|
BLOG
22
February 2010: WHAT IS EPOS?
Like
a lot of gadgets these days, Electronic Point of Sales
(EPoS) systems can do some pretty amazing things.
In fact, the installation of a decent EPoS system
in a restaurant, pub or hotel business will not only
help operators manage staffing, stock control and
reservations, but ensure guests appreciate the speedy
and accurate service that it helps deliver.
.
. . read more at BigHospitality.co.uk
7
December 2009: NON-U FOOD
In
an article written for the Spectator in 1963, Elizabeth
David recounts how every guest she takes to the rather
mediocre and now long gone Beau Geste restaurant in
South Kensington is beguiled by the inexplicably delicious
salad. The punchline is that the dressing's killer
ingredient turns out to be plain old malt vinegar.
.
. . read more at bbcgoodfood.com
16
November 2009: THE HIGHER THE RESTAURANT CONCEPT, THE
HARDER THE FALL
In
April 2007, I signed off a Metro
review of the high concept pan-Asian restaurant Haiku
by saying “I can’t imagine there were many
people yearning to eat dinky portions of prawn tom
yum and lamb rogan josh at the same meal before the
restaurant opened and I don’t think many will
regret missing the chance when it inevitably closes.”
Just over a year, and a reported £3m investment
later Haiku served its last portions of pad Thai,
Peking duck and chicken Yakitori.
.
. . read more at BigHospitality.co.uk
18
September 2009: MASTERCHEF: THE NOT SO PROFESSIONALS
I’ve
been watching Masterchef: The Professionals (which
began its second run on BBC2 this week) with mixed
emotions. Its always a pleasure to see Michel Roux
Jnr on the TV screen; a genuine expert and articulate
with it. But it hasn’t been much fun watching
the early competitors display a shamefully low level
of basic culinary knowledge and cooking technique.
.
. . read more at BigHospitality.co.uk
3
August 2009: SEARCHING FOR THE YOUNG SOLE REBELS
The
restaurant industry thrives on new talent. In the
highly competitive and dynamic world of the professional
kitchen, there’ll always be someone desperate
to be the next Ramsay, Ducasse or Adria.
So
if you want to find out who are the gastronomic stars
of tomorrow, who would you ask?
The
obvious answer is Ramsay, Ducasse and Adria themselves,
who you might imagine have a global network of spies,
searching for the young sole rebels who’ll give
their restaurant kitchens that all important competitive
edge.
As
it turns out you’d be quite wrong.
.
. . read more at BigHospitality.co.uk
20
July 2009: CURSE OF THE ECOTARIANS
I've
got nothing against vegetarians; I'm a part time veggie
myself and often cook meat and fish-free meals for
the family. I also have nothing against vegans, although
their predilection for vile tasting soya milk makes
popping round for coffee something of an ordeal. But
I do have a problem with ecotarians, whose diet is
entirely determined by ecological considerations.
What's good for the planet is good for their palate.
So what could possibly be wrong with that that? Nothing,
except I'm tired of bearing the weight of the entire
world on my shoulders.
.
. . read more at bbcgoodfood.com
13
July 2009: PRETENTIOUS, MOI?
At
the recent Identita London culinary congress, Italian
chef Massimo Bottura of two Michelin star Osteria
Francescana restaurant in Modena presented a video
entitled “We are the Revolution”.
The 10 minute film interspersed shaky hand-held camera
footage of a snow-covered landscape with moody studio
shots of Bottura looking thoughtful and pensive. Avant
garde artist Joseph Beuys and eccentric jazz pianist
Thelonious Monk were sited as the inspiration for
the chef's cuisine. Oh, and there was some cooking
too.
.
. . read more at BigHospitality.co.uk
13
May 2009: POP UP OR SHUT UP?
According
to a story in the Independent 100
British restaurants went out of business in
January this year. That's not good news for anyone,
but some smart operators have embraced the notion
that restaurants can often have a limited lifespan
and turned it to their advantage.
