Restaurants?

[Accip74 7,112]

1 hour ago, WILF said:

Horrible experiences like that mate, it just sort of leaves you deflated and feeling a bit of a mug......however, I would always make a point of complaining.....from a Michelin star to a sausage Sandwhich off a stall, there’s absolutely f**k all reason to be two bob about things and they shouldn’t be allowed to get away with it.

It just displays a bit of a f**k you attitude which, in any walk of life, if you are providing a product and a service and a man is paying you an agreed price you just shouldn’t have......it’s just basic manners that you attempt to do your very best for anyone and provide something good, be it a service or a product.

However, I think it’s also important to tell people when they do things well.....not enough of that happens either.

Mate I used to be shit hot on complaining, in fact went I through a phase that was often quite embarrassing for my Mrs & I don’t mind admitting more than once making prick of myself. Only the other year in Normandy we had an even worse experience regarding crazy prices for actually shit food, no other word for it....... I’m going into one, the women is making out she speaks no English & my Mrs who is french speaking wanted no part of it which caused a big row afterwards!

I don’t know what it is lately, but I’ve grown quite weary of complaining & let much more go. Most of the time it didn’t get me very far. But you are also quite right in the other respect, we are great customers & are always very vocal about showing our appretiation.

[shaaark 11,597]

8 minutes ago, WILF said:

I also love liver, kidney and heart but oddly enough I like them fried or roasted quiet tough with plenty of black pepper.

I like pigeon done the same way.

 

Yeah I love liver, kidneys, stuffed beef hearts. Hearts stuffed with celery, garlic, mixed herbs and onions

I forgot the chopped smoked bacon! Lol

Edited November 6, 2019 by shaaark

[Accip74 7,112]

28 minutes ago, WILF said:

Does anyone here still eat tongue ?......not that processed shit from the supermarket but a proper tongue?

I keep mine off my cattle and braise them long and slow with onion, they are absolutely out of this world.

I tried to cook a whole tongue some time ago, but messed it up. Maybe I should give it another go.....

[Accip74 7,112]

44 minutes ago, WILF said:

Have you had scallops and black pudding mate ?......they go really well together 

Classic! I’m doing it this week with the pea purée

[Accip74 7,112]

A place near me does a braised pig cheek dish which is so f***ing good. I’ve tried to replicate it, but not quite pulled it off to that standard yet....

[WILF 51,661]

1 minute ago, Accip74 said:

Mate I used to be shit hot on complaining, in fact went I through a phase that was often quite embarrassing for my Mrs & I don’t mind admitting more than once making prick of myself. Only the other year in Normandy we had an even worse experience regarding crazy prices for actually shit food, no other word for it....... I’m going into one, the women is making out she speaks no English & my Mrs who is french speaking wanted no part of it which caused a big row afterwards!

I don’t know what it is lately, but I’ve grown quite weary of complaining & let much more go. Most of the time it didn’t get me very far. But you are also quite right in the other respect, we are great customers & are always very vocal about showing our appretiation.

If I have to be away from home I alway try and make sure I’m in a really good hotel, one time on my own in Paris this particular hotel has a very, very good restaurant but it was all black tie only and evening suits......none of which I even own never mind cart about with to meet some Dutch Herbert in the middle of Europe ! Lol 

Anyway, I have a word and ask if I can get a table and they say yes so there I am, all on my jack jones sat at the table right in the middle of the dining room.

I have to say, it was fantastic grub.....frogs legs and all sorts but real nice.....now I’m not really a drinker but it was all so good I decide to push the boat out and got myself a bottle of Chablis to go with it.....so at the end, I’m pissed!

The chef comes out at the end of the evening and is going round all the tables and it’s all polite nods and thanks you’s and he gets to me and says “How was your meal?” And I stand up, put my arm round him and give him a big old bear hug and say much too loudly “That was f***ing handsome my son “ ! Lol 

It caused a few amused grins amongst the French hoi palloy ! Lol 

[gnasher16 31,602]

3 minutes ago, Accip74 said:

Mate I used to be shit hot on complaining, in fact went I through a phase that was often quite embarrassing for my Mrs & I don’t mind admitting more than once making prick of myself. Only the other year in Normandy we had an even worse experience regarding crazy prices for actually shit food, no other word for it....... I’m going into one, the women is making out she speaks no English & my Mrs who is french speaking wanted no part of it which caused a big row afterwards!

I don’t know what it is lately, but I’ve grown quite weary of complaining & let much more go. Most of the time it didn’t get me very far. But you are also quite right in the other respect, we are great customers & are always very vocal about showing our appretiation.

I cant stand people who complain at every opportunity just so they can flex their foody knowledge muscles ( not saying thats you by the way ).....theres a few people i refuse to go out with simply because they complain at the drop of a hat......my attitude is as long as the food is edible and the place is clean i wont complain i just wont go back......food is such an individual thing i think you have to be a bit flexible what i find tasty someone else might think is crap i hate people who think they elevate a notch of the social ladder just because they are in an expensive restaurant i,ll show the same respect to the cleaners or the waiters as i will the owners regardless if i enjoyed the meal or not....im a rough kid off the estate who am i to talk down to a waiter or a chef.

