Food

Is that the vodka place? Kind of like a weatherspoons but serving predominantly flavoured vodka shots rather than cheap beer?

Went to one of those when I was doing some work in Bath last summer. It was right outside the hotel and the only place that was open.

I've never told anyone that before.

We are still a long way behind a lot of countries when it comes to food. By this I mean the general standard or the base level of what is expected of food when you go to any establishment that serves food. Yes there are excellent pubs doing great food and some of the finest restaurants in the world in the UK but it can still be hit or miss in places. As one of my friends said when we were having this same conversation

"If you can't cook a chip, what the f*$k are you doing in the food business!"

Thanks for recommendations, went to kitchen ideas on westbourne grove and got a creuset stainless steel pan on offer, 1/3 off. nice

It's a great shop find it hard to go there as I normally spend too much money on "bargains" I don't need, and get paranoid about knocking stuff over as I have a tendency to be a clumsy oaf. Did I get the street wrong? If so sorry glad you found it.

we had to go to Revolutions in Clapham

This^ is a hideous situation to be in for starters. Whatever "mate" suggested that should have his/her arse branded with a flaming lockring. Sorry to hear that the inevitable vile evening was confirmed.

Tiswas, not sure your three word summary of French cuisine is quite on the money. I agree there's a lot of hot air spoken, but if you steer clear of the obvious (kebab places, all-you-can eat chinese buffet) it is much rarer to get a shit meal - not just there but in my experience Italy too. Many cafes and bistros might share a common repertoire, but I'd take a warm quiche lorraine and green salad over a sharing platter of deep fried shit any day.

Like TheLeek says, our lowest denominator is happy to lay back and go lower than most other places.

I like duck & frites

Just bought a Cameron hot smoker. Anyone know where you can get wood chips for it? Several online places but choice is limited.

Spanish omelette, chorizo and butter bean stew, salad, home made garlic mayonaise (proper aioli doesn't have egg in it, right?), olives and crushed almonds marinated in lemon, oil, chilli and parsley.

Bovril on toast, BOOM!

Bovril on toast, BOOM!
I will have to give that a try, I love bovril.

Use real butter, natch.

The vast majority of pub food is reheated Brake Brothers or some other centralised, bulk producing supplier.

I suppose that it means that there is a certain pervading minimum level of quality, but it's not exactly striving for excellence. And it means that all pub food is the same, wherever you go.

Choice is minimal, and there is nothing like seasonal or regional variation.

French food is all duck & frites, so they can fuck right off too.

You can all stop with the misty-eyed romanticism of how there's a wonderful little bistro on every street corner, with their own home-pressed vin du table, and a trois-etoilled chef in the tiny galley kitchen.

It just doesn't exist, except on rare occasions, just as it exists on rare occasions in rural GB.

It's duck and frites, 80% of the time, every time.

French have a fantastic appreciation of their seasonal food. And overall they take greater pride.. But a lot of surrender monkeys have cashed in on the food tourism and gone for the packet sauce and chain shite. But on the whole the small outlet in France serves up better fodder than the jacket potato, omelette and ham egg and chips trash we get here... Don't even get my started on the shit sandwich shops that fill London!

I used to live at rive gauche near warren street, it would queue out the door and sell out by 3 every day. Amazing french bistro.

The overall standard has risen but prices have gone up by a greater degree. £12 for Sunday lunch at a pub! Chewy meat, spuds kept warm all day and a piss weak jus..

I have a rule of thumb where I won't touch a place that serves jacket spuds, has a menu with more than 20 main courses, serves Italian/Greek/thai etc from the same kitchen. Or serves food secondary to drink/entertainment etc. Overall I do well.

Surprisingly foreign food outlets tend to be better than traditional English.

Use real butter, natch.

Like a pro

Tour de France and making Mechoui....
smells good already.

Agreed - Revs is quite terrible for almost all their dishes, but I once had an acceptable pizza there.

Pascalo - how did you do your Spanish omeltte?

Dinner tonight: Mussaman curry, Papaya Salad, Aubergine Curry, Grilled prawns, steamed Ong Choi and Rice.

Have you genuinely just taken that photo? That looks astonishingly good.

Haha - yes! Most of the fresh ingredients are from the Asian shops in Hounslow West.

Chuck steak is from here: http://www.greensofpangbourne.com/ - an amazing butchers in my parents village.

Need chickens

Just bought a Cameron hot smoker. Anyone know where you can get wood chips for it? Several online places but choice is limited.

Ask Prancer he is the king of hot smoked food

arantrek: I do peel maybe 5 potatoes, slice them thinly, also a halved and sliced onion and a sliced pepper. A good glug of oil, then it all goes into the pan.
Slowly sautee this, turning it often as to not start browning it, and maybe 30 mins later the potatoes will be softened, nearly as much as they'll be in the end result .

At that point I put salt and pepper on the mix, then have about 6 or 7 eggs beaten in a bowl ready, into which I pour the mix and stir that around carefully, evenly coating the potato slices in egg without crumbling them.

Then it all goes back in the pan and I cover it up with a lid, and cook it on low heat until the top isn't runny any more. Then flip onto a plate and slide uncooked side into pan. cook for maybe 3-4 more minutes and then flip back over onto plate.

Done.

cooking for one sucks. I couldn't be arsed and had cheese on toast. FAIL.

cooking for one sucks. I couldn't be arsed and had cheese on toast. FAIL.

There's nothing wrong with cheese on toast.

I've totally forgot my awesome recipe for awesome chilli so I made up a new one.

black eyed peas and green beans ftw

I'd eat that.

Too much talk lately not enough pics.

Hypocrite. Get some food on show!