.
. . read more at BigHospitality.co.uk
29
April 2009: DON'T DISS THE DINING ROOM
When
Marco told the Hell's Kitchen celebrities that working
as a waiter for a night was their punishment for a
poor performance in the kitchen, he did himself and
the industry nofavours at all. To deliberately demean
the job in front of an audience of 5 million people
is at best thoughtless and at worst damaging to the
image of the whole industry.
.
. . read more at BigHospitality.co.uk
27
April 2009: IS THERE A CHEF IN THE HOUSE?
If
you want your money's worth from a Michelin-starred
restaurant, you need to find one where the chef only
runs one establishment and is therefore bound to be
in the kitchen sweating over a hot stove. Well, good
luck with that, because these days Michelin-starred
chefs are just as likely to be touring the world demonstrating
their talents at the year-long roster of food and
wine festivals.
.
. . read more at bbcgoodfood.com
25
March 2009: TWITTERING ON
If
you think tweeting is strictly for the birds, it might
be time to reassess your opinion. Posting 140 character
status updates on Twitter (or tweeting as its known)
is the latest web craze to sweep the nation. Actor
and comedian Stephen Fry has led the way in the UK
with over 340,000 people following his numerous daily
tweets such as “Am having fun with iPhone 3.0
beta”, but you can also follow the thoughts of
everyone from Barack Obama to Ricky Gervais.
.
. . read more at BigHospitality.co.uk
27
February 2009: DISCOUNT WARS
If
you visit the Oriental Aroma restaurant in Wootton
Bassett on a Sunday lunchtime, you will not only be
able to eat as much as you like from the Chinese buffet
for free, but owner James Huynh will pay you £1
for your time. According to the Telegraph, the credit
crunching ploy has increased custom by 400 per cent
but is costing the restaurant £3k - £4k
every time it runs.
.
. . read more at BigHospitality.co.uk
26
February 2009: SNACK ATTACK
The
UK's snack market is worth £2 billion a year,
according to the FSA, and dedicated snackers even
have their own website, where the merits of chicken
tikka crisps and Marmite rice cakes are debated with
the sort of obsessive zeal usually reserved for gourmet
restaurant meals. Perhaps it was that level of passionate
interest that prompted chef Heston Blumenthal of three
Michelin-starred restaurant The Fat Duck to get involved
in Walkers Crisps' current Do Us A Flavour campaign,
whereby the general public were invited to suggest
new crisp flavours.
.
. . read more at bbcgoodfood.com
8
January 2009: NEVER MIND THE POLLACKS
Fish
are fashion victims. That doesn't mean you'll spot
a salmon tottering around Chelsea in Christian Louboutin
pumps sporting the latest Matthew Williamson creation.
But some species are less à la mode than others,
and suffer badly because of it.
.
. . read more at bbcgoodfood.com
19
December 2008: A RESTAURANT IS NOT JUST FOR CHRISTMAS
I've
got a confession to make. I once bought an ELO record
just because I liked the cover. In my defence, I was
a 12-year-old sci-fi nut and couldn't resist Out of
The Blue's slick spaceship design. And it was a double
album in a gatefold sleeve. And it came in blue vinyl.
I rest my case. As a grown man, I can see past superficial
packaging and concentrate on content. And anyway,
they don't make double gatefold, blue vinyl albums
anymore. When it comes to food, for me it has to be
all about quality and value and forget the box, bag,
or wrapper it comes in. At least that's what I thought.
.
. . read more at bbcgoodfood.com
9
December 2008: THE WHOLE PACKAGE
I've
got a confession to make. I once bought an ELO record
just because I liked the cover. In my defence, I was
a 12-year-old sci-fi nut and couldn't resist Out of
The Blue's slick spaceship design. And it was a double
album in a gatefold sleeve. And it came in blue vinyl.
I rest my case. As a grown man, I can see past superficial
packaging and concentrate on content. And anyway,
they don't make double gatefold, blue vinyl albums
anymore. When it comes to food, for me it has to be
all about quality and value and forget the box, bag,
or wrapper it comes in. At least that's what I thought.
