PSmith

This is what I do, peel them under cold water as soon as I can and I never have any issues.

LOL - when I get home I will dig out my "pro" and "amateur" photos of a chocolate banana cake I made. To be fair - everyone who ate some said it was delicious, but the recipe called for an 8" cake to then be cut with a sharp knife into a 7" cake to give a straight finish to the edge. Now this totally goes against my "minimal waste" philosophy - so I ignored this section. As a result my effort was a bit frayed round the edges. It really does annoy me that some of the pros really do waste a lot of produce. I went on a cooking course and was dismayed at the amount of veg that was discarded as it would have compromised the presentation. I wanted to doggy bag it all home to make soup. I do find that recipes from cookbooks do vary. I have yet to have a disaster from Delia Smith or Nigella Lawson as both are very explicit in their descriptions.

Personally I tend to go against the grain. I am an anti-fashionist and anywhere that has a long waiting list, no matter how good the reviews, doesn't get my business. We have an excellent restaurant within walking distance of our house - I can phone up on a Friday and get a reservation for the weekend. The food is as good as anywhere I could get in town (London) at a third of the price. In my view, many of the must visit restaurants are very much "The Emporer's new clothes"

Must admit that we are the opposite. We tend to spend more on a mid-range bottle of wine and also tip the staff as if we were paying full price.

Doesn't salt raise the temperature of boiling water slightly?

I have a favourite restaurant which is close to my home. I love to eat there, but can't always afford the a la carte prices. Four times in the last two years I have made use of the discounts offered via Travelzoo and TopTable (one I forgot to mention) to eat at my favourite restaurant, when I would have made do with the local pub. And yes, if I have a special occasion, I will eat there on the full price a la carte menu. Pretty sure that Travelzoo don't take as much as a fee - might be wrong, but I think one owner mentioned 5%. Perhaps you are not looking at the bigger picture either. How much do you spend on advertising? If you look at the cost of these offers in the same way that you would placing an advert, then they might appear a bit more attractive.

Does anyone use any of the above to get a discounted meal with a restaurant. I have used TravelZoo a couple of time and have been pleasantly surprised. Once for a cooking course and once for a meal out - both were good value. Might be an idea to post any offers that might crop up on this thread. ETA - example here http://www.travelzoo.com/uk/local-deals/London/Restaurant/24911

Yeah - you are right. I might give it a go in six months or so.

Seems that GQ Magazine are having a rant about the food photographers http://www.gq.com/entertainment/humor/201209/stop-instagramming-your-food

ROFL - although I do fancy having my sausage lubricated with a spicy sauce. Think that particular blogger ate a thesaurus rather than a hot dog. Not my cup of tea I am afraid. Hot dogs are cheap convenience food best bought from the van on the side of the road and served with fried onions and a third of the price. Whatever next – someone will be putting “melts” on the menu and punting it out as the latest must have in designer cuisine. .

Don't know if it is the same for you guys, but here in the UK chefs seem to be looking for odd alternatives to plates. It is very common to have your starter served on a slate. I hate it with a passion. I don't want to eat my dinner off a roofing tile. I want a nice glazed plate that has been cleaned in the dishwasher.

This is another pet annoyance of mine - when something on the menu is not available. I am quite fussy about desserts as I prefer a low sugar option. If something is not available, then I expect to be told when given the menu, not after I have made my choice. I now have a rule of not having anything at all if I am told my first choice is not available after I have made a decision when it is dessert.

Rarely do people take photos of each other while they are eating but usually wait until a course has finished. Plus it tends to be a one off photograph rather than an ongoing thing every time a plate is brought to the table. Additionally, often in that situation the waiter or waitress is usually willing to take a photo - and sometimes have offered (as they did in the 360 in Toronto) - so the disruption is minimal. It does also depend on the venue. Some venues are more designed for a quiet intimate meal rather than a raucous birthday party. As I said, I don't have a problem with people using a compact without flash, but we experienced someone standing up, shuffling around the table with his digital SLR.

I was 13 years old before I was taken to a "grown up" restaurant to eat - it was a local steak house chain. I really hate the current "love me, love my child" attitude that prevails. My Dad use to say "Children are like farts. You relish in your own, but someone else's are obnoxious"

MJX - pretty much my view. Small compact camera, no flash, is fine - anything more is rude. However it is not something that I personally would feel comfortable doing and would see it as bad form if you are dining with others as a social occasion. Nearly as bad as using a phone at the table and actually I would get pretty miffed if someone in my party wanted to photograph everyone's plate. I know a lot of food bloggers rely on photos for their reports, but, I would feel pretty self-concious about taking photos of plated meals rather than tucking in and enjoying the food.

One poster in the UK forum actually admitted to videoing the server without asking for permission. See the response by the owner "The Greek" http://forums.egullet.org/topic/28546-le-champignon-sauvage/page__st__330

Now I am a bit of an anti food blogger. Partly because we were disturbed once in a nice restaurant by someone on the next table taking photos of everyone's plate with his oversized digital SLR. Now to me a meal is an experience, it is not just the food, but the atmosphere and the company and I don't need photos of my dinner to be remember the event. What is the inside view on people taking photos of their plates. Can you take it too far (I have heard of diners with tripods and videoing serving staff). Is a discreet photo with a compact without flash acceptable? I have noticed that professional food critics rely on their writing skills alone. They may use a PR supplied photo or a photo of the venue.

