northerly one called The Albannach (a two hour drive from Inverness airport); and 2) I was able to enjoy a long-awaited meal at The Three Chimneys in Skye.

The latter (in Lochinver) showed a simple style of cooking with all locally sourced ingredients served by a husband and wife team, the front of house being very aware and proud of their accolade.  The Three Chimneys showed a modern style and some very attractive dishes in a very cosy setting (it appears to be the only place for miles around and with a huge collection of cars lining the driving lanes leading up to it, it is evidently very popular.  I enjoyed this meal for all manner of reasons and it was definitely note-worthy.  It is easy to easy why they had been awarded a Michelin star in recent times prior to its deletion.

Other bonuses of the month included Jason Atherton’s relatively new Temple and Sons just off Bank which was a pleasing and down to earth menu with some modern twists suited mainly for the fast-paced city slicker.  I was also pleased to do Bōkan Restaurant on the 37th floor of the Novotel in Canary Wharf.  I had already done the bar menu so it was good to finally get in the restaurant and this turned out to be brunch on the Sat afternoon with some genuinely impressive savoury dishes but with the desserts needing a bit more refinement to being in the same league.  It means the only thing left to do here is the main event of dinner which I will be happily returning for at some stage in the next month or two as the views are second to none and I am intrigued by Aurélie Altemaire’s starters and think there is much more here to offer.

May 17

This month I’ve been very pleased to be able to strike the highlighter pen through the Northern Ireland Michelin starred restaurants in the guide as a short visit to Belfast enabled me to cross the two in NI off the list.  These were Eipic and Ox.  The former, part of the Michael Deanes empire was more formal in look but with some impressive dishes, showing some very good craft through a reasonable lunchtime set menu.  Ox had a more rustic feel with less refined dishes but with a buzzing atmosphere and some equally lovely flavours in the mix as well (along with extremely good value for dinner dining).

Two more Michelin starred restaurants were also visited that I haven’t done before, one in Scotland called Braidwoods (30 minutes from Glasgow centre) and one in Kent called The West House.   Both of these had similarities in that they were family-run, cottage style restaurants with their own charm demonstrated clearly at both and with The West House showing undertones of The Sportsman, one of my very north points of the gastronomic compass.

Finally, a two-week work placement in the US allowed me to sample a couple of options in Washington – a dinner and a brunch.  Michelin have only as of 2017 expanded their claws in the US to Washington DC and there have been two venues immediately awarded 2 Michelin stars and a staggering nine restaurants being given a coveted Michelin star.  I stupidly left enquiries until late in the day and so neither of the 2 starred venues were available (there is one other an hour and a half outside of DC but logistically I was never going to be able to make that one) and so I was drawn to the look and feel of The Dabney as this has a counter dining area for walk ins.  This was highly impressive in both atmosphere and overall food pleasure and although it is always going to be difficult to trump this on brunch menus, ultimately, I left the Hyatt hotel having had brunch at Michelin starred The Blue Duck Tavern less impressed.

For June, I hope to finish off the Michelin starred restaurants in Scotland as well as doing somewhere I’ve been curious about for quite a while now and that is The Three Chimneys on the Westerly edge of the Isle of Skye.  See you after then! 🙂

April 17

After recovering from finishing the Michelin starred restaurants of Wales (which included some cracking finds – see Apr below), a Mother’s Day treat was enjoyed at the Scandinavian newcomer to London and the UK in the form of Aquavit.  This was nostalgic for me being half Norwegian for one, but also being able to treat Mum at the very things she has cooked for my family on numerous occasions.  Actually, although many of the staff were not Scandinavian, the owner very much was and showed utterly charming hospitality and I thought the Swedish meatballs here were frankly superb as the main element I enjoyed…..that and the obscenely large selection of aquavit shots to have at brunch.

A passing visit of Windsor led me to see what options there are and turning to online recommendations and the Michelin guide, we were brought to Gilbey’s just on the south side of the main bridge in Windsor, 5 mins walk from Windsor Eton Riverside station.  This revealed a convivial atmosphere and seemingly very popular option but one that clearly showed the difference between ok and great food experiences – in short, an amenable place with functional options.

This was all prior to a wonderful Spring break in Bali for a friends reunion in a part of Asia I haven’t been to before.  Bali is to Ozzies what Ibiza is to most Brits as a short flight away to a sunnier other country, but we managed to actually explore some of the quieter (and thereby cheaper) but still decent & aesthetically pleasing beachbar locations in and around the southern area of Seminyak (approx. 1hr drive north of the main International airport of Denpasar).  Insider knowledge from Australian contacts and research led us to four eateries which were all good to do in their own way…

Sarong was probably the food and restaurant design highlight with its lovely terrace and garden dining areas and hits of food – and this led me going back a few days later for one particular dish and a glass of wine.  This really was a lovely meal and would recommend even if you have to travel there.  Book well in advance, as it is extremely popular.  Happy Chappy had a special dim sum brunch on a Sunday which was great to have as an option, especially to soothe the heads from the evening before and was funny as well.  Also endearing was seeing many other diners breaking out in to dance in the bar area of Happy Chappy as well….before lunch.

Ibu Oka is an eatery dedicated to pork in Ubud (roughly an hour drive north of Seminyak).  As a Bourdain enthusiast and seeing him devour the specially prepared pork skin at Ibu Oka which had been prepared by coating the entire pig on a spit for 5-6 hours with coconut water on his No Reservations (Series 2, Episode 12), this was a clear no brainer to try.  I liked the crunchiness of the skin here a great deal but have to say it wasn’t as sweet, hot and mind-blowing as I was hoping; I will put this down to over hype on my part.  It was a large, communal and great place to see and great to meet the owner who showed me all of the herbs that are packed in to the meat which was also v good to eat.  The final Bali restaurant to experience was Tiger Palm back in Seminyak.  This turned out to be a place on the outside of a shopping mall which I wasn’t expecting to see and although its setting wasn’t the most cosy, if I had this meal in London, I would say it was a good quality and highly pleasing Asian option to have (thumbs up).

On return from Bali, I had a 12 hour layover in Singapore to go through on the way back to London.   Not knowing whether I would be allowed to hit Singapore or not, I was very pleased they did and arriving at midnight led me to get some ticks complete (Gardens by the Bay, Marina Bay Sands hotel for the obligatory drinks in the rooftop bar and swimming dip in the morning) and as my flight was just after midday I had to choose somewhere – to my amazement, one of the Michelin starred coffee shops (smaller version of Hawker street stall dining areas) was open at 0930 in the morning so I obviously headed straight there in the morning.  Tai Hwa Pork Noodle is one of two such places in Singapore currently and a homage to the main ingredients in the title.  The pork livers were surprisingly good and although I was sceptical whether I would have noticed the difference between this an other street stalls, the noodles were perfectly soft without losing their texture even when bathing in their hot broth (something that takes a degree of skill to construct in the quality of the noodles) and the vinegar within this broth was utterly pitch-perfect in balance.  Even though it was 0930 in the morning for this type of cuisine, it was great to experience.

On getting back to Blighty, I had an appointment with a place I had been much looking forward to visiting ever since seeing Michael O’Hare being victorious on the Great British Menu and that is his restaurant, The Man Behind the Curtain in Leeds.  I was genuinely impressed with the signature dishes here and it was a great lunch – one for the records and a total thumbs up for your reference.  The only confusing part was at the beginning when trying to work out how to enter, turning out to be via a lift in a clothes shop, but I gather it is moving within the building in order to have its own entrance later this year.