.
. . read more at bbcgoodfood.com
4
December 2008: VAT'S NOT VERY FUNNY DARLING
You
might remember Brighton restaurateur Allan Love from
his impassioned appearance in an episode of Gordon
Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares. The former actor was
not shy about letting the great man know exactly what
he thought of him, telling Ramsay to eff off and take
his camera crew with him. There was a happy ending
however, with Love finally seeing the light and in
the process turning around his failing business from
losing £1.5k a week to turning over £20k
a week. Twelve months later and things have changed
dramatically.
.
. . read more at BigHospitality.co.uk
19
November 2008: IRON CHEF GREAT BRITAIN?
"With
open heart and empty stomach, I say unto you in the
words of my uncle . . . allez cuisine!"
No, I'm not losing my marbles, that's how the Chairman
on Iron Chef America gets the best culinary competition
on TV underway. The show's kooky premise is that the
fabulously wealthy Chairman (nephew to his counterpart
on the kitch 'n' camp Japanese original) has spent
his fortune building the imposing Kitchen Stadium
and assembled five Iron Chefs to face the challenge
of master chefs from around the world in a competition
to cook the best five dishes using a secret theme
ingredient. Think Ready Steady Cook meets Gladiator
and you're getting close to the frenetic, gloriously
over the top drama of the hour-long competitions.
.
. . read more at bbcgoodfood.com
13
November 2008: WASTE NOT, WANT NOT
Writing
about the restaurant industry means I get to spend
time in professional kitchens. Hanging out with chefs
has taught me a lot; I can swear with astonishing
fluency, gossip like Perez Hilton on a caffeine jag
and drink anyone under the table. I've also picked
up some positive habits too. Chefs would sooner shoot
their own grandmother than waste a scrap of food,
and I now feel the same way.
.
. . read more at bbcgoodfood.com
5
November 2008: ALWAYS LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE OF RESTAURANT LIFE
Finding
something topical to write about for this blog is
never a problem. Hospitality is such a dynamic and
exciting industry, there is always something to get
the creative juices flowing and the debates raging.
Except for this week that is. It's not that industry
news is scarce on the ground; there's plenty of the
stuff. It's just the wrong sort.
.
. . read more at BigHospitality.co.uk
4
November 2008: BREAKING THE COOKBOOK HABIT
Wouldn't
it be nice if restaurant critics had to turn off their
laptops, leave the comfort of their offices and get
behind a stove and do some real work for a change?
Even better, what if chefs had a chance to critique
the critic's culinary efforts? And while we're at
it, lets make it really worthwhile and do it all for
charity.That dream scenario became a reality on Sunday
19 October at the Too Many Critics dinner held at
the Royal Exchange in London on behalf of Action Against
Hunger.
.
. . read more at bbcgoodfood.com
21
October 2008: TOO MANY CRITICS DON'T SPOIL THE CHARITY
BROTH
Wouldn't
it be nice if restaurant critics had to turn off their
laptops, leave the comfort of their offices and get
behind a stove and do some real work for a change?
Even better, what if chefs had a chance to critique
the critic's culinary efforts? And while we're at
it, lets make it really worthwhile and do it all for
charity.That dream scenario became a reality on Sunday
19 October at the Too Many Critics dinner held at
the Royal Exchange in London on behalf of Action Against
Hunger.
.
. . read more at BigHospitality.co.uk
10
October 2008: MIND YOUR MENU LANGUAGE
When
Arnold Schwarzenegger said "I'll be back",
few realsied that the most wooden actor in history
meant he would eventually return as the Governor of
California. Given that his acting career had centred
on shoot-first-talk-later action roles rather than
sensitive artistic types, his right wing politics
came as little surprise. But - putting his involvement
in the launch of the Planet Hollywood chain aside
- who would have thought he'd take such an interest
in all things gastronomic?
.
