(Very) modern manners

MICHELIN-starred restaurants often put me off with their tiny portions, pompous chefs and ridiculous theatrics, but news reaches me of a new tactic that makes even Heston Blumenthal look humble. Two-Michelin starred Kitchen Table in London’s Fitzrovia has asked guests to guarantee to spend at least £150 on drinks or £95 for soft drinks — each — before booking. This is on top of the £300-a-head menu that includes such dishes as Cornish brill and wild garlic en papillote with foraged wild garlic and three-cornered leek from suburban London woods, and sirloin steak with bone marrow ketchup. Vegetarians are warned: ‘We will only serve our tasting menu, with no substitutions or alterations for dietary requirements.’