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Scott

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Everything posted by Scott

  1. fan fair doesn't just happen. people pay a lot of money for PR experts to create a spontaneous public reaction; most of whom have wasted their money
  2. the square doesn't turn tables as a matter of course. we had the degustation (flipping marvellous) last wednesday on a 7:30 table. that all sounds odd, perhaps you were unlucky with who you spoke to? they can certainly hammer out a degustation in 2 hours.
  3. that's odd. the stands are free, they do not pay anything to exhibit. there are (high) penalties for running out of food and other conditions, and they pay 40% royalty on sales. it still adds up, with staff as you say and preparation etc. but the high prices to exhibit amount to precisely £0.00 ← not quite true - I was on a stand that was a non-restaurant stand and the cost was £2,000 for the privilege of being there. You are correct that the restaurants don't pay for their stands, but they do have to pay for the designing and fitting out of the stand and then they have to have 850 dishes for each service or they get a big old fine, so all in all, it can be pretty pricey for them! ← and rightly so, who goes for the non-restaurant stands. for them it's a trade show. as for the restaurants... that seems to be pretty much what I said.
  4. The three 96s we had continue to confirm my view that it is the best South Australian vintage from the 1990s. 1991 by the length of flemington straight
  5. good god man, Share! what did you have
  6. that's odd. the stands are free, they do not pay anything to exhibit. there are (high) penalties for running out of food and other conditions, and they pay 40% royalty on sales. it still adds up, with staff as you say and preparation etc. but the high prices to exhibit amount to precisely £0.00
  7. it should never be an alternative to the fat duck. I love the waterside inn, but it's the total experience rather than the food (very traditional); whereas the FD is all about the food. though if he doesn't change the menu soon, it will too become traditional
  8. Not sure it's fair to talk about subsidies in such locations, as it's inevitable the start-up costs will be shared and the calculations when deciding ground rent are fiendishly complicated. Also, Walnuts' contract with BAA is for ten years; an early break could only really happen by mutual consent if the business was not performing. As promised, here are some pictures (they're linked, for the preservation of bandwidth among those not giving a monkeys): Subtle branding. The menu and winelist. Could you hijack a plane with these? ← 10 years? not a chance it'll last that long. I'll give it 3. It's a commercial enterprise, so he won't have a cost plus arrangement; but very conceivably it's a license fee for his name ala Gary Rhodes and restaurant associates; except he's not tied into any of the big contract caterers.
  9. yup. he doesn't need a subsidy, and he doesn't need the headache of trying to operate in such a restrictive environment either. they still haven't got anything like the air side passes needed for their staff; deliveries are a nightmare to get through etc etc. all the same shit everyone else is dealing with, but at a more precise and demanding level. It's a big promotional boost for T5, not him.
  10. i'll bet london to a brick Plane food closes at the end of it's initial term. It was opened as a headline grabber under huge subsidy.
  11. I probably just wasn't trying hard enough to dislike it - I'll do better next time. ← that'd be a no then?
  12. I'd be interested to hear about your most recent experience and where you felt it fell short. ← lol. indeed i've not been in 12 months, had the tasting menu 3 times, and always found it a jumbled, incoherent mess. perhaps you can tell me how it's different now??? I'm not a fan of his style of cooking... however that's irrelevant. his style of cooking doesn't lead to faultless meals, and I've never heard his greatest supporters suggest otherwise. Further, I doubt very much if messr Aikens himself would be happy with that, as it implies he's stopped pushing. which fault for some, favour for others, is not his raison d'etre. saying you had a faultless aikens meal is as unexpected and uncommon as an innovative, boundary pushing meal at the Ivy.
  13. I'm surprised to hear that. even on top form, there is no such thing as a faultless aikens menu. he's pushing too hard to ever have a faultless experience, even when on song.
  14. and before we start to think it appropriate of ourselves to decry her efforts, we should also remember if her place was as shambolic as some would vicariously have us believe she'd never have 2*'s or the deal with the Connaught. ← Well I have eaten there and it was pretty poor. I would certainly question how it got two stars - I have had many better meals at places with lower ratings. She is very much the darling of the French press and I think this and her image make Michelin reluctant to demote. It is often said that Michelin are quick to award but very slow to remove stars especially in Paris. However, I am intrigued that Durack gave her a high score as he is a reliable critique - maybe things have improved. It will be intersting to see how it turns out. Maybe the more intersting French import this year will be Jean-Christophe Ansanay-Alex from Auberge de I’lle in Lyon who is opening in South Kensington early in the summer. Anyone have any further news? ← I'll happily believe you had what you considered a bad experience. However that's not nearly enough for me to believe that Michelin & the Connaught are the fools being made out.