Then finally in the Spring holiday month I flew to the Channel Islands to experience the three, 1 Michelin starred venues on the island of Jersey.  The rather packed visit started with dinner at Ocean at the Atlantic Hotel (the island’s only Small Luxury Hotel) showing a classic menu but with an explosive main course and this was followed by a pleasant lunchtime visit to Ormer for lunch the following day.  This was a very worthy Michelin starred lunch and demonstrated through its ability of the set menu and was highly reasonable at the same time.  I was only gutted the schedule had to be so packed as to not allow a full tasting menu here.  The third and final Michelin starred visit was Bohemia which sits in the Club Hotel & Spa in St Helier.  This was undeniably the stand out meal of this visit with its very carefully prepared and executed dishes on their tasting menu, although I do think it would be interesting to see how Ormer would compete had I been able to do a full blown tasting menu at Ormer at the same time.  Still, the trip was a delight and especially nice to do from City Airport as is barely a 50 minute flight.

Having got back to Canary Wharf there was only one thing to do at the end of the month and that was have a preamble in the newly opened Novotel between the financial district area and the Isle of Dogs.  Bōkan is the restaurant at the top of the Novotel which has a Bōkan Bar serving a good selection of snack food (no desserts) and a rooftop terrace area on the floor above the restaurant serving drinks only.  All of these showed really well designed areas I thought with a reasonable selection within the bar by the former head chef of L’Atelier de Joel Robuhon just north of Leicester Square.  However, it is the restaurant itself which I look forward to more and I will be doing that as soon as I can.

So all in all, a pretty packed month of places vistsed and combined with those done in May so far this brings the tally now down to 4 more Michelin starred restaurants to do in the UK until they are all done….until Nov 17 when newbies will have to be visited.  However, until then, I’m nearly there but with one particular place in Liverpool proving to be worse to get in to than The Fat Duck in the old days(!).  I will be going to do the final Michelin starred venue in Scotland next month along with some other long-standing places I have been wanting to get to as well.  Happy eating to until then.

March 17

The first two weeks of March saw me needing to fulfill a two week committment in Kansas giving a limited radius for fine dining and before I left I had just enough time to squeeze in a gatherng in Windsor and the nearest one I felt like was worthy of a try was Gilbey’s from an online scan.  This turned out to be a lively affair but does indicate to me the clear difference to those entries in the Michelin guide that are recommendations (as is Gilbey’s) and those, in the main, that have a Michelin star.

However, and this is a BIG however, the visit to mid-America did give
me the opportunity to take the 7 hour rail-ride to Chicago for the first time and commence on Operation GLUTONY.  This was kicked off by a visit to 3 Michlelin starred Alinea which was simply a fabulous experience.  The Executive Chef here lost his sense of taste when fighting cancer but now has it back and continues to create dishes that were frankly outstanding and in the upper league of 3 Michelin starred experiences I have had (20 in total) without a shadow of doubt.

As I was only in Chicago for the weekend (24 hours in total) it would have been a crime not to have explored other venues, so the next morning, I ventured away from the normal hotel that I was staying in to go to Sixteen which is a 2 Michelin starred restaurant that also does breakfast….and why not! After a simple eggs benedict, I stooped to living up to the name of the Operation by then going for brunch at the 1 Michelin starred North Pond in an attractive lake-setting….but this was actually at 1pm a la lunch and turned out to being akin to a set menu lunch which was definitely modern and in a lovely environment, but somehow displaying a little too much energy and components in the dishes.  Otherwise, a lovely send off to have before jumping back on the train to Kansas.

Two new venues for me then the following week, one of which has been around for 11 years and is the highly established Restaurant Theo Randall at The Intercontinental and the other being the newly opened La Dame de Pic at the equally newly opened Four Seasons Hotel by Trinity Gardens opposite The Tower of London.  The former had some fine

Italian produce but I was also a little dissapointed overall for such a hailed restaurant and the latter showed some very obvious technical skill and pleasant moments and I would not be surprised if the Michelin inspectors are keeping a close eye on the latter for the up and coming guide.  Personally, I think it is worthy of a star but definiytely has some cobwebs to clean out in their overall delivery in this opening year….which is also quite understandable.

Lastly, in the month came a rather splendid weekend driving around Wales, finishing off the 3, remaining Michelin starred restaurants that exist there.  Sosban & The Old Butchers was a delightful place to visit in its utterly homely and 2-person team run confines.  Homely with some superb dishes, I really thought this one was a find and it therefore didn’t surprise me to see that they are now booked out for the rest of 2017(!).  Ynyshir Restaurant & Rooms was next and this was frankly the find of the year.  You only have to look at this review to see why and I am looking forward to getting back as soon as logistics allow.  Finally, a stop in at the remaining of three which was The Checkers in Montgomery.  Classic dishes created luke warm happiness on the visit overall but an aesthetically nice place to drop in to.

And that concludes all of Wales’s Michelin starred venues and leaves the deficit of the UK in total down to the final 15.  Forward march to getting this down to within the final ten next month! 😉

February 2017

Feb 17 was a quieter month in comparison to others as only 6 restaurants were managed in a packed timetable of other committments however it was extremely good to do 4 new venues and revisit two oldies that I was genuinely looking forward to repeating.  In terms of the new, I saw first had the unique setting that was John’s House – a farm complex owned by one family for generations (going back to the 1600s) providing an intimate and unique setting but, above all serving a very reasonable luch menu.  Michelin starred and deservedly so, it was a text book example of why I think more people should try more of these ‘scary’ Michelin starred venues for lunch which may surprise some how reasonable they can be.

Next up was a long awaited visit to Gravetye Manor, a beautiful and establised country manor house from Relaix & Chateux with more of a castle-like feel than I was expecting inside.  Thankfully the dining room was as elegant and comfortable as they come and a pleasant Sunday roast was had which was of obvious quality but not the smoothest of deliveries on this particular visit, but what it did reveal was needing to come back in the summer to see the huge acerage of vegetables used in full anger on the menu in a better season.

Finally, I managed to return to James Sommerin in Cardiff which produced a spectacular menu.  No surprises then that the restaurant was recently awarded a Michelin star in the new 2017 guide and although I only tried the set menu last time, there clearly was a gear change in what was produced on this occasion and which simply needed a fair degree more polish on the timings of service I felt (you can comment on whether I’ve been too harsh or not on the diner expectation part beneath the review should you wish).  And also during Feb saw the return to an old favourite of The Red Lion Freehouse pub in East Chisenbury.  Quite simple here – still Michelin starred, still got it all round.

And finally, my other committments saw me dart around the Wilsthire county a little more than usual during this month and this gave the perfect opportunity to jump in to the nearest Michelin starred venue to the Tidworth and Andover area which is this little place to the right – The Harrow at Little Bedwyn.  A establishment serving some well pronounced ingredients with a little flare and creativity in the mix as well which was nice to see.  A reasonable lunch price wise as well but for this I was on my own and driving so that was going to be the case with those perameters.

So a fairly quite month as mentioned but with a wonderful 3 Michelin starred experience tucked in the wings for March.

January 2017

I normally tone things down in January and allow a natural period of detox to ensue which is becoming more and more the norm.  For this year however, I would like to go on record in saying that this was absolutely not the case and I reveled in a continuance of Christmas for as long as possible throughout the whole of January.

This first month went in the blink of an eye and my first port of call was the Black Swan in Yorkshire and was a charming Michelin starred pub to finally get to. It was a tasting menu only and there was some seriously good treats here all round, to the tune that l genuinely look forward to going back whenever possible.  The next was a milestone I visited my last 2 Michelin starred venue which in this case had been promoted as at 2017 – The Raby Hunt.  Some genuinely good creations enjoyed here but I have to say it did not live up quite as much to the rest in its family but, had a couple of superb moments nevertheless.

Next up was a journey to Cumbria and this meant passing another starred pub, The Yorke Arms where I popped in for supper.  An entirely snug experience had here with one knock out dish with supporting aspects that were ok, all coated with warm hospitality.  So that was Fri and Sat of my first main foodathon weekend which left one more starred venue in Cumbria to be done.

