Eating out & Formerly Fine Dining

[Nick Armstrong]

This is another classic (and handy for the RFH)

Had a few fry-ups there to recover from spending sprees at Gramex (a couple of blocks away) back in the days of CD acquisition...!

[teamsaint]

This is another classic (and handy for the RFH)

Hmmmmm......and not far where I am tomorrow...and walking the London streets is Hungry work..........

Edit: not sure i phrased that quite right......

[MrGongGong]

Had a few fry-ups there to recover from spending sprees at Gramex (a couple of blocks away) back in the days of CD acquisition...!

The good thing about the Olympic is that in the morning it's a great "spoon"
then becomes a noodle soup place at lunch time
much beloved of some mates in the Philharmonia as well as tech folks from the RFH

Though probably not "fine dining" ?

Today I was here

[ardcarp]

My most memorable repas was at L'Auberge du Quai in Roscoff about 25 years ago. We four weary matelots had just done a Channel crossing and this place was the first we clapped eyes on. Not 'posh' but (double but) the plateau de fruits de mer, tiered like a wedding cake with a whole lobster draped on top, was the best thing ever. Supplied with a set of cracking and picking tools that would grace any dentist's surgery plus several bottles of Muscadet we were in heaven. The waiter lurked (subtly) and rushed to replenish the bread basket and to whisk away overflowing bowls of crustacean debris. We must have been two hours in there, and the atmosphere, the company and, well, everything was just perfect. What was or wasn't on the tablecloth seemed of little consequence.

In those days there were no proper ladders attached to Roscoff harbour wall, just old motor-tyres chained together, so to get back on board (in the dark) we had to negotiate about 15 feet of the damned things because the tide, as is its wont, had gone out. Did we care? Nah.

[Stillhomewardbound]

The waiter lurked (subtly) ...

Quick, make that a mandatory requirement of all adverts requesting waiting staff ... 'an ability to lurk subtly, essential!'

Btw, I'm no Trip Advisor troll but a restaurant visit in Dublin last year drove me to make my first contribution to that website:


'Chez Max, Baggot Street, Dublin'

"This was such a disappointing experience that it is hard to know where to begin, other than to suggest that Chez Max at Lower Baggot Street failed in all departments.

We were a party of four including cherished friends from the US and took our places on the evening of 14th June, 2014 at the invitation of our most generous host .

Let me begin with the food, I suppose. It was a Saturday night and I would have thought a reliable restaurant would be out to make an impression on the key night of the week, but the dishes we ordered each came across as pre-cooked way ahead of the evening. Certainly the vegetables had a stewed quality. Not much of an excuse as it was early in the evening and the restaurant had yet to get busy. Our individual orders simply did not present as a satisfying culinary experience.

I have a very good appetite and on most restaurant visits my plate is clear once I've finished. Not so on this occasion. My attitude was, apparently, in sync with Chez Max; if the kitchen couldn't be bothered, why should I?

Moving on to the ambience. I would have to say, on first impressions, it was pleasant and the welcome seemed to be genuine, but given how the evening progressed it was as if to have someone graciously help us off with our coats and then promptly throw them into the corner of the room. Then we come to the biggest fail of the evening. Actually, the second biggest fail of the evening, which was the standard of service. The principle problem was one of communication. It quickly became clear that our waitress was only very recently arrived in the city, most likely having come to attend one of the English Language summer schools. A number of times it was necessary for her to call on a colleague to translate our requirements and even then she really didn't know her way around the menu. We asked for a jug of water for the table as asking for repeat glasses of water had become tiresome (much to the horror of our of American friends where a carafe of water is a given), however, we were told the restaurant didn't have jugs of water. I'm very sure there were jugs of water but once again our request was simply not understood. I mean, if they had them over two thousand years ago at the wedding at Cana then I'm sure they could have managed it in Lower Baggot Street, Dublin 2 in the year 2014 anno domini.

So, how could "Chez Max' have failed us even more so? Well, every restaurant has its off-nights and occasionally one has to accept that, but when, as was the case with our host for the evening, she discretely spoke to the manager, away from the table, and expressed in calm and reasonable terms her very strong displeasure at the shortcomings of Chez Max she barely had an acknowledgement of her dissatisfaction. Not even crocodile tears were shed, and the restaurant conceded not so much as a breadstick, never mind any kind of discount on the bill, nor the invitation to a liqueur. Now, that's a fail on the nuclear scale in my book.

Time and again in the catering sector we see the signs, the feedback forms etc. all hollering 'tell us how we can do better', and there was our host, in that spirit, willing to give 'Chez Max' a 'wake up and smell the coffee' red alert, only to discover their true mission statement appeared to be: 'Shut up and give us your money!!'

