Author Topic: a restaurant review I enjoyed  (Read 49805 times)

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: a resturant review I enjoyed
« Reply #50 on: 12 April, 2017, 02:21:13 pm »
 ???

I reckon I need buckwheat wine in my buckwheat sushi restaurant.
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

cameronp

  • upside down
Re: a resturant review I enjoyed
« Reply #51 on: 12 April, 2017, 02:33:24 pm »
I've had a wine water (in a not expensive restaurant) light-heartedly chide me for ordering a bottle of french wine instead of trying the (much cheaper) local house wine; he brought a glass of the house wine over and it was really nice so, yeah, listen to the wine waiter.

Jesus...

Read the first few words of your post again Mr C  ;)
I don't think Jaded was getting upset at my phone auto-completing and inserting 'water' instead of 'waiter' without me knowing. I think he just didn't like the utter bourgeois notion of drinking house wine under recommendation as being a 'quality' decision. Such a low-class thing to be doing. However normally I swig cans of stella or special brew that I've brought in a carrier bag.

I didn't twig until Pingu's post, but I don't think "Jesus" was intended to convey displeasure. More suggesting that's whose presence you must have been in with the "wine water".

Graeme

  • @fatherhilarious.blog 🦋
    • Graeme's Blog
Re: a resturant review I enjoyed
« Reply #52 on: 12 April, 2017, 02:40:02 pm »
This is probably the first time a british restaurant review makes its way through a french newspaper:

http://www.lemonde.fr/big-browser/article/2017/04/11/quand-un-critique-culinaire-du-guardian-se-paye-le-grand-restaurant-du-georges-v_5109712_4832693.html

My ability to read French is poor - so step up Mr Google translate and help me...

« Le restaurant est décoré avec différents tons de taupe, biscuit et d’allez-vous-faire-foutre », qui « hurle l’argent comme les fans de foot hurlent contre l’arbitre. »
was translated as:
"The restaurant is decorated with different tones of mole, biscuit and go-do-do-cum," which "screams money as football fans yell at the referee."

I think I'll widen my vocabulary by google translating more documents in future.

Re: a resturant review I enjoyed
« Reply #53 on: 12 April, 2017, 02:40:50 pm »
Ah - well - maybe he was. A long way from the middle east and it is a muslim quarter of the city so it seems unlikely.
<i>Marmite slave</i>

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Re: a resturant review I enjoyed
« Reply #54 on: 12 April, 2017, 02:48:44 pm »
« allez-vous-faire-foutre »
...
"go-do-do-cum"

That's certainly a creative translation!

Btw, you could refer to the original piece (linked in the OP) for what Jay Rayner actually wrote.
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

Jaded

  • The Codfather
  • Formerly known as Jaded
Re: a resturant review I enjoyed
« Reply #55 on: 12 April, 2017, 02:49:32 pm »
What camreronp said  :)
It is simpler than it looks.

Re: a resturant review I enjoyed
« Reply #56 on: 12 April, 2017, 02:50:55 pm »

My ability to read French is poor - so step up Mr Google translate and help me...

« Le restaurant est décoré avec différents tons de taupe, biscuit et d’allez-vous-faire-foutre », qui « hurle l’argent comme les fans de foot hurlent contre l’arbitre. »

This quote is actually a dubious translation from the original article:

"It is decorated in various shades of taupe, biscuit and fuck you. There’s a little gilt here and there, to remind us that this is a room designed for people for whom guilt is unfamiliar. It shouts money much as football fans shout at the ref. There’s a stool for the lady’s handbag. Well, of course there is."

Re: a resturant review I enjoyed
« Reply #57 on: 12 April, 2017, 02:52:38 pm »
The phrasing does depend on Gilt and Guilt being homophones, which they aren't for Francophones.

ian

Re: a resturant review I enjoyed
« Reply #58 on: 12 April, 2017, 03:40:19 pm »
Anyway, this is just a break from my anti-raw fish tirade, because I know Citoyen gets annoyed by my fish schtick.

It's more pity than annoyance.

They call me the man-who-doesn't-like-fish in Japan. At least I think that's the translation.

I have a fine appreciation of my sublimely low cultural values, but give me a Die Hard box set and my own Nakatomi Tower of smoky bacon crisp sandwiches and I'm the happiest kitty in the litter.

Eccentrica Gallumbits

  • Rock 'n' roll and brew, rock 'n' roll and brew...
Re: a resturant review I enjoyed
« Reply #59 on: 12 April, 2017, 07:06:42 pm »
I've had a wine water (in a not expensive restaurant) light-heartedly chide me for ordering a bottle of french wine instead of trying the (much cheaper) local house wine; he brought a glass of the house wine over and it was really nice so, yeah, listen to the wine waiter.