What better way than go to newly refurbished The Samling overlooking Windermere and with gracious service all round, the food here showed much care in design with some mixed but overall, good effects.  And that concludes the first weekend of Jan.

Next up was Trinity in Clapham.  Somewhere I have been meaning to go for quite a while and now that it has gained its Michelin star, this was an even nicer way to begin the year.  Trinity reminded me of Chapter One in Blackheath in my younger days as was clearly the flagship neighbourhood restaurant of the area (now replaced by Chapters). Trinity was comfortable, bright, well designed, welcoming and with good food – what more do you want?  There was a lovely, unpretentious feel about it yet it was clearly a notch up in all regards and Adam Byatt was there all the way and was great to listen to and talk with him.  This actually stands out now as a new favourite of mine in London – enough frankly to want to live in Clapham.

Next up was a trip to Edinburgh where I had the express mission of maximising the visit so I decided to eat in all 4 Michelin starred venues over that weekend having put in the books a fair few weeks before.  As at 2017, the four in question are Number One at The Balmoral on Princess Street, 21212 by Regent Gardens and The Kitchin and Restaurant Martin Wishart both in Leith (far north Edinburgh).  My verdict from all four is that Martin Wishart wins on all counts (food, atmosphere, hospitality and sense of occasion); Number One produced

the finest dish and was a nice restaurant but I felt took itself a little too seriously; 21212 was the most homely and had the most innovative style and The Kitchin was the most beautifully designed restaurant with a superbly done set menu. They were all cracking in their own right and given the chance I would like to get back to The Kitchen to do their full blown menu and would go back to Martin Wishart in a heartbeat – forget Edinburgh, this is frankly one of the most enjoyable places I have been to in the U.K.

Another visit to Birmingham allowed me to finally do Adams where there was a personalised sense of service and some intricate dishes offered – I very much enjoyed here and their newly designed kitchen houses a very well done chef’s table.  Following Birmingham, a trip to East Anglia was in order, starting with John’s House just outside Loughborough.  This turned out to being part of a 17th Century farm complex with numerous livestock and ingredients a

t the chef’s disposal. A couple of great moments here on the set menu with a bland element as well – certainly unique as a place.  Next up was Morston Hall and this was far nicer in the flesh than it appeared online.  Even more of a surprise was having Galton Blackiston personally serve my second course and seeing him cut around the other tables delivering other dishes.  Speaking of these, they were carefully presented and some pleasant moments had throughout – a very safe bet here.

Finally, a Sunday lunch was had at possibly my last Michelin starred pub to do in the UK, at The Neptune Inn (even though I don’t believe it can be classed as a pub as it is pretty much a restaurant).  Unfortunately this was definitely lower on the Michelin starred Richter scale for me – some simple things that would be extremely good amongst the norm but in the starred world, overall it didn’t seem to shine but was a good way to finish the month off with a traditional roast nevertheless.  February has already seen numerous new places tried as I itch closer towards eating in all Michelin starred restaurants in the UK.  Other commitments will see me in the US for two weeks in late Feb / first half of Mar so I will have to resume the UK Michelin guide on immediate return and consequently Mar may not be as gastro-active as Jan and Feb.

December 16

A very belated Happy New Year to all foodsters! It was quite a ride lastmonth and one of my most far-reaching for my UK travels. But to begin, December ‘16 kicked off with a visit to one of London’s longest standing Indian restaurants called Red Fort, in the heart of Soho showing a perfect example of a non-Michelin starred restaurant providing some quality goods – this one in the style of Mughal Court cooking. Then, another non-starred place in Soho called Kiln, which is a new Thai venture in London doing all their cooking from coal, underside of countless pots which you can see being done in front of you. No gas or electricity used here in the cooking at all and made for a unique place, but if you are venturing downstairs, I would expect to be flexible on the trendy versus tatty furniture downstairs.

And then on to the new stars of the 2017 Michelin guide again, starting off with Pigdin in Hackney, East London. This was frankly one of the finds of the year along with some I picked up in Devon and Cornwall earlier on in ’16 as this little snugged beauty was so cosy and with some of the finest flavours and textures had in a while, I simply cannot wait to get back again and share with fine company as this now deserves it. Lords of the Manor Hotel in the Cotswolds was a new one for me and a pleasant option to do. I was a little surprised that I had to book months prior and yet the dining room had numerous spare seats however, it was accommodating on the night, even if there was a 15 minute at reception to find staff that could process the bill.

Next was the great trek up north prior to Christmas which saw 10 starred restaurants being done in 6 days but very necessary in the pursuit of this grand adventure! The halfway stop was at Simon Radley at the Grosvenor in Chester, demonstrating some mixed results of dishes in a fine dining room. Then two places in Cumbria – Forest Side Hotel, with its very modern and brassiere-looking dining room and very pleasing 4 course set lunch and a return trip to The Gilpin. The latter was just about as good a Sunday roast as one can get and confirmed its wonderful ease combined with beautifully designed interiors. What was interesting was GilpinSpice that has also opened by the Michelin starred chef there and no doubt the inspectors will be popping in there if they get a chance.   They’ve got their work cut out though, as there are three, separate Asian dining rooms within this one restaurant serving different Oriental cuisines in each. So if they don’t get in there this year, I will!

I then headed north to do as many of Scotland’s 13 Michelin starred restaurants as I could in the time available. You will be able to see where all these are on the map feature (within main tabs of the Major Foodie home page) but in order of visit they were, Martin Wishart at Loch Lomund, Isle of Eriska, Kinloch Lodge (Skye), The Boath House (Nairn), The Peat Inn (Capur) and The Cellar (Anstruther). I would have done Sangster’s whilst in the area of the last two but this has now closed.  The summary for this wonderful exploration is that the prize for food alone goes to Martin Wishart for superb gastronomy and flavours; the prize for all round loveliness, scenery, homeliness and you ‘shouldn’t miss ever’ goes to Kinloch Lodge and most original design / interior setting going to The Cellar (which also happened to have very good food!).

All of these were Michelin starred and had some great things in each but those are the headlines and it just leaves two in the West and North and four in Edinburgh to go to complete the set for the 2017 guide in Scotland and am already looking forward to doing in the coming weeks / months.

Heading down to London meant stopping in for lunch somewhere and I was only too pleased to go to Newcastle’s only Michelin starred House of Tides to break up the journey a bit.  I thought this was in a hotel but no, turns out to be a converted warehouse with a bustling atmosphere upstairs and a frankly superb set menu.  Not much choice, but that doesn’t matter when it’s that good! And so foodsters that brought about the end of one of the nicest grand tours and adventures I’ve ever had and cannot wait to have the space to get on the road again.

Jan 17 has already started in the same spirit and I look forward to sharing with you all when another leg is done on the way to completing every single Michelin starred restaurant in the UK!  What a rush and here’s to a new year of new horizons! 🙂

November 16

Another busy month seeing 15 places visited, but mercifully a notch down from the summer months. 14 of these in Nov were done for the first time and of these, 3 were newly promoted Michelin starred restaurants for 2017.  The latter were the impressive Peels at Hampton Manor which really did show some modern and highly enjoyable food; Ellory, in Hackney as one of London’s new starred venues providing a very full, set menu on a Sunday visit and Veeraswamy – the UK’s oldest Indian restaurant, steeped in history and showing genuinely pleasing dishes and my first ever Michelin starred coronation chicken, one of my utter favourite dishes of all time, which was a sight to behold on the menu(!).

My continued theme of Michelin starred pubs continued with a visit to The Star Inn, a 20 min drive outside of York and I don’t think I could have actually been more content than having one of the finest prawn cocktails at Michelin starred level, a comfy corner to myself, chatting to locals whilst watching England beat South Africa at the rugby opposite a log fire during this visit.  Sorry SA readers, but these things are pretty special!  On a separate Saturday I had the good fortune to try the Pipe and Glass pub which was another lovely discovery as a truly lovely place that pretty much had everything you could want in a pub; it’s another one for the memory banks that one and just a shame I need to travel to the other side of Hull to get there, but am frankly happy to make that journey with a stay over in one of their rooms to do an evening at the Pipe and Glass properly.

