External Article: Why is service still so bad in the UK

I found this article on the BBC News website. Although it is not an article that I have written, it is now one that I no longer have to write. This discusses the effect of the class system on service in this country. It is something I see time and time again. Having worked in restaurants as well as high end fashion retail (where it is very customer service driven), I am aware of how positive the response to good service is. Here in Britain, we want good service, we love good service, but we don't know how to ask for it, or raise the issue when it is not present.


Please read: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-12123463


This article relates to the television series, Michel Roux's 'service', which begins tonight on BBC2 at 8pm GMT.

Restaurant Review: Jinnah, Harrogate

Name: Jinnah’s Restaurant

Location: Harrogate, North Yorkshire

It isn’t everyday that you see a contemporary looking Indian restaurant, built into a former Georgian school house. Coupled with the fact that it is also situated at the end of my road, it had to be sampled.

Inside the restaurant the ceilings are high, presumably as the school would have comprised of two floors originally. Along two separate walls are two large glass panels with water that trickles between the sheets, backlit by slowly changing vivid colours. This actually looks a lot less tacky than it sounds.

The range of dishes on the menu is vast, which raises alarm bells instantly. For anyone that has never considered this when looking at a menu, I don’t want to ruin your dining experience but think of it like this; what if no one orders that braised lamb dish? When was it braised? How long do the owners think it will keep for? Example menu ‘A’ has sausages, chicken, lamb, beef and every type of shellfish, the list goes on. Are the sausages frozen? Is the seafood frozen? What I am trying to conclude is that the larger the menu, the less can be prepared to order, or even prepared that day. That is why when you go to the best restaurants in the country you will find five or six starters and the same amount of mains. That is because they can handle this quantity if the produce is delivered fresh each day. It also means certain dishes don’t go unordered for very long. I’m digressing, but I will re-visit this point later on in the review.

Despite the large menu, it did read very well. Dishes were clearly explained in an enticing way, even giving a nod to the regionality and history in the description. It read like a menu written by someone who knew their onions. If only it had been cooked with the same passion.

We ordered the Poppadoms with a chutney tray. The chutney tray cost us extra. This is unusual for an Indian restaurant but when the tray arrived, it was clear why this was the case. The chutneys were extensive and many of them seemed to be made on the premises. They all tasted great and it was nice to have a variety. Being able to try all the different chutneys reminded me of sampling exciting varieties in London’s Borough Market, a real triumph.

For main we ordered a naan bread to share, a pilau rice to share, a chicken shashlik and a chicken rogan josh. This is where the positives end and the bastardisation of Indian cuisine in this country begins. The chicken shashlik is a great dish, if done well. Large marinated chunks of chicken are cooked with onions and peppers in a 400c tandoor oven lined with coals. This makes the meat incredibly tender and succulent, as well as giving the whole dish a sizzling barbecue flavour. When the dish appeared it was not sizzling. The chicken was barely hot and was served alongside half of a very large Spanish onion, as well as the peppers. The chicken was thoroughly dry. A real disappointment.

A Rogan Josh is supposed to be rich in spices and kashmiri chillies. It was mildly flavoured with tomatoes, but its one saving grace was that it seemed to be the only thing cooked to order. The basmati rice was mildly warm and had formed that harder, chewy layer round it where it had been sat out, slowly losing moisture.

I’m going to cut to the chase. There was a buffet on while we were there. This is something that runs seven days a week so it wasn’t a special day. I return to my earlier point about large menus. How do they cope with this gargantuan list of food? My gut feeling is that the shashlik and the rice, maybe even the rogan josh, were simply pulled from the buffet and glorified in their own little dishes. This isn’t as uncommon in restaurants as you might think. To top it off, the bill came to more than it normally does in my local North London curry house, who by the way do a very good shashlik. It even sizzles.

The problem with some restaurants round this area of Harrogate is that they are nearby to the conference centre that hosts one day business events throughout the year. This means that passing trade will always come to them. This can produce restaurants that get slack and forget that there are people like me who are a stones throw away, seeking out the best places to eat at time and time again.

From this review, I suppose it might seem like I expect the earth from a curry house. That isn’t really the case. Just cook the damn thing to order, balance the spices... Heck, don’t even balance them, just use them! Historically, curry is the food of peasants. Like many national dishes, it is about making the most of what you have, and giving it flavour. If Jinnah’s can’t successfully create peasant food, then they should consider opening a dog food factory.

