What's the best restaurant meal you've ever had?

La Tupina in Bordeaux was probably the best. I love SW French food and this was peasant food done extremely well. Also managed to land massive portions compared to the nearby tables – I think think the waiter had got fed up with dealing with Americans speaking English 🙂 …Only disappointment was that they’d run out of sanguette… Must go back for that 😉 The Armagnac selection was quite something, too – a carte longer than most wine lists and dating back a century or so.

Most impressive in terms of effort was Le Gambetta in Saumur, a French/Oriental fusion with an epic amount of work in each course.

Curiously, both of those are the only places where I’ve ever had “polluted” creme brulee (I’m a firm believer that creme brulee should just be custard and sugar) that has actually worked; the former with spiced bread and the latter with wasabi – I genuinely expected that to be a whole world of wrong, but it was a work of genius.

La Tupina in Bordeaux was probably the best. I love SW French food and this was peasant food done extremely well. Also managed to land massive portions compared to the nearby tables – I think think the waiter had got fed up with dealing with Americans speaking English 🙂 …Only disappointment was that they’d run out of sanguette… Must go back for that 😉 The Armagnac selection was quite something, too – a carte longer than most wine lists and dating back a century or so.

Most impressive in terms of effort was Le Gambetta in Saumur, a French/Oriental fusion with an epic amount of work in each course.

Curiously, both of those are the only places where I’ve ever had “polluted” creme brulee (I’m a firm believer that creme brulee should just be custard and sugar) that has actually worked; the former with spiced bread and the latter with wasabi – I genuinely expected that to be a whole world of wrong, but it was a work of genius.

I hate fancy food but work takes me to these places often The Kitchin in Edinburgh was one of the nicer ones, a round of drinks came to £480 though… Which didn’t make it through expenses unfortunately. Martin Wisharts (also in Edinburgh was ok too. I can’t stand (work) paying £75 for a pigeon breast stuffed with truffles and drizzles in some exotic spice, I only ever need a kebab afterwards.

I much prefer quaint places, the red lion in birchover, Derbyshire is awesome.

Favourite place ever though is http://www.charolaiskroen.dk/ you’ll pay £60 for a 400g tenderloin but it’s honestly the nicest, best cooked steak you will ever have.

Stoopid forum bork bork.

catch your own scallops, open and cook them in a little bit of white wine and a small blob of cream – the best seafood bar none

Never really done a Michelin starred diner, but two places I can recommend are,
The Plantation House in Cancún. (although on goggling it, it may well now be closed?)
The Jumble Room, Grasmere .

L’Enclume is only down the road, but I find Rogan’s is good enough for me.( and more suits my pocket)

The Red Pump in Bashall Eaves near Clitheroe. Been there three times with different friends and each time all through the meal people kept saying “This is delicious!”

“Seven course taster menu at The Three Chimneys on Skye. Closely followed by the breakfast they served the next morning. For a one-off bank-raping blow-out, I can’t recommend a stay there highly enough.”

Alot of folk warned us off going there (including locals) and recommended this place in stead http://www.oldschoolrestaurant.co.uk/ round the corner which was fantastic and a fraction of the price.

Sometime, many moons ago BC (before children) I used to eat out a lot while working in London, highlights

Mirabelle in Curzon St, amazing, the soufflé was to die for

Had a fantastic duckling starter at Langan’s Brasserie, and severel fantastic evenings there, one highlight being mistaken for a paparazzi by Daniella Westbrook and Barbra Windsor.

The Ivy was very good, and really reasonably priced.

Gordon Ramsey’s at Claridges was very good, £75 a head 8 years ago. Two of my fellow diners decided to swap desserts, so they swapped their cutlery over. The maitre d’ walked past and looked at the table (which he hadn’t set) and before we could explain he apologised and moved the cutlery back. We did manage to explain so the waiter didn’t get a bollocking.

Two stand outs from this year where..

the old school restaurant in Skye..
http://www.oldschoolrestaurant.co.uk

and La Paloma, which is in San Lorenzo on Ibiza..
amazing Homemade style Meditteranean food..
http://palomaibiza.com/%5B/url%5D

A few years ago I was camping with friends near Florac, and we decided we were going to have a nice meal to finish the week.

We went went to this place La Source du Pecher and had an amazing meal. Nettle soup, trout from the river just outside, incredible desserts, superb cheeseboard, lovely wine, great service.

Which was nice.

Mrsbond managed to get us a reservation at Mrs Paisley’s Lashings a couple of years back which was great fun. It’s basically an organic ‘pop-up’ restaurant which ran periodically for a week or so at Ronnie Wood’s old house in Kingston hosted by his ex-wife Jo, who met you for drinks when you arrived.
The food was great, wine superb but it was the whole atmosphere which made it. Half the house was open to just wander round, play billiards, potter round the garden etc. Billie Piper was on the table behind us, some model and another actor I apparently should have recognised on the table in front. All quite bizarre.

duntmatter – camping at Pont du Tarn by any chance? One of my favourite campsites.

Will check out La Source du Pecher next time we’re staying there, havent been there yet.

Stoner – no, it was a really small place I can’t remember the name of, with a broken ping pong table and stale bread at the kiosk.

then I recommend http://www.camping-florac.com/ 😉

my other half has worked in a number of fine dining establishments as front of house staff..

xmas was ace a few years back when she used to bring me home a plate of food after work every evening..

Probably the tasting menu at Nathan Outlaw[/url] in Rock…four courses of perfectly cooked and seasoned seafood, plus cheeses and puddings. Everything was delightful, which is unusual, even in starred establishments.

Also, over the estuary in Padstow, Paul Ainsworth at No.6[/url] was superb…inventive fun cooking (I had fairground donuts for pudding), full of flavor and very reasonably priced.

L’enclume[/url] was also fabulous, but for different reasons. Great food for sure, but also an element of theater to the dishes. Probably the closest you can get to a Fat Duck ‘molecular gastronomy’ (sorry) experience without an impossible waiting list.

Had a great meal with 5 others at Le Gavroche this year, superb, though fairly pricy. Not so pricy that I wouldn’t plan a return visit at some point tho’ 🙂

However, one of the best meals that I’ve had and undoubtedly the best value by a country mile was at Chapters[/url] in Farnborough; £15 for a 3 course Sunday lunch in a Michelin starred restaurant…felt like we were robbing the place! This was a couple of years ago now…the Sunday lunch is now a whopping £20.50. I’d be there every Sunday if i didn’t live 2 hours away.

Currently planning to visit The Ledbury with the same bunch that came to Le Gav…very much looking forward to it!

Chapters is about a 10min walk from my house – not been yet though…

probably the best meal i’ve had on expenses was here – http://www.globen-flakket.dk In a basement in Arhus, Denmark – incredible food.

Food thread or how much can i spend thread ……. sayers, bury town centre 89 p pasty lovely could of added more cheese, round of drinks £2.15 not the cheapest in the area but matches venice beach prices!

Kobe beef in some small local place, in Kobe.
Cut and cooked on a hot plate in front of me (had it rare) and served with salt and a glass of wine, best steak ever.

Mr + Mrs on The Bund in Shanghai.

Gundel’s in Budapest.

I was a bit sceptical as to whether it would live up to hype, or just be trading off it’s past, but it really was good.

After spending near on 20 years working in the M industry its nice to hear so many places are appreciated.
Rusty, you’ll like The Ledbury.

Someone mentioned Chez Nous, biggest waste of money I ever Spent.

Pied a terre, brilliant.

Best meal was the Ledbury followed by either Marcus when he was at Petrus or Hollihead which was 15 years ago.

Best experience was at the 3* Paul bocuse, l’Auberge du Pont de because I spent an hour with the old boy getting a tour of the kitchen from him and drinking Freanch tea ( Champagne).

Seven course taster menu at The Three Chimneys on Skye

+1. I’ve been there twice now, and it was great both times. Eating a meal almost all farmed or caught locally, and then sipping a Talisker as I watched the seals basking in the bay is one of life’s better experiences. Mercifully, I was staying in a cottage nearby, as the on-site accommodation is eye-wateringly expensive.

Other honourable UK mentions: Northcote Manor (wonderfully inventive use of Lancashire produce), Rick Stein’s, Paul Ainswoth at No. 6 (both Padstow) and Casamia in Bristol.

As for abroad, Peter Doyle’s at the quaye, Sydney. Order the hot seafood platter for 2 and enjoy, overlooking the Opera House and Bridge. Magic.

Quay is a great place , not been but going by his book it looks something special.

The Dungeon in Dalhousie Castle nr Edinburgh. The chef produced these tiny little mouth explosions served on large plates that were glazed art by themselves.

Now, I remember when he came out and someone asked what they’d just eaten, saying the Chicken was nice, but, “what was that?” “That is the chicken!” “Then what was the chicken?” “Frogs legs!”

Frogs legs weren’t on the menu and people are upset just bringing the subject up nowadays, threatening to sue and other assorted nonsense but I am sure the exchange went as above.

All the above could be a hallucination however. I’m good at them. So if that meal wasn’t enough, it’d have to be the Beefeater next to the cinema in Harare. I had the peppered steak, and huge it was! On a giant oval plate that was heaped up higher than I could have managed at an all-you-can-eat-buffet with some of the best chips I’ve ever eaten. No mielie meal on the menu there!

Food from South East Asia … the Best!

Lemonnier, Lavaux Ste Anne in the Ardennes.

Found completely by chance. Wife and I went to the Tourist Info in Rochefort and asked for a mountain bike route and somewhere to stay.

Were given a 30 mile route through superb scenery in 30 degree heat and then got to the hotel/restaurant with 30 minutes to spare.

The meal was so good we threw caution to the wind and went for the cheese board, by far the best I have ever had – all Belgian and unpasteurised. I woke after an hour’s sleep with the worst indigestion ever. With no rennies, spent the rest of the night propped up on pillows trying to keep the acid down and failing to sleep. Come the morning and the bill I still had no regrets.

Been back a number of times and heading there after the RVV with friends.

The dish my wife recalls vividly was a “beach”, complete with edible “sand”.

Not cheap but not expensive by UK standards