PSmith

\o/ Yey - number 40 on my list http://www.thecriticalcouple.co.uk/blog/?p=280

Not sure what the "South Beach" diet is. Will need to Google it. I have struggled with my weight for the last 20 years. I tend to over eat when I am bored or when I the weather is cold. Plus I only have to read the words "a la carte" on the menu and I put on 2-3 lbs. Recently I have had success doing the 2/5 diet. For two days of the week I only have 600 calories and then I eat "normally" for the other five days. Normal does mean low sugar, low fat and restricted alcohol. One thing I have discovered is that my taste buds are heightened during the fasting days and I have found that I now cope better with hunger pangs too. Now if I am eating out somewhere in the evening, I will only have a banana, soup and a orange during the day and I find that my meal tastes amazing.

Additionally in the UK, the prices on the menu include VAT. The price is quoted gross - it is down to the individual to decide if they feel the service has been good and requires a tip. It is not a requirement. I have eaten in four of the five continents and have not felt the service in the US has outshone anywhere else. In fact some of the best service I have experienced has been in Asia where tipping is not part of the culture. One issue we have now appearing in some establishments in the UK is "service charge" - which can be included or added to the final bill. Many diners don't realise that this doesn't replace a tip, but often goes to the overhead costs. I hope that this doesn't catch on. Maybe that is another thread........

Oh my! I hadn't been on the Yelp site until you mentioned it. It is truly horrid. I must admit that I do read Trip advisor when booking hotels and I have also reviewed hotels - but only when the service has exceeded my expectation. I cannot bring myself to write a negative review, even if the experience had been disastrous. Everyone has off days and I might have just picked one of those days for my visit. My most recent blog post covers some of the clichéd terms used by amateur bloggers. Yelp seems full of them. Plus anything that encourages people to take copious photographs in a restaurant should be banned.

Good rant Ericpo - I noticed the same recently at a hotel. The service seemed to increase in speed when the hotel was fully occupied. To the extent that we had eaten two courses in 45 minutes after taking our seats - which is a bit rapid for my liking. The next night it was three courses in 90 minutes. Much better pace, but the hotel was only half full. If I ever phone a restaurant to make a booking and they say they need a table vacated by a certain time (does happen occasionally in London), then I find somewhere else. I want to know I have the table for the whole evening when I eat out. Just in case the company is worthy of liqueurs. If I am having a really good time with my other dining companions, then the option to extend for another hour or so, should be available (without overstaying). Additionally, I like to leave a bit of a gap between my main course and dessert. I do like it when a server clears the main course plates and asks if we would like to see the dessert menu now or wait a bit.

Because you often aren't getting dishes that are well rounded, and you don't get the same nuanced harmonies when everything is a bite and a half. I don't hate them, but there is a lot to question about how and what they really display about the food. Of course, a bigger problem is that they are a main component of the shift in fine dining away from the enjoyment of your friends and family accompanied by excellent food toward the wow factor presented by a prima donna chef while you are accompanied by your iPhone or table tripod. Wine pairings are even worse, with all of that "service" who has time to enjoy their fellow diners. Exactly. I also really hate the emphasis on over presentation. Sure it has got to look appetising, but I don't really need to be eating a work of art. Often so much fannying around has taken place, the food has cooled to an unpalatable temperature. Plus I don't think I really get the full benefit of the flavour of something with a couple of mouthfuls. My stomach doesn't like them either. I feel like nipping out for a sneaky Burger King after nibbling on the first few courses.

Or their food hygiene is a bit lacking?

I am with you there. Where I grew up, kale was used as a cattle feed. I am starting to dislike "Kitchen tables". It has pretentious and band wagon written all over it. Oh and "tasting menu".

Love it Gaston. Admit that I haven't been to Bubbledogs and not likely to as I am not a fan of places that are "in". Even reading "chicken skin" on a menu would have me gagging as it is one of the things that I cannot bring myself to eat. I can eat pork scratchings and crackling, but any other skin, including fish (but excluding whitebait), has me reaching for the bucket.

As a Brit and a frequent visitor to the States, the US tipping culture is a bit turn off for us and many of our friends. Oddly enough we were discussing this the other week over dinner. I am going to be spending a whole month in the US next year and I will probably (as per previous visits) be looking at buying food in the supermarket to eat in my hotel most evenings rather than faff about in a diner or restaurant. The most we will tip in the UK is 10% - sales tax is included. So often in the US (especially when we are on a budget) we have ended up spending so much more than the menu listings and what started off as good value, becomes an expensive meal out. However, the above may be compounded by the poor exchange rate our £s are getting against the $ America has become expensive for us in the UK.