Rating: (2/5 Stars)

Restaurant Review: Le Manoir Aux Quat'Saisons, Oxfordshire

I have realised recently that any restaurant review I have put on here is positive. This is because I try to put the bad ones to the back of my mind. Of course, that doesn't offer a balanced viewpoint on this blog. Therefore, I will put up reviews of places that I have thought were less than satisfactory. However, this will not start here with Le Manoir. Maybe next time.

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Name: The Manor of Four Seasons (2 Michelin Stars)

Location: Great Milton, Oxfordshire

Owner: Raymond Blanc

As with any visit to a restaurant with two Michelin stars, there is a degree of excitement that mounts towards your visit. This review will go on to explain how we were not let down, in any sense.

After parking, you are required to walk through a beautifully kept front garden with a path towards the Manor. When booking we had asked to have a tour of the kitchens and mentioned this again upon our arrival, it was noted and not much more was made of it.

As we entered we were taken into the lounge area to get comfortable and have pre-dinner drinks as well as canapés. Neighbouring us was a middle aged woman who was clearly well fed, quaffing champagne and talking loudly, using expletives. This immediately relaxed us, as it meant we weren’t required to hush our voices or act overly ‘proper’ to meet the grandeur of our surroundings. This is one of the only benefits of having someone rich and obnoxious in your vicinity.

We ate in the conservatory area of the premises which gave us another great view over the grounds and a spacious, naturally lit room in which to enjoy the meal. The wine menu was extensive with a price range to suit everyone. There was a sommelier in the dining room so we asked if he would like to choose our wines by the glass to go with the starters and main.

Our first course was a beetroot terrine served with a dill flavoured crème fraiche. Simple, perfectly executed and a great way to get the taste buds going.

Secondly we tucked into what looked like a simple risotto of summer vegetables. The vegetables were of the highest quality and every care had been taken in cooking each one to its optimum. The flavour was intense and more superb than I thought it possible for a risotto. After reading the recipe book we found that this was no fluke but through a great piece of preparation. A large sack of tomatoes had been suspended in a muslin bag with herbs overnight. The juices were caught below. This may seem excessive but the intensity and uniqueness of flavour it produced, showed exactly what you can do with the humble tomato, bolstering a simple risotto to two star standard.

Sea bream with a scallop and chanterelles was next. Needless to say it was perfectly executed and lightly flavoured. The wine selected for this course was a white; it was outstanding and opened my eyes to what a white wine can be. It was plummy, so rounded and balanced in flavour. It had very little acidity, which even pricey white wines can tend to have.

Throughout the meal it was clear that everything was timed and calculated exactly. The genius of this however, came with the relaxed and unfussy service that was seen front of house. Even if you watched the waiting staff, it was hard to see the seams of their work.

For our main course we were served a duck breast with char-grilled chicory and a blackcurrant. The duck was lovely and pink but was served without a crispy skin. The skin had colour and was perfectly rendered so this somehow worked. The bitterness of the slightly charred chicory was a lovely pairing with the salty duck and the sweet blackcurrant sauce. The wine selected here was a red of French origin which was once again, delicious.

Dessert was my least favourite offering but only as I am not a great lover of apricots. As far as apricots go, I thoroughly enjoyed them. Slowly baked and served with a floating meringue. As I write this review, the sheer volume of food consumed makes me feel stuffed. Looking back, I did not feel this way. Everything was so light. It did not need to be made rich, as the produce was of such high quality. We left the dining area feeling comfortably full.

If you go to Michelin star establishments to be thrown into a world of wizardry and the unexpected then Le Manoir may disappoint. For me, it is clear that what Raymond Blanc wants to achieve is not in direct competition with the ‘mad scientists’ behind Noma and the Fat Duck. Respecting tradition and nature’s larder in a typically French manor is what is desired and achieved.

After the meal, I requested the wines be written down for me so that I can purchase them at a later date. This was left with the sommelier and I considered the possibility that he might forget.

We were led into the lounge once more for petit fours and coffee, which was more dimly lit this time. The list of teas and coffees was extensive and detailed descriptions accompanied each. Shortly after, my note of the wines came through to the lounge on a postcard of The Manor. How naive of me to think it wouldn’t. Shortly after, the restaurant manager came through and unexpectedly led us through for our tour of the kitchen, which we had simply forgotten about.

Despite a busy service going on we were shown past every section of the working kitchen. The manager laid out all the bare bones of the back of house, quite literally, in the butchery section. There must have been one chef per person in there! The kitchen was huge. It was clear that they prepared as much as they possibly could themselves. Freshly baked breads and entire animal carcasses prepared on site. Vegetables were grown out in the gardens by their head gardener, Anne Marie Owens. The fish preparation area was high tech and hygienic. There was an entire cookery school, also situated out the back.

