Why are there so many awful restaurants?
Discussion
Went out for dinner with a young lady last night. Plumped for a mexican.
Starter was basically italian antipasti all covered in olive oil, garlic and rosemary, olives from a jar, guacamole, raw onion salsa, jalapeno peppers and for some inexplicable reason, a cheese fondue
Basically had to eat it as two starters because none of it went together very well. Oh yeah, had to get up and find my own cutlery too. That was after being served san miguel in a hot, 'dishwasher fresh' water tumbler. Great
So we wait for our mains to come up. SWMBO had a Burrito, and I had a duck confit with chilli and chocolate sauce. Now... That sounds pretty damn nice. I know I like chilli and chocolate, and I like duck so all should be well.
Right. Duck came up, the whole plate, including the sauce swimming in grease (basically I had a deep fried crispy duck burger which was as dry as a granny's a
hole), They basically hadn't drained the duck.
The sauce tasted like st.
Clares Burrito then turned up, quite clearly microwaved. Hot on the outside, stone cold in the middle.
Asked the waitress over, and explained why we weren't happy and if she could do anything about the food. She took the food away and then the manager came over. Leant over the table whilst I attempted to select another dish, saying how we were wrong. 1000's of customers ate their every year without complaint and that we must be wrong. At that point I cancelled the second drinks order and asked her to just charge for the drinks and the starter.
Thirty fking quid 
I hope their business fails
But what really got me, was moving onto an italian further down the street, great service... but crap food.
I'm rarely blown away by retaurants any more, there are just far too many that serve food for chavs that know no better, and the service I've been getting lately makes you feel like they'd prefer you to have not come in.
Does anyone else get this?
Starter was basically italian antipasti all covered in olive oil, garlic and rosemary, olives from a jar, guacamole, raw onion salsa, jalapeno peppers and for some inexplicable reason, a cheese fondue
Basically had to eat it as two starters because none of it went together very well. Oh yeah, had to get up and find my own cutlery too. That was after being served san miguel in a hot, 'dishwasher fresh' water tumbler. Great
So we wait for our mains to come up. SWMBO had a Burrito, and I had a duck confit with chilli and chocolate sauce. Now... That sounds pretty damn nice. I know I like chilli and chocolate, and I like duck so all should be well.
Right. Duck came up, the whole plate, including the sauce swimming in grease (basically I had a deep fried crispy duck burger which was as dry as a granny's a
hole), They basically hadn't drained the duck.The sauce tasted like s
t.Clares Burrito then turned up, quite clearly microwaved. Hot on the outside, stone cold in the middle.
Asked the waitress over, and explained why we weren't happy and if she could do anything about the food. She took the food away and then the manager came over. Leant over the table whilst I attempted to select another dish, saying how we were wrong. 1000's of customers ate their every year without complaint and that we must be wrong. At that point I cancelled the second drinks order and asked her to just charge for the drinks and the starter.
Thirty f
king quid I hope their business fails
But what really got me, was moving onto an italian further down the street, great service... but crap food.
I'm rarely blown away by retaurants any more, there are just far too many that serve food for chavs that know no better, and the service I've been getting lately makes you feel like they'd prefer you to have not come in.
Does anyone else get this?
If you wanted a decent meal why on earth did you go to a Mexican? Also did you honestly expect a chilli and chocolate duck confit to be a potential culinary masterstroke (at a mexican).
There are are far, far, more decent places to eat in this country than there ever have been - at all price points. The ones to be avoided are the large-chain chav feeding stations. I guess this wasn`t a little, independant gem...?
There are are far, far, more decent places to eat in this country than there ever have been - at all price points. The ones to be avoided are the large-chain chav feeding stations. I guess this wasn`t a little, independant gem...?
KingRichard said:
and I had a duck confit with chilli and chocolate sauce. Now... That sounds pretty damn nice.
It does? Duck slowly boiled in a gallon of duck fat and then coated with chocolate. Takes all sorts I guess!May I suggest you find as many online restaurant review sites as possible and write as many reviews of this Mexican as possible to save other people wasting their money.
ettore said:
If you wanted a decent meal why on earth did you go to a Mexican? Also did you honestly expect a chilli and chocolate duck confit to be a potential culinary masterstroke (at a mexican).
There are are far, far, more decent places to eat in this country than there ever have been - at all price points. The ones to be avoided are the large-chain chav feeding stations. I guess this wasn`t a little, independant gem...?
As far as I know, it was an independent restaurant.There are are far, far, more decent places to eat in this country than there ever have been - at all price points. The ones to be avoided are the large-chain chav feeding stations. I guess this wasn`t a little, independant gem...?
biglepton said:
KingRichard said:
and I had a duck confit with chilli and chocolate sauce. Now... That sounds pretty damn nice.
It does? Duck slowly boiled in a gallon of duck fat and then coated with chocolate. Takes all sorts I guess!May I suggest you find as many online restaurant review sites as possible and write as many reviews of this Mexican as possible to save other people wasting their money.
It wasn't put quite like that on the menu 
I worked in a Mexican restaurant in Bath a fair few years ago, and it really upset me what the kitchen used to produce, and having to deal with unhappy, hungry customers all the time.
It only stayed open a month or two after I left, but it was a classic case of owner thinking he know what was right, and even then executing it terribly.
However much I would love to run my own place, I know the odds, being a total novice, would be against me to being a success, and it means I could potentially lose everything I'd worked for in the process.
It only stayed open a month or two after I left, but it was a classic case of owner thinking he know what was right, and even then executing it terribly.
However much I would love to run my own place, I know the odds, being a total novice, would be against me to being a success, and it means I could potentially lose everything I'd worked for in the process.