LOL - exactly my POV I detest bloggers. I am not a restaurant owner, but have friends in the trade. Some blogs can get very personal and critical of the servers. I am waging my one man band against the bloggers.

LOL - forgot that it might get lost in translation. "Over Egg" is as per the link - mostly used to describe something that is being "bigged up" - as in food that is made to sound posher than it really is. However, as another lactose intollerant, I am in agreement with the "over cheese" - and rarely is there a dairy free dessert on the menu, even if there is, it will be sorbet. Is it just the UK that has the "Thrice cooked chips" (fries in the US). Twice is enough.

I eat carbs (bread, pasta, rice) and my BMI is 24 - so a nice healthy weight. In fact, I have got my BMI down by eating carbs although I do try and stick to the brown or wholemeal versions rather than the white. It is not good to deny yourself nice food. A little of what you fancy is OK.

Not sure if this is a world wide phenomena, or if it is just confined to the UK, but there seems to be a fashion for chefs to "over egg" the menu. No longer do we have "beef" but occasionally we get the type of cow, where in the country it was reared and sometimes the farmer. Now I know that chefs want to demonstrate that they are able to source good products, but I find it mildly amusing that there seems to be a bit of an obsession with some of them. I am sure it wont be long before someone adds the GPS coordinates of the field where the veg were grown. This is one of my favourites and part of my latest blog post. “Roasted fillet of Australian Kobe beef Nestling in a Kent garden pea puree, temptingly accompanied by a succulent spinach and onion compote, to die for triple-cooked Maris Piper chips and Indonesian long pepper sauce." Anyone else got any other examples?

As a kid, my Dad regularly fed us on stuff pulled out of the hedgerow - it was called road kill. It was quite odd actually as my Dad ticked the "middleclass civil servant" box, but he still found the need to feed us on roadkill. I blame the war.

You and I are singing from the same song sheet Putty mate. Something in me says that certain chefs are having a huge laugh at the expense of the status diner. ETA - not sure who is the biggest fool.......

Hatters - would you describe "a flower pot containing a tiny carrot , a radish , two flowers and some faux soil that had been made with mushrooms" as being cutting edge good nosh? I am sure that some chefs could serve up a plate of Pedigree Chum and diners would think it is portion of amazing pate.

However, not every meal out needs to be a gourmet extravaganza. Sometimes you don't have the time or the money. Also I feel that there is an element of "piss taking" from some of the celebrity chefs in the UK who have over inflated egos and seem to be wrapped up in their art, that they don't feel the need to offer value for money. Read these reviews. £250 a head. http://www.squaremeal.co.uk/review/A_Taste_of_Noma_at_Claridge%27s/309340 And also this one on Trip Advisor "Hotel was fantastic and the Foyer was fantastic. Dinner was at NOMA!!! If I’m not mistaken “"The Emperor's New Clothes" (Danish: Kejserens nye Klæder) is a short tale by Hans Christian Andersen about two weavers who promise an Emperor a new suit of clothes that is invisible to those unfit for their positions, stupid, or incompetent. When the Emperor parades before his subjects in his new clothes, a child cries out, "But he isn't wearing anything at all!" So my evening tonight has a brought the tale up to date with Danish cook who promises his dinner guests a new gastronomic experience that would be lost to those unfit for their positions or stupid or incontinent. Alas this is a fairytale and thus was the myth of NOMA shattered. My dinner partner and I came to the same conclusion as the child in the crowd. It’s a con and it doesn’t taste of anything at all. • Vegetables, Soil and Grass = yes that’s exactly what it was like • Ants = some gem lettuce with crème fresh, a few dead and a few live ants. “some sort of Danish joke I presume” • Crushed Raspberries and tea, scones and caviar = odd Umami experiment – not unpleasant • Oysters and samphire buttermilk and “sol” = like a very milky oyster • Tartar and sorrel, juniper and tarragon = a scraping of Carpaccio with rocket – okay • Celeriac and truffle = like a tasteless boiled spud served with tasteless mud • Lamb neck and fermented pea and fresh cheese = my Mum does a better Sunday roast lamb and I gagged on the cheese element • Walnut and dried berries = sawdust on top of a bit of ice cream • Potato crisps = a chocolate covered Pringle with caraway seeds on top – as it sounds disgusting • Accompanying wine list = unfeasibly bad – we convinced Claridge’s to offer something decent for tomorrow night albeit at double the price – avoid and choose your own! Thank you to the impeccable staff at Claridge’s. You deserve Olympic medals for the next nine days of abuse you are about to have to deal with from Children in the audience. Of course there will always be a few that think because they have paid a grand for dinner for four it will be superb no matter what is served up!" Emperor's New Clothes indeed!