[thechat] Recipe: Tom Yam Gai (Thai Hot n' Sour soup)

[Norman Beresford]

> > And he's generally reckoned to be the best British cook around.
>
> hmmmm - where's his Michelin stars, then?

I'm fairly certain that he's had them in the past.  Yep, he's had two in his
time.  One in his first job as Chef (as opposed to cook) at the Castle Hotel
and one at The Greenhouse.  I didn't know that much about his background
(lost all sense of smell in an accident when he was training on the
continent and had to relearn the taste of everything) until I watched a
programme on British cooks, which was on him and Jamie.  In the bits on Gary
it was all chefs saying what an amazing chef he was, in the bits on Jamie it
was all television producers saying what a great presenter he was.

> >  Gordon Ramsey (ex-footballer, specialises in shouting, swearing, and
> > threatening people).
>
> Once threw a restaurant critic out of his restaurant for being an arse.
> Now *that's* balls.

A A Gill I belive?  Wasn't Joan Collins his companion and she went as well?


>Also, despite his highly renowned abuse of his staff,
> when he left one restaurant, his *entire staff* (front of house and
> kitchen both) went with him.

Did you watch the episode of Faking It with the burger van bloke who had to
pass as a chef, and trained in Gordon Ramsey's kitchen?  The staff basically
told him that he had to be a bastid to get them motiviated.

On the subject of kitchens I have to recommend Kitchen Confidential by
Anthony Bourdain which is a great insiders look at life spent cooking.  Very
enjoyable read .http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0747553556/

Norman