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Was in London recently with my wife and we went to one of Gordon Ramsay's restaurants for her birthday treat. I am vegetarian but she is a carnivore. She loves steak so I though that this would be a good choice for her. This was the Maze in Chelsea. First of all it was busy, and cramped. I like a little space to eat. I dont suppose they can help the clientele but loudmouthed Londoners were the rule.

 

She hated her steak. We ordered well done but a competent vet could have got that cow back on its feet. After a disagreement with the waiter, almost getting to an argument, it was taken back and returned. Obviously microwaved, and was the consistency of boot leather. The choice I had was grilled octopus. It was slimy. 

 

Wine was expensive and disappointing. 

 

 

 

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We don't eat out much these days. Restaurant meals are a rip off and the price of wine is just silly. There seems to be a trend now for discarding the humble plate for serving the food. Of the last tw

Straight after chemo on Thursday I went down to the Park Hotel (ex Savoy) where I met Mrs C and Pat and John McKenzie. Pat (nee Bond), a Sherwood girl, was Linda's friend and at school with her, and e

Shurrup moaning you lot, it's nice to go out to a good restaurant occasionally.  

I am a bit of a foodie, I will admit, but Jill, you raise the issue of cheese on toast -  now are you going for a full on welsh rarebit with grated cheese, egg and mustard?  Pub style toastie? What cheese? Gotta be a good melting cheese. 

This could be a new thread -  the ultimate cheese on toast. 

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Chefs do not like cooking a steak to well done. It's dries the steak out giving you the impression you are eating an old boot. I too used to eat my steaks well done but living here if you have your steak medium it's more tender and twice as tasty. By the way nowadays I don't eat much meat as we have a great choice of vegetables that are equally as good as a steak ( medium).

Last night we went to a beautiful restaurant for dinner ( a belated birthday dinner as I was ill on the day) we entered and were the only 2 customers We ordered and ate a delicious meal. 2 starters of octopus, braised beef , lamb cutlets , cheese board and dessert, a bottle of really good wine and 2 coffees and 2 amari. € 110. I say not expensive for the type of place it was. Outside eating when weather is good. Food well presented, we had booked for Christmas Day but have decided to go to my daughters restaurant instead. The reason being that the Christmas menu didn't appeal to us, there was nothing out of the ordinary. Restaurants here tend to follow traditional specialities and my daughter is like my husband they both bring a new light to local food.

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4 minutes ago, Cliff Ton said:

 

Without being nosey and going into too much detail, was it "expensive" ?

 

The food was to the expensive end of being acceptable. £15 for a course. Steak about 20 quid. Wine was expensive and very average. We went for a "flight" of wine, and it was three glasses of about 100ml in each glass. I am no expert in wine but I know some. 

 

I know of some restaurants in London which are far better, and cheaper. 

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nonna, I envy you. The Italians know how to cook for certain. I love Italy and the food is superb. Due to getting a visa for my wife (she is a Russian national) we have to go to Italy for her to open her Shengen visa. Not a hardship to visit Pisa and Firenza again. I dont care much for Rome. 

 

A well done steak can be done correctly, it just takes a little more skill from the chef. 

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20 minutes ago, mercurydancer said:

am a bit of a foodie, I will admit, but Jill, you raise the issue of cheese on toast -  now are you going for a full on welsh rarebit with grated cheese, egg and mustard?  Pub style toastie? What cheese? Gotta be a good melting cheese. 

It has to be decent granary bread, M.D. and a very mature cheddar. Not into rarebits. Grated red onion is nice. However, I'm just as happy with the same ingredients in a sandwich. 

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Jill

 

Good quality ingredients are the key. I live close to Wensleydale (cracking cheese) and I get it at a specialist cheese shop in Thirsk, which has an artisan bread shop across the square. Fave cheese for me is either Keens or Montgomerys. 

 

In a sandwich, has to be with a good pickle. My own piccalilli is legendary, but it takes weeks to mature. 

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2 hours ago, philmayfield said:

Since the advent of nouvelle cuisine and celebrity chefs we've a cultivated a breed of pretentious foodies. I think a lot of it is just like the "Emperors New Clothes". At one time you used to go out to a decent restaurant and have a quality meal - preferably something which would be more elaborate than you would cook at home without all the faff that went with that. Now we've got 10 course "tasting menus". Can you really satisfy a hearty appetite with microscopic portions of God knows what on the plate? I used to eat out a lot, especially when I was in business. I was usually the customer so I was wined and dined in top restaurants both in the UK and Europe but this was "proper" well cooked food in adequate portions. I don't eat out much now as pub meals are reheated ready prepared stuff and the more upmarket places want to dish the food up on a roofing slate or a plank of wood. Tonight at home we have casserole of venison. Good, simple plain English food. I can smell it cooking now - must go and pour myself a glass of wine!

