a quick review and was that one really

this is the space where i review the first weekend of the new menu. thursday was hectic. First a meeting with the environmental health officer for our regular check up, the new digital thermometer i order from nisbets didn't work so i kicked, and very nearly broke, the sink. then eight hours of very intense prep, an occasional ten minute break, and finally opening with everything just about done. a very quiet night followed and that was good. friday and saturday were a good deal more hectic and on the whole the food went down quite well. the feedback that we get is first how much comes back and goes into the bin. this was a very good weekend for that and dusty was still very hungry on saturday.

of the starters the pancake was an unbelievable seller. i don't think it's as tasty as the casumziei but it's a close run thing and it seems to appeal to joe. the soup is delish but it's soup so, go figure.

of the mains the most popular would have been, seems amazing to say this given the speciality of the restaurant, the beef. one diner said that it was better than at thai thai, but i don't eat it nor have i eaten there, so i have no means of comparison. i just remembered that i do have some of the veg rendang in the fridge though and that is pretty spectacular, better even that the thai curries, and i never thought i'd say that.

the gnocchi, well kelly didn't like them but andy and sharon (my gnocchissimos) did and that's good enough for me. as we do them vegan-way (nice grammar) the make up is particularly tricky. the secret is to get the starch content right. too little results in gluey slop and too much and the gnocchi are too solid. i'd say i erred on the side of caution and edged toward the latter, over the next 3 weeks i'll be moving formerly. the risotto is not to everyone's taste. this is the third and final step in our, 'how can we do the same dish three ways?' quest. it does it for me but not everyone is that keen on amaretti and if any dish comes back, it is this one.

i said in the blog above, the souffle is stunning, but that is now a was because it's off. next weekend it'll be something else, probably a mille feuille. the bread pudding is vegan and as such it is not as light as one made with eggs would be but the feedback has been excellent.

so that is my review which brings me nicely to one that has been appearing on the review sites. i'd really love to speak to vegan4love to find out what food you had etc. when you came in. if you exist, and i don't believe that you do, please come in for a chat. i'm really not as arrogant as veggiefreak would have you believe but then are you she? (or is that a he?). if the food really was as bad as you say, why not mention the individual dishes? so, if you exist, please come in and see us, we'd like to put it right.

cheers

wayne