Jesus...
The 'not expensive' restaurant was the most expensive, supposedly best place in the city - not in this country. Don't judge. The surprise was the quality of the local wine, I didn't even know Bosnia produced wine. It was the equal of anything I've drunk in France.

Read the first few words of your post again Mr C  ;)
I don't think Jaded was getting upset at my phone auto-completing and inserting 'water' instead of 'waiter' without me knowing. I think he just didn't like the utter bourgeois notion of drinking house wine under recommendation as being a 'quality' decision. Such a low-class thing to be doing. However normally I swig cans of stella or special brew that I've brought in a carrier bag.
I think it was a Biblical miracle reference.
My feminist marxist dialectic brings all the boys to the yard.


ian

Re: a resturant review I enjoyed
« Reply #60 on: 12 April, 2017, 07:21:37 pm »
Buckwheat is one of many types of kasha. But looking at French Tandem's post, there's probably a difference in meaning between Russian kasha and Polish kasza. So, buckwheat is one of many types of kasza.

Anyway, I'm going to start a place selling buckwheat sushi. Just for ian. It'll be in Boxpark.

You know, I had to check it didn't exist already, and it does – it's the 'healthier alternative to sushi rice'. It's not at Boxpark yet, but it's undoubtedly available somewhere in E8.

I'm actually quite keen on trying deep-fried sushi, it'll be a bit like arancini. And yes it exists too. Choose your tempura or panko crumb. A little further investigation unearthed something that is frankly too awesome for any mortal human to comprehend: a deep fried sushi burrito. Google and be awed.

Buckwheat isn't that awful, it was just a lot of bland and the little spludge of spice-less harissa wasn't going to tackle it. I can handle stodge (an essential skill in Africa, I've eaten my body weight in pap/nsima enough times and it's, erm, the ideal accompaniment to spaghetti) but it needs a bit more kick. I like to experiment with a big spoon of the local chilli sauce before lying on a ground and crying uncontrollably until the burning stops about three days later.

Pingu

  • Put away those fiery biscuits!
  • Mrs Pingu's domestique
    • the Igloo
Re: a resturant review I enjoyed
« Reply #61 on: 12 April, 2017, 07:35:46 pm »
...I'm actually quite keen on trying deep-fried sushi...

That must be available up here, shirley?

ian

Re: a resturant review I enjoyed
« Reply #62 on: 12 April, 2017, 07:45:26 pm »
You'd think. My exotic jet-setting lifestyle puts me in Glasgow in a few weeks.

It's probably not available in Shirley though.

Re: a resturant review I enjoyed
« Reply #63 on: 12 April, 2017, 08:03:29 pm »
Quote from: ian link=topic=102620.msg2156851#msg2156851

A little further investigation unearthed something that is frankly too awesome for any mortal human to comprehend: a deep fried sushi burrito. Google and be awed.




I hope Google responds with "did you mean to search for fishfinger sandwich?"
Quote from: tiermat
that's not science, it's semantics.

ian

Re: a resturant review I enjoyed
« Reply #64 on: 12 April, 2017, 08:38:47 pm »
Nope, but I do. Or a crisp sandwich. But I don't have any crisps, not being a snacky household. I do have poppadoms though, so I may have a poppadom and lime pickle sandwich later. Don't mock, they are surprisingly good. Crispy and spicy.

Citoyen got me thinking about the best meal I've had and I think it was in Prague too. Back in the early 2000s, if I recall, and it was a such a splendid evening, one of those meals that lasts all evening, our waiter didn't speak any English, we didn't speak any Czech, so everything involved mutual language lessons, service was slow, but perfectly paced, and the food very good, the wine plentiful, and the bill teeny. Anyway, it just worked. We went back a few times and it was good just not that good. I can't remember the name though, it's on the top of the hill, Malá Strana. If I recall it was one of few private restaurants during the communist era. It'll come to me, I've not been to Prague for years.

Central Europe is good for dining. There's a place out in the country near Novi Sad that's awesome too (don't ask me to spell it). I've never eaten so much food in one (five hour!) sitting.

Mrs Pingu

  • Who ate all the pies? Me
    • Twitter
Re: a resturant review I enjoyed
« Reply #65 on: 12 April, 2017, 09:19:19 pm »
Chocolate soil is possibly the worst thing on a dessert plate I've ever had.
Do not clench. It only makes it worse.

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: a resturant review I enjoyed
« Reply #66 on: 12 April, 2017, 09:22:25 pm »
Chocolate soil is possibly the worst thing on a dessert plate I've ever had.

