disgusted

Gary if you choose to believe that food critics have a perfect understanding of gastronomy and are unbias and impartial good luck, as for the rest of your posts don't put words in my mouth that I haven't said. What has 'staff getting bollocked' for serving bad meals got to do with anything I've said. I said that I've seen chefs take the rap for bad reviews that were unjustifed. Is that clear enough.Oh and ANDY and MOBY you can stop sending me messages because much to your undoubted relief I resign me membership x

You've upset me with your mind fogging gibberish. Read THE POSTS.

Very little of what you have written relates to what I wrote. As for the rest like I said PR companies have a lot of sway.

Yes they are called guides and yes some are better than others but on the whole they are more balanced and usually don't have a axe to grind like certian reviewers. Also I remember a very high profile chef saying and I quote " Do you know the best place for a restaurant critic?.........on your pay role." That's a fact whether you choose to believe it or not. I'm not saying any critics are on any chefs payrole (he did) but lets not fool ourselves here, some chefs have a lot of sway and so do some pr companies. Work it out for yourself.

Considering you are at a loss to see the point I'm making could I refer you back to the posts I've made in this thread. As for Anthony's good luck to the chef. As for the reviewer I stand by my comments and having lived in Yorkshire and worked at it's then only michlin starred restaurant I followed the food press quite closely, so I am familar with his reviews.

In the kitchens I've been in the response is always somewhat different and usually amounts to wanting to torture the critic to death. Oh well horses for corses.

Tell that to the chefs who are wronged. I'm sure your comments will go a long way to commiserating them.

disgusted - one point, none of the people here (certianly not me) are AA Gill, so why direct you angry against us? If I knew of the information that you have, maybe I would agree with you, so could you be more specific? This is an open forum, so why not use to to defend your self against 'glib ignorance' etc, rather then simply venting spleen? I think critics should think more about the consequences of their 'entertaining' articles before they write them. Lets not forget they are only eating one meal out of maybe thousands that are produced by the restaurant they are in, subsequently a disproportionate amount of weight is given to that meal. I remember working for Richard Neat and reading a review published in a sunday broad sheet that contained so many inaccuraties about the meal that was eaten, tell me how could Richard redress the balance? He couldn't, if that's venting spleen well that's your opionion.

When you are on the receiving end of 'glib ignorance' your perspectives change, you want to address your percieved attacker ( yes it does feel like an attack ) but find that unlike them you don't have a national forum on which to defend yourself and frequently these attacks end with an irrational witchhunt within the restaurant itself.

Oh can I apologise on Jamie Oliver's behalf for being so successful in this industry and giving us a great new concept restaurant . He has raised the profile of chefs no end and opened a window into the reality of kitchen life. Take a look in the reflection of that window before you start knocking him.

I disagree. All the best, Substantiate your disagreement then, if not ....... bothered.

Only in the sense that some parasites are of some benefit to their hosts.

Give me Jamie, Gordon and the rest who work for a living rather than Winner, Gill, Machler and that other insidious reptile Giles whatever his name is, anytime.

Having just read another one of Gill's mind numbing diatribes. I can't help but think that if he is as good an expert as he thinks he is why dosen't he open his own restaurant so he can show us all how fantastic a restauranteur he is and that goes for the rest of you 'experts' who pontificate week in, week out ..... come on lets see your restaurants.

Robert Cockcroft is to restaurant reviewing what Eddie the Eagle was to our chances of winning a gold medal at ski jumping. Pleeese.