The Reid <[email protected]> wrote:

> On Tue, 24 Apr 2007 18:22:13 +0100, [email protected] (David Horne,
> _the_ chancellor (*)) wrote:
>
> >In Manchester at least, I'll be more likely to patronise the restaurants
> >after the ban that started it before. Not hard really, as most of the
> >better restaurants here are completely non-smoking now.
>
> yes, but you're one end of the scale. I'm in the middle, not liking
> smoke but not noticing it much in recent years* (except some pubs) and
> at the other people end who are enraged by the ban. Its a % game.
>
> *as you say most places don't seem to have smokers, although Quaglinos
> must have, hence the stockinged babe of a cigarette girl, bloody hell,
> what will she do? What a loss. I'm suddenly pro smoking :-)

Qualinos smoking policy was one reason I decided not to go there a while
back.

--
(*) ... of the royal duchy of city south and deansgate
David Horne- http://www.davidhorne.net
(don't email yahoo address) usenet (at) davidhorne (dot) co (dot) uk

The wrote on Tue, 24 Apr 2007 17:29:02 +0100:

??>>> The capital's international reputation for fine dining
??>>> was confirmed by the inclusion of the six on a list of 50
??>>> restaurants drawn up by a panel of 651 judges who
??>>> surveyed more than 70 countries.
??>>
??>> Biased survey sponsored by the British based Restaurant
??>> Magazine.

TR> Is it? The world was broken up into regions with 22
TR> regional teams, they arent Brits. Where their were ties,
TR> home region votes were ignored.

TR> the judges are here
TR> "www.theworlds50best.com"

I wonder how much corellation there would be with the question:
"Is London home to the world's most expensive restaurants?" The
last time I was there, if the prices had been in USD instead of
GBP, they would still have been no bargains!

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

E-mail, with obvious alterations:
not.jim.silverton.at.comcast.not

"David Horne, _the_ chancellor (*)" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:1hx36zr.19xj0dhubw10xN%[email protected]...
> The Reid <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> On Tue, 24 Apr 2007 18:13:12 +0100, [email protected] (David Horne,
>> _the_ chancellor (*)) wrote:
>>
>> >There hasn't been a big change in the number of non-smoking ubs and
>> >restaurants. That's what I was expecting.
>>
>> they probably feel they risk losing trade less if they all switch at
>> once.
>
> In Manchester at least, I'll be more likely to patronise the restaurants
> after the ban that started it before. Not hard really, as most of the
> better restaurants here are completely non-smoking now.
>

If they have mostly been non-smoking for some time then surely there can't
be a big change pending for restaurants. Or did you mean something
different?

JohnT

JohnT <[email protected]> wrote:

> "David Horne, _the_ chancellor (*)" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:1hx36zr.19xj0dhubw10xN%[email protected]...
> > The Reid <[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> >> On Tue, 24 Apr 2007 18:13:12 +0100, [email protected] (David Horne,
> >> _the_ chancellor (*)) wrote:
> >>
> >> >There hasn't been a big change in the number of non-smoking ubs and
> >> >restaurants. That's what I was expecting.
> >>
> >> they probably feel they risk losing trade less if they all switch at
> >> once.
> >
> > In Manchester at least, I'll be more likely to patronise the restaurants
> > after the ban that started it before. Not hard really, as most of the
> > better restaurants here are completely non-smoking now.
> >
>
> If they have mostly been non-smoking for some time then surely there can't
> be a big change pending for restaurants. Or did you mean something
> different?

I said the better restaurants- not all the restaurants. Most of the
other restaurants I avoid because of their smoking policy, in particular
those in chinatown, and quite a few on the curry mile too. Some of them
are probably very good, but smoke destroys any enjoyment I might get
from a meal. Anyway, those restaurants haven't changed. Nor have any of
the bars. The bars I can think of which are non smoking were like that
before the ban was talked about seriously.

--
(*) ... of the royal duchy of city south and deansgate
David Horne- http://www.davidhorne.net
(don't email yahoo address) usenet (at) davidhorne (dot) co (dot) uk

Make credence recognised that on 24 Apr 2007 10:28:23 -0700, Vic's sun
<[email protected]> has scripted:

>On Apr 24, 8:30 am, "Ian F." <[email protected]> wrote:
>> http://tinyurl.com/2v3ffa
>>
>> London is home to six of world's best restaurants

>> Best of British
>>
>> Le Gavroche
>> St John's
>> Nobu
>> Hakkasan Restaurant
>> Gordon Ramsay
>> River Cafè
>> Fat Duck, Bray

>so tell me, why is food in the rest of the UK outside of these 7
>overpriced establishments so crap, eh !!

