The first thing you notice about the Blue Junction is that it doesn't look like an Indian restaurant at all, it looks nothing like you're expecting (although if you've read this first it obviously might not be true). It's down the side of the civic centre in Morden, (in the same building in fact) and it looks from the outside more like a cafe or a bar, or one of those places which sell cakes which always get you wondering how they manage to stay open. There's floor to ceiling glass windows without any curtains, and a glass lobby to keep the cold out. There's TV screens showing the football too, and blokes sitting at the bar who look like bus drivers, they look like they're just having a beer as opposed to waiting on some onion bhaaji's. They even have a decent selection of normal beers on tap, Bud lite (why do they spell it like that?), Guinness and a few others, so my guess is if you just want to go in and "just" have a beer, it's absolutely cool.
The front tables nearest the bar (circular) aren't set up with cutlery or anything (none of it is if I'm remembering right) and as far as the two girls serving drinks and bringing food out are concerned, the nearest they've been to the Taj Mahal is the Indian restaurant in Thornton Heath. In short, the Blue Junction is a different type of Indian restaurant to what we're used to. There's no guys with the old tux on polishing your plate before they put it down, there's none of those little metal heater stands they plonk your little circular metal dishes on (which curiously aren't even hot usually), none of that birdseed stuff that gets stuck in between your teeth when you try some. It's different, kind of half bar half food, and the laid back nature of it takes a bit of getting used to.
Lots have got used to it though, I'd been recommended to go there over a dozen times in the last couple of months. Some of the Indian guys who use the Alex go there regularly and absolutely swear by it, refusing to countenance going anywhere else. On the night we went it was pretty busy (with mostly Indian people) for an in between Christmas and New Year night, and the football was no crowd puller (Crystal Palace against somebody I can't remember).
So the food. We had onion bhaaji's which were the authentic, "not rolled up into balls" type. A plateful of sliced onions in whatever they put on them to make them taste like onion bhaaji's (I'm not going to pretend I know). They were superb, the veggie samosas were great too, while the lamb chops were really tasty. Quick word of warning here, the place might not look like an Indian but the food is pretty authentic, that is to say IT IS HOT. When they say "mild" it means "lively" in English. "Medium" means pretty bloody hot actually in yours and my language, while "Hot" means this is going to have you sweating through your eyelids. As such, even the starters have a bit of a kick to them, yes even the bhaaji's and samosas.
For mains my son had chicken tikka massala (I was surprised they do it but they do) while Sarah had chicken with lentils (I guess we'd call it Dhansak bu they called it something else). I can't remember what mine was called to be honest, but it said it was "Hot" on the menu and they weren't lying. When I say hot though, you can still taste the food. It is beautifully flavoursome, and every single item we ordered was absolutely first class. the rice, the naan etc were also brilliant, and the cucumber raiita was by far the best I've ever tasted. The manager bloke told me the chef is one of the top Indian chefs in the country and has worked with this owner for many years, and that they grind their own spices and all that jazz. I guess they all say that, but from my perspective (and I do like curries) I think it was the best Indian food I've eaten in a very long time, perhaps even ever.
I don't do marks out of ten, but if I did it'd be a ten. Go to the Blue Junction, it is absolutely superb food.
Saturday, 30 December 2017
Friday, 27 January 2017
The Beautiful Pizza Boy-The @14TheFrog review.
Peckham is a funny area. If you came here about fifteen or twenty years ago looking for your ideal first time buy, don't come back. Presumably back then it was one of the few areas in London you could afford, but within thirty seconds of walking out of Peckham Rye station you'd not only decided to give it the swerve to live in, you were checking the timetable to find out the next train out of Dodge City. You definitely shouldn't come back if you are that person, because the Georgian terrace you came to look at which was reasonably priced at 85K back then is now worth 1.3 million quid. Your decision to buy in Chessington instead wasn't a good one as it turns out in financial terms, but them's the breaks and at least there's the theme park if all else fails.
If you're not that person and like me you just hadn't been for years (for essentially the same reason as the first time buyer who didn't buy) then you should come, it's great. It's kind of like Brixton without the funny smell, still happening and edgy but it feels a bit more boring/safe to me and I like it a lot. It's got more trappings of "cool" and "trendy" than you can shake a shiny shovel at, the sort of place where being a 'hipster" is like walking around in an Adam and the ants uniform, so out of date is it. Every coffee shop "roasts its own" beans, every burger place makes it's own burgers, all the fruit and veggie 24 hour places sell exotic fruits, and all the pubs have kitchens where you can see the fellas in their stripy aprons sharpening their knives and discussing tattoos.