As an ex-chef, this was all very interesting for me to see. It also impressed me that they were prepared to show you (as a customer) everything, with the upmost pride.

With a bill for 4 (for everything mentioned plus two cookery books), this experience weighed in at just over £150 per head. There is no doubt about it that this is a place to eat in for an occasion, at least for the average Joe. This meal cost far and away what I would normally pay to dine out. However, it wasn’t just a meal. It was a flawless experience from start to finish and one I will remember past the day I can no longer consume solids. 90% of the restaurants I have visited, I doubt I shall remember past my 20’s.

Rating:      

(5/5 Stars)

Recipe: Tandoori Chicken Thighs with Fragrant Saffron Rice

In my photograph (bottom) for this dish you will notice the chicken is not the familiar red colour you may get in an Indian restaurant. That is because I have omitted the optional red food colouring. You can include it if you wish but it will not change the flavour, just the look. 

This is delicious with the fragrant rice. Serve it with yogurt, chutneys, or as a starter with salad instead of rice. The options are endless. And remember, the longer you marinate the more the marinade will break down the protein in the chicken; flavouring and moistening the meat.

Tandoori Chicken…

150g live yogurt

2 Tbsp Lemon Juice

2 Tbsp Vegetable Oil

1 Tbsp freshly grated ginger

1 Tbsp freshly grated garlic

1 teaspoon salt

¼ tsp ground black pepper

½ tsp paprika

1 tsp Chilli Powder (Preferably Kashmiri for red colour)

1 Tbsp ground cumin

1 Tbsp ground coriander

4 cloves – ground

6 Cardamom Pods, Seeds only – ground

½ tsp red food colouring (optional)

4 chicken thighs

Saffron Rice…

4 Tbsp Veg Oil

6 Cardamom pods (slightly split)

1 Cinnamon Stick (about 3 inches long)

3 Cloves

1 Small-Medium Onion (very finely chopped)

1 Tbsp Butter

½ Turmeric

1 Cup of Basmati Rice

1 ⅓ Cups of water

⅓ tsp Saffron Threads (soaked for 10 mins in 3 Tbsp Hot Water)

Garnish...

Freshly chopped coriander

Lemon Wedges

Method

Mix all of the ingredients for the marinade thoroughly in an ample sized bowl. Marinate the Chicken for at least 5-6 hours covered tightly with cling film. 8 is preferably and overnight is ideal. Do not marinade for more than 2 days.

Pre-Heat the oven to the absolute maximum (usually around 250c).

Wash the Basmati rice in several changes of water and then soak, immersed in fresh cold water for 30 minutes. (This is very necessary for this cooking method so that the grains do not stick and so that they absorb some crucial water)

When the rice has about 10 minutes left to soak, shake excess marinade off the chicken thighs and place them into the pre-heated oven, on a rack with a tray beneath. This will help cook them evenly and prevent them from stewing in their juices. It also helps if you tie them up or wrap each thigh in a little bundle so that the fat protects them from going dry. Use the remaining marinade you have in the bowl to brush onto the meat wherever it looks to be turning a little too dark, too quickly. After 20 minutes, turn the oven down to 180c and cook for a further 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat your oil for the rice in a pan that has a nice tightly fitting lid. If you do not have this, place a double layer of foil round the top of the pan, then put the lid on (once all your ingredients have gone in). It needs to be tight fitting for this way of cooking the rice. When the oil is hot, add your whole spices to the pan and stir them for about ten seconds or until the start to smell aromatic (careful not to burn them). Add your chopped onion and turn the heat to medim-low. Stir the onion frequently until it turns translucent and loses its raw scent. Next, melt in the butter and add the turmeric. Stir for 20 seconds. Turn the heat back to high and add your rice. Stir for a couple of minutes. Then add your water. Bring to the boil; add the saffron infused water and threads.

Next, cover the rice tightly and put the pot on your smallest burner on the lowest heat (very very gentle). Basically you have very little rice to water ratio in this cooking method. You are half steaming the grains. This will be worth it as they come out lovely and fluffy and not sticky, just like the Pilau at your local Indian.

Remove your meat from the oven when ready. Serve the rice next to the chicken. Garnish with freshly chopped Coriander and a Lemon Wedge to squeeze over the meat and rice.

