‘Dublin hotel’s €17 Bellini cost more than in Venice’

THE broadcaster Anton Savage will be the celebrity chef to take on the critics in TV3’s The Restaurant this Thursday.

Savage has presented The Sunday Business Show and Savage Sunday on Today FM, as well as The Apprentice, You’re Fired! on TV3. He is also managing director of the public relations firm, The Communications Clinic.

What’s the most important lesson about money which your career in broadcasting has taught you? That a career in broadcasting is not a sensible option if you want to make money. For that, try corporate finance. Or accountancy. Although broadcasting means that you never have to use Excel, which for some of us is payment enough!

What’s the most expensive dish which you’ve ever cooked up? A 140-day dry-aged Black Angus bone-in rib-eye steak. I had to remortgage my house, but it was awesome — like the cow had lived entirely on a diet of blue cheese.

What’s your favourite Irish coin? I liked the 1988 Dublin Millennium 50p coin. It commemorated a great year: everyone in Dublin got a milk bottle and a tree, and the US Air Force sent a Warthog to the Baldonnel 1988 Air Spectacular.

What’s the most expensive country you’ve ever visited? Italy. Specifically Venice. I went to Harry’s Bar in Venice and ordered Bellinis — which they invented. It cost €15 for a tiny glass of peach juice and Prosecco. What really unsettled me was when I came home I discovered one fancy Dublin hotel was selling Bellinis (which they did not invent) for €17.

Apart from property, what’s the most expensive thing you have ever bought? I spent €15,000 on a car in 2000. Other than some pretty significant rust, it’s still running well. Also in 2008, I invested in a startup company. It’s still running well.

What was your worst job? I worked as a waiter for a summer in the US. I learned that dinner service is okay: give ‘em booze, be nice and await big tips. Breakfast is a nightmare — everyone’s crotchety, hurried, and if their coffee cup is allowed to empty they treat you like you touched them inappropriately.

What was your biggest financial mistake? Realising back in the boom that the banks would give you money with almost zero persuasion — but not thinking through that they would someday want it back.

What was your best financial killing? Buying some property on tracker mortgages.

Do you use any money saving apps? Nope. I try to deal in cash as much as possible.

Android or iPhone? iPhone. It talks to my AppleTV, so when I lose the poxy little remote which came with it, I can still watch Wolverine.

Do you know how much is in your current account? It’s in the red. I’m up to nearly 75pc of my overdraft limit — which I hope my bank never realises it set in 2007. If it does, I’ll have some immediate cashflow issues.

Have you ever made an insurance claim? Nope. I’ve never crashed into anyone, I don’t have anything in the house worth nicking, and any parts of me I’ve sliced open or broken have been dealt with in cash at A&E.

What was the last thing you bought online? A 9Kw three-burner gas ring — for boiling a 50 litre pot.

Do you have a mortgage? Is it fixed, variable or tracker Yes and it’s a tracker!

Do you ever haggle? Yes. It’s why I’m barred from SuperValu.