KingRichard said:
biglepton said:
KingRichard said:
and I had a duck confit with chilli and chocolate sauce. Now... That sounds pretty damn nice.
It does? Duck slowly boiled in a gallon of duck fat and then coated with chocolate. Takes all sorts I guess!May I suggest you find as many online restaurant review sites as possible and write as many reviews of this Mexican as possible to save other people wasting their money.
It wasn't put quite like that on the menu 
I love confit of duck but you need to have it at a restaurant you really trust as there's a fine line between confit and unfit. Give 'em hell on the reviews and then send them a link to them!
I think your average punter has no idea what good food is - in the same way that they settle for mediocracy in most areas. They aren't educated enough to make informed analysis and unless they have eaten in some excellent places, they're never likely to.
A classic is when you go to Italy and have the simplest of meals but the ingredients are of the highest quality and the prep spot on. It may sound daft but on my first trip to Italy I sat there reveling in the quality of the tomatoes on a simple bruschetta.
A classic is when you go to Italy and have the simplest of meals but the ingredients are of the highest quality and the prep spot on. It may sound daft but on my first trip to Italy I sat there reveling in the quality of the tomatoes on a simple bruschetta.
I agree with you . . there are more and more sub standard places open.
I had this conversation while out with a few friends (some like nice food some have no idea) and i think this comment sums it up
"We went to XXXXXXX last night, It was great the portions were massive i came away stuffed"
This comment keeps cropping up with some people. Do people really thing that quantity is the way to judge a good restaurant. Yes i don't like coming away from a place feeling hungry but i hate being over full.
I had this conversation while out with a few friends (some like nice food some have no idea) and i think this comment sums it up
"We went to XXXXXXX last night, It was great the portions were massive i came away stuffed"
This comment keeps cropping up with some people. Do people really thing that quantity is the way to judge a good restaurant. Yes i don't like coming away from a place feeling hungry but i hate being over full.
eightseventhree said:
I agree with you . . there are more and more sub standard places open.
I had this conversation while out with a few friends (some like nice food some have no idea) and i think this comment sums it up
"We went to XXXXXXX last night, It was great the portions were massive i came away stuffed"
This comment keeps cropping up with some people. Do people really thing that quantity is the way to judge a good restaurant. Yes i don't like coming away from a place feeling hungry but i hate being over full.
Yeah, hate that bloated feeling. I can put up with it when it's self-inflicted (Awesome food that you just can't stop eating) but when it's just cos you've been given a massive portion -fnarr- of average food it's not so nice...I had this conversation while out with a few friends (some like nice food some have no idea) and i think this comment sums it up
"We went to XXXXXXX last night, It was great the portions were massive i came away stuffed"
This comment keeps cropping up with some people. Do people really thing that quantity is the way to judge a good restaurant. Yes i don't like coming away from a place feeling hungry but i hate being over full.
Oh, and is there anywhere that actually makes a decent sunday roast anymore? My entire family manage to make awesome dinners every week, so why can't a chef manage it in a restaurant?
I'd love to find 4/5 local restaurants that I could trust, but there just doesn't seem to be any honest quality around here in an environment that's not stuffy
I had the same problem last week when away with work in Lincolnshire. As we were late arriving at the motel and in the middle of no-where we ate there out of convenience and tiredness.
BIG MISTAKE - I didn't realise that restaurants still served up this poor standards of food. We all had sirlion steak, all medium rare. The steak was actually the thin frying steak all cooked to very well done and the mushrooms were that hard from over cooking they'd gone hard.
The following day we went to a different restaurant a few miles from where we staying, it looked nice but again the food was poor. I plumped for a rib eye steak this time, but what turned up was more like an over cooked burger. My colleague had a chicken and rib platter which was basically fried chicken and pork ribs with bbq sauce poured over it, and then microwaved till the sauce had dried up.
I was glad to come home and get some decent food.
BIG MISTAKE - I didn't realise that restaurants still served up this poor standards of food. We all had sirlion steak, all medium rare. The steak was actually the thin frying steak all cooked to very well done and the mushrooms were that hard from over cooking they'd gone hard.
The following day we went to a different restaurant a few miles from where we staying, it looked nice but again the food was poor. I plumped for a rib eye steak this time, but what turned up was more like an over cooked burger. My colleague had a chicken and rib platter which was basically fried chicken and pork ribs with bbq sauce poured over it, and then microwaved till the sauce had dried up.
I was glad to come home and get some decent food.
biglepton said:
KingRichard said:
and I had a duck confit with chilli and chocolate sauce. Now... That sounds pretty damn nice.
It does? Duck slowly boiled in a gallon of duck fat and then coated with chocolate. Takes all sorts I guess!May I suggest you find as many online restaurant review sites as possible and write as many reviews of this Mexican as possible to save other people wasting their money.
spikeyhead said:
biglepton said:
KingRichard said:
and I had a duck confit with chilli and chocolate sauce. Now... That sounds pretty damn nice.
It does? Duck slowly boiled in a gallon of duck fat and then coated with chocolate. Takes all sorts I guess!May I suggest you find as many online restaurant review sites as possible and write as many reviews of this Mexican as possible to save other people wasting their money.
Mr POD said:
Thing is - Cooking is easy.
cooking well is a different story. and that's just cooking at home. i can't imagine churning out dozen of dishes an hour, which all have to be perfect - ie cooked to the customer's wishes, not under or overcooked and to have all the dishes for a table ready at the same time.
in short, i can't imagine a more stressful job than being a good chef or running a restaurant. i admire the work they do (the good ones anyway
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