Calis Beach and Fethiye Turkey Discussion Forum
General Topics => All things that have nothing to do with Turkey => Topic started by: Highlander on December 20, 2009, 20:04:52 PM
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I am fortunate enough to be invited out to quite a few lunches at this time of year. In the last 10 days I have dined at some "smart" restaurants. You know the types of places, where presentation seems to be the most important thing with the food, what little there is of it, beautifully placed in the centre of the plate with a swirl of a fancy named sauce around the perimeter. Here are a couple of examples of what I ordered.
At Dunain Park Hotel
(http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q214/highlander_010/dunainparkhotel.jpg)
Starter:
Home made terrine of house smoked duck and goose with griottine cherries, melba toast and pinot noir reduction
Main Course:
Pan seared sea bass with hand cut "Kjenga" chips and a pea & shallot confit.
At Café One
(http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q214/highlander_010/cafeone.jpg)
Starter:
Pan seared breast of wood pigeon, cep and white truffle oil risotto, apple puree.
Main Course:
Rump of lamb, rosemary garlic and pancetta roasted potatoes, mushroom spinach and a sun blushed tomato jus
The thing is, last Thursday I was invited to another "smart" restaurant but when we got there it was fully booked and we ended up having to "slum it" at the nearest Brewers Fayre. A no brainer after studying the menu I ordered sausage, eggs, chips and beans which turned out to be simply sensational.
Now the fact that I prefer the Brewers Fayre meal to the "fine" cuisine presented in the other two restaurants, drives the present Mrs H (a very, very good cook) insane and she accuses me of being a food philistine.
But to me food is like art - "I don't know much about it but I know what I like"
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Come on H, I am really disappointed that you have not been around to the Roc Pool and sampled Mr Roux fayre, however, I wait with interest to see that you have been invited and what you ate.
The Roc Pool is great for an overnight stay (it's a long way to drive from Dingwall after a few drinks) particularly the rooms with the outside jacuzzi's
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I understand that a four course meal at lunch time is £ 12.95 Jacqui.:D
A really lovely place.
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Here is what £46 gets you in what used to be my local tiny portion high price restaurant:
Fillet of Turbot
Fricassee of Baby Vegetables
Artichoke Purée and Mushroom Velouté - £46.00
I have no idea what a fricassee is, or indeed a velouté but I bet there isn't a lot of either. Or why not go for the halibut, served as it is with a Mille Feuille of Potato.
I suspect it's all a load of b*ll*cks, words used when charging nearly £50 for a small square of fish with magnificently carved carrots and cucumber, and "salad leaves" that taste of compost.
This particular restaurant is invariably fronted by parked Porches, Range Rovers and Ferraris. If they are leaving at the same time you are passing, you can follow them all the way back to the Leighton Buzzard bypass, straight across the roundabout into MacDonalds.
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"I suspect it's all a load of b*ll*cks, words used when charging nearly £50 for a small square of fish with magnificently carved carrots and cucumber, and "salad leaves" that taste of compost".
PRECISELY
Frighteningly, Mrs H knows what fricassee, velouté and a Mille Feuille of Potato all mean. Which explains why I never get pie, beans and chips at home:(
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quote:
Originally posted by Highlander
Frighteningly, Mrs H knows what fricassee, velouté and a Mille Feuille of Potato all mean.
Well I don't and I'm the one who's paying
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I know two places where you could get two courses and a bottle of wine for £50.
Both beautifully cooked meals.
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quote:
Originally posted by Highlander
I understand that a four course meal at lunch time is £ 12.95 Jacqui.:D
A really lovely place.
Never tried the lunch, that's why I wanted your opinion, we only stayed the night and had dinner and then breakfast. Surprising they are doing such cheap lunches when the rooms are from £170 to £365.00 per night..
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our local does a beautiful carvery for £5 95!
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Dunain Park Hotel...had my wedding reception there many, many years ago. Lovely place and great food.
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Pub chain in our area full carvery for £3.99
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quote:
Never tried the lunch, that's why I wanted your opinion, we only stayed the night and had dinner and then breakfast. Surprising they are doing such cheap lunches when the rooms are from £170 to £365.00 per night..
Me too Jacqui :). Never stayed there myself - too expensive ;).
http://www.rocpool.com/pdfs/prexmasrxpress.pdf
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It always amazes me that people who go to a resturant because gordon or one of the three roux "owns" it. firstly many are operated by someone else or they the famous cook don't even cook there, and yet the chattering class all boast just been to so snd so's.
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I think it would be lovely to eat at one of those restuarants as the service will probably be top notch too. As would the wine.
Great for a special occasion.
We have a lot of good restuarants in town but one of the "better" ones has a strange menu. For me too many different tastes on one plate. I have refused to go there for that reson.
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quote:
Originally posted by c1
It always amazes me that people who go to a resturant because gordon or one of the three roux "owns" it. firstly many are operated by someone else or they the famous cook don't even cook there, and yet the chattering class all boast just been to so snd so's.
Albert Roux moved up to Inverness to the Roc Pool in March this year.
He is an older man now and I don't think he is racing around lots of other Hotels. He seems to be present at the Roc Pool so I would imagine the food you get there is prepared by him.
I suppose if you live in England there are lots of famous Chefs who have restaurants, however, if you live around Inverness it's quite a novelty to have a famous Chef in the area and of course, its good for the tourist industry. So us gourmets in Scotland cannot brag about eating at too many celebrity Chef's establishments. Although our home grown food is so good all the Chef's up here have a flying start.
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"Although our home grown food is so good all the Chef's up here have a flying start."
Have to agree with that Jacqui, which is why I can't uderstand the need to cover everything on the plate with a different sauce.
H - The lunch menu is really good value.
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Just had a look at the website.
Will have to give the rooms a miss I am too mean for that prices.
If I am ever in the area though I would love to try the meals. It is actually better priced and more apealing than place I spoke about.
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I would doubt that Albert Roux does any "preparation" of food for the restaurant, he may have designed the menu, but he is a busy man with all his consultancies.
http://www.albertroux.co.uk/
Bit like Rick Stein, owns half the hotels and restaurants in Padstow (Padstein to locals), but is rarely there, yet there is a 3 month waiting list to dine in the place, because people think he is sweating out the back cooking their meals, I think not.
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personally i wamt a good chef not a "famous chef" because i wanr food i will enjoy, not someone telling me because they have cooked it, so it must be good. my pallette will tell me if it is.
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Brussel puree...doesn't sound very appetising!:(