You know, it's really quite easy to write a stinker of a review and use caustic wit to make one's point. To appear clever and droll, such as I could be accused of doing in this thread, but, in fact, Chez Max at Lower Baggot Street valiantly earned each of my heaps of derision. I'm just left wondering why they can't possibly apply the same dedication to running a restaurant."

[ahinton]

As Coren more or less puts it, it is the first law of restaurant filling that they will put you, when you arrive, in the least good table, because you're a sure thing - that's that table dealt with, they can keep the best one in case Stephen Fry or Mariella Frostrup drop in unexpectedly, although they're probably actually in Mustique

What? Together??

[ardcarp]

What? Together??

...reminds me of the 3rd and 4th line of that well-known Limerick

They argued a lot
About who should do what

[ahinton]

...reminds me of the 3rd and 4th line of that well-known Limerick

They argued a lot
About who should do what

About Frosting a Fry-up in Mustique?...

[Daniel]

I don't dine formally.

... I choose not be so self-restrictive.

That kind of presupposes that somebody not wishing to dine formally, is doing so out of self-restrictive behaviour, rather than simple preference, doesn't it? If so, I'd disagree with such a presupposition (presupperposition?).
I know people who find such formality unconducive to either appetite or their idea of pleasure, and who show no signs of behaving out of any 'puritanical' imperative. You could suggest the same about people who choose to listen only to certain kinds of music/performers. I imagine most would tell you they're listening to music that they enjoy, rather than avoiding anything on moral grounds.

Personally I (occasionally) enjoy the odd fine dining. Last one I think was last Autumn in a place in Marylebone High St called Orrery, which was a great pleasure (with very friendly, non-haranguing service).

[french frank]

Last one I think was last Autumn in a place in Marylebone High St called Orrery, which was a great pleasure (with very friendly, non-haranguing service).

Mmmmmmmmmm … food sounds all right, just not sure about the formality which always seems to me an unnecessary complication to eating out, whereas to others it's an enhancement.

[vinteuil]

an unnecessary complication...

... o, I relish unnecessary complications! It's the necessary complications that I shun...

I like having a range of experiences - so I like the simple 'sitting down and eating everything off bare boards', and I also like the whole swank of an event like a meal at le Gavroche.

But I fully accept not everyone likes everything across a range. I love many things from Victoria to Froberger to Chopin and Wagner; I can't be doing with Delius and Elgar and Vaughan Williams. So I am not really disappointed that French Frank will not be joining us next time we go to Troisgros in Roanne or Georges Blanc in Vonnas...

PS I find we do have some knife-rests here after all. Just need to get the silvo out to shine them up a bit...

[french frank]

So I am not really disappointed that French Frank will not be joining us next time we go to Troisgros in Roanne or Georges Blanc in Vonnas...

You don't understand - as an OAP I have suffered the humiliation of being refused entry to a local golf club's clubroom (invited by an old school chum to lunch) because they did NOT ALLOW BLUE DENIM across the threshold.

[Nick Armstrong]

Troisgros in Roanne...

That reference reminds me to recommend with uncomplicated enthusiasm this wonderful place where similar quality is on offer, for a fraction of the cost and travel expense. It's a 10 minute walk from Holborn, and 15 or so from the Barbican.

The 'style' of the place would comfortably accommodate FF's denim and vinblanc's fetish for starched linen.

Two courses from the prix fixe lunch menu are, I would say, unrivalled anywhere in terms of the qualité/prix/confort ratio.

It's an oasis on the homophonically grey stretch of the Gray's Inn Road just north of Clerkenwell Road. Otto's is the brainchild of Otto Tepassé (ex Tour d’Argent, Maxim’s, Plaza Athénée) who rolled all his dice and set it up a few years ago. It's come good for him, I'm pleased to say. He's always there, and a personal welcome and great value wine suggestions are always available.



Oh yes - Troisgros. Well Otto's chef used to be there; and it's also referenced by Jay Rayner - who kicked off this thread - in the first paragraph of his review of Otto's.

Mr Rayner adores the place.

To quote him: Have I sold it to you? Do you want to go? No? Then clearly you have no soul.

[french frank]

The 'style' of the place would comfortably accommodate FF's denim and vinblanc's fetish for starched linen.

That would be the clincher, given that gastronomically you'd sold it to me already. I'm no snob and would happily sit at the next table to M et Mme V

[Nick Armstrong]

That would be the clincher, given that gastronomically you'd sold it to me already. I'm no snob and would happily sit at the next table to M et Mme V

Or even the same table?