Another couple of Michelin starred pubs were done at the beginning of the month.  One being The Cross in Kenilworth (just outside Birmingham) which I was quite astounded by the level presentation and menu choices verging in to 2 Michelin starred territory.  The other was a pub I have been waiting to get to for quite a while called Sir Charles Napier between the NW part of the M25 and Oxford and was another Michelin starred eatery showing such good value – £28 for a set three course supper Mon – Thurs (although some dishes looked so good I had to deviate to the a la carte).  The only shame with these visits is that I was restricted to the evening times and as it gets dark hideously early now, I’m prevented from seeing all the gardens and setting.  Although The Cross trumped most placed I have been to all month, I have a feeling I will be returning to Sir Charles Napier in the daylight to see it properly when it is warmer next year.

On the same theme as pubs I managed to get to Tom Kerridge’s second pub in Marlow, The Coach (the man behind the only 2 Michelin starred pub in the UK – The Hand & Flowers) and this proved to be as good as the menus sounded in reality.  The Coach was another belter of food and the sort of place you could frankly sit within all day and simply graze through the entire menu.  And there was a revisit to a local favourite of mine, The Gun, just opposite the O2 Arena in the Docklands, this time to fill some time sharing some bar snacks as the lunch, proving a mix but a darned good scotch egg.

Three other Michelin starred restaurants that were new visits for me included Hambleton Hall just outside of Leicester, showing some really good design of dishes in its formal dining room, Fischer’s at Baslow Hall in central England providing a very nice environment to eat in but with most of the food impressions being appreciated by the eyes in comparison and The Box Tree in Yorkshire, which has evidently reigned its local area for quite a while and is proud to be doing so.  Finally, a unique setting in the home of the owners in Grantham at Harry’s Place was good to do for definitely something different and the much awaited Eneko at One Aldwych in London (Aldwych funnily enough) by the 3 Michelin starred chef Eneko Atxa, who’s only venture outside his temple in Spain is this one.  Although I probably had a bit of too much expectation at the latter, there certainly were some very good moments here to enjoy.  Finally, a Sunday roast in Wales was enjoyed at Michelin starred Tyddyn Llan – a very homely end to the month with superb add ons such as Welsh lava and crackling.

And so that was it for November 16.  However, the more steely-eyed readers and users of Major-Foodie may also have seen some upgrades I have installed on the site last month, which I’m very pleased to have done.  Above the live twitter feeds, upgraded review layout with compression and expansion tools for those with lowered reading attention spans, multiple visit tab layouts and detailed summary widgets for result searches, loyal users (and everyone) can now enjoy the benefits of the filtration and mapping tool.  This is accessed via the ‘Restaurant Map’ tab on the main menu and I’m very pleased to bring this which charts all of the best places in the country / world nearest to you that I have personally done and users can simply click any of the features in boxes to make all other flags disappear according to your preference for ease of finding (for eg if you wanted all Michelin starred Chinese restaurants or places best for pre-theatre occasions in London, or only the 3 Michelin starred venues dine in the land etc).

So, I hope you find those useful and enjoy using when needed and if there are any other pointers you would like to see, don’t hesitate to pop me a line at hello@major-foodie.com. Until then, have a a quality December and have an absolutely fantastic Crimbo and rest of 2016.

See you in 2017! 🙂

October 16

Well, I think a few more trips to the gym might be in order after last month!  It’s been great to get out of London more and explore what’s good in the country and with the half term, that lead me to trying 18 new places in the month which I think is an all time best of gluttony(!).  15 of these places were Michelin starred venues (all new to me) and of those, 3 were newly promoted in to the starred club as of 2017, which was great to see.

Restaurant Tristan (1*) had a very reasonable menu for dinner and I was delighted to get back to The Lanesborough and have a superb lunch at Céleste (1*) showing style tantamount to 2 Michelin starred level.  The Whitebrook (1*) in Wales had extremely well crafted dishes as well as the Tudor Room at Great Fosters, the latter showing a very strong Michelin starred menu.  Another newly starred venue was The Ninth, which had some great options albeit with reduced polish on the overall service.

And then on to Birmingham for the first time! Carters of Moseley (1*) was a notable tasting menu showing genuine sparks of creativity and entertainment in the mix.  Although I had not the best experience re the hospitality at Simpsons (1*), everyone has off days and it does not change the fact that the food was actually very good and quite an elegant looking restaurant with rooms. Then on to Turners@69 (1*) which was an evening befitting restaurant by design but with some absolutely stonking flavors from things that you just know will be appreciated.

And then finally on to Devon and Cornwall for the half term break.  Quite a packed affair starting with The Elephant (1*) in Torquay, then on to Padstow to finally see what the score is with Rick Stein’s venues (which I now know at the grass roots level) and with the total bonus of experiencing one of the year’s joys by visiting Paul Ainsworth at No 6 (1*) – really and truly, a little treasure I thought.  A short drive away I had a revisit to Port Isaac for what turned out to be another little gem of Nathan Outlaw’s Fish Kitchen (1*) right at the bottom of the port serving simple and effective, tapas style seafood dishes.  A trip to Ilfracombe gave me the pleasure of experiencing Thomas Carr at The Olive Room, which, as a newly promoted Michelin starred venue turned out to be one of the more notable ones I have been to in the year as well.  The Masons Arms (1*) in Knowstone back in Devon was a pleasant Saturday lunch as a final farewell to the SW counties.

Finally, a pass through Bristol on the way back gave the perfect
opportunity to brush by Wilks (1*) to do one of the two, Michelin starred venues there; again, something I have been wanting to dofor quite a few months and was lovely to finally do.  I would frankly drive back there just for a bowl of their mashed potato in itself.

So a rather packed month and with much cause to stick to protein meal-shakes either side of these restaurant visits which is the only way that I am barely keeping the waistline under control!  I have no idea where the month of Nov will take me, but I will simply keep on exploring and eating my way around the country. See you next month! 🙂

September 16

The month of starred pubs! This is one of my favourite combinations going – somewhere that serves really quality food in a comfortable environment and where you can have pint if you prefer.  Answer: a Michelin starred pub in the UK.  I think it’s where we all feel at home anyway but throw in superb food and you make a very happy individual or group.  This month I went to 9 eateries, 7 of which were new and 4 of which were Michelin starred pubs in England and Wales which was superb to do and expand the starred pub theme.

Going backwards, the Walnut Tree in Abergavenny had a beautifully lit and designed walkway to the extremely busy and bustling inside; some good things here particularly one of the best duck liver parfaits had on record.  The Red Lion Freehouse in Wiltshire was an absolutely fabulous equation as they have extended their evening services to include a set menu in the evening.  The three courses with side for £28 was superb value especially as the tagliatelli starter with butter and chive sauce was a thing of beauty as was their sauce béarnaise that was kindly afforded to go with my chips with the main, sending me in to the upper troposphere of overall happiness.

Another wonderful return was to Lyles in Shoreditch which confirmed it was at a consistently high and quality level to my first visit with such simple and powerful dishes with some wonderful, recommended wines as well.  It was also great to get to The Pony and Trap, which had easily, the best snack options I have seen in a long time and it was clear as a bell how much the owners enjoyed doing what they have worked hard for over the past decade.

This was also evident at the utterly delightful Butchers Arms just outside Cheltenham where I was frankly blown away by how graceful and warm the hospitality was with the added factor of serving simple dishes that really satisfied.  Here, the art of making me enjoy ingredients I don’t normally enjoy was made possible and that is a special talent in its own right and I left here knowing why the Michelin Editor for the UK chose this charming venue as the best pub for 2016.