[lurcherman 887 13,465]

50 minutes ago, WILF said:

Have you had scallops and black pudding mate ?......they go really well together 

I aint mate lol sounds rancid

[shaaark 11,597]

9 minutes ago, W. Katchum said:

I went throo a stage of eating chopped heart, liver kidneys an loads scrambled eggs, from any type a bird I could find was eating it a few times a week, was wounded when Supply run out, tell ye what tho I felt great An was sure I found an extra gear in the gym  

Similar when I was training catch, plenty of liver, sliced quite thinly, and scrambled with eggs, mixed herbs and worcester sauce

[WILF 51,661]

1 minute ago, gnasher16 said:

I cant stand people who complain at every opportunity just so they can flex their foody knowledge muscles ( not saying thats you by the way ).....theres a few people i refuse to go out with simply because they complain at the drop of a hat......my attitude is as long as the food is edible and the place is clean i wont complain i just wont go back......food is such an individual thing i think you have to be a bit flexible what i find tasty someone else might think is crap i hate people who think they elevate a notch of the social ladder just because they are in an expensive restaurant i,ll show the same respect to the cleaners or the waiters as i will the owners regardless if i enjoyed the meal or not....im a rough kid off the estate who am i to talk down to a waiter or a chef.

I think, like most things there are ways you go about it......Hollering and hooting and being a prick is one thing but I don’t see a problem with a polite “here, excuse me but this isn’t really on” ......that’s something else entirely in my book.

On the very few occasions in my life I have felt the need to do it I have always been curteous and polite and always said to them “It’s better someone mention it than customers just don’t come back”

You don’t have to be rude to have sensible conversations in any walk of life, you know that mate.

 

[gnasher16 31,602]

2 hours ago, WILF said:

Food is and should be a social experience mate, you will remember years back that if someone came to your house you would feed them.....it was just the done thing.

My poor old mum used to be up at all hours cooking for my old mans pals at all weird and wonderful times of the day and night and you would all sit round and talk and eat and generally do like a generational bonding type thing.

Its where a young lad kept the company of men and you learned men stuff.

But, I understand the too much of a good thing way of looking at eating out.....it’s like anything, when it’s commonplace it ceases to be special.

Im lucky in as much as, for some reason, the men in my family have always cooked (probably something to do with all being greedy b*****ds)  and I like cooking so it’s a pleasure to do and better still because I get to use stuff I produced.

Kids get sick of it to be honest, they are like “Dad, for f**k sake, can’t we just have waffles and beans ?! “ 

When eating out, company is as important a component as any other imho

Fortum & Mason indeed......it ain’t me that’s the football club chairman ya flash f****r ! Lol  

Yeah but you aint seen the state of the football club 

We didnt really have that as kids, if there was food in the cupboard whoever got there first got it down sharpish we didnt have that typical family round the table dinner which is probably why i value it so much as an adult....totally agree about the company id rather have good company and bad food than bad company and good food.....surroundings are important as well i go into some restaurants and spend half the time wandering about just looking at stuff.....someone above mentioned empty restaurants,thats a pet hate of mine as well if i cant hear people talking and laughing the food dont seem to taste as good 

[Born Hunter 17,975]

1 minute ago, W. Katchum said:

Moved onto steak once it had all run out but that wasn’t the same, okay now an again but summat about the offal an that that made it so moreish

I processed 18 mallard at the weekend and kept the heart from every one. They're beautiful fried in butter. I should have kept the livers but it was too much of a f**k around in the dark. The gizzards are supposed to be good too I believe.

[Accip74 7,112]

21 minutes ago, gnasher16 said:

I cant stand people who complain at every opportunity just so they can flex their foody knowledge muscles ( not saying thats you by the way ).....theres a few people i refuse to go out with simply because they complain at the drop of a hat......my attitude is as long as the food is edible and the place is clean i wont complain i just wont go back......food is such an individual thing i think you have to be a bit flexible what i find tasty someone else might think is crap i hate people who think they elevate a notch of the social ladder just because they are in an expensive restaurant i,ll show the same respect to the cleaners or the waiters as i will the owners regardless if i enjoyed the meal or not....im a rough kid off the estate who am i to talk down to a waiter or a chef.

I quite agree. Complaining about a smudge on a glass or a slightly over cooked steak or worse still taking it all out on some poor waitress that’s just trying to earn a few quid is not me at all. It’s feeling completely ripped off or treated badly will see me getting vocal with whoever is managing the place.

Belgium can be especially bad regarding these things. In fact I’ve rarely had a guest here who hasn’t mentioned it during their visit. It can bring out the worst in you!

Edited November 6, 2019 by Accip74

[shaaark 11,597]

7 minutes ago, Born Hunter said:

I processed 18 mallard at the weekend and kept the heart from every one. They're beautiful fried in butter. I should have kept the livers but it was too much of a f**k around in the dark. The gizzards are supposed to be good too I believe.

Duck liver pate 

[mushroom 14,274]

Offal, pig feet, cheeks cow tongue everything is easily available here in the butchers. I got a sheep head the other week... that was different cooked it in the tagine with spices etc

So no one has any recommendations for restaurants in London?