. . read more at BigHospitality.co.uk
16
July 2008: MARCO PIERRE RED WHITE AND BLUE
During
his thirty year career, Marco Pierre White has been
famous for many things. In the 80's it was for throwing
customers out of his seminal Harvey's restaurant;
in the 90's, for being the youngest British chef to
win three Michelin stars and then "handing them
back" and prematurely retiring from the stove;
and in the 21st century for his unlikely business
partnership with jockey Frankie Dettori, a messy divorce
and the revelation in his autobiography that he made
Gordon Ramsay cry.
.
. . read more at BigHospitality.co.uk
25
June 2008: THE SCORES ARE ON THE DOORS, BUT ARE THEY
RIGHT?
In
the late 70's, "the scores on the doors"
decided if a contestant on the BBC's Generation Game
TV show got their moment of glory behind the famous
conveyor belt filled with electric teasmades, fondue
sets and cuddly toys. These days however, if you're
a restaurateur, or a restaurant customer for that
matter, it means something far more serious.
.
. . read more at BigHospitality.co.uk
4
June 2008 : WINE-ING ABOUT MARK UPS
In
this world nothing can be said to be certain, except
death, taxes and shock horror newspaper stories about
restaurant wine mark ups. The latest appeared in the
24 May 2008 edition of the Telegraph under the headline
"Top restaurants accused of greed for wine price
mark-ups" (www.telegraph.co.uk).
The article claimed that consumer watchdogs and wine
experts had accused Raymond Blanc, Heston Blumenthal
and Jamie Oliver of "greed" and said that
"high prices could deter customers from dining
out."
.
. . read more at BigHospitality.co.uk
26
May 2008 : THE PLOT THICKENS
Despite
Heston Blumenthal's attempt a while back to announce
its passing, molecular gastronomy remains a hot topic
of debate in the hospitality industry. Talk to any
chef for long enough and the question of whether foams
and jellies constitute real cooking or if they're
just so much culinary smoke and mirrors will inevitably
arise. In my experience however, no one has ever said
that cutting edge food could actually be bad for you
– until now that is.
.
. . read more at BigHospitality.co.uk
14
May 2008 : THE SUN DOESN'T ALWAYS SHINE ON TV RESTAURANTS
You
might be forgiven for thinking that a restaurant opened
off the back of an eight part, prime time BBC 2 series
fronted by one of the UK's most well known chefs would
be a guaranteed success. So the news last week that
Eight at the Thatch in Thame in Oxfordshire run by
the winners of Raymond Blanc's The Restaurant had
closed after just seven months trading came as something
of a surprise.
.
. . read more at BigHospitality.co.uk
6
May 2008 : A REAL DOWNER?
The
French television viewing public are soon to have
the dubious pleasure of watching yours truly stuff
his face with slow roast belly pork, mash and Bramley
apple sauce. I don't think I've ever felt more self
conscious, or uncomfortable than during that seemingly
endless 20 minutes in the packed bar of Roast restaurant
in London's famous Borough Market, eating in front
of a travel show film crew and a bunch of curious
rubberneckers.
.
. . read more at BigHospitality.co.uk
21
March 2008 : YOUR CHEATING ART
Last
month, I was asked to take part in a short debate
on the Saturday morning BBC Breakfast show to talk
about Delia Smith's comeback book How to Cheat at
Cooking. While I have no wish to turn into yet another
rent-a-gob, appearing on four hour-long "I Love
Five Minutes Ago" programmes on Channel 4 waxing
lyrical about Olde English Spangles and Smash adverts,
I was happy to give my opinion on the sainted Delia.
