Chairs & dust

My worst fear, when I started planning the restaurant, was to receive the chairs after the opening day. I remenber reading stories about restaurant opening date which had to be delayed becasue the chairs had not arrived! Our timing is very tight so when I ordered the chairs I made sure that they will be delivered on 4th May.
This morning, a massive truck pulled in front of my house- the driver from Tcheque Republic told Clive that he had 800+kilos of chairs to be delivered at my home adress! wrong adress and 1 week too early- flooring is not finished at the restaurant- the carpenter is still sanding; dust is everywhere....

So the driver drove all the way to Soho and delivered the chairs.

Neighbours and smell

There is something really particular about Nicoise cuisine; it is very colourful- very vegetable based and also full of dry herbs.

The flavours are very powerful and release an exquisite smell.

Sadly our new neighbour can't stand food smell.

One would wonder why they decided to rent a flat above a restaurant.

Anyway, the gentlemen living above the restaurant stormed into the dining room last night and abused Max in front of our costumers! Not very cool in a full restaurant!

I guess there are going to be some busy lawyers in Nice.

News from the front...

Streets around the restaurant have been emptied by the red shirts and the army.


The usual non stop traffic is now non existent.


La Table de Tee has been closed for 2 days and we have had to ask most of the staff not to comeback until the area is safe.

The other parts of Bangkok are full of army personnel checking who is doing what.

I read in this morning newspaper that the prime minister had rejected the offer of a dissolution; the army is going to end all of this with gun.

We all expect carnage in the streets of Bangkok and that makes me really sad.

Piercing & Tattoo

Our wine cellar is starting to look good I have to say. Most of our cave du jour will be on display in what used to be Lindsay House Chef's Table. Our guests will be able to pick their own wine from our list direct from our cellar. Also, we got a huge piece of marble to put in the middle of the cellar, so we can use the room as a bar as well.
Most of our future wine suppliers have been coming to the restaurant for the last few days. They all share our hopes and are very supportive- above my expectations.
Meanwhile, Damian is busy trying to create a relaxing and chic dining room. He has also started interviewing our future waiters & waitresses. Recruiting for a restaurant in Soho is nothing to compare with recruiting for a restaurant in Pimlico. Our staff need to reflect Soho diversity and also its eccentricity- so get ready for a few piercing & tattoos.

Tears & Bombs

After spending most of my morning trying to find ways to defend myself with my lawyer, I came to the conclusion that the rest of the day will be just business as usual.
The tough hours were behind me.

I walked Oxford street, passed Liberty and walked back to the restaurant via the side Soho streets. The sun was shinning and the sky started to look, again, like a congested sky motorway!

When I stepped into my office, Gerard was intensively looking at the computer; he saw me and told me:
Did you hear what happened in Bangkok?
I didn't know was he was talking about;
Bombs have exploded at Saladeng Station! 3 dead-100 injured.
Saladeng station is exactly where our restaurant in Bangkok is situated!
Gerard and I bought a restaurant for our protégé chef- Tee Kachornklin- called La Table de Tee.
It is probably the best restaurant in the Saladeng area and despite having been open for just under a year, business is really good.
Last week Tee told us that the red shirts had started to move closer to Sillom road and saladeng road. We did not worry, thinking that they will be deterred by the army. Wrong!
Red shirts are fighting for the restoration of democracy. The current government is fighting for the end of corruption. 2 good causes. 2 sides with conviction.
Sadly behind each side there is the interest of a few minorities pulling strings!
Now the King needs to step in or blood is going to flow in the streets of Bangkok... and our restaurant will never survive the chaos.

Not a bad day is it?

A day to forget

Wow, things are getting hot here. I thought I took over L.....y H....e- the buidling- trademark name, so can't use the name! So it will be Gauthier Soho

Menu dilemna

I have started to finalise what the menu is going to look like- I don't want big menus that open in 2 with 4 pages to read and millions of things to decide from.
Soho is no Pimlico and I must reflect what Soho is all about in my menu.
It should be straight forward, relax and to the point- without the fuss.
Price wise, It should reflect my feeling toward gastronomic restaurant:
I just detest restaurant where I feel I am being overcharged. I think that having a Tasting menu for £75 or up is just daylight robbery! All our suppliers will be helping us to succeed when we start- we must pass the savings to our customers.