 

My first reply seems to have disappeared into the ether, I'll try again. I certainly agree with you about pretentious foodies. Not all of us are used to being wined and dined in top restaurants around the world though. A visit to somewhere more upmarket as an occasional treat is all I was remarking on.

 

Sadly due to health issues, not all of us may be able to manage trencherman helpings of rich food either so 'nouvelle cuisine' can be a more manageable option. But it's horses for courses ... well perhaps not...

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For us to eat out is always an occasion. I'm afraid that because we have had many restaurants we start to get a bit blasé about food .We don't get to eat out often as my husband is a chef so is working lunch and dinner. Eating out continually gets boring and you get fed up seeing menus that don't offer something really different. It's nice to try different restaurants no matter if they are Michelin starred or not . But we are fussy about the food, it doesn't have to be nouvelle cuisine and doesn't need to be abbondant but it has to be good. We used to like to go into BHS for steak and kidney pie when we lived in Nottingham and were pleased if there was fish and chips on the menu. At home we don't exaggerate with excessive frills but it's nice when we do. Go on recommendations not what you think is sounds good. I have tins of baked beans too. 

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Everyone has different tastes, like and dislikes - add in allergies and it becomes virtually impossible to cook something that has universal appeal.

Having said that some chefs have delusions of grandeur and seem to think any weird concoction they create is  ambrosia of the gods. One tiny morsel on a plate the size of Wales is supposed to send us into paroxysms of delight. 

I like my food without spice, garnish, sauces etc. and any seasoning (salt) I'll do it myself. I also like to recognise what's on my plate and not mistake it for a painting by Jackson Pollack.

Many enjoy the experience and good for them but I always wonder which chippy they go to after..

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I agree with those two places AfferGorritt, plus Chino Latino, love the food in there too

Six of us went to World Service for my husband's Birthday last month, big bill ...... let’s just say the 12.50% ‘Discretionary Service Charge’  was £54!   But it was a fabulous evening and worth every penny seeing as he thought it was just us two out for a meal and then he saw our kids sitting waiting for our arrival, having driven up from Hertfordshire.  

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In the town we used to live in, we had a Western  steak house. The owner was all for a bit of fun. Whenever someone (usually a Brit) ordered a well done steak, when it was ready to come out, the owner would ring a big brass bell, announce a well done was coming out and bring out a plate with an old boot on it. My hubby is just the opposite, likes it so rare he usually replies when asked how he likes it, just whip its horns off, and wipes its ass.

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I remember a few weeks ago that I caused consternation on here by indicating that I enjoyed eating steak tartare. Was that due to the raw steak or the raw egg which accompanies it?

 

I will quite happily eat a raw steak provided it is properly slaughtered and hung. A good steak should not bleed either uncooked or cooked. If my steak must be cooked, anything more than blue is a no-no.

 

Doesn't anyone eat Chateaubriand? Completely raw in the middle.

 

Doesn't anyone eat Jamon Serrano in Spain orJambon Cru in France or Prosciutto in Italy or Bresaola in Switzerland or any of them anywhere or salami (I know all are available in the UK)? All are uncooked.

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2 hours ago, denshaw said:

Maybe Nonna or someone else can answer this, do you have to pay the discretionary charge and if you are not happy with the food and you leave half of it do you still have to pay the full amount?

If it's a discretionary charge it's precisely that, should you decide not to pay for any reason that's perfectly fair and legal and they can't insist. If it should be made clear, before the start of any meal, that a mandatory service charge of x amount is applied, then diners would be expected to pay that unless the service was questionable. I've never come across a mandatory charge personally.

 

If a meal is not up to standard you can reject it and it should be replaced or you should not be charged for it. If you've eaten some of it that should still apply. If you've eaten most of it or all of it, you will be required to pay. If you don't pay, a restaurant would no doubt demand your name and address as they may decide to sue you for payment if it was worth the hassle. Non-payment is a civil matter and only if folk eat up and leg it would it be a police matter. If a diner refuses to pay and won't give their details that's the hardest for a restaurant, they are not allowed to stop non-payers from leaving. There was a case on the local news of this situation recently. The owner provided meals for a number of people who ate up and simply refused to pay. The police were called who did nothing although these folks details were obtained. The outraged owner was going to take them to court, it was his only option..

 

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