. . . read more
7
March 2008 : RAMSAY ROULETTE
Let's
spin the wheel for a game of Ramsay Roulette. Just
go to gordonramsay.com, click on "UK Restaurants"
and place a virtual chip on which restaurant name
you expect to disappear the next time you visit the
site. The smart money had been on the recently closed
La Noisette as far back as November last year when
rumours of the imminent departure of chef Bjorn Van
Der Horst began to circulate. The only people surprised
by the closure in late February appeared to be Ramsay's
central reservation service, who described it as "unexpected",
and the British press who ran their stories on 5 March,
five days after I posted about the closure on egullet.org
. . . read more
10
November 2007 : FOOD FUNDAMENTALISTS
In
a recent review, Tracey Macleod of the Independent
said that "All restaurant critics love St John.
It's a requirement of the job." Fergus Henderson's
style of stripped back, bare (marrow) bones cooking
is becoming increasingly popular and influential as
his acolytes open their own restaurants around the
capital
. . . read more
25
October 2007 : MASHED
I
got totally mashed yesterday. No, I'm not having to
resort to alcohol because of the pressures of work.
I was asked judge the Mash Challenge organised by
the British Potato Council (BPC) at the Ealing, Hammersmith
and West London College. It's true - I lead a life
of unrelenting glamour and I'll be damned if I'm going
to apologise for it
. . . read more
16
October 2007 : MUZZLED CRITICS
It's
not often that I can say I've been upstaged by a 140
pound tuna. And especially not at the Restaurant Show,
where my annual visits are typified by a stroll around
the exhibits punctuated by chance meetings and the
odd chef demo. This year was different, and not just
because the show had moved to its new home at Earls
Court 2 where all the action was on one floor rather
than the split level arrangement at Olympia, last
year's venue
. . . read more
5
July 2007 : HERE COMES THE JUDGE
I
can't complain. No, I mean I really can't complain.
Being a professional food writer is a dream job for
any foodie. Moaning about what a hard life it is just
isn't on. But the work has its downsides, just like
any profession. Punishing deadlines, long hours and
weekends chained to the desk being a few. At times
it can be a lonely existence with just an accusingly
blank Word document and some old punk tunes on Last.fm
for company
. . . read more
22
June 2007 : FEAR OF DESSERTS
"People
are afraid of soufflés." I've lost count
of the times I've heard that deathless phrase fall
from the lips of a TV chef. But how do they know home
cooks are cowering in mortal fear of a roux base combined
with whipped egg whites and an additional flavouring?
Has a survey on the most terrifying baked puddings
been conducted by the Department of Health? Did I
miss the Jerry Springer "My Egg-Based Dessert
Hell" special? Or is it simply that telly cooks
are desperately trying to preserve their position
of influence by appearing more knowledgeable and confident
than their viewers
. . . read more
13
June 2007 : AN AWARD WINNING NIGHT
You
know there's way too many awards ceremonies when they
start handing out trophies for "sexiest male"
in a soap opera. But some are worth taking seriously.
The Guild of Food Writers held its annual awards this
week at London in order to recognize "outstanding
achievement in all areas in which food writers work
and have influence." That translates as books,
magazine and newspaper articles worth reading and
TV and radio programmes worth tuning in for
. . . read more
6
June 2007 : D&D DAY
Whenever
the subject of food and eating out crops up in conversation
- and with me that's pretty much every time I open
my mouth to speak - I'm inevitably asked "What's
you're favourite restaurant." It's a question
that I find fiendishly difficult to answer. As a food
writer, the nature of my job means I'm always visiting
new restaurants and as a consequence never get the
opportunity to become a genuine regular anywhere.
So after years of stammering "Well, um, I don't
know, I uh really couldn't say" I now simply
reply "The next one."
. . . read more
31
May 2007 : FOOD HEDONIST IN RESIDENCE
As
a food and travel writer, I have been seriously spoilt.
I've feasted on sweet, juicy black pineapple cut straight
from the ground with the Antiguan sun on my back;
sipped Clos-Vougeot Grand Cru 1959 in the courtyard
of a Burgundian chateau while a Michelin starred chef
prepared dinner at the table side (do you hate me
yet?) and eaten a two dozen course lunch at The French
Laundry in the Napa Valley, one of the best restaurants
on the planet.
. . .
read more
|