Peckham's got it going on, and tucked past the archways of Peckham Rye station (which all have snazzy little bars and restaurants in) is the pizza place "The beautiful pizza boy". It's on Bellend road or something like that (it probably isn't actually called that but that's how I remember it sounding), and despite the street name it's really cool.
When you walk in the restaurant there's this little cocktail bar front bit which is only right and appropriate as it's owned by the "Little Bird" Gin people, the triumvirate of smooth and sexy thirty-somethings who have six handedly revolutionalised the London Gin scene. It looks like they do cocktails (and are no doubt good at it, they'll be served in jam jars I shouldn't wonder), but we didn't bother with any of that. For us it was straight out to the eating bit at the rear, past the wood fired pizza oven and smashing into the signature gin and Mediterranean Fevertree tonic (which is the best G & T you'll ever have). From there we had platters of Italian stuff for starters, there was bread sticks, cured meats (they told me the names but I can't remember), pickles, cheeses (one was pecorino as I recall which was fab), arancini (them little rice ball things, can take em or leave em meself) etc.
After that we had some wine which was lovely. God knows what it was (once again they told me and I gave it the old "ah yes that sounds fantastic" without actually knowing the variety), but it tasted great anyway (we had white and red if it helps). We all ordered pizzas (there was twelve of us) and they were among the best pizzas I've had in London. Thin, crispy, oozy, flavoursome, and they gave you chilli oil too which is always a major plus. Mine had ham on it, olives, mushrooms, that sort of thing (once again can't remember which one it was) but it was spectacular. I drowned it in chilli oil and shoved it in my mouth while managing to spill only dribbles down my chin, it was utterly fabulous.
We had desserts ( I wasn't going to but they have homemade Gelato for Gawd's sakes) and they were ridiculous, stupidly good. Definitely just ask for the bill straight after the pizzas if you care about your waistline, maybe sign a pact with the lovely waitress before the pizzas come that even if you want a dessert afterwards you're not allowed to have one. If she goes through the flavours though, take it from me it's game over. Obviously they're incredible, but after being full to the brim with pizza I really oughtn't to have done it.
I did do it though and I'm so glad I did, so should you. The best thing I can say about the Beautiful pizza boy is that their pizzas are as good as their gin. Go to Peckham and eat fantastic pizza, if you live in Chessington wait till they open one in Wimbledon.
If you're not that person and like me you just hadn't been for years (for essentially the same reason as the first time buyer who didn't buy) then you should come, it's great. It's kind of like Brixton without the funny smell, still happening and edgy but it feels a bit more boring/safe to me and I like it a lot. It's got more trappings of "cool" and "trendy" than you can shake a shiny shovel at, the sort of place where being a 'hipster" is like walking around in an Adam and the ants uniform, so out of date is it. Every coffee shop "roasts its own" beans, every burger place makes it's own burgers, all the fruit and veggie 24 hour places sell exotic fruits, and all the pubs have kitchens where you can see the fellas in their stripy aprons sharpening their knives and discussing tattoos.
Peckham's got it going on, and tucked past the archways of Peckham Rye station (which all have snazzy little bars and restaurants in) is the pizza place "The beautiful pizza boy". It's on Bellend road or something like that (it probably isn't actually called that but that's how I remember it sounding), and despite the street name it's really cool.
When you walk in the restaurant there's this little cocktail bar front bit which is only right and appropriate as it's owned by the "Little Bird" Gin people, the triumvirate of smooth and sexy thirty-somethings who have six handedly revolutionalised the London Gin scene. It looks like they do cocktails (and are no doubt good at it, they'll be served in jam jars I shouldn't wonder), but we didn't bother with any of that. For us it was straight out to the eating bit at the rear, past the wood fired pizza oven and smashing into the signature gin and Mediterranean Fevertree tonic (which is the best G & T you'll ever have). From there we had platters of Italian stuff for starters, there was bread sticks, cured meats (they told me the names but I can't remember), pickles, cheeses (one was pecorino as I recall which was fab), arancini (them little rice ball things, can take em or leave em meself) etc.