5 North St was another new experience demonstrating no nonsense cooking that was unquestionably excellent, starting with the superb Welsh rarebit canapés prior to superb dishes.  I discovered the chef and husband of the team single-handedly cooks all the meals here (as was also the case at The Butchers Arms) and focuses on making great flavour combinations as the first priority.  Great care in presentation and home-grown ingredients were seen at Bybrook at The Manor Hotel in the Cotswolds which also revealed a stunningly picturesque 5 star hotel and golf club at the same time.  Finally, a neighbourhood Michelin starred venue in Tunbridge Wells called Thackerays was visited with some nicely done treats that were overall extremely good value for money for lunch on a Saturday.

So quite a packed month!   One can be forgiven for thinking I am grading places quite highly across the board, but the fact is that I continue to be drawn to finding where excellence is and so many of these places are reputably already in this space, so it often falls to which area of higher tier they are(!).  I will continue this pursuit of quality with new places next month especially as the Michelin guide 2017 is announced on 3 Oct 16 – I am certain there will be numerous promotions and I will keep fingers crossed for the ones I think are deserving of the accolade. See you all on the other side of the annual milestone point! 🙂

August 16

A month of newbies!  It was great to be able to try some things I’ve been meaning to do for a long while.  First up, was finally geting to the top of the ‘Walky Talkie’ building (20 Fenchurch St) to have breakfast in the skygarden at Darwin Brasserie, as who wouldn’t want that to kick off a day’s leave?  Sadly, the view turned out to be better than the breakfast, but it was still very good to do and all details and photos are at the above link naturally.

Next, was a visit to Noble Rot in Bloomsbury, the rather superb brainchild and coupling of Steve Harris (from The Sportsman) and Noble Rot magazine.  I will leave the talking for this one mainly in the review, but suffice to say, if you are in London, I would frankly put this down as a marker that has to be done – without fail.  It was also very good to try another newbie to me, which was Bocca di Lupo, a swanky yet comfortable Italian in Soho.  Very pleasing environment here and with a grand, looking bar on entry.  Uncomplicated, Italian dishes were had and I would happily have a quick pit stop here at the bar again some time.

Probably the highlight of the month in terms of glitz and for absolute curiosity value was to visit The Ritz restaurant.  I didn’t say so in my long review of this, but the evening had a strange start, by going to what we thought was the front entrance within the cloisters of the main drag of Piccadilly, to be greeted by a stern-looking and smartly dressed doorman saying, “The restaurant is around the side of the building”, causing us to be a bit confused and double check, to receive exactly the same, straight faced, ‘don’t mess with me’ expression and automated response from the bouncer, sorry, doorman.

Now, we could have been two inebriated morons trying to bluff our way in to the casino (which that entrance turns out to be) and I’m sure he gets his fare share of that but we were actually sober (genuinely) and legitimately had a ‘res’ at the restaurant(!).  So, it was a bit of a stern, first impression and useful point to note if you are dining there.  As a balance, once we were inside and on asking to have a look at the casino (to apply to join), the same doorman came to us and was far more amenable, having the proof that we were genuinely headed for the restaurant no doubt.

In terms of the experience inside, this too was very interesting to see with aspects I thought were far better than I was expecting, notably the food and caring service which was brilliant to see.  But also, some other interesting factors came in to play which, although are suitable for this location, you would not need to worry about in some of the world’s best 3 Michelin starred restaurants.  However, the summary is that the most important aspects were in fact very good and the negatives can be put to just the way various places roll – please comment away, good or bad beneath my review on your take on the all the points made.

Lastly, two more new venues were sampled, the very social, buzzing and atmospheric Polpo in Soho and Bob Bob Ricard.  Both actually immediately opposite each other just off Beak Street and also very different.  Polpo, a place that has been constructed to look like the interior of a casual Venetian brasserie serving comfort, tapas style dishes with a glass of classic Venetian Spritz and Bob Bob Ricard being grand in elegance and unique in this way as well.  Both had a charm of their own but I would say that Bob Bob did have the definite edge on the food.

For the present and this month of September, I plan to hit new, Michelin starred restaurants outside of London particularly as my new work location I have just moved to places me in the centre of South England.  So, as the leaves start to fall, I’ll look forward to the Autumn menus in various shapes and will report on these after each occasion on twitter as always. Until then, on these means, have a great month and see you at the beginning of the next one! 🙂

July 16

The month of revisits! Some, through pure chance of the occasion such as a lovely Birthday treat in staying over at The Punch Bowl, Crosthwaite and finally getting to enjoy this beautifully rustic and homely pub serving a fabulous breakfast as well.  Other revisits this month included a meeting at the 3 Michelin starred Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester which reminded me of the need to do their meats and grill dining room as well as a number of neutral sources have told me how good this is.

An absolutely splendid return visit to Story confirmed how right this was to choose here to show to my trusted associate, Mr Bainbridge one of the remaining venues in London that has genuine sparkles of invention combined with good flavour.  It was also good to get in to the bar of Sosharu and confirmed how modern this restaurant is for having its own underground bar with some pleasing things offered via their bar and bar snack menu.

Other very welcome revisits took place at Social Eating House, Chiltern Firehouse and a long overdue visit of 5 years to St John Bar and Restaurant – all of these being nothing but a pleasure to get back to with some lovely new dishes tried at Chiltern Firehouse in particular.

Two new Michelin starred venues were enjoyed this month also, both revealing a superb value for money set lunch menu option at each – Alimentum in Cambridge having exceptional value with some really good dishes and L’Ortolan in Reading revealing a very pretty option with some equally lovely food treats in a slightly more formal setting, but one that would be ideal for special occasions.  I would happily get myself back to both of these very good discoveries whenever I can. The same can be said for the new Darbaar by Chef Abdul, as the Darwaat menu experienced here was highly enjoyable and worth going for the butter chicken and chai tea which were impressive in their own right.

The final wonderful treat of the month being a two day excursion to Italy and this time to a place I have actually never been to before – Venice.  Hitting here in the peak season made me question whether there were actually any Italians in the city above the sea of tourists but thankfully my group was able to enjoy an exceedingly good collection of Mediterranean products at Alle Testiere and although a postcard worthy setting in Burano, mixed results sadly at the beautifully picturesque restaurant Venissa.

A packed month regardless(!) and I will need to focus more on new places I think for next month. Thankfully, that is entirely the plan! See you at the end of what I hope, is a sunny one for all of us. 🙂

June 16

It’s going to be very difficult to top this month through the rest of the year I think(!).  Last month, after an 8-year gap I was able to get back to The Fat Duck using my 40^th as the perfect excuse.  The only time I have been here before was prior to a six month work placement to the Middle East in 2008 and was the highest food experience I had had in my life at the time.  Numerous 3 stars and many moons later, I was worried it would be difficult to live up to the first impression, but the headline is that, if anything, it was actually an upgrade(!).  I was utterly delighted and wow’d by the whole experience, which had improved flavours, more creativity and greater balance which brought the added bonus of not feeling like I needed medical attention this time over calorific overload – a truly happy experience.

No sooner had I left Bray it was time to go back a few weeks later for a special Space Menu at Heston Blumenthal’s Hinds Head pub.  The central beef dish (which was flown up to Tim Peake to have in the International Space Station) was frankly outstanding.  It really was good with such creamy mash to compliment the truffle gravy that went with the beef confirming my belief that he really does know how to please the senses in every way in relation to food and it is not just all theatre.

A new restaurant that I popped in to was Benihana which proved to be extremely good for families and celebrations whilst I was mainly taken by the reasonable wagyu offerings.  A return trip to Tom’s Kitchen brought nothing but Sunday joy in experiencing something never had before in the form of truffled eggs benedict – quite wonderful.

