Your most disliked trend in the food industry.

[SobaAddict70]

That's because "moderation" is a dirty word in this country, and always has been.

[benthescientist]

Serving food at room/body temperature. I find I enjoy food a whole lot more when it not only has flavor, but produces a heating sensation as well.

[huiray]

Hmm. I'm not sure I would think of food being served at room temperature being a trend in the food industry in a general sense. Just thinking out loud. In Western cuisine, perhaps that could be said. However, many cuisines traditionally serve many foods and whole meals at room temperature. many Middle Eastern/West Asia dishes, a lot of Indonesian/Javanese/Sumatran meals, various E/SE Asian dishes/meals, etc. For example, lots of places in Java would serve food displayed "buffet-style" for you to choose from, all "cold"/room temperature, including soups. In Sumatra (and other places) the well-known "Nasi Padang" selections would all be at room temperature, save maybe a few items. Or "Satay", as another example, a meal in itself, common in Malaysia & Indonesia and environs - the grilled skewers would be hot coming off the grill but would be at room temperature by the time you are halfway through eating your order, unless you were quick about it or ordered a handful of skewers at a time and snatched them from the griller's hands as fast as they were being made. Doable at a roadside stall, yes. :-) All the sides, however, would be at room temperature - the ketupat and/or nasi himpit, the cucumbers & onions, the dipping sauce (with some exceptions)... In these cases it's part of the style of the cuisine, not a "trend".

Thinking about it further, in almost all cuisines both Western and Eastern there would be various items and dishes "traditionally" served at room temperature. But perhaps you are thinking of an entire meal served at room temperature?

[PSmith]

I'm not sure if it is the case in the UK but you would be very hard pressed not to have had many main courses that had components cooked sous vide in Australian fine dining restaurants. I know from your reviews that you eat out fairly regularly.

Think you might be confusing me with the other critical couple (they are dot com - I am dot co dot uk) I am the much poorer (and probably thinner) version who is an ABC diner (Anniversaries, Birthdays and Christmas).

One trend that seems to be fashionable is serving food raw and looking for sensational items such as live ants. Noma opened a pop up restaurant at Claridges in the summer and received some un-complementary review - especially on TripAdvisor. I especially like the onea from Mark T and CanB. With a price tag of £195 ($300), I would have been pretty peed off with what was on offer.

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g186338-d1106756-r135755948-The_Foyer_At_Claridge_s-London_England.html

[weinoo]

Serving food at room/body temperature. I find I enjoy food a whole lot more when it not only has flavor, but produces a heating sensation as well.

Personally, I prefer food to be served at the temperature it is supposed to be served at. That is, hot food should be served hot on warmed plates; cold food should be served cold on cold plates; and room temperature food should be room temp - I enjoy many foods at room temperature, which is where the most flavor comes out in things like charcuterie, etc.

[patrickamory]

Serving food at room/body temperature. I find I enjoy food a whole lot more when it not only has flavor, but produces a heating sensation as well.

Personally, I prefer food to be served at the temperature it is supposed to be served at. That is, hot food should be served hot on warmed plates; cold food should be served cold on cold plates; and room temperature food should be room temp - I enjoy many foods at room temperature, which is where the most flavor comes out in things like charcuterie, etc.

^^^^ This

[nickrey]

I'm not sure if it is the case in the UK but you would be very hard pressed not to have had many main courses that had components cooked sous vide in Australian fine dining restaurants. I know from your reviews that you eat out fairly regularly.

Think you might be confusing me with the other critical couple (they are dot com - I am dot co dot uk) I am the much poorer (and probably thinner) version who is an ABC diner (Anniversaries, Birthdays and Christmas).

Guilty as charged. Who'd have known that there'd be two of you?

I still stand by the other part of my post: One could propose that someone who would label a dish as cooked sous vide is probably new to the process and has not integrated the process into their cooking regime. A consequent lack of practice and recent adoption says to me that they probably would not have had the skill to give you the best version of dishes or may even have used it inappropriately. Thus not being blown away would be a predictable outcome. I'd never eat something that was labelled as having been cooked sous vide for this reason.

[Putty Man]

I'd never eat something that was labelled as having been cooked sous vide ...

Sous-vide has been used in top kitchens since the 80s. However, it is modernist cuisine that has fetishised outré techniques. You may claim not to be impressed, but MG's most lauded exponents never shut up about the extent gadgetry plays in their cooking. Indeed, scientism has given an added value of food for over a decade.

[ChrisTaylor]

I don't know if making a big deal about sous vide this and sous vide that is hugely different to BBQ cooks banging on about low and slow smoke treatments.

[nickrey]

I'd never eat something that was labelled as having been cooked sous vide ...

Sous-vide has been used in top kitchens since the 80s. However, it is modernist cuisine that has fetishised outré techniques. You may claim not to be impressed, but MG's most lauded exponents never shut up about the extent gadgetry plays in their cooking. Indeed, scientism has given an added value of food for over a decade.

Emphasis on something being labelled as being cooked sous vide. I eat sous vide cooked food all the time including at top restaurants. They don't label it as cooked sous vide. To them it is simply cooking.

