Mentioned that I liked Bond movies and was

[redgunamo]

That scene is horrific.....

You know the Godfather had to get the Mafia's permission to film in new York? And had to agree to remove the word mafia from the film entirely...

One or two of the chaps what actually did it were technical advisors on the film and even had small roles in it. Makes sense as they'd been interviewed for the book too and had already gone to the Feeb by then.

Ordinarily the Mob do let you get on with it; the Movie Business is the best passport in the world, they say; gets you into anywhere.

[Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult]

Always had mine medium rare but as there is no French equivalant I just order it saignant and am done with it.

Sometimes I tell them 'mais pas trop saignant' but it doesn't really seem to make a difference.

Love a good tartare, there's a little brasserie called Le Dome in Villiers that does an excellent one. Key is the mustard/acidity ratio. Oh and the frites have to be superb to offset the tartare, very important.

Saignant's rare while "? point" is medium-rare, no? Have you tried that?

Ooohh, so that tartare uses mustard too, then. Will deffo try it next time, with Lea & Perrins and Tabasco, but with Dijon replacing the tomato sauce.

{Btw, when I asked for my pain-au-choc's bien cuit mais pas trop bien cuit that worked perfectly. I was going to the same boulangerie every day - right by St Paul metro. So I'm an unshaven skinhead in crusty looking clothes - even if my shooting jacket cost ?300+, I still look like a manky crusty by French standards. So all the ladies behind the counter thought it rather funny. After a weak or two, when I'd ask for "Deux pain-au-choc, madameoiselle, ..." all the ladies would say "bien cuit mais pas trop bien cuit" in unison before I could say it.}

[WES]

Saignant's rare while "? point" is medium-rare, no? Have you tried that?

Ooohh, so that tartare uses mustard too, then. Will deffo try it next time, with Lea & Perrins and Tabasco, but with Dijon replacing the tomato sauce.

{Btw, when I asked for my pain-au-choc's bien cuit mais pas trop bien cuit that worked perfectly. I was going to the same boulangerie every day - right by St Paul metro. So I'm an unshaven skinhead in crusty looking clothes - even if my shooting jacket cost ?300+, I still look like a manky crusty by French standards. So all the ladies behind the counter thought it rather funny. After a weak or two, when I'd ask for "Deux pain-au-choc, madameoiselle, ..." all the ladies would say "bien cuit mais pas trop bien cuit" in unison before I could say it.}

'a point' I have found you tend to get them medium which is too well done for me. I did try 'entre saignant et a point' once but again it wasn't really medium rare.

TBH I've learned to enjoy them saignant just as much as the Frenchies always put a really good crust on their steaks. If the outside is charred and salty and the middle is warm I don't really care how bloody it. Yum!

[Peter]

I've had them all GG, Angus, USDA, Kobe, Wagyu, Tuxeleta etc etc

USDA grain fed is still the best for me, fatty, sweet, unctuous, gorgeous. Took my Frenchie mates to Goodmans in the City for USDA and they couldn't believe how good it was. Next time in Paris they took me to one of the best steak places here, can't remember the name but it was Cyril Lignac place I think. Rubbish. Even they admitted it didn't touch Goodmans.

Mind you, I had a stunning Tuxeleta in San Seb in July.

Great steak needs no sauce, GG. But don't go lightly on the salt. Magical combination, charred steak and sea salt

Have to agree with you on the sauce, there. And the salt.

What I absolutely hate is over peppered steak- ruins the taste.

I dont mind a sauce on the side for the chips

[PSRB]

Have to agree with you on the sauce, there. And the salt.

What I absolutely hate is over peppered steak- ruins the taste.

I dont mind a sauce on the side for the chips

Should add the pepper once the steak is done, other you just end up with burnt pepper. As WES says though, lots of sea salt.

[Peter]

Should add the pepper once the steak is done, other you just end up with burnt pepper. As WES says though, lots of sea salt.

I'd hold the pepper completely.

However, all of this is about really good steak, which I hardly ever eat. In England, genuinely good steak is too expensive. I'd rather spend the money on enough Guinness to make a **** steak taste good

[PSRB]

I'd hold the pepper completely.

However, all of this is about really good steak, which I hardly ever eat. In England, genuinely good steak is too expensive. I'd rather spend the money on enough Guinness to make a **** steak taste good

Nice Malbec, reverse seared Tomahawk (medium rare) on my Kamado BBQ and I'm a happy man.

[Peter]

Nice Malbec, reverse seared Tomahawk (medium rare) on my Kamado BBQ and I'm a happy man.

Clearly at some point you grew up and became an adult.

I'll get there one day.....

[PSRB]

Clearly at some point you grew up and became an adult.

I'll get there one day.....

BBQ = Boy's toys

[Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult]

'a point' I have found you tend to get them medium which is too well done for me. I did try 'entre saignant et a point' once but again it wasn't really medium rare.

