Le Manoir Aux Quat Saisons ....

[mrs.chappie]

Raymond Blanc's hotel/restaurant in Oxfordshire .... has anyone ever eaten/stayed there?

Was it worth the high price?

[DTCwordfan]

lol

[mrs.chappie]

We have a good "as much as you can eat" Sunday buffet (Chinese) near to where I live.

Think it's about £14 a head and it's very good. I don't know how it compares to real Chinese food though, but it's good enough for the likes of me. :o)

[DTCwordfan]

And, do you know what, thats what food is about, enjoying it and the folk that you are with. Excepting the MQS which is exceptional some of my fav restaurants in the world have cost less than £15 for two - a beach cafe outside Larnaca in Cypress, a Chinese haunt that we used in HK (the American - a perverse name) a restaurant for Gobuli (type of dim sum) in Tianjin.

All depends on who you are with and where you are!

[mrs.chappie]

Very true, DT. It's my hubby, more than me, who wants to go to the Manoir. He loves trying different foods, he has travelled all over the world and had many culinary delights.

I've just asked him what is the strangest thing he's eaten .... he said a sea-slug in China. Said it was like eating a bicycle inner tube. :o(

[DTCwordfan]

I actually am very strange as I love sea cucumber.....

I lived in HK and Shanghai for nigh on 8 years - the strangest thing I could never get to grips with was the "O" rings of turtles - it's a texture thing for the Chinese but to me they tasted like rubber. I am on the WWF list of gastronomic terrorists for what has been down my gullet as I do work on the basis of "one must try it once before saying No" - only once has that not been held up - I said no to water-rat and compromised on hedgehog soup - a little sharp?

Things like grasshoppers, worms, wood-grubs, all sorts of reptiles, been there, done that.......

[mrs.chappie]

I could never fancy trying insects or worms or things like that. I do handle dried mealworms a lot, as I give my hedgehogs them .... I rehydrate them so they're nice and plump for the wee hedgies. They love 'em.

[DTCwordfan]

just had those toothy pegs checked two days ago Pinki - clean as a whistle except 2 teeth for a little bit if the red wine tartare on the lower jaw (nothing serious as it was l their 1 depth. X rays, and no fillings etc etc and £17 the lighter - broccoli, that was nearly 3 bottles of my plonk when I think about it!

[DTCwordfan]

see y'all - Master is finishing - back on tomorrow to watch it on the BBC and then follow AB behind the TV stream (along with a bottle of something).

Sleep tight and dream of food (or whatever that may be more appropriate!!!!!)

[DTCwordfan]

yee Gads, Masters not Master.

[mrs.chappie]

Goodnight DT. Sleep well. x