Drinks Review: Sharp's Abbey Christmas Cornish Beer

After being presented with the old Yorkshire staples of Black Sheep & Timothy Taylor, as well as this new boy, it was a no brainer to try Sharp’s Cornish interpretation of Christmas.  This dark beer has been referred to as a ‘stout’ but given it isn’t particularly thick or bitter and has a sweetness to it, it feels like drinking a mild.

Back in the Middle Ages a flowering plant named ‘Yarrow’ was used to flavour beer, when Cornwall had a shortage of hops. Many centuries later, Sharp’s head brewer Stuart Howe has used this very ingredient in ‘Abbey Christmas’. This has helped to produce a beer, not too dissimilar from what medieval monks would have produced at the time.

I often find that Christmas themed beers serve their purpose of ‘here today, gone tomorrow’, just like the festivities themselves. However, this beer is subtle and balanced in its flavouring. Drinking it brings to my mind, thoughts of a brewery who have gone back to the drawing board multiple times to perfect their Christmas gift.

That festive feeling may be beginning to fade, but there is still time to ring in the New Year like our medieval mates. No bald noodle necessary.

Book Review: Rick Stein's Far Eastern Odyssey

Rick Stein describes south-east Asian cuisine as the rock & roll of the food world and I agree with him. All the food in this book is a multi-sensory experience that makes you want to plug-in, fire up and dance around the room.

I purchased this book after watching the television series, in which Rick Stein travels across India, Sri Lanka and South East Asia. Some would consider Rick Stein a bit of a geek. However, I’ve come to the conclusion that the word ‘geek’ is usually used to describe someone who has a passion for something, that their peers can’t quite grasp the extent of. Of course, it also describes someone who is socially inept. This cannot be attributed to RS as he knows exactly how to bring entire continents to life, just using words. He explores the world around him and is excited by the prospect of any new information he can get his hands on. Often in the series you can feel him feeding off his present company like a leech, which leaves him fat with knowledge. Thankfully, he wrote all of this down. Not just when he got home and wrote this book but as he stood side by side with the cook, eyes transfixed on the pot. Rick can be seen listing and smelling every ingredient as it goes in. Welcome to truly authentic Asian cuisine.

The book begins with a story, where Rick lures you in by conjuring up images of a hectic street, full of food venders and generally sets the scene for the entire book. He does this well given his use of language, like an M&S advert, but with genuinely decent food to promote. It isn't just the language, but the high definition photographs (that don't make too much of an attempt to be arty) that bring the ingredients to life. 

Strangely, the next best place you might find yourself is at the back of the book. Here you will find a huge glossary that talks you through all the weird and wonderful ingredients used throughout. You will also find a few pages dedicated to explaining the basic recipes required to keep a fully stocked larder. These are things such as Asian stocks, spice blends and condiments. The reason these are useful is because they are constantly referred to throughout the book. For example, you can’t have a fragrant Cambodian soup without a good stock behind it. You can’t have good special fried Thai rice without knowing how to make the hoi sin flavoured pork belly that runs throughout the dish. It is these (sometimes hefty) ingredient lists that seem to annoy some reviewers on the website, Amazon.co.uk. My advice to them would be, if you don’t want tasty and authentic regional food, then can I recommend a jar of Sharwood’s sweet and sour sauce that is a complete abomination?

People often cite cost as a reason not to pursue culinary greatness. That may be true in the first instance but if you continue to use and build on your larder, every dish you cook from there begins to decrease in value because you are making the most of your ingredients. This can be further aided by gearing your meals towards ingredients that need to be used or things that you have a lot of. But then, that is nothing new, in any cuisine.

I have to be honest. In order to get the most out of this book, you have to want it. You don’t necessarily have to enjoy wandering around Asian supermarkets on your days off. Touching, smelling, discovering. There is a nice glossary of Asian food websites that will deliver right to your door. However, I urge you to approach this book as an adventure. Throw yourself at it from every angle. When I say that, I don’t mean put the book in the centre of the room and hurl your physical self at the book from different directions. That would be silly…. And I doubt you would learn very much. That said, familiar dishes such as Aloo Gobi, Green Thai Curry and Pad Thai, are worth the entrance fee alone. With regards to the Pad Thai recipe; I recently went to my local Thai restaurant in North Yorkshire, which I previously felt was to a very high standard. When I tasted their Pad Thai, it couldn’t have fallen shorter from the version that Rick Stein had taught me. This was a restaurant whose head chef Kenneth Poon, had worked at Michelin Starred restaurant ‘The Oriental’ at the Dorchester in London.

