Contact « Food Snob

Contact

Please feel free to contact me at:

foodsnob@hotmail.co.uk

All questions/suggestions/recommendations are welcome.

10 Responses to “Contact”

Feed for this Entry Trackback Address

1 Miss Sushimonster October 25, 2008 at 12:32 pm

Dear Foodsnob,

I have read your blogs and studied your website with great interest only to discover that in fact you are a foodsnob – but not the worldly, well-rounded kind.

How can you ignore japanese cuisine so completely? It suggests to me that you must be either french or over 70 years old or both and you assume ‘raw fish’ to be unpalatable. Plase allow me (an international citizen myself) to change your mind.

May I humbly recommend you venture into UMU, order the Kaiseki dinner menu and finally get out of the repetitive italian/french/modern-european mode you seem to be stuck in, and join us where food comes alive on your tongue.

I myself grew up surrounded by italian coastal food (Rome), but have surrendered my tastebuds to the Japanese, so I understand your passion for food.

I shall be looking forward to your review of UMU, and maybe I will see you there.

Respectfully,

Reply
2 Food Snob October 25, 2008 at 7:05 pm

Dearest Sushimonster,

First, I must apologise profusely for this false, false impression I have made upon you!

Secondly, thank you for taking me to task on this issue!!

I am very glad that someone has finally, and quite rightly, censured me for some gross negligence on my part. I agree that the current scope of restaurants critiqued is far too focused on French and Italian. However, if I am permitted to put forth feeble defence:
- I am neither French myself not over seventy years old
- I am indeed a lover of other cooking cultures, including Japanese, Chinese, Turkish and I am also always eager to try something new
- I have strayed from the norm in my review of New Tayyabs, cuisine-wise, and Franco Manca, budget-wise, both with success
- It is still early days; there are many meals ahead for Food Snob yet

Although I concur with so much of your comment, I am left a little disappointed by its conclusion: UMU.

I actually have, you may be stunned to learn, dined at UMU already and eaten the Special Kaiseki menu. It was almost a year ago with W (who you may recognise from some of my posts) and before Food Snob officially began writing. Unfortunately, all that I can remember of that evening is some lovely blueberry sake, two charming ladies who greeted us at the entrance, the interesting Aladdin’s cave entrance itself, nice décor and a whooping bill (which made it, until recently, the most expensive dinner I had ever had). In other words, the food was utterly forgettable.

I think, though, I see the ulterior motive behind UMU’s suggestion: maybe, by naming a Michelin starred Japanese, you think that will be enough to pique my interest and expedite a visit. If that is the case, please try harder!

My appetite has long been whetted; I just have not found the right opportunity to indulge it.

Yours faithfully,

Reply
3 londoneater November 17, 2008 at 3:46 pm

Forget umu, go to sushi hiro, you can’t go wrong with abalone sashimi and ultra soft scallops plus its like half the price of a ‘michelin’ starred jap restaurant in london. Did I also mention the belly tuna – really good here – go try it!

Reply
4 genuiness November 17, 2008 at 10:42 pm

still havent found a place in london where the sushi and sashimi has truly impressed me.

Reply
5 Food Snob November 18, 2008 at 11:44 am

LE: In retrospect, UMU and the Greenhouse are not world’s apart – not surprising as both are owned by the same company, MARC.
What they seem to have in common is good service, beautiful decor, high prices, but disappointing food.
To be fair, UMU does have a very cool ‘magical’ door; whilst the food is better at the Greenhouse (and they have a capital chef de patisserie).
Sushi Hiro does sound intersting…

G: Unfortunately, I cannot help with that!

Reply
6 genuiness December 8, 2008 at 1:39 am

that magical door at UMU sounds intriguing indeed…

I have realized the best place for sashimi is to go to Applebee’s and buy their freshest catch of the day and slice it up at home and cross my fingers that I don’t die of salmonella…

Reply
7 Food Snob December 8, 2008 at 6:26 am

Is that Applebee’s in Borough Market?

Reply
8 genuiness December 8, 2008 at 11:20 am

yup that would the one.

Reply
9 Dylan Davies April 18, 2009 at 10:23 pm

Read your last review of L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon.

I did a stage there last year, they use bought in frozen potato similar to SMASH for the “famous” mousseline de pomme de terre. They do it in all the restaurants he runs.

Reply
10 Cathy Ho April 21, 2009 at 2:34 am

Looking forward to your l’Arpege review!

Reply