I guess they compared the meat to the normal DNA patterns of the common meats, but it didn't match. Actually, you may find it was rabbit. But having said that, I believe rabbit DNA is very similar to cat.....

Haven't had chance to watch this yesterday, but the tabloids were reporting that "unknown" meat DNA was found in curries bought in London. By unkown, they mean not beef, pork, lamb, goat, horse or chicken. http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01rlxmt/Horsemeat_Banquet/

I think the study was one done previously - this one was done in May 2012 http://www.foodbase.org.uk//admintools/reportdocuments/800-1-1424_sous_vide_final_report_final_from_1FR_210912_after_spellcheck_and_formatting.pdf But I think they are having another look to provide some clear guidence for restaurants.

Not sure if this goes in UK cooking & baking or dining, but the Food Standards Agency are going to investigate sous vide cooking methods http://www.food.gov.uk/science/research/supportingresearch/strategicevidenceprogramme/strategicevidenceprogramme/x02projlist/fs246004dfs102028/#.UUGReFeVyJI Wonder what has instigated this (if anything).

Currently in the UK we have some big issues with our home-grown wheat used for bread making. We had a really cold wet summer last year and as a result the wheat didn't really ripen to give the strong flour enough gluten for decent bread. As a result, I have been buying Canadian flour or using the English flour with the addition of two teaspoons of lemon juice which improves the raising performance.

In the UK we call it "Black Pudding" - a quick google found some suggestions of how to use it. http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/search?keywords=black%20pudding If you were looking for how to make it, then try this, but use pig's blood if you can't get wild boar http://uktv.co.uk/food/recipe/aid/575687

I am sure they have some additive that makes them addictive.

On occasions (especially when using budget chocolate - not the 70% stuff) the sugar in the chocolate re-crystalises if you use too high a heat in the microwave.

Now I know the purists out there will say that chocolate should be melted in a glass bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, but I have always melted chocolate in a microwave on a low setting. It does need constant checking and stirring, otherwise too much and the sugar will go solid, but it takes seconds rather than many minutes. What is the general opinion on this?

Yet another offer has popped up in my inbox. Some of you might be interested being Marco Pierre White n'all Bit surprised that they are running an offer on the "opening" week http://www.travelzoo.com/uk/local-deals/London/Restaurant/41835?utm_source=top20_uk&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=uk_top20_2013_8

Hmm - to beef or not to beef - that is equestrian? I have eaten horse in France willingly. I have also been served beef in France that was horse as the taste is a little different. Like Harters, I don’t have any problem with eating horse and I rarely eat a ready made meal. Any minced beef I buy is from the butchers where I (hope) that it has been produced from the cow. But there is always that element of doubt, unless you make your own minced beef as Liuzhou does. My Dad as a lad in the 1940’s, used to know of someone who would catch and kill cats and then sell them skinned and jointed as rabbit as apparently the bone structure and taste are similar. This was during the war when meat was scarce. As a consequence, I always buy my rabbits complete with head and fur. For me it is not the scandal of eating horse, but the deception that is the issue. I am a little disappointed that the Supermarkets are not obviously carrying out their own batch testing on the products they are selling.

One veg I love, but you rarely see in the shops or restaurants is something we call "purple sprouting". I grow it, and I am hoping to pick my first harvest of the season this weekend. It is similar to broccoli, but has a more spinach like taste. It could become fashionable because of its rarity. Runner beans are also a great vegetable that I have never seen in restaurants. They are available in supermarkets, but are usually picked when they are too large.

I use linen "tea" towels for drying dishes. The only thing that gets dried with a paper towel is the wok. For wiping up spills, I use microfibre cloths. These get washed in the machine and occasionally soaked in bleach prior to a wash if they have got especially dirty. Microfibre cloths have become an essential in our house. We buy a pack of different colours which get used on different surfaces, one for the floor, one for the bathroom etc.

Excellent rant. Loving the Racket Bar sign "Instagram your meal and receive a free concussion"

Wow - wonder what they did to get a score that bad. Must admit that whenever I use the likes of Groupon/Travelzoo, I always like to use up the vouchers fairly quickly - especially in the current economic climate. However, I do believe that the establishment don't get paid until you have redeemed the voucher.