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My good friend James is a fellow food-appreciator. I won’t say ‘foodie’ because he hates that, so I only use it when winding him up. Although a property surveyor, food is his real passion, and we email each other our mini-reviews of the latest places we have eaten at. In fact, there is now a little cohort of us, food spies out there on covert missions, armed with ruthless honesty and our blackberries, reporting back to each other from out in the field in minutes. I always look forward to reading James’ debriefs of restaurants, shops, markets and general food-stuff, so thought I would now share them with you too.
So here’s what he said when I asked him to be my columnist...
"Your Column". Keep using phrases like that and I'll have applied to appear on a reality TV show before you can say "Z-list". I have often thought of starting a mainly food related blog but haven’t due to; time, laziness, millions of other blogs and the fact that possibly only my mum and wife would read it. But would happily contribute to your website.
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What shall we call it? How about “Food, fun n’ James?” (Did you ever watch Alan Partridge where he is in the car, dictating ideas for new programmes? This is a bit like that). Hmmm… The Anti-Foodie Gastronaut?
Actually, let’s go with your suggestion…
And thus here we have it: reviews of the places he eats at, as according to James… |
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Cafe Rive Gauche, 20 Warren Street, London, W1T 5LS
To begin, I must declare an interest in order to uphold both my own honour and that of the noble and fine art of restaurant reviewing. I must tell you, dear reader, that I know the owners of Cafe Rive Gauche personally, via a family connection. We know each other by name and they know my family even better than they know me. So you are likely to presume, incorrectly, that my impartiality will have been tainted but, as a ballast to counter the potential for bias you should know that the Queen of Restaurant Reviewers, the Evening Standard’s Fay Maschler, has frequently patronised and also (very positively) reviewed this excellent cafe. So, if you don’t trust me then please, at least take Fay’s word for it.
For more click here
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The Giaconda Dining Room, 9 Denmark Street, London, WC2 H8LS
Everyone wants to find a “little gem” that they have discovered, somewhere they are proud of and protective over. They are willing to espouse the excellence of the establishment, as an act of triumphal egoism than of recommendation, rather perversely hoping it will remain forever their own little discovery.
For more click here |
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The Rising Sun Pub, Mill Hill, NW7
So far my burgeoning career (there are those who would doubt the use of the previous adjective and/or the noun) as a writer/food critic has drawn two main criticisms from those who have kindly read my articles. The first is that I write too little about the establishment or the meal in question and the second is that my reviews are too positive and lack balance. The reason for the latter is that, given the infrequency of my articles, I prefer to offer the reader a positive eating option. Be assured that being positive is totally out of character for me, but I do feel that where eating is concerned it is worth the extraordinary effort.
For more click here |
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St. John Bread and Wine, Commercial Street, E1
I had been intending to go to one of the St John establishments for a while but could never find a suitable dining companion to accompany me. Their beautifully concise mission statement of “Nose to Tail” eating (one that always excited me) seemed to offend others, who wrongly assumed they’d be forced to eat organs, entrails and other animal off-cuts that are sadly unfamiliar to us nowadays. So when I happened to be arranging a business lunch in the area, my companion (let’s call him John, well, because his name is John) was enthused about my proposed choice (he’d eaten there before).
For more click here |
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The Chiltern Rooms, Chiltern Street, London W1
As I have undertaken no survey, be it informal or more structured and scientific, I am poorly qualified to pass comment on the social and consumer trends of Britain. However, I feel confident enough to at least offer the hypothesis that we (and I’m also sure that this not solely a British affliction), tend to discover a type or style and then, at the point of popularity, particularly where food and drink is concerned, homogenise it into blandness.
For more click here |
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Nino, Cassis, Provence, France
When I began writing this, soon after our lunch, my intention was to offer up a straightforward review of Nino. A combination of being abroad in the part of the world I adore, the heat and probably dehydration due to overdosing on Orangina, instead of l’eau, led to the following ramble about the South of France.
For more click here |
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Cinnamon Square Bakery, Rickmansworth
Late one inebriated evening, as a student in Manchester, I was gawping with a fascination that only intoxication can generate at the teleshopping channel QVC. I became obsessed with buying (which I duly did) the Breadmaker machine they were promoting and the idea of fresh bread. Quite why they thought that the twilight hours were the most appropriate time to sell such a product I am not sure.
For more click here |
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The Bull and Last, Highgate, London NW5
It all started with a Scotch egg…
www.thebullandlast.co.uk/
I am not the daring type. I’m the perennial handbag-rack at theme parks and fun fairs and when driving on a road with an immediate drop of anything more than 3 feet, I’ll slow the car to a crawl. However I am of the view that in whatever field or discipline you choose to be daring, particularly that involving offending both family and God, do it properly!
For more click here |
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The Blackfoot Butchers, Charlotte Place, London, W1
– Postscript
I wrote a piece for this website about the Blackfoot Butchers in April 2009 in which I unashamedly detailed my affection for the shop. So imagine my horror when I visited one Monday in early July to find a lonely “Sorry, we’re closed forever” sign hanging in the door. This was without doubt (and before writing this I’ve considered world hunger, disease epidemics, wars, Jade Goody dying) the single worst thing that has happened to the Universe. Ever. My initial reaction of grief (Michael Jackson fans can only imagine) and panic over where to buy meat in future quickly evolved into rage!
For more click here |
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