Restaurants will help their local communities Better wages for waiters
Our punter says
“I missed dining out during lockdown, so it was heartening to see restaurants of all sizes adapting from dine-in to offer takeaway and prep-at-home options.
“The menu from Elite Bistros at Home is elegant and feels like a special treat. With several starters, mains, sides and puddings to choose from, it does feel like you’re selecting items off a restaurant menu, albeit in your pyjamas on your sofa!
“On the mobile site, being presented with ‘broccoli’ as a starter option doesn’t necessarily appeal, but when you click through to the recipe, you realise that it’s served with an almond and roast garlic purée and shallot dressing. The desktop site is much clearer. We also chose the sticky lamb neck to start – both are simple to create and plate, and thoroughly delicious.
“For mains, we chose the sumac roasted cauliflower and the confit duck. Here, things got a little more difficult to prepare – I only have a single oven, but to be able to serve both dishes simultaneously, I would have needed a separate grill to finish the duck while also roasting the cauliflower. Despite this little hiccup, the mains are good – the confit duck is a little salty, and serving the cauliflower on the same butter bean mash as the lamb neck starter feels like a bit of a let-down, but that’s a small criticism.
“By the time we got to ordering, there was only one dessert option left, a banana cake. It’s quite heavy after a very rich meal. However, the beer and wine we ordered more than made up for the dessert.
“The ordering process is straightforward: you have to order by Tuesday to have your meal arrive on Friday, and the delivery company gives you a two-hour arrival window on the day. Many elements of the packaging are not recyclable, but a note is included with the box to say that this is something they’re working on.
“Most items are either heat-in-the-bag or oven, and only the lamb neck and cauliflower required a little more effort. All garnishes arrive in separate pots, and really add that extra touch you expect from a nice meal out – this elevated our home dining experience.”
Ease of ordering: 8/10 Food: 9/10
Prep: 8/10
Total: 25/30
Jimi Famurewa, chief restaurant critic at the Evening Standard and MasterChef regular “Last year’s collaborative food aid work was very heartening. Seeing higher-end restaurants, some in recently gentrified areas, feeding NHS workers or school children, and engaging with their local communities, made me think, could that carry on? Could giving back be baked into a restaurant’s philosophy? In the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests, New York’s Maison Yaki offered itself as a platform to black chefs and food entrepreneurs in a pop-up series, helping many to get press attention or find kitchens. A great example of sharing the spotlight.”
JIMI’S FOOD INSPIRATIONS The Tramshed Project, tramshedproject.com; food writer Yemisi Aribisala’s Longthroat Memoirs (£12.99, Cassava Republic Press); Alison Roman’s A Newsletter, alisoneroman.com.
Selin Kiazim, chef and co-owner of Oklava, London oklava.co.uk
“We never liked the service charge. It confuses everyone, staff and customers. It is not a tip.
As a business, it’s integral to paying staff properly and that should not be dependent on diners’ goodwill. This is a high-skilled job. Staff should know they’re valued and deserve a consistent wage. In some venues, where service charge is distributed through a tronc system, it means wages fluctuate. Last summer, we scrapped the service charge, incorporating it into our menu prices. Diners are very supportive.”
SELIN’S FOOD INSPIRATIONS
Marcus Rashford; Josh Niland’s The Whole Fish Cookbook (£25, Hardie Grant); ‘versatile’ celeriac.
Si Toft, chef-owner,
The Dining Room, Abersoch thediningroomabersoch.co.uk
“A minority of diners don’t understand how dire the financial situation is. In good times, restaurant profit margins are tight. With reduced covers, I’m working to break even. No-shows and tables of four that turn up as two can tank a service, despite charging a £10-per-head deposit. If you book, mean it. And please don’t complain about our wine prices because you can buy a supermarket merlot for four quid. The two things don’t compare.”
SI’S FOOD INSPIRATIONS
Mental health campaign the Burnt Chef Project, theburntchefproject.com;
UK Hospitality’s restaurant advocacy,
ukhospitality.org.uk; Elite Bistro at Home, elitebistros.com
Alex Claridge, chef-owner of The Wilderness, Birmingham wearethewilderness.co.uk
“We’re a celebration restaurant.
It’s a pleasure to share guests’ special occasions. The downside is that minority who expect birthday freebies. Last year, we gave away several grand in drinks and perks. Post-Covid, that’s not tenable. We switched to signed cards rather than free bubbly. Most guests get it. But the occasional one can’t believe it. And tells us! Don’t be so demanding.”
ALEX’S FOOD INSPIRATIONS
Josh Niland; Caravaggio; fashion designer Virgil Abloh’s lecture, Insert Complicated Title Here (£11.95, Sternberg Press): “It’s done a lot for how I think about food.”