Following the theme of return trips was a full blown dinner on a Saturday night at City Social which proved to be utterly grand at their rounded, sofa both tables overlooking London with some highly sexy starters and steak dishes at this slick venue. I also had a superb return visit to The Clove Club in Shoreditch which was a special wine tasting event hosted by the effervescent Tom Harrow (aka Wine chap) in tandem with a superb tasting menu from Issac McHale, delivered superbly by the floor heads Daneil Willis and Johnny Smith. This was a treat and a half to be a part of.

But the absolute prize in many ways this month was taking all closet souls to The Sportsman and constructing all to have ‘the works’ at this venue, which was basically perfect and still one of my favourite places in the entire world which pretty much wrapped up one of the meals of the decade.  The only downside reality being it will all be very hard to beat for July which, I rather sadly predict, will be a little quieter.

May 16

What a month; what a month! This one leaves its mark in the annals of history for me, having had some utterly golden moments. May 16 started with a Michelin starred pub I wasn’t aware of in the vicinity of Bicester village and after an evening’s shopping need, a very nice drop in occurred at The Nut Tree Inn. Homely classics were available here and the tasting menu offered superb value for money with 9 courses for £60 and many of these courses being uncomplicated and fitting.

In keeping with the pub theme I was delighted to come across another pub never been to before in Cambridgeshire called Brampton Mill, which is one of those unsung beauties that you simply didn’t know about unless guided there by a trustworthy source (thankfully I had one to show me this place!). A gorgeous setting which is not very easy to find, but will make you very pleased that you did and had some straightforward and pleasing options. A revisit to Smith & Wollensky was a no brainer in terms of getting the local boat there one impromptu Saturday evening (a 6 min walk from Embankment pier) having received an offer. Although this offer didn’t go quite according to plan, it still retains its title as the best meats and grills option in London for me – my guess if you haven’t heard of this one but please trust me, it is well worth trying if you don’t mind splashing a little extra cash.

Next, a gorgeous 1 Michelin starred option in Newbury was trialled (The Woodspeen) for the first time via their pre-theatre menu which is frankly one of the best I have ever had and although will not be accessible to all, this was a superb find which I will definitely be doing again. Another new experience was doing The Croft Kitchen in Biggleswade which, as a local option to my current work base, proved to be a good contender for evening food.

Terroirs in London is a place I have been meaning to do in a long time and was great to sit at the bar, talk to the chef and barman about their products in the very easy environment it was serving numerous European cuisines. At the advice of Richard Vines, chief food editor for Bloomberg, I tried Gunpowder, a small, kitchen-like Indian restaurant, off the beaten city-track, which served some pleasant, family recipes with a proud ‘kick’ to their dishes.

And then I made our way to Copenhagen for what was essentially the gastronomic weekend of a lifetime. Being lucky enough to be on the Opinionated About Dining Top 100 food bloggers list, I was extended an invitation to have a place at Noma for dinner, which was duly accepted within 1 second of getting the email. Their adage of expecting the unexpected turned out to be very accurate and overall, there were some great moments in amongst my palate needing a fair amount of open mindedness on a couple of occasions.

Not only was the whole weekend a delight to be a part of with an incredible dinner from 11 European starred chefs on the penultimate evening, the celebratory banquet after the awards ceremony for the OAD best restaurant in Europe 2016 was a grand occasion with some highlights of that on my twitter and Instagram links. It was however, the meal at Geranium that transcended the experience to new heights. There is not enough space to say why here, save to say, if you only have time to click one of the links here, please click that one as it actually sailed in to the pantheon of greats pretty early on in the proceedings and is now etched in my mind as one of the most grand ever experienced with all three, 3 Michelin starred chefs displaying so much skill and deep, comprehensive thinking. It was a truly sublime experience in every way and one of the very best in the last three decades of eating.

Next month I celebrate that three decades turning in to four decades of eating(!) and a return trip to The Fat Duck and The Sportsman being on the cards to enjoy for another special week, interspersed with a few newbies I’m sure.

April 16

Another month gone in the blink of an eye (I’m sure it was Christmas not so long ago, let alone Easter!) and I have hardly managed to scratch the surface of exploratory food needs, but I have been glad of a few ticks gained.  I’ve been meaning to try Tom’s Kitchen, St Kathrine Docks for a while now and managed to have a very pleasant lunch there at the start of April.   It was far bigger inside than expected and the dishes really were well done with some simple classics such as simple, cured salmon to start but with original herb blends and a lovely fragrance of vanilla, setting the tone for the visit.

Numerous other newbies were experienced such as Ben’s Canteen in Battersea, having been shown in by a friend and this proved to have a sensational pulled pork brunch option in the very informal but hip environment it clearly was.  I have also been waiting for a while to see Jason Atherton’s new Japanese restaurant, Sosharu having been reminded of this on his recent re-appearance on Saturday Kitchen.  An elegant place in less formal surroundings with extremely fun things to try and a couple of surprises as well.  I still have to vote on the absolute gems of the Atherton empire in the UK being Social Eating House in Soho and for swish quality in all senses, the bar at City Social.  However, this was certainly a pleasing visit in any case and all of Mr Atherton’s places have made me want to try the next one.

A chance passing in between meetings led me to be driving through a little village in Bedfordshire called Buckden and brought me to a charming pit stop called The George Hotel.  This is one of those pleasing, you never knew of it being there but grateful you stumbled across it places.  The hotel was modern, suave and comfortable and packed an entirely decent croque-monsieur for the bonus of the visit!

Then finally I have had two return visits, one to Dishoom, Covent Garden for breakfast and then just over the road at Tredwell’s for lunch(!).  Dishoom proved that this is simply one of the nicest options for a weekend breakfast I think you can get in London and a return and Tredwell’s taking me to a new high.  I really do believe these are two starlets for the area (there are 3 other Dishooms in London and Marcus Wareing has The Gilbert Scott in addition to Tredwell’s) and the dishes served at Tredwell’s were once again homely yet refined at the same time with one in particular producing upper troposphere happiness.

Next month will unfortunately see a slightly quieter number of visits owing to other commitments, but that will be made up for in spades owing with a very fortunate reservation at Noma in Copenhagen.  This will fulfil a long-term ambition and will also be backed up with a visit to the 3 Michelin starred Geranium among other fixtures as part of 4 day gastro-extravaganza I have been very lucky to be invited to, as part of being in the global top 150 food bloggers according to the Opinionated About Dining website.  The costs will be hideous but am happy to blow the majority of the month’s salary to do this and I shall report all with bells and whistles on live on social media channels and in nauseating detail on the main site.  Have a brilliant May everyone!

March 16

A little bit quiet last month on account of being wiped out with flu for well over a week however, it was good to try some alternatives I have not done before, starting with Iberica in Canary Wharf.  This was a fun option as a local choice with very reasonable food but only hitting a certain mark with the quality of the experience.  Mother’s Day was enjoyed at Côte (Blackheath) with a delightful French set breakfast with a glass of fizz to treat the Memsaab as Dad says, and was mission success on that all round.  The six nations brought me to Cardiff for a University reunion and I took advantage of giving The Pilot in Penarth and Bully’s in Cardiff a go, which were both pleasant surprises in their own way.  Another visit to Chiltern Firehouse was never in danger of being a miss however, the gem was returning to Dabbous for the first time in three years and this time without the similar wait for a table.  A superb set menu lunch was given here and it is simply one of the best value places in London I believe for that reason.