Sure as hell I know this is true. "Why?" is very much a question the
Brits like to evade.
--
---
DFM - http://www.deepfriedmars.com
---
--

Make credence recognised that on Tue, 24 Apr 2007 17:49:43 +0100,
[email protected] (David Horne, _the_ chancellor (*)) has scripted:

>Viking <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> On Tue, 24 Apr 2007 07:30:57 +0100, "Ian F."
>> <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>> From the article:
>>
>> >"A decade ago, if you had presented a list of the UK having seven
>> >restaurants in the top 50, people would have laughed. But we have become
>> >very good at being multi-cultural."
>>
>> Note the slur on British food.
>
>That's not a surprise. While you can get terrific local cuisine, the UK
>has never had the food culture that some other countries have. What has
>made UK food a lot better in recent years has been the absorption and
>modification of other cuisines, and much more thought given to the
>quality of ingredients.

Pity it hasn't trickled down to the average Brit. Most are satisfied
with something that fills them up, whilst being somewhat edible.
--
---
DFM - http://www.deepfriedmars.com
---
--

On Tue, 24 Apr 2007 17:38:33 +0100, [email protected] (David Horne,
_the_ chancellor (*)) wrote:

>It doesn't surprise me. I find it very easy to get good food in London
>nowadays

I've studies the results a bit more, some more top 5s

From the top 100 the rankings are:-
France
USA
Spain
UK
Italy

From the top 10:-
Spain
France
USA
UK
Australia

As to bias, if it has any, its towards major cities, as it relies on
visits from afar.
Atrio, in Cacares, rated 1st this year in Spain's Gourmetour, does not
feature. (I thought it easily merited a place). Cacares is capable of
supporting such a high end establishment, but perhaps international
gourmets are not capable of getting there?
I remember in the early years of the survey, when it was more
idiosyncratic, sitting in a hotel bar in north Skye, talking to a
couple of Americans (Skye seems to be on the US radar) about visiting
one of the "worlds best restaurants" nearby. We were most surprised
and instantly booked a table. It was oddly full of Americans and very
good (the Three Chimneys) but hasn't featured since.

Its also interesting that Italy scores poorly, I don't think they
really go in for this type of high end cooking much.
--
Mike Reid
UK walking, food, photos "http://www.fellwalk.co.uk" <-- you can email us@ this site
Spain walking, food, tourism "http://www.fell-walker.co.uk"
Beginners UK flight sim addons "http://www.lawn-mower-man.co.uk"

"The Reid" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Tue, 24 Apr 2007 17:38:33 +0100, [email protected] (David Horne,
> As to bias, if it has any, its towards major cities, as it relies on
> visits from afar.
> Atrio, in Cacares, rated 1st this year in Spain's Gourmetour, does not
> feature. (I thought it easily merited a place). Cacares is capable of
> supporting such a high end establishment, but perhaps international
> gourmets are not capable of getting there?
> I remember in the early years of the survey, when it was more
> idiosyncratic, sitting in a hotel bar in north Skye, talking to a
> couple of Americans (Skye seems to be on the US radar) about visiting
> one of the "worlds best restaurants" nearby. We were most surprised
> and instantly booked a table. It was oddly full of Americans and very
> good (the Three Chimneys) but hasn't featured since.
>
> Its also interesting that Italy scores poorly, I don't think they
> really go in for this type of high end cooking much.
> --

Yesterday's IHT has a guide to "cheap" eats in London. Strapline is "Low
prices a trial of luck and instinct." Restaurants mentioned include Tendido
Cero, Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, Bar Shu, E&O, Alounak and Popina.

Cheers,
George W Russell
Bangalore

On Tue, 24 Apr 2007 19:02:31 +0100, [email protected] (David Horne,
_the_ chancellor (*)) wrote:

>> *as you say most places don't seem to have smokers, although Quaglinos
>> must have, hence the stockinged babe of a cigarette girl, bloody hell,
>> what will she do? What a loss. I'm suddenly pro smoking :-)
>
>Qualinos smoking policy was one reason I decided not to go there a while
>back.

