Michelin starred let-downs
Discussion
The rubbery-fella guarantees greatness....
...sometimes.
Seems a bit of an obsession with the guide, especially on Masterchef.
Waterside Inn - 3 stars
A veal main course that I really can't remember a year on. Nuff said.
Drakes on the Pond - 1 star
A trio of chocolate pudding with a creme brulee which totally dominated everything flavour-wise.
Owner/head waitress clearly had her favourite customers & ignored virtually everyone else...
I think Drakes has since lost the star. Not really surprised.
JSW - 1 star
Hardly know where to start. Rushed crappy service from teenagers who would rather be just about anywhere else, no amuse bouche or any extras, can't remember anything about the food other than the misses had gritty mushrooms.
Share your not so good Michelin experiences.
...sometimes.
Seems a bit of an obsession with the guide, especially on Masterchef.
Waterside Inn - 3 stars
A veal main course that I really can't remember a year on. Nuff said.
Drakes on the Pond - 1 star
A trio of chocolate pudding with a creme brulee which totally dominated everything flavour-wise.
Owner/head waitress clearly had her favourite customers & ignored virtually everyone else...
I think Drakes has since lost the star. Not really surprised.
JSW - 1 star
Hardly know where to start. Rushed crappy service from teenagers who would rather be just about anywhere else, no amuse bouche or any extras, can't remember anything about the food other than the misses had gritty mushrooms.
Share your not so good Michelin experiences.
Edited by zygalski on Saturday 17th March 12:03
Edited by zygalski on Monday 19th March 05:00
The Restaurant Marco Pierre White at the then Hyde Park Hotel.
Simply awful.
My lobster salad was the most ill-conceived starter I've had anywhere: raw green beans latticed around the edge of the plate, interspersed with blobs of mayonnaise topped with chopped raw onion. Raw onion. WTF? The lobster had just been boiled, halved and plonked in the middle. Even worse, the plate had clearly been sitting out for some time as the edges of the mayonnaise had turned translucent. Gross.
This was allegedly a three star restaurant - I wouldn't have given that starter one.
Main was ok. Sea bass with caviar in a champagne sauce. Not a lot of flavour to it, and nothing to suggest Michelin-starred cooking.
Same with dessert. Some sort of hot lemon moussey thing.
The basic cost for three courses was I think 70 quid. Money enough, however almost everything on the menu attracted a supplement. An extra 12 for lobster, an extra 20 for caviar.
The cheapest bottle of wine available was an unremarkable Chilean chardonnay at 50 quid.
For five people with only one bottle of wine, the bill came in at 600 quid. An obscene amount of money in 1995.
Thankfully this was advertising agency Client entertainment and I wasn't paying. The Client knew Jack s
t about food or wine, but just wanted to say she'd been there. I think it was either that or someone from the agency had to shag her. In which case, 600 quid well spent I'd say!
Simply awful.
My lobster salad was the most ill-conceived starter I've had anywhere: raw green beans latticed around the edge of the plate, interspersed with blobs of mayonnaise topped with chopped raw onion. Raw onion. WTF? The lobster had just been boiled, halved and plonked in the middle. Even worse, the plate had clearly been sitting out for some time as the edges of the mayonnaise had turned translucent. Gross.
This was allegedly a three star restaurant - I wouldn't have given that starter one.
Main was ok. Sea bass with caviar in a champagne sauce. Not a lot of flavour to it, and nothing to suggest Michelin-starred cooking.
Same with dessert. Some sort of hot lemon moussey thing.
The basic cost for three courses was I think 70 quid. Money enough, however almost everything on the menu attracted a supplement. An extra 12 for lobster, an extra 20 for caviar.
The cheapest bottle of wine available was an unremarkable Chilean chardonnay at 50 quid.
For five people with only one bottle of wine, the bill came in at 600 quid. An obscene amount of money in 1995.
Thankfully this was advertising agency Client entertainment and I wasn't paying. The Client knew Jack s
t about food or wine, but just wanted to say she'd been there. I think it was either that or someone from the agency had to shag her. In which case, 600 quid well spent I'd say!The Fat Duck... though it wasn't the food, it was the service. And it's difficult to describe without coming across as a bit of a cock 
Bearing in mind there were fairly lengthy periods between courses, we liked talking to whichever of the waiting staff were nearby about, well, whatever. Every individual was very nice, very engaging, until the point at which the next course appeared at the table, at which point there was no conversational segue, whoever we were talking to just abruptly launched into a script. And it was, clearly, a frigging script, and that really jarred.
Bearing in mind there were fairly lengthy periods between courses, we liked talking to whichever of the waiting staff were nearby about, well, whatever. Every individual was very nice, very engaging, until the point at which the next course appeared at the table, at which point there was no conversational segue, whoever we were talking to just abruptly launched into a script. And it was, clearly, a frigging script, and that really jarred.
Only been to a handful, but let down was Juniper in Altrincham (1* sinced closed as owner/chef moved to London)
None of the wacky combo's were nice at all, just weird for sake of being weird (nothing like hinds head or other taster menus have had) was a bit pompous too (very very quiet).
No wonder no stars in Manchester (although Aumbry in Prestwich could be in with a shout? Really nice)
None of the wacky combo's were nice at all, just weird for sake of being weird (nothing like hinds head or other taster menus have had) was a bit pompous too (very very quiet).
No wonder no stars in Manchester (although Aumbry in Prestwich could be in with a shout? Really nice)
Kermit power said:
I really like my good food, but I've never had a meal over around 50 per person before drinks where I've not felt cheated.
That's not to say that the food is necessarily bad over that price, just that value for money seems to drop off a cliff once you reach that point.