February 16

Well, what a month! I say this as it not only included a mini trip to Rome which was great as have never been to this one before, but also a fairly hefty month in being able to do two 3 Michelin starred venues.  Both of these happened to be in Italy, one inn Rome (La Pergola) which was meticulous and produced the best pasta carbonara I have ever had in my life and one in Padua, a three hour train journey from Rome and sat just 20 minutes outside Venice (Le Calandre).  A great thing that came from this was to see how two of the best restaurants in the world were so different.  Modern and careful cooking in a 5 star Hotel setting with elaborate furniture and décor mainly to cater for the wealthy travellers of the world (and those in need of private and intimate occasions to gain serious relationship points) was displayed at La Pergola, whereas Le Calandre was a hugely signposted building sat just off a dual carriageway with just a few tables in a dimly lit dining room.  They both had supreme cooking but the classic dishes at Le Calandre and sheer power in the simplicity of most served here made this more a temple for gastronomy.  I had the best marrowbone of my life here and you will see in the review what other unbelievably nice touches they afforded to make this truly original and special as a visit.

This trip also included the best pizza I have ever had in my life and in one way was an equal highlight of the whole trip – this was at Bonci Pizzarium and with wonderful ice cream had at Galateria dei Gracchi and wonderfully simple pasta at Gracio & Pepe.  Earlier in the month, a revisit to Kopapa confirmed that its trump card seems to be the Turkish eggs and although I liked some of the other aspects to the breakfast, it wasn’t as superb as the first visit.  I still love 7 dials so if I’m ever near and need something, I know this is still a safe bet and need to try their lunch / evening options next time.  Other little gems that were pleasant to come across this month were a café called The Groundworks in Hitchin which is a pleasant and upgraded café and a wonderfully eye opening experience to try Smith and Wollensky just off the Strand for the first time.  Unquestionably, S & W is now logged as a special marker and am already looking forward for the next occasion when it feels right to go back.  Another new experience was to try Spuntino in Soho, part of the Polpo group where very original dishes and scenery were experienced – pleasing and with a general desire to try another aspect if I’m passing by.  Finally, I had three other revisits in the month, to Dishoom, Hakkasan Mayfair and The River Café.  Mixed emotions on these as Dishoom needed a reshow whcih, thankfully was regained as an experience, but Hakkasan Mayfair proved its consisetency and The River Café showed  wonderful colours I had not seen at all before especially through one of the greatest desserts I’ve ever had through a lucky twist of fate.  A great series of places done last month and probably need to take it slightly easier this month to prepare for some rather more exciting irons in the fire in the oncoming months of May and June 16…

January 16

Generally, a quiet month but that is only to be expected after the absolute gluttony of Christmas.  The onslaught also led me to undertake another C9 detox which, with the help of a lot of aloe vera gel, water and 800 calories max in the evening  got rid of 4kg in the nine days and allowed me to celebrate with a long awaited visit to The Araki and try the 2 Michelin star newcomer to London and the careful precision of this Japanese menu.  I was simply very impressed with the sheer quality of the ingredients however there are some interesting factors in this
restaurant.  That was also a milestone visit as it has now made me able to get back on top of all michelin starred restaurants in London again and all 2 Michelin starred venues in the country.  I was delighted to catch up with a dear old friend and do so in Wild Honey as this has long been overdue a revisit and proved to still be one of the best set menus in London.  I was especially pleased to be able to finally get to The Typing Room in Bethnal Green as a mere stone throw from Canary Wharf and proved to have some wonderful aspects to it which I was very pleased to experience (amazing bread and lovely pre-meal snacks).  The other highlight to the month was being able to take my parents to

Chiltern Firehouse for a proper meal (something not actually done in spite of going there four times!) and as a special ocasion was lovely to be able to treat all of us to everything we wanted.  There was indeed some lovely new things had on this occasion and it continues to simply be one of the most special places I know of in its design.  On the other side of the scale, unfortunately, was a slightly disappointing visit to L’Etranger in South Ken which, although holds some quirky elements, I simply felt was in need of an entire upgrade.  Otherwise, another pleasant steady stream of little treats interspersed through a relatively quiet month.

December 15

Christmas is always a tight schedule and very often you can’t squeeze in very much.  Aside from having some awesome home cooked and family made occasions I also undertook a C9 (Clear 9 day) diet which utterly cleansed the system and brought about a 4.9kg weight loss in 9 days.  This paved the way for the break which was always going to be heavy on the treats.  The absolute food highlight of the month was walking around London with my very old associate, Mr Bainbridge during his short stay in London from working abroad; the planning for this day commenced in July to guarantee things in place.  We started in Dishoom for one of the best and simplest breakfasts I’ve had in a very long while (just leaves one Dishoom in London left now).  From there a fernat branca and espresso in Bar Italia was followed by a black velvet in Sweetings, a half duck in HKK (still the best Peking duck in London, possibly the country), a picnic in the bar at City Social and an afternoon home brewed pint in Duck & Rice.  Afternoon grazing was done via bar snacks at Chiltern Firehouse (still some of the best I have ever had) and from there to the main event of having a hot dog at Bubbledogs (effectively as an amuse bouche) prior to the grand supper through the curtains at Kitchen Table at Bubbledogs.  This concluded what I can only describe as a day of total nectar in every way and was one of the highlights of the whole year.

Aside from this grand day, earlier in the month I managed to get back to Umu on its promotion to 2 stars to see how things may have changed and was relieved that it was not a wasted journey; the service I have to say was exceptionally high.  I also needed to thank two work colleagues for their hard work helping me with a major project and couldn’t have been more happy to take them to Paris House  as is just down the road from current work digs and was a genuine pleasure to dine there for a second time and speak to the head chef again – his buerre noisette butter is now etched in my mind as a power house.  On a similar note, so are the ham croquettes that I had a Social Wine & Tapas which I was seriously pleased to get to after spending time there and is simply a lovely place.  A revisit to The Narrow was also done this time trying every single bar snack option on the table in one go (brilliant to do and go off piste for causal filling) and a holiday treat of going to Florence for the first weekend of the break where some very good pizza was most certainly enjoyed.  Oh, and a final pass by 2 Michelin starred Marcus again for one last tour of London before the New Year.  So that’s all I could sqeeze in for December; actually on re-examining that was a fairly good month…(!).

November 15

November was a little bit on the slow side for me as a weight gain (mainly from montotony of Staff work and little phys) caused me to cut a downward spiral in its tracks in a bit of an extreme way but undertaking a C9 detox for 9 days with aloe vera gels, shakes and 600 calories for 7 days after a 2 day starvation opening.  It was quite surprising how doable it was when seeing the results every other day and with the help of my awesome physical training instructor Will Mclay, I managed to lose 4.9kg in the 9 days and set myself up to getting back in to more physical activity in the build up to Christmas which, let’s face it can pile on quite a lot through simply not being able to stop.  What this experience did finally allow me to do was treat myself to the newly promoted (to 2 Michelin stars) Umu which I have been meaning to do since September and was great to get back after 4 years.  This was the highlight of the month and in terms of purity of ingredients and skill was frankly top grade and almost a privilege to enjoy but with a supporting Mayfair price tag to accompany the experience.  Other places that I managed to enjoy during November included a long overdue revisit to Kitchen W8 which, was absolutely lovely and a total upgrade to the previous experience and another visit to Amaya, almost purely because of their wonderful coconut chicken.

December 15 is going to be a bit of a hard routine! In order to accommodate the onslaught I will be extreme dieting in between treats which, will include a visit to Florence and clearly pizza and a Michelin starred venue will have to be done to see how some of the best pasta  available can be done.  Above the wonderful family meals, I also have firm and definite appointment with my associate Mr Bainbridge, where we will embark on an historic journey through London on 23 Dec 15 and attempt to squeeze in 5 restaurants for grazing throughout the table incuding HKK, City Social and Kitchen Table at Bubbledogs amongst those in the mix, to cater for a very finite window of being able to.  Marcus will also be revisited and I greatly look forward to all for all reasons and will detail the events in detail….and the probable effect on the waistline but also psychological uplift at the same time.  Have an superb Christmas wherever you are spending it and thanks again for reading this rather belated update(!).