TBH I've learned to enjoy them saignant just as much as the Frenchies always put a really good crust on their steaks. If the outside is charred and salty and the middle is warm I don't really care how bloody it. Yum!

'a point' I have found you tend to get them medium which is too well done for me. I did try 'entre saignant et a point' once but again it wasn't really medium rare.

TBH I've learned to enjoy them saignant just as much as the Frenchies always put a really good crust on their steaks. If the outside is charred and salty and the middle is warm I don't really care how bloody it. Yum!

Good man. Give it a few years and it'll be blue.

But you do worry me. I was gonna suggest 'entre saignant et a point' until I then read you'd tried it. I'd always assumed that Anglophones who moaned were wrong. I thought you could always get exactly what you wanted in France if you just made an effort to speak the language. That they'd always understand really and consider your confided mumblings a sign of respect.

What about 'entre saignant et a point mais un peu plus [whichever it wasn't last time]'?

Though having never had a medium-rare [anywhere, but for this discussion clearly UK/N.Am] I wouldn't know what they're doing wrong in France.

But then in the UK, no matter what I ask - "look, please, just fifteen effing seconds a side" - can the Brits cook a blue pwoppa like the Frogs do.

Maybe it's just something inherent about the culture? Never the twain and all that.

But then, for me I'm always looking for [or looking to create at home] cheap French restau classics, so that's why I'm hapy in France but moan elsewhere.

Am with you on charred on the outside but warm in the middle - that's why I like thick cuts so the middle is blue. But do you really like none of the classic French sauces?

Next you'll be telling me you don't like a classic French onion or Seafood soup.

[Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult]

Have to agree with you on the sauce, there. And the salt.

What I absolutely hate is over peppered steak- ruins the taste.

I dont mind a sauce on the side for the chips

You also have a baguette to use.

That's the other reason about making a top sauce when you're cooking in France. Lovely supper and then an hour later, can heat up the saucepan and mop using using a bit of baguette.

Disagree on the rest, but that was the way I was brought up so I think a sauce compliments a steak just as one does a magret.

Do you two have gravies with a Sunday roast?

[Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult]

I'd hold the pepper completely.

However, all of this is about really good steak, which I hardly ever eat. In England, genuinely good steak is too expensive. I'd rather spend the money on enough Guinness to make a **** steak taste good

You do realise that that's the original point of a sauce in France?

[Peter]

You do realise that that's the original point of a sauce in France?

The point is you dont need to make a great steak taste good.

And there is no sauce invented that tastes better than 7 or 8 pints of Guinness

[Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult]

The point is you dont need to make a great steak taste good.

And there is no sauce invented that tastes better than 7 or 8 pints of Guinness

7 pints of Spesh, 7 pints of G&T, a couple of bottles of decent claret for a start.

But do you like a curry - another recipe [well, series of] invented to cover the taste of bad meat in the days before fridges.

While a rack of top notch lamb is fine as it is, I still enjoy lamb tikka or whatever. {And I always make my own herb crust on the lamb rack, tbf.}

So steak with sauces = bad. But are you ok with curry and gravy with a Sunday roast? Yet salt on steak is fine. Struggling to understand exactly where you draw the line and why.

If you're having a steak tartare - using a top piece of fillet - do you have any sauce with it? Or is even the egg yolk spoiling it for you?

{Look, I know the obvious answer is we both just prefer what we grew up with, but the glw's in Cornwall, and it's one of those boring, Arsenal-free Saturdays.}

[Peter]

7 pints of Spesh, 7 pints of G&T, a couple of bottles of decent claret for a start.

But do you like a curry - another recipe [well, series of] invented to cover the taste of bad meat in the days before fridges.

While a rack of top notch lamb is fine as it is, I still enjoy lamb tikka or whatever. {And I always make my own herb crust on the lamb rack, tbf.}

So steak with sauces = bad. But are you ok with curry and gravy with a Sunday roast? Yet salt on steak is fine. Struggling to understand exactly where you draw the line and why.

If you're having a steak tartare - using a top piece of fillet - do you have any sauce with it? Or is even the egg yolk spoiling it for you?

{Look, I know the obvious answer is we both just prefer what we grew up with, but the glw's in Cornwall, and it's one of those boring, Arsenal-free Saturdays.}

I'm British, of course I love a curry. But they genuinely don't come with world class meat, as you say. Nor do Sunday roasts, so I obviously enjoy the gravy (although you dont want too much if there is stuffing- nothing worse than soggy stuffing).

And a nice, feisty peppercorn sauce on a steak is lovely. But if you give me a genuinely wonderful piece of steak, I want to taste it. It doesn't need smothering with anything. I just want to taste the meat. If you are going to give me an interesting sauce on the side I may well have a dip.....

Think of it like a fine single malt- you don't stick coke or ginger ale in it. But give me a shot of Teachers and I am drowning it in something just to keep it down

I m seriously, ****ing bored! And now I want a whiskey (with an e!). I think I have a 12 year old Jameson somewhere......