After that we had some wine which was lovely. God knows what it was (once again they told me and I gave it the old "ah yes that sounds fantastic" without actually knowing the variety), but it tasted great anyway (we had white and red if it helps). We all ordered pizzas (there was twelve of us) and they were among the best pizzas I've had in London. Thin, crispy, oozy, flavoursome, and they gave you chilli oil too which is always a major plus. Mine had ham on it, olives, mushrooms, that sort of thing (once again can't remember which one it was) but it was spectacular. I drowned it in chilli oil and shoved it in my mouth while managing to spill only dribbles down my chin, it was utterly fabulous.
We had desserts ( I wasn't going to but they have homemade Gelato for Gawd's sakes) and they were ridiculous, stupidly good. Definitely just ask for the bill straight after the pizzas if you care about your waistline, maybe sign a pact with the lovely waitress before the pizzas come that even if you want a dessert afterwards you're not allowed to have one. If she goes through the flavours though, take it from me it's game over. Obviously they're incredible, but after being full to the brim with pizza I really oughtn't to have done it.
I did do it though and I'm so glad I did, so should you. The best thing I can say about the Beautiful pizza boy is that their pizzas are as good as their gin. Go to Peckham and eat fantastic pizza, if you live in Chessington wait till they open one in Wimbledon.
Tuesday, 3 January 2017
Sticks n Sushi, a quick re-review.
Usually when a restaurant first opens, there's a fanfare followed by loads of advertising, a grand opening and lots of PR people wandering around with clipboards. Then when you go in the first few weeks there's more staff than punters, and they all look like they've come straight from Ira Levin's latest novel "Stepford waitresses". Go back a few weeks later, and you normally find that the bevy of beauties who flocked around your table all pearly white smiles and bonhomie, have been replaced by a couple of surly teenagers who really don't want to be there. Suddenly questions which were automatically met with a smile and an "of course" are met with a frown and a "erm I'm not sure, I'd better ask", we've all seen it many times before.
When Sticks n sushi first opened in Wimbers the "Stepfordness" of it all was beyond anything I'd ever seen. So fabulous and numerous were the staff, so wonderful was the food that along with many other cynics I wondered if it was maintainable over a sustained period of time. "It'll never last" we mumbled, as we revisited and asked the waiters various ever more obscure questions about the telephone directory like menu. They kept doing it though, they kept being smiley and knowledgeable while the food kept on being superb. I don't even like sushi particularly, but this place has something for everyone and everytime I've been I've been massively impressed.
Anyway a revisit, and it was a tricky one for them as it was on New Years day.....
Firstly the booking, I did it via Twitter which isn't the normal way. I was handled by Vickie, and it was done superbly well. When we got there, once we'd got past the "Shamasee!" or "Kaiser Sose!" or "Sensimillion!" or whatever it is that they holler at you when you walk in, we were sat and got surely the most smiley and happy waiter in the universe. Not only that, but he seemingly knew everything about everything on the menu. As I was on a serious detox after a ridiculously heavy NYE party (when will I learn I'm not 18 any more?) I had one of those juice things they do (as did the kids and Sarah). Mine was orange coloured and tasted like it had carrots, lime, kale and all that sort of stuff in it (it tasted far better than it sounds to be fair). The fella did explain in detail what was in all of the juices, but much like when you ask someone directions after winding the car window down, I didn't actually pay any attention to what he was saying, more just marvelled at his knowledge.
Like everyone else who comes here we had Ebi bites, a kind of prawn wrapped in rice crispies number which are food from the Gods. The we had some more (you could just have these to be fair, they're unbelievable), and some edamame beans. As far as the beans go we had both the salted and the one with the dressing on. They were/are gorgeous, and I love the dressing. For mains I had a "man food" which is all sorts of different skewers with sauce, and also a side of pork ribs in sesame seeds. Sarah and the kids had rice paper rolls, sushi and stuff. the food was absolutely unbelievably good (as it always is) and the service was fantastic (ditto). We're lucky to have this restaurant in Wimbledon, it is fabulous, every single time, still.
A couple of minor gripes just for balance (my own view only). The emmentaal wrapped in bacon on the man food board shouldn't be on there IMHO, bung some chicken thighs on there instead (I used to love them). The emmentaal is OK but too much cheese! I had the triple dessert thingie (I'm like that), and the "chocolate cake" thing is more like a mousse than a cake (it's still flippin lovely mind!) and it's impossible to eat without spilling the chocolate pearl things over the table (we still ate them obviously). Those are the only faults I can find though, everything else was absolutely first class.
If you haven't been to Sticks n Sushi you should go. It was brilliant when it first opened, it's still brilliant now. 10/10.
When Sticks n sushi first opened in Wimbers the "Stepfordness" of it all was beyond anything I'd ever seen. So fabulous and numerous were the staff, so wonderful was the food that along with many other cynics I wondered if it was maintainable over a sustained period of time. "It'll never last" we mumbled, as we revisited and asked the waiters various ever more obscure questions about the telephone directory like menu. They kept doing it though, they kept being smiley and knowledgeable while the food kept on being superb. I don't even like sushi particularly, but this place has something for everyone and everytime I've been I've been massively impressed.
Anyway a revisit, and it was a tricky one for them as it was on New Years day.....
Firstly the booking, I did it via Twitter which isn't the normal way. I was handled by Vickie, and it was done superbly well. When we got there, once we'd got past the "Shamasee!" or "Kaiser Sose!" or "Sensimillion!" or whatever it is that they holler at you when you walk in, we were sat and got surely the most smiley and happy waiter in the universe. Not only that, but he seemingly knew everything about everything on the menu. As I was on a serious detox after a ridiculously heavy NYE party (when will I learn I'm not 18 any more?) I had one of those juice things they do (as did the kids and Sarah). Mine was orange coloured and tasted like it had carrots, lime, kale and all that sort of stuff in it (it tasted far better than it sounds to be fair). The fella did explain in detail what was in all of the juices, but much like when you ask someone directions after winding the car window down, I didn't actually pay any attention to what he was saying, more just marvelled at his knowledge.
Like everyone else who comes here we had Ebi bites, a kind of prawn wrapped in rice crispies number which are food from the Gods. The we had some more (you could just have these to be fair, they're unbelievable), and some edamame beans. As far as the beans go we had both the salted and the one with the dressing on. They were/are gorgeous, and I love the dressing. For mains I had a "man food" which is all sorts of different skewers with sauce, and also a side of pork ribs in sesame seeds. Sarah and the kids had rice paper rolls, sushi and stuff. the food was absolutely unbelievably good (as it always is) and the service was fantastic (ditto). We're lucky to have this restaurant in Wimbledon, it is fabulous, every single time, still.
A couple of minor gripes just for balance (my own view only). The emmentaal wrapped in bacon on the man food board shouldn't be on there IMHO, bung some chicken thighs on there instead (I used to love them). The emmentaal is OK but too much cheese! I had the triple dessert thingie (I'm like that), and the "chocolate cake" thing is more like a mousse than a cake (it's still flippin lovely mind!) and it's impossible to eat without spilling the chocolate pearl things over the table (we still ate them obviously). Those are the only faults I can find though, everything else was absolutely first class.
If you haven't been to Sticks n Sushi you should go. It was brilliant when it first opened, it's still brilliant now. 10/10.
Monday, 26 December 2016
Free Turkey roasts on Christmas day-what did it feel like?
I don't think there's ever been a pub story which has got more traction on the media, not a "positive" pub story anyway. Unless it's the "pub poisons 93 people who ate dodgy chicken" type of article, or "pub landlord shoots bloke who added Guinness onto the end of his round" kind of thing, you don't tend to see much news about individual hostelries, even less their charitable work. That's a shame in many respects as much good goes on in pubs throughout Britain on a daily basis, but I guess the newshounds figure "pub raises £250 for local hospice" ain't gonna sell many papers, and lets be honest they're probably right.
So we were probably even more surprised than you were when the Evening Standard, Talk Radio, BBC Radio London, SKY News, ITN London etc came knocking at our door looking for an angle on the "free roasts if you're on your own on Crimbo day" story. Yes the Wimbledon Guardian had gotten hold of it (and we were even quite chuffed at that) but when you've got people emailing you from Australia and the USA telling you how happy the story made them, you get to know what they mean when they say it's gone "viral". Even more surprising we thought given we've done a similar thing for the last five years, but I guess in those years it didn't get retweeted by George Galloway to 259K followers, setting up a chain of events which saw it spin around the world.
Obviously when literally millions of people read it you are bound to get the odd one who either doesn't get it at all, or alternatively writes the whole thing off as a cynical marketing ploy. To that end we had a couple of people telling us "homeless people don't have Twitter accounts" despite the fact the gesture wasn't specifically aimed at homeless people anyway. Equally, it was frustrating to read one guy from hundreds of miles away speculate that the Alex was probably "a dingy little pub that nobody ever goes in" (how wrong can you be in one sentence?) then go onto explain it was nothing more than a crude PR exercise. