i know i still owe you a review of the food we ate in skye but i wanted to jump in with a quick word about the pierre koffman pop-up at selfridges.

i rarely write about the food i eat out that is not up to scratch – sat bains and l’anima being two such disappointments – but given the almost unanimous rave reviews i wanted to put out a dissenting view about the pop-up.

the setting is wonderful – the temporary structure has a real feeling of contemporary glamour – as is the welcome and service but the food we ate really wasn’t great.

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since we got back from new york i haven’t been eating out much as i’ve wanted to be in my kitchen trying new stuff. when i have made it out i’ve mostly been revisiting old favourites (terroirs and moro) and been disappointed by new place (ramsay at claridges and the fellow).

however, a couple of friends have had greater success than i and very kindly written up their thoughts. first up is my friend judy who recently ate at corrigan’s mayfair. here is what she thought.

having eaten at lindsay house on several occasions and, indeed, recommended it to friends as the ‘special’ place for a meal, i was thrilled to bits that my friend jojo and i were able to get a table at the new corrigan’s mayfair for our joint birthday treat. as well as lindsay house, both of us had enjoyed the long lamented (and now closed)english garden together, and the unequalled thierry’s style of bringing the human face to somewhat formal fine dining.

all set for a wonderful time we made our way to the park lane end of the rather dreary upper grosvenor street where corrigan’s mayfair is set, left a sun drenched evening and entered the very dark, potentially chic, temple of food. we were greeted by a friendly young woman and were taken to a table that was nicely situated in the very comfortable banquette seating towards the back of the restaurant: a cross between pseudo modern and 70s décor; a curious atmosphere of orange and brown (although i don’t think either orange or brown play a great part in the décor). the sense of richard corrigan’s hearty, traditional yet light and warm personality did not extend to our surroundings.

the menu was, unsurprisingly, wide ranging and we expectantly asked to see the ‘tasting menu’. too late we discovered that this was not an option and that we had to choose only one item from each part of the main menu, no mean feat. it then took far too long to see what of the myriad of choices we would try and were very hungry by the time the amuse bouche of deep fried coated olives and cheesy biscuit arrived: delicious.

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terroirs is my new favourite wine bar. just off the strand and recently opened, it serves wonderful food and has a wine list which is apparently adventurous and imaginative, relying, as it does, on small artisan growers who produce their wine sustainably, organically or biodynamically. most of the list is french but italy is also well represented (i am a growing fan of italian wines) with spain and britain also getting a look-in. i don’t know enough about wine to comment in any depth but if you are interested in this reviews are emerging online which speak lyrically about the wines.

the food deserves similar praise. the man in the kitchen is ed wilson who used to cook for the galvin brothers. his menu mostly comprises small plates, which means you can enjoy a small snack with your glass of wine, or something more substantial if you approach the menu as you would tapas.

i was there with two friends for a birthday lunch so we opted for the latter approach, choosing 9 small plates between us. everything was excellent – not a duff dish amongst them my favourites were the buttery potted shrimp on toast, a charcuterie platter which included an excellent pistachio-studded terrine ad a melt-in-the-mouth duck rillette, a beetroot salad, fat juicy clams in sherry and wild mushrooms with polenta.

despite feeling full we decided that the crepes with salt butter caramel sauce sounded too good to miss so we ordered three rounds to finish us off. which they did but wow, wow, wow, they were truly fabulous!

it wasn’t a cheap lunch, coming in at just over £50 a head but we did work the menu hard (our alcohol consumption was much more restrained!) so don’t be put off by this. i’ve already got a return visit scheduled in so david can try it and have recommended terroirs to a number of friends, including all of you who read this blog. pop in for a drink or book a table (and you will need to book, as i found out when i called in on my way home last night) and see what you think.

terroirs

5 william iv street, london wc2n

t- 020 7036 0660

www.terroirswinebar.com

i’ve wanted to eat at l’atelier de joel robuchon for while but only managed to get round to it last week. this was actually good timing, as it won a second michelin star earlier in the month and joel robuchon was in attendance on the day. he’s also been in the media recently, proclaiming that restaurants are going to need to simplify their food if they are to survive the credit crunch and that having the kitchen on show to the punters is better for both chef and diner.

anyway, enough media hoo-ha, on to the food! i went for lunch with my friend clare and, sitting in the ground floor atelier (all black and red decor with low lighting, an open kitchen in the middle), we decided to mix and match the tapas and a la carte menus (there is also an excellent value lunch menu - £19 for 2 courses).

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last week david and i had a truly indulgent lunch, we went to hélène darroze at the connaught. darroze, a two-michelin-starred french chef, was announced as the new cuisiniere (replacing angela hartnett) at the connaught back in march and there has been extensive media coverage of her arrival and the restaurant since.

first impressions? i loved the setting – the wood-panelled room is gorgeously decorated, with the obligatory muted tones jazzed up with lime and bright pink roses on each table. glassware, crockery and cutlery is very bling and adds to the luxurious feeling. inevitably this is not a cheap place to eat but, as a special treat, we decided to indulge ourselves and chose the tasting menu (£95pp).

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