Your cats really aren't trying.

Mrs Pingu

  • Who ate all the pies? Me
    • Twitter
Re: a resturant review I enjoyed
« Reply #67 on: 12 April, 2017, 09:25:49 pm »
Chocolate soil is possibly the worst thing on a dessert plate I've ever had.

Your cats really aren't trying.

<boak>
Do not clench. It only makes it worse.

Jaded

  • The Codfather
  • Formerly known as Jaded
Re: a resturant review I enjoyed
« Reply #68 on: 12 April, 2017, 11:40:07 pm »
Central Europe is good for dining. There's a place out in the country near Novi Sad that's awesome too (don't ask me to spell it). I've never eaten so much food in one (five hour!) sitting.

I got taken to some special places in Belgrade. Red meat and pickles seemed to be the staple. A large staple, not used by something you could put in your pocket. Washed down with red wine.
It is simpler than it looks.

ian

Re: a resturant review I enjoyed
« Reply #69 on: 13 April, 2017, 10:27:25 am »
It wasn't light food. Even the veg arrived wallowing in sour cream. I forget how many courses, probably a side effect of the plentiful wine during and rakija between each course.

Everyone in Serbia is about 7 foot tall, even the women. Probably explains why they need to eat so much. I was 7 foot wide by the end of the meal.

Re: a resturant review I enjoyed
« Reply #70 on: 13 April, 2017, 11:57:41 am »
(an essential skill in Africa, I've eaten my body weight in pap/nsima enough times and it's, erm, the ideal accompaniment to spaghetti)
You're doing it wrong - ugali(/pap/nsima/sadza/...) has to be eaten with sukuma wiki.

ian

Re: a resturant review I enjoyed
« Reply #71 on: 13 April, 2017, 12:05:21 pm »
Indeed. There might have been that too. I was talking to someone else in the meal queue at a meeting and when I turned around to collect my plate there were not only two DD portions of nsima but a writhing nest of spaghetti on top, and then some red stuff (which wasn't bolognese, but there's two foods in the developing world and they're called red and brown, and red is the spicy form of brown), and then some barbecued chicken. All of it, I think.

I had to hire a forklift to get it all back to my table. I've told the story of the awed child who probably just though I was greedy. I didn't want that much food. On account I'm not very tall and quite skinny people are always giving me extra food as though it will make me grow. At my age, I'm only likely to grow in one direction and it isn't up.

Re: a resturant review I enjoyed
« Reply #72 on: 13 April, 2017, 12:20:56 pm »
All high-end restaurants are ripe for satire. L'enclume in Cartmel for example.

Quote
Sample Menu

Beetroot leaf
Fermented cabbage and Ragstone
Smoked cod roe, parsley, flatbread
Truffle dumpling
Oyster cracker
Pork and eel with ham fat
Flaky crab and carrots
Maran egg, stout vinegar, mushroom
Raw scallops, pea with calamint

Aged veal in coal oil, shallot and oxalis

Native lobster with broad beans, and elderflower

Aynsome vegetable infusion, herbs and flowers

Butter poached turbot,courgettes, nasturtium

Goosnargh duck with cherries and smoked beetroot

Raspberry and sweet cicely tart
Blueberry, buttermilk, oats
Sheep’s milk, strawberry and marigold
Anvil
Cornets
Pine cones

Lunch and dinner £130
Lunch wine pairing £49
Dinner wine pairing £80 or £120

Re: a resturant review I enjoyed
« Reply #73 on: 02 May, 2017, 09:17:52 am »
Oh, what is this? A puff piece about an overpriced restaurant in the country famous for its overpriced restaurants?
Well, I've never been to this Le Cinq, but judging by what I've read, it's just another restaurant where people care more about how glamorous the food looks and whether the furniture is the same color as the walls than they do about getting good food for their money. Seriously, 600 for what, a whole roasted pig and a bucket of vine? I doubt that.
Call me a simpleton, but I seriously can't stand the bourgeois approach to going out and dining. Ever since I've been to places like The Wolseley on Piccadilly, food like rubber and glue, but prices like you're eating gold cooked by a vestal virgin. I can't stand it, and even the fact that it was a date with a lady can't outweigh the irritation. Restaurants should be about eating, not pretending to eat for appearances. But modern expensive restaurants are just that: places where you wouldn't want to eat.

ian

Re: a resturant review I enjoyed
« Reply #74 on: 02 May, 2017, 10:46:18 am »
Not to mention that it's far, far easier and cheaper to suborn your partner's fond attentions with a plateful of crispy pancakes.