  15. and before we start to think it appropriate of ourselves to decry her efforts, we should also remember if her place was as shambolic as some would vicariously have us believe she'd never have 2*'s or the deal with the Connaught.
  16. if by politely, you mean he fawns and drools over you while asking? he should pay my dry cleaning.
  17. as someone who: 1. loves the Ivy burger and 2. does not particularly care for GBK. i am still very surprised by the breadth of the implication here, and wonder if he is looking for publicity.
  18. A very slight, perhaps even imagined implication! p&s are ok. they are very expensive, but they have a broad range of stuff. i wouldn't recommend, but there are worse places in a pinch. i'm interested to know why you think it's so easy to declare that "writing off their its exclusivities is a little easy"? it is their business model, and the bane of EVERY one of their private client sales teams. it's very hard to maintain client interest when you are selling mediocre wines to a client base attracted by the A list stars. not every one of their exclusivities is mediocre, and nothing of the sort has been said or implied. however, across the range it does, unquestionably, lead to a number of properies below the water line. if you want to broke wines from them, they are no cheaper than anyone else. and the reason they go for exclusives, is that it obscures their margins and comparisons. that is the point, so I am not sure how they are cheap. NB. I do buy primeur from C&B from time to time. anyone can buy from the wholesaler if you wish too, that's always a cheaper option. in many cases the retailer/wholesaler is the same thing - that's the function they occupy during the en primeur process. wholesalers supply to the retailer, who adds 30 - 40% margin. there is very little mid to high end burgundy that goes through the auction houses. in fact there is very little mid to high end burgundy that changes hands at all, after the original point of sale. unless you're talking about the commoditised items already mentioned. M&V used to be fantastic, but now BBR just funds jasper to live in burgundy, host client dinners, and do some buying trips for them.
  19. the wine society is one of the best, smartest purchasers of wine in the country. they have great buying team, and have some fabulous wines. prices are good too. they just don't have the great allocations of fine wines, that you used to be able to get. which used to make them even better. but most serious wine enthusiasts are members, and I think that says it all.
  20. absolutely!! should def be on the recommended list.
  21. more gimmick, that actually interesting merchants imo.
  22. sorry the green and blue isn't that interesting. you could just contact les caves de pyrene directly ← you could and Liberty or Fields Morris & Verdun for some even more intersting wines than Cullen, Selvapiana, Cigliuti etc............. ← missed my point. significant proportion of Kate's wine list appears to be from Les Caves. don't get points for letting the same supplier who built your restaurant wine list, do the same on a retail level.
  23. Harvey Nichols is surprisingly VERY good, and not terribly priced for one off bottles.
  24. sorry the green and blue isn't that interesting. you could just contact les caves de pyrene directly
  25. this one's easy. are you looking for a good one off bottle, or someone to build a relationship with? good one off bottles on the shelf, at some times hefty prices (but prob still less than berry bros) would be: Handford. if you can handle delivery charges, four walls wines is fantastic as is Ancient & Modern wines for older claret. but for a great all rounder, on day to day basis I'd recommend Lea & Sandemann. they are good for en primeur and on the shelf wines one of my favourites, is Haynes Hanson & Clark. that's Anthony Hanson of Christies and much burgundy fame. superb merchant to build a relationship. all of these are far better choices than the bandits at BBR. Corney & Barrow are great for headlining labels - but you won't get any. what I mean is they do Petrus, DRC, and deVogue. but demand is stooopid, and they are allocated to long standing customers. Their policy on trying for exclusivity only means they have a lot of mediocre estates just below the headline stars. J&B are pretty good. but no good for one offs or day to day purchases. Lay & Wheeler are another good all rounder. but really there are 3 categories: the blue blood names, for those who value tradition more than their money. BBR, C&B etc. J&B are prob in this category but less avaristic. the day to day merchants you can pop in and see. Handford Lea & Sandemann Haynes Hanson Some branches of jereboams and those that you can build a relationship over time. good selections, primeurs and offers, and access to some well chosen stuff too. Lay & Wheeler + Lea & S + HH & C Howard Ripley Bottom line, avoid those places opening offices in the far east; they're prob more commoditised than what you're looking for. there are many other good ones, and bad ones, but my minds gone blank.
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