Restaurant Reviews

Restaurant Reviews and Food Musings

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Fed up with celebrity chefs drizzling sauces over undercooked pieces of meat? I am!

I regularly dine out and am happy to share my restaurant experiences, and musings on food with you.

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Greed

Greed

Not content with marking food up by hefty percentages, and adding in service charges of 10% or more, some of the country's top restaurants are accused of being excessively greedy with their mark ups on wine as well.

The Fat Duck, in Bray, Berkshire, charges £58 for a bottle of 2005 Bourgogne Aligote. However, the Telegraph contacted the restaurant's supplier, Berkmann Wine Cellars, and discovered that the purchase price was £12.12 per bottle; giving the Fat Duck a fat profit of five times the cost.

The Telegraph conducted a similar exercise at Le Manoir Aux Quat' Saisons, in Great Milton, Oxon, owned by Raymond Blanc. A 2006 bottle of Corbière La Tour Château Grand Moulin costs £26. The wine can be bought from their supplier, the General Wine Company, for £5.37 – a profit of £16.08 after VAT.

At Fifteen Cornwall, near Newquay, which was founded by Jamie Oliver, a 2006 bottle of Belisario Verdicchio di Matelica sells for £27. The same bottle can be bought for just £6.08 from the restaurant's supplier, Liberty Wines, which means a £16.20 profit per bottle after VAT.

The solution to this excessive greed is simple, use other restaurants that are more reasonably priced.

Greed will simply price these places out of the market.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Britain Exposed To Food Price Rise

Britain Exposed To Food Price Rise

Ernst & Young's Item Club has issued a report today that states that the UK is "more exposed" to rising food price rises than other similar countries.

The US has a balance of food, France has a surplus whilst the UK has a trade deficit in food.

World food prices are rising as a result of population growth, poor climate in the major cereal producing nations, the growth in the production of biofuels, and the increasing wealth in developing nations which has prompted a higher demand for meat and livestock products.

This will have a negative impact on the finances of businesses and households. However, if people learn to use leftovers and stop wasting perfectly good food significant savings can be made and the negative effects of the price rises mitigated.

People need to stop being so wasteful, and learn the recipes of their grandparents eg; bubble and squeak, corned beef hash, cold cuts, shepherd's pie etc.

Monday, May 12, 2008

Gordon's Law

Why is Gordon Ramsay ranting about fining restaurants for serving non seasonal, non local produce?

Does he not cook with olive oil?

Does he not serve pineapples in his restaurants?

A silly, poorly thought through rant; he should stick to cooking.

Monday, May 05, 2008

Taylors and Jones

Taylors and Jones

Those of you who live in Stockholm and hanker after English sausages, pork pies and good cuts of beef should pay a visit to Taylors and Jones at Hantverkargatan 12 in Kungsholmen (www.taylors.se).

Eva and I pooped into their shop last week, where they sell sausages to restaurants, pubs and individuals. They also sell Christmas turkeys, many varieties of meat and British specialities such as sausage rolls, meat pies, haggis and black & white pudding.

The meat is of good quality, the beef is hung for 30 days, and the Lincolnshire and Cumberland sausages that we bought and barbecued were excellent (as was the sausage roll that we munched on the way home).

It is not cheap, but certainly worth a visit if you want to treat yourself.