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Restaurant Reviews
Fed up with celebrity chefs drizzling sauces over undercooked pieces of meat..I am!
I regularly dine out and am happy to share my experiences with you.
This site is brought to you by:
Welcome to Restaurant Reviews part of www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand".
Eva (my partner) and I dine out regularly; trying to give an honest and fair appraisal of the ambience, quality of food and service of the restaurants that we visit.
In addition to providing a fair and honest appraisal of the restaurants that we have visited, this site also aims to provide you with up to date news and information about restaurants and dining from around the world.
Happy Dining!
Eva and I on our way to a "hard night's work", testing out another restaurant.
I am always happy to receive feedback, please feel free to write to me.
To contact me please click here kenfrost@kenfrost.com
Saltier Than The SeaIn this age of "saltism" it comes as no surprise to learn that poor old Jamie Oliver has been on the receiving end of criticism from the anti salt brigade, re Jamie Oliver's pasta sauce.
Seemingly, if the hype is to be believed, it contains more salt that 10 bags of crisps and even the sea!
Frankly this criticism is a load of BS.
Salt is perfectly harmless to those in good health, indeed it is a necessary component of our diet.
Excess salt, in a healthy person, is easily excreted via sweat and urine.
It is a fuss over nothing, whipped up by ignorant pressure groups and the media.
The ingredient that does need to be cut down on in all our foods is sugar.
Labels: Jamie Oliver, salt
Thursday, November 05, 2009
The Setting Sun Brighton
1 Windmill Street,
Brighton,
BN2 0GN
0872 148 6119
Eva and I regularly dine in this fine gastro pub, not only because it is a mere two minutes walk from our home, but because the food is excellent.
The Setting Sun is more of a wine bar/bistro rather than "pub" in the strictest sense of the word. It has light wood flooring, large leather sofas, bistro style wooden tables, a conservatory and a patio that affords stunning views of Brighton (if you can find seat there in the summer).
The atmosphere is often lively, yet cosy and intimate (each table has a candle).
The menu, chalked up on a blackboard, changes with the season and currently includes; soup, sausage and mash, fish and chips, burgers, chicken in a cream and mushroom sauce and pumpkin risotto etc.
The staff are friendly and very cheerful, they even manage to put up with me!
The chef is a real find, her food is excellent, and the pub will be lose a real asset if she ever leaves.
All in all an excellent place for a bistro meal, usually (with a bottle of wine) it will not set you back more than £40 for two.
Well worth visiting!
Labels: brighton, setting sun
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
Opening a Can
I have never seen anyone attempt to open a canned product using a kitchen knife before.
What were these people thinking of, and why were they even selected to appear on "The Restaurant" out of over 9,000 applicants?
Labels: Raymond Blanc, The Restaurant
Monday, November 02, 2009
The Coach House Brighton Revisited
Eva and I often enjoy dining in the Coach House, and were there last Friday evening.
However, although we enjoyed ourselves, it was evident that the kitchen was a little out of "sync" that evening. The saute potatoes were under cooked, my liver not rare (as requested) and the main courses took around 40 minutes to arrive after the starters had been cleared away.
That being said restaurants are run by human beings, not robots, sometimes things go wrong; the world continues to spin on its axis, and we will continue to visit the Coach House.
Labels: brighton, coach house
Monday, October 26, 2009
Gordon Ramsay Loses FD
Gordon Ramsay is "terminating" the appointment of his Chief Financial Officer, Nick Fletcher, at a number of his companies.
The documents for "terminating appointment" were filed at Companies House last week.
However, Fletcher is still director at five companies, three of which are overdue for filing company information.
Sadly the more "celebrity" a chef attracts, it seems the more time he/she has to devote to business matters rather than food.
Labels: Gordon Ramsay
Thursday, October 22, 2009
The Dover Castle (Brighton)
My compliments to the Dover Castle:
43 Southover Street
Brighton
West Sussex
BN2 2UE
Telephone: 01273 889808
Eva, myself and a friend from Sweden dined there last night and had thoroughly enjoyable time and meal.
The menu specialises in fish, sourced daily from the locality, the selection on offer is written on a blackboard and as the evening wears on the dishes that run out are crossed out. Other non fish dishes are also available.
Being a "contrarian" I had the steak and chips, which was first class; the steak was tender and succulent, and the chips, onion rings, peas and tomato all ticked the right boxes taste and portion wise.
The butternut squash soup and mezze, that we also scoffed, were likewise excellent.
The selection of beers, lagers (including Asahi) and wine is decent and the staff are very friendly, easy going and service minded (eg I appreciated being offered a smaller (and cheaper) bowl of soup as a starter).
All in all a good place to have a reasonably priced, good quality meal in a friendly atmosphere.
Labels: brighton, dover castle, fish, meat
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Actimel Advert Banned
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned the Actimel TV advert that claims its yoghurt supported children's natural defences.