I've never noticed any smoke, its a big high room, probably with good
extraction. Didnt see anyone buy any ciggies, even though I spent the
entire meal ogling the ciggy girl. They seem to hire someone who can
do that high heels catwalk walk very slowly. did I mention the ciggy
girl? I did? Oh. She wears a sort of black tutu, BTW.
--
Mike Reid
UK walking, food, photos "http://www.fellwalk.co.uk" <-- you can email us@ this site
Spain walking, food, tourism "http://www.fell-walker.co.uk"
Beginners UK flight sim addons "http://www.lawn-mower-man.co.uk"

On Tue, 24 Apr 2007 19:02:30 +0100, [email protected] (David Horne,
_the_ chancellor (*)) wrote:

> or at least as long
>as I remember- i.e. before a ban was being talked about.

dementia? :-)
--
Mike Reid
UK walking, food, photos "http://www.fellwalk.co.uk" <-- you can email us@ this site
Spain walking, food, tourism "http://www.fell-walker.co.uk"
Beginners UK flight sim addons "http://www.lawn-mower-man.co.uk"

On Wed, 25 Apr 2007 00:39:05 +0200, Deeply Filled Mortician
<deepfreudmoors@eITmISaACTUALLYiREAL!l.nu> wrote:

>>so tell me, why is food in the rest of the UK outside of these 7
>>overpriced establishments so crap, eh !!
>
>Sure as hell I know this is true. "Why?" is very much a question the
>Brits like to evade.
>--

no, we are just bored with trolling.
--
Mike Reid
UK walking, food, photos "http://www.fellwalk.co.uk" <-- you can email us@ this site
Spain walking, food, tourism "http://www.fell-walker.co.uk"
Beginners UK flight sim addons "http://www.lawn-mower-man.co.uk"

On Wed, 25 Apr 2007 12:58:42 +0530, "grusl"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>Yesterday's IHT has a guide to "cheap" eats in London. Strapline is "Low
>prices a trial of luck and instinct." Restaurants mentioned include Tendido
>Cero, Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, Bar Shu, E&O, Alounak and Popina.

low price in London is hard, pubs are probably a good general bet.
--
Mike Reid
UK walking, food, photos "http://www.fellwalk.co.uk" <-- you can email us@ this site
Spain walking, food, tourism "http://www.fell-walker.co.uk"
Beginners UK flight sim addons "http://www.lawn-mower-man.co.uk"

"The Reid" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Wed, 25 Apr 2007 12:58:42 +0530, "grusl"
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>Yesterday's IHT has a guide to "cheap" eats in London. Strapline is "Low
>>prices a trial of luck and instinct." Restaurants mentioned include
>>Tendido
>>Cero, Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, Bar Shu, E&O, Alounak and Popina.
>
> low price in London is hard, pubs are probably a good general bet.

It's a NYT piece written by Jane Perlez, one of the rather less gifted
reporters there. Her cliches include the four-pound subway ride that "will
take you one stop" and the "the check for a modest restaurant meal often
looks eerily similar to what you might expect in New York: except the figure
is in pounds not dollars, roughly doubling the cost."

The original is at http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/04/22.../22choice.html
IHT version is at http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/04/...s/trlondon.php

Cheers,
George W Russell
Bangalore

On Wed, 25 Apr 2007 14:20:37 +0530, "grusl" <[email protected]> wrote:

>
>"The Reid" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected].. .
>> On Wed, 25 Apr 2007 12:58:42 +0530, "grusl"
>> <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>>Yesterday's IHT has a guide to "cheap" eats in London. Strapline is "Low
>>>prices a trial of luck and instinct." Restaurants mentioned include
>>>Tendido
>>>Cero, Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, Bar Shu, E&O, Alounak and Popina.
>>
>> low price in London is hard, pubs are probably a good general bet.
>
>It's a NYT piece written by Jane Perlez, one of the rather less gifted
>reporters there. Her cliches include the four-pound subway ride

Isn't that true?

> that "will
>take you one stop" and the "the check for a modest restaurant meal often
>looks eerily similar to what you might expect in New York: except the figure
>is in pounds not dollars, roughly doubling the cost."

So little! :-)

--

Martin

"Martin" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Wed, 25 Apr 2007 14:20:37 +0530, "grusl" <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
>>
>>"The Reid" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>>news:[email protected]. ..
>>> low price in London is hard, pubs are probably a good general bet.
>>
>>It's a NYT piece written by Jane Perlez, one of the rather less gifted
>>reporters there. Her cliches include the four-pound subway ride
>
> Isn't that true?

I understand it only to be an option, should one wish to waste money, but
that there are cheaper ways to get around. Perhaps I'm mistaken. It seems
equivalent a London paper writing about New York restaurants by saying
"should you survive the walk to Union Square without being mugged and shot
..."

Cheers,
George W Russell
Bangalore