October 15

In the last month I have been delighted and enjoyed a lovely and diverse collection of different places.  October 15 for me included trying the last two newly promoted 1 Michelin starred venues for 2016 (Lyles in Shoreditch and Portland just north of Oxford Circus) – both of these had their own tap sparkling water (filtered tap watered with CO2 injected on the premises) which I think is a very nice touch as I honestly believe people still feel intmidated or reluctant asking for tap water and not going for bottled when the question is asked (and is very rarely included in the initial question by restaurants which means it is laced with emotional blackmail).  Both these newly promoted venues were very nice in their own ways, Lyles being more of a here and now option looking like a cafe and Portland the same but slightly more up market and with slightly more empassioned service.  I was very happy to try the long established, 1 Michelin starred Northcote (Lancs) to share and celebrate a special occasion and this was about as good as a Sunday lunch can get in an opulent hotel setting.  As a balancing act it was nice to try non-Michelin starrred venues naurally and another visit to The Duck and Rice (Soho) which proved how nice this option is just for bar snacks by the fire and was great to finally experiment Franco Manca (Tottenham Court Road) which was long over due, proving that the dough itself was almost more of a highlight than the actual toppings on the pizza.  But the real star of the show was the venue that held two of them at Michelin level and not just for this reason – it really was an absolute triumph to enjoy Michael Wignall’s The Latymer at Pennyhill Park.  This was only my second visit but first since its promotion to two stars and brought high, high feelings of happiness.  A truly lovely visit that is one of the highlights of the year so far.

September 15

September 15 was a significant month in the dining calendar as all the newly awarded Michelin entries were announced for the UK.  Four new promotions to 1 Michelin star for London were announced with a promotion to 2 Michelin star (for Umu) and a direct entrant to 2 Michelin star as well (Araki).  As I would like to keep the track record up as quickly as possible, I had a lucky passing through London during the week to allow a lunch at one of the four newly promoted 1 starred venues (Bonhams) which was handy as they only do lunch and breakfast with only one sitting for dinner on a Thursday which is a set tasting menu.  Based on how fresh the dishes were on my lunch here, I believe this option on a Thursday at Bonhams would be a definite catch, even if it has a different feel for a restaurant.   I also managed to squeeze in a visit to the newly promoted Dining Room at The Goring which, all in all was a very pleasant experience and makes the already lovely venue even more special with its shiny, new Michelin star.  A very pleasant revisit to Outlaws at The Capital was undertaken, proving it has one of the best set menus in London as well as a revisit to HKK which, in spite of having a very good Peking duck at Novikov in Mayfair, proved that HKK does still have, in my opinion, the monopoly on the greatest Peking duck available in London.  Two younger brother restaurants were also visited: Marcus Wareing’s The Gilbert Scott just by St Pancras station which was a grand looking venue with the nicest pig’s head dish I have ever had, and Gordon Ramsay’s Bread Street Kitchen.  The latter visit showed me  just how massive Bread St Kitchen is and how clever the environment will appeal to city slickers at lunch just as much as people wanting to drop in somewhere as a stylish option that is not too over the top with comforting dishes.

August 15

August 15 had a reasonable sprinkling of visits but with some extreme highlights at the same time. Top of the list for these highlights were getting round to completing all the 2 Michelin starred venues of the UK with a very pleasant visit to Cornwall and Nathan Outlaw’s flagship Restaurant in Port Isaac. This was understandably highly pleasant and the quality of the seafood was of the highest order I have had, but with a relatively high price tag for what you gain on the tasting menu to go along with it. However, I discovered a new sauce, which was almost worth the trip alone.   It was a very pleasant trip to gain another Michelin starred gastro pub experience, which was done at The Treby Arms; a homely and charming pub with some quality cooking and glad to have done. It was great to see the new Yauatcha City, located in Broadgate Circle and the lasting impression I had here was the huge size of the venue and the original view that it came with. Equally nice was trying Angela Hartnet’s Café Murano (in St James’) which was casual, fun and with some lovely moments including a starter and a bar snack that I would go back for in a shot if I was passing by and has made me wish to try the second Café in Covent Garden when next in the area. A proper revisit to Chiltern Firehouse brought about the best snack foods I have had ever had in any bar and refueled my desire to get back there again but for the lunch or evening menu to complete the set. But the truly outstanding food occasion this month (and which will be a very difficult one to top this year) was my second and a la carte experience at Le Champignon Sauvage. This was undoubtedly the most consistently superb food I have had in a very long time and confirmed its standing in my eyes as a true national culinary gem in the top three restaurants in the whole of the UK.

July 15

July 15 started in possibly one of the nicest ways it could do with a sunshine visit to Midsummer House and this really was a marathon of excellence and a lovely return visit.  I managed to try another Côte Brasserie this time in Bury St Edmunds (charming little place I hadn’t been to before) which was a straight forward pleasure to do and incredibly good value.  I finally managed to get to The Punch Bowl in Cumbria again and this time actually keep the photos from this visit  and was probably the most impressive food I have seen them do.  Very welcome return visits were done to Quilon, Tamarind and Arbutus, the latter two being long overdue repeat visits and all being lovely 1 Michelin starred experiences – Arbutus was a definite knotch up from the first visit which was already a fond memory and Tamarind showed superb value for money and filling as a pre-theatre set menu.  My last month’s visit was a first-time experience and it was an impressive and highly refined one at Paris House in Befordshire.  This really was a lovely find and the sort of venue where taking your other half will gain numerous points(!).

June 15

June 15 started in possibly one of the nicest ways it could do, especially after the extraordinary and surreal twitter episode exposed to at the end of May, so it was lovely getting back to the highest end of dining experiences and gastonomy one can at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay to celebrate my Birthday and Mum & Dad’s anniversary together, placed in the books many weeks prior.  This was a lovely return to everything good about enjoying gastronomy and a restaurant experience.  This was frankly dining of the highest calibre for all reasons and was simply wonderful to have for such an occasion.  The rest of the month was a mix of all sorts of great tasting experiences.  I finally managed to try what turned out to be the best doughnuts I have ever had at Borough market at the Bread Ahead bakery stall, a revisit to Tredwell’s to finally do their breakfast as well visits to two Dishoom’s as the first was that good – Dishoom King’s Cross and Dishoom Shoreditch.  The King’s Cross branch made their way recently in to the top 100 restaurants in the UK at the recent awards, as did Manchester House which I also coincidentally visited  with friends last month as well as the other true highlight.  This was a lovely tasting menu with maximum punch of fun and flavour so I was very pleased to have finally done this.  Another catch up with a friend in Notttingham led me to French Living in the city centre which was an absolute pleasure to come by – understated charm and lovely cooking.  And to continue new experiences I was also very pleased to finally swing by The Joint and meet the man behind it all there as well as a very nice bonus and that will not be the last time I go there in my life that is for sure! So a good month with quite a lot of variation and lovely experiences all round.

May 15

This was a busy month and I managed to gain some much awaited ticks in the boxes.  Firstly, I managed to get to Sketch (at the Lecture Room) for the first time since its promotion to 2* status (thereby completing all newly promoted Michelin starred venues in London as well as all existing ones) and as opposed to the previous set menu experience, this time went for the all out signature tasting menu which was indeed an privileged show in itself.  Getting to Chiltern Firehouse for breakfast on my day off was one of the most wonderful mornings I have had in quite some time and on arrival was immediately confirmed as a special place.  One of the best Saturday afternoons had on record as well was diving in to Amaya for another visit which was a lovely uplift from my first time there.  It was also very good to log some new, non-michelin starred restaurants such as Hawksmoor (in order to compare with Goodman), Elephant Royale overlooking Greenwich on the Thames, Bryn Williams’ Odette’s in Primrose Hill which I have also been meaning to do for a long while, The Big Easy as a fun, casual option to do on a Fri evening and a visit to Duck and Waffle.