What I am saying is, is that it is all here. You can produce some of the most exciting food out there, using just this book. It has a very complete feel about it. I personally, have never used any other cook book so frequently. As daunting as it may seem, if you approach this is as a learning exercise, it is rewarding. After watching the series, cooking from this book and hearing Rick talk of the people and their cuisine, I feel I understand their way of life and mentality much more intricately than before. That makes this very large and intriguing world of unknowns, become that bit more familiar. I’m not sure about you, but that is what I live for.

Rating: 5/5 Stars.

Recipe: Beef and Ale Stew with Mustard and Rosemary Dumplings

(Serves 4)

Many people use something called 'Braising Steak' for stews, which usually comes from the skirt, flank or shoulder. My favourite slow cooked beef comes from the shin. The flavour is rich and despite a shin sounding like an area with little meat, you are able to buy shin as boneless 'steaks'. This means that nice chunks are easily achieved. It's absolutely freezing here at the moment so warm yourself up with one of the ultimate comfort foods.

For the Stew...

800g Thick Diced, Boneless Shin of Beef

2 Medium Onions

2 Sticks Celery

2 Carrots

2 Cloves of minced Garlic

1 Tbsp Tomato Puree

1 Tbsp Plain Flour

500ml Real Ale, Bitter or Porter (if you want it darker tasting)

250ml Beef Stock

2 Bay Leaves

A large sprig of Thyme

A small handful of Prunes, finely chopped up (only if you’re using a dark ale or stout)

A couple of splashes of Worcestershire Sauce

For the Rosemary and Mustard Dumplings...

175g self raising flour (sifted)

75g Shredded Suet

1 Tsp Mustard Powder or 1 Tbsp Coleman’s Mustard

1 Tbsp Very finely chopped rosemary, preferably fresh, dried is ok

¾ tsp salt

Pepper to taste

For the Stew...

Pour a large glug of vegetable oil (or other) into a medium to large sized casserole pot. Heat high on the hob and put in half of the diced shin. (Not all of it as we want to fry and colour at this stage, not stew.) Avoid the temptation to move the beef round the pan (it will stick straight away). Just let it come away with a little push of a wooden spoon. We want to colour the meat a rich dark brown. Some cooks, not familiar with this will think the meat is burning. It is simply caramelising, which is one of the keys to cramming as much flavour into the stew as possible. Once it is browned all over, add a little more oil if needed and do the same for the second batch. Set the meat aside.

You should now have a brown ‘resin’ round the casserole pot. Roughly chop the mirepoix of veg and add to the pan. Fry, whilst scraping away all the meat juices from the pan for about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and fry for a further 3 minutes. Once the vegetables are have 'deglazed' the resin for themselves, add the tomato puree and stir in for one minute. Then add the flour and stir in for one minute.

Once you can see no more grains of flour, add the ale/porter followed by the stock. Season with some salt and pepper. Bring to the boil and add the diced shin back in. Reduce heat, cover tightly and simmer for about 2 hours, stirring infrequently.

Enjoy several beers (optional)...

After 2 hours, add the chopped prunes if using(these won’t stay whole, they will melt. They just help to counter the bitterness of the darker beer and give it a richness). These will be especially handy if you use stout or porter. If you use lighter ale, it isn’t so necessary. At the same time, add in the bay leaves and thyme. Taste the stew and check if it needs more salt. Put in the splashes of Worcestershire sauce. Simmer (covered) for a further 20-30 minutes whilst you prepare the dumplings.

For the Rosemary and Mustard Dumplings...

In a bowl add all your dumpling ingredients. Then add enough water gradually whilst stirring until you have a dough that comes away cleanly from the sides but isn’t sticky. You will need roughly 80ml water to do this. They key here is not to over-work the dough. Just bring it together into a ball or they will be stodgy. Next, tear off ping pong sized chunks and mould roughly into balls. You should have enough in this mix for about 12 dumplings (3 each. Don’t worry, they double in size). Once the beef has been simmering for about 2 and a half hours and a piece of shin can be broken with the thumb and forefinger, you can add your dumplings. Place them round the casserole pot like marking out a clock, put the final balls into the centre. Cover again with the lid and simmer for about 20 minutes. Check the bottom of your casserole before and during the cooking of the dumplings because your stew is reducing here, it may over-thicken and stick to the bottom. Just stir well and add a splash or water or stock as necessary.

Once the dumplings have puffed up and are cooked through, plate up into warmed bowls and serve with lots of buttered crusty bread on the side.