ASA decided that evidence provided by Danone did not uphold claims that the drinking yoghurt could help normal, healthy school-aged youngsters protect against common childhood illnesses.
The ASA concluded that the advert broke rules for being misleading, rules relating to evidence and accuracy in food advertising.
Danone are reported to be "very disappointed" at the ASA's ruling.
Labels: adverts
Monday, September 28, 2009
The Fat Apology
Good news for the 500 diners at Heston Blumenthal's Fat Duck restaurant, who went down with food poisoning in January-February this year as a result of eating oysters contaminated with sewage.
They have now (some 7/8 months after the event, and following on from a critical report issued by health investigators) been offered a free meal.
Blumenthal has written to affected diners apologising for the "bad experience".
It is surprising that he took so long to make such an offer.
Labels: fat duck, food poisoning
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Keith Floyd Dies
I am sorry to read that Keith Floyd died yesterday from heart failure.
His obituary, as per the BBC, can be viewed here Keith Floyd.
Labels: keith floyd
Monday, September 14, 2009
The Brighton Food Festival
Brighton and Hove are hosting a month long Food and Drink Festival, this September.
I took the opportunity to wander through the festival market on New Road and Jubilee Road (which ran this weekend). It was lively and contained a veritable smorgasbord of stalls offering a fine array of food and drink; oysters, sausages, cheeses, bread, vegetables, Mediterranean cuisines, Thai cuisine, and cakes etc. There was even a live cooking demonstration.
However, I would like to make two observations:
- the prices charged by some stalls were over the top; eg £5 for a container of rice and chicken soon breaks the budget if there are several in the family, and £1.50 for basil in a pot (which could be bought in the nearby supermarket for 69p) was "taking the piss".
- At one point in the street the stalls, on opposite sides of the street, were placed too close together, thus causing a very slow moving traffic jam of people who were unable to pass by and could not easily access (or even view) the stalls in that area.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Fat Duck Food Poisoning
It seems that the much publicised food poisoning outbreak that caused illness to more than 500 diners at Heston Blumenthal's Fat Duck restaurant, in Berkshire, was probably caused by raw shellfish contaminated with human sewage.
Inspectors from the Health Protection Agency have released a report that highlights the probable cause, and criticises the food safety standards in the kitchens.
Sick staff continued to work and handle the shellfish. Unsuitable products were also said to have been used to clean kitchen surfaces.
The HPA stated:
"Oysters were served raw; razor clams may not have been appropriately handled or cooked; tracing of shellfish to source showed evidence of contamination and there have been reports of illness in other establishments associated with oysters from the same source."
Labels: fat duck, food poisoning
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Momma Cherri's Closes
I am sorry to see that Momma Cherri's, once "saved" by Gordon Ramsay, has closed.
Eva and I first visited Momma Cherri's in 2003, before Ramsay.
It seems that it over expanded and moved into larger, less cosy, premises where it simply did not get the covers necessary during the week to cover operating costs.
Labels: brighton, Gordon Ramsay, Momma Cherri's
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
The Perfect 10
Heston Blumenthal's Fat Duck restaurant in Berkshire has topped the 2010 Good Food Guide, despite a health scare earlier this year.
The restaurant was shut for more than two weeks from 24 February after 400 diners complained of having fallen ill from norovirus was to blame.
The Fat Duck scored a perfect 10 for the second year, beating Gordon Ramsay's restaurant Chelsea.
Now the only way it can go is down!
Labels: fat duck, Gordon Ramsay
Thursday, August 13, 2009
The beleaguered celebrity chef, Gordon Ramsay, has relearned an old maxim that the customer (not the celebrity chef) is king.
He was at one stage advised to file for bankruptcy, as profits fell from £3M to less than £400K.
He told Fox News:
"Heading out of global economic downturn has been tough but for me it has also been a breath of fresh air.
The industry was getting far too arrogant, they weren't respecting customers enough and they forgot the customers were king.
Customers just disappeared. Those that were in the restaurants weren't drinking wine. All were on tap water.
Then we had a huge downturn, Monday to Thursday. Your staff costs are the same, your running costs are the same. It was a nightmare."
Labels: Gordon Ramsay
Monday, August 10, 2009
The Terraces (Brighton) Revisited
Eva and I revisited The Terraces on Saturday evening, and had a splendid meal.
My chorizo and poached egg starter was sublime, and my rack of lamb tender, succulent and unctuous.
Eva's fish, chips and mushy peas were cooked to perfection.
The service was first class, and very friendly. We were offered blankets when the wind became chilly, and were found a table inside when the elements finally defeated us without any fuss.
There was even a free firework display by the pier (not laid on by the restaurant) that topped the evening off.
I wish the new manager (who started a couple of weeks ago) all the very best.
Well worth visiting!
Labels: brighton, lamb, The Terraces