[ChrisTaylor]

Well, yeah. I mean, I can't think of a time when I've been a restaurant that's specifically mentioned sous vide on the menu or anywhere else. The only time it has maybe been brought up is when a friend asked about how a particular ingredient was cooked. You're more likely to see 'roast' mentioned on a menu. And it's not like we're saying that, oh, by using a modern oven (as opposed to, say, something involving stones and a coal fire) they're cheating.

[Baselerd]

It almost seems to be a fad now to say modernist cooking is passé, or trash talking sous vide and hydrocolloids. Why not enjoy all genres of food?

It seems this thread has a circular pattern of someone decrying use of modern techniques, with following discussion.

Edited January 7, 2013 by Baselerd (log)

[PSmith]

One thing that is becoming increasingly common in the UK is service charge - often between 10-15%. Plus many customers don't realise the service charge isn't a tip.

This is an old article, but quite interesting.

http://www.timeout.com/london/restaurants/features/4888/Service_charge_scandal-to_tip_or_not_to_tip.html

Might be worthy of a separate thread for discussion.

[liuzhou]

Room temperature? What is that?

My room temperature normally varies from about 8ºC to over 40ºC depending on time of year. This winter is being particularly cold. My room temperature now is about 3ºC. The fridge is warmer.

Utterly meaningless.

Edited January 9, 2013 by liuzhou (log)

[Shalmanese]

Room temperature? What is that?

My room temperature normally varies from about 8ºC to over 40ºC depending on time of year. This winter is being particularly cold. My room temperature now is about 3ºC. The fridge is warmer.

Utterly meaningless.

In first world countries, while outside temperature may vary, it's generally assumed that living spaces are climate controlled to a fairly tight range. Room temperature tends to mean somewhere between 20 - 25C (70 - 80F).

[liuzhou]

In first world countries

What about in America then?

But joking aside, I still say there is a huge range of room temperatures whatever is 'assumed'.

As a wine writer, I often come across people telling me that certain wines are ideal at "room temperature", when in fact they have been carefully made to be optimum at cellar temperature which is almost always cooler than your 20 - 25C. But that's another story.

Edited January 9, 2013 by liuzhou (log)

[Baselerd]

25 C is generally accepted as standard room temperature in most literature I've read.

[sigma]

Wine isn't carefully made to be served at any temperature, certainly not at cellar temp, though it is generally the temperature at which I prefer most wine. The serving temp has to do with the range at which our palates perceive different tastes more or less strongly, and is as much subject to the winds of fashion as anything else.

[lancastermike]

I may have had enough of farm to table. was unlucky enough to be at a place the other night where the description of their philosphy of locally sourced products pretty much ruined my desire to eat there.

I like a lemon twist in my Manhatthan. Last time I checked, there ain't any lemon trees in my area. Do they use salt? No salt mines around here either. Holy Moley what about pepper? Olive oil?

Hey dudes. Get some stuff and cook it up.

[gfweb]

I may have had enough of farm to table. was unlucky enough to be at a place the other night where the description of their philosphy of locally sourced products pretty much ruined my desire to eat there.

I like a lemon twist in my Manhatthan. Last time I checked, there ain't any lemon trees in my area. Do they use salt? No salt mines around here either. Holy Moley what about pepper? Olive oil?

Hey dudes. Get some stuff and cook it up.

F to T is a lot of pretentious BS in my humble opinion. It all starts on a farm and it all ends up on a table...what's so gastronomicly special about eliminating a middleman? A day fresher maybe?

[Martin Fisher]

Farm to table, the 100 mile diet, etc. really has gotten silly.

95% of what I eat comes from my farm or other local farms, but I do enjoy fish sauce from Vietnam, anchovies and sea salt from Italy, etc. etc. etc.

~Martin

[nickrey]

In first world countries

What about in America then?

But joking aside, I still say there is a huge range of room temperatures whatever is 'assumed'.

As a wine writer, I often come across people telling me that certain wines are ideal at "room temperature", when in fact they have been carefully made to be optimum at cellar temperature which is almost always cooler than your 20 - 25C. But that's another story.

Room temperature in Australia is often quite different from this.

Can't tell you the number of times I've had to ask for an ice bucket to cool down an overly warm red wine.

[liuzhou]

Room temperature in Australia is often quite different from this.

Can't tell you the number of times I've had to ask for an ice bucket to cool down an overly warm red wine.

Precisely.

[Nasi_Campur]

Food forums where others tell others what is good and how to eat it.

[Dave M]

No ice in the water glass. I've started noticing this trend quite a bit over the past few years...refrigerated bottles of tap water, but no ice. It's easy enough to ask for it, so I don't get too emotionally involved, but unless there are some compelling non-alcoholic beverage choices I stick with water. During a 2-3 hour meal it's nice to have a cold and refreshing sip at the ready.

Ummm....a goodly number of restaurants and public kitchens don't clean their ice machines regularly. If you had ever seen how dirty and bacteria-ridden those ice machines can be you would gratefully accept the chilled bottled water.