Tricky. I'd say that the tasting menu at Nobu (in it's hey-day) at 90 quid was worth it. That's not to say that the food is necessarily bad over that price, just that value for money seems to drop off a cliff once you reach that point.
However I'll happily pay that for Asian food since I don't have the skill to replicate this at home, whereas most European food I can easily manage.
What would swing the Michelin-starred experience for me would be flavour combinations and executions I'd never have dreamed of.
I just think these are increasingly more difficult to come by since as a society the British are becoming more educated about (and interested in) food.
Not to mention the plethora of ingredients now available to the enthusiastic amateur cook which were more-or-less unheard of in the UK just ten years ago.
Mobile Chicane said:
Tricky. I'd say that the tasting menu at Nobu (in it's hey-day) at 90 quid was worth it.
However I'll happily pay that for Asian food since I don't have the skill to replicate this at home, whereas most European food I can easily manage.
What would swing the Michelin-starred experience for me would be flavour combinations and executions I'd never have dreamed of.
I just think these are increasingly more difficult to come by since as a society the British are becoming more educated about (and interested in) food.
Not to mention the plethora of ingredients now available to the enthusiastic amateur cook which were more-or-less unheard of in the UK just ten years ago.
I like your post, I would like to participate and experience a Michelin course, when receiving a menu and knowing what I would be paying I think my expectations would be set higher than the meal.However I'll happily pay that for Asian food since I don't have the skill to replicate this at home, whereas most European food I can easily manage.
What would swing the Michelin-starred experience for me would be flavour combinations and executions I'd never have dreamed of.
I just think these are increasingly more difficult to come by since as a society the British are becoming more educated about (and interested in) food.
Not to mention the plethora of ingredients now available to the enthusiastic amateur cook which were more-or-less unheard of in the UK just ten years ago.
Going somewhere that charges a weeks wage for a meal really would need to hit the spot but I feel I would keep scouring for that unexpected delight that the likes of masterchef has created.
Funny the OP mentions Drake's. I've driven past it enough times and was considering going there, although the prices on their menu put me off a bit...almost like a star is justification for charging joke amounts.
Interested to hear about Nobu. My better half is within walking distance of their Manhattan spot
Interested to hear about Nobu. My better half is within walking distance of their Manhattan spot
collateral said:
Funny the OP mentions Drake's. I've driven past it enough times and was considering going there, although the prices on their menu put me off a bit...almost like a star is justification for charging joke amounts.
Interested to hear about Nobu. My better half is within walking distance of their Manhattan spot
If Nobu in London is anything to go by, it's resting on it's laurels.Interested to hear about Nobu. My better half is within walking distance of their Manhattan spot
However worth explaining that Drake's on the Pond was the original concern, however the chef has since moved on to Drake's in Ripley.
A few years ago now - which may explain why people feel that standards have deteriorated (on the Pond).
Mobile Chicane said:
collateral said:
Funny the OP mentions Drake's. I've driven past it enough times and was considering going there, although the prices on their menu put me off a bit...almost like a star is justification for charging joke amounts.
Interested to hear about Nobu. My better half is within walking distance of their Manhattan spot
If Nobu in London is anything to go by, it's resting on it's laurels.Interested to hear about Nobu. My better half is within walking distance of their Manhattan spot
However worth explaining that Drake's on the Pond was the original concern, however the chef has since moved on to Drake's in Ripley.
A few years ago now - which may explain why people feel that standards have deteriorated (on the Pond).
collateral said:
Hrm. I'm sure I'll end up at the 'Pond location eventually, much as I hate pretentiousness
I had chicken liver parfait to start, which was very nicely done. No complaints at all.Also, to be fair, the slow-cooked belly of pork is a one-star dish in my opinion.
I think it's kind of their unofficial signature main.
Just the dessert & a few other bits & pieces meant that 2 AA rosettes awarded are correct, rather than the star.
Generally speaking (though there's no hard & fast rule) 3 AA rosettes is equivalent to 1 Michelin star, if that helps any.
West House in Biddenden. Very little choice and so rich that I felt sick after a few mouthfuls. Couldn't finish a single course. I mean, who layers on fois gras over two inches thick in a pie?!? Service was a bit lacklustre too.
Whereas by contrast, the non-Michelin starred restaurant Axis One in London had fantastic food and service for about half the price
Whereas by contrast, the non-Michelin starred restaurant Axis One in London had fantastic food and service for about half the price
zygalski said:
The rubbery-fella guarantees greatness....
Waterside Inn - 3 stars
A veal main course that I really can't remember a year on. Nuff said.
Also here - twice, and on neither occasion was I wowed as I expected to be. Odd decor, too.Waterside Inn - 3 stars
A veal main course that I really can't remember a year on. Nuff said.
Edited by zygalski on Saturday 17th March 12:03
fatboy b said:
Whilst I enjoy watching Masterchef, I can't help thinking that a lot of the food produced is just a faff. Not the kind of food I like eating tbh. To me it seems just an excuse to pump up prices.
I think they're secretly sponsored by Michelin. I haven't counted, but I should imagine on average the word is mentioned 10-20 times per episode. It's always there in the background, lurking in the shadows like a pervy party guest.There'd be uproar if John or Greg said "hmm without question a 5 AA rosette dish" or "this'd get at least a 6 in the Good Food Guide".
Ridiculous, blinkered thinking.
By the way, if you're in Sussex then Restaurant Tristan in Horsham just goes to show how far off the mark Michelin can be. I've been 3 times in the last 2 years & the quality of the food is astonishing...
http://www.restauranttristan.co.uk/home.php
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g58...
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