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Taste London


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Same as usual for me, if I didn't get in free I would not go

£25 entrance fee + £3 -£5 for small, often not very good, plates of food = a very expensive few hours.

The bomb scare that got me to leave during the interval was probably the work of a disgruntled, broke and still hungry punter.

S

p.s. 'anybody else's view' actually, while I am in fussy mode

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Same as usual for me, if I didn't get in free I would not go

£25 entrance fee + £3 -£5 for small, often not very good, plates of food = a very expensive few hours.

The bomb scare that got me to leave during the interval was probably the work of a disgruntled, broke and still hungry punter.

S

p.s. 'anybody else's view' actually, while I am in fussy mode

Very valid if not claiming on expenses would not have gone myself, all i can say is well done to waitrose best dish of the night, by a long way!!!!

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I'm really fond of Taste of London. It's my fourth year going. I do pay for tickets, but always hold out for X pounds for Y people deals. There are so many restaurants in the city, it's a relatively inexpensive way to technically sample a large number of them: it's helped me decide on restaurants to go to and ones to avoid afterward. (Guidebooks and reviews, useful as they are, are no substitute for sample dishes!)

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I'm really fond of Taste of London. It's my fourth year going. I do pay for tickets, but always hold out for X pounds for Y people deals. There are so many restaurants in the city, it's a relatively inexpensive way to technically sample a large number of them: it's helped me decide on restaurants to go to and ones to avoid afterward. (Guidebooks and reviews, useful as they are, are no substitute for sample dishes!)

Yes up to a point, after all it's not quite a sample when the team are cooking in a tent! That's a bit unfair. I have had bad samples from people I know are normally good, so it's a bit of a lottery really. I don't diss the concept, I just think its overcharging rather badly.

And what was with giving away the big magazine on the way out? Once you look at that you have more idea of where to go, but that's not a lot of use when you're leaving though is it? I sat on the bus and thought. 'Damn!'

S

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I'm really fond of Taste of London. It's my fourth year going. I do pay for tickets, but always hold out for X pounds for Y people deals. There are so many restaurants in the city, it's a relatively inexpensive way to technically sample a large number of them: it's helped me decide on restaurants to go to and ones to avoid afterward. (Guidebooks and reviews, useful as they are, are no substitute for sample dishes!)

Sworthen, from taste of london where would you go and where not?,

Can i ask how much you spent?

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Yes up to a point, after all it's not quite a sample when the team are cooking in a tent! That's a bit unfair. I have had bad samples from people I know are normally good, so it's a bit of a lottery really. I don't diss the concept, I just think its overcharging rather badly.

No, it's not fair, but neither are other less-controlled incidents which can affect my decision never to go back to a restaurant. (Such as finding a screw in my mashed potatoes at a restaurant beloved by a friend of mine.) The team aren't cooking under ideal circumstances, no, but they're still representing their restaurant. Indeed, if it's not one big advertisement for the restaurants participating, I'm not sure what Taste of London is meant to be. There are enough restaurants in this city that I'm willing to vet a small number of them on the basis of what they think is worth showcasing there.

And what was with giving away the big magazine on the way out? Once you look at that you have more idea of where to go, but that's not a lot of use when you're leaving though is it? I sat on the bus and thought. 'Damn!'

They do those magazines every year. The only thing it seems good for is trying to justify ticket price. ("Worth £10") Or if any of the included recipes were ones you happened to wish to have.

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Sworthen, from taste of london where would you go and where not?,

Can i ask how much you spent?

£69 for 2 premium tickets this year, i.e. entry + £20/apiece crownds/show money. It only saves about £10, but at least it's a smidgin better than full price.

As for where I would go, generally I try to sample dishes from restaurants which I haven't sampled in previous years, and which I either know to be well-reviewed or, on the other extreme, places I've never heard of. Turnover among restaurants participating is slow enough that there are always plenty of places I don't need to try again, however much I liked their samples in past years or like the restaurant itself from going.

Among that subset, it's up to dishes and what I feel up for. Last year, I went by myself and so concentrated on lots of light dishes, soups and salads, so I could eat more different things. This year, I had a group of people, so could try theirs as well as mine - so fewer, more substantial dishes to share.

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