Usually, on Sundays, after Karen’s special breakfast, I find myself washing the car, cutting the grass, working in the garden and thinking about what I am going to cook for the kids tonight (the kids are now 23 and 27, I am too much of a gentleman to mention Alana’s age… Pascal’s fiancée).

Well , today, the weather kind of spoiled the routine and having send the end of months reports to my accountant, I thought about my journal and since my laptop is on….

One of the keys to a successful restaurant, I have been told many times over the years is consistency. Well, you know….it must be the same for restaurants critics. It is why I am taking my hat off to the Glasgow Herald restaurant critic. Last Sunday she just about wrote the same comments on L’Artichaut, my new vegetarian restaurant, as those she wrote about La Garrigue about 8 years ago.

I was so impressed with it last time around, that I actually bought the drawing produced for the article as I thought it was the nearest to giving readers a real picture of La Garrigue. It looks like I will have to write to the Glasgow Herald again and ask them to send me the drawing of L’Artichaut as the actual article is so un-representative of our customer feedback to date, vegetarian or not… I am now too old and too wise, to get involved in a tit for tat reaction, we have a old saying in France who goes « Les chiens aboient….la caravanne passe.. ».

It does not matter how good we are at what we are doing, we have all experienced a « bad day at the office », maybe that lady had a « bad hair day », or an uncomfortable pair of shoes, maybe her scale lied to her that morning…..who knows ? After all, La Garrigue went on to become a good wee restaurant with a regular faithful clientele, so I look at it as a good omen. I am sure that L’Artichaut is going to make its mark on the Edinburgh eating out scene.

A few months after the article on La Garrigue, it was named the best new city restaurant of the year, winning lots of awards, consistently receiving 2AA rosettes year after year…..A good friend of mine received a very poor report from the same lady before being rewarded with a Michelin star, well done Tony !

Belinda and the team are a good bunch of young talented people with such a refreshing attitude and positivity that they are going to establish L’Artichaut as one of the finest establishments in town. They will win the support of lovers of fresh and healthy food, vegetarian or not, and please do not take my word for it, or believe what you read in the papers….., come in and try it for yourself….


Tomorrow is going to be an exciting day as I am taking Belinda to Glasgow for a chefs conference. It is going to be an opportunity for Belinda to meet some of the best trend setters this country has to offer and for me to meet up with some old friends while making new, younger ones. For us the star attraction is going to be a cookery demonstration by Paul Gayler on ...vegetarian food , I already contacted Paul and I hope we will have the time to speak to him and exchange views and tips....of course there is also the dinner after the conference prepared by two of the most talented Scottish chefs around.

Of course I have a special bond with Glasgow as it is there that I spent some of the best years of my life as a young French man and it is always a pleasure for me to return to the city. One day, maybe , I will tell you all about it....or not!

I wish you all a good autumn, not too wet, I hope, and I hope to see you either at La Garrigue or L’Artichaut. Our December menus are now ready and we still have some spaces left in both restaurants so call Julie or Catriona before it is too late, and reserve your table.......”your call is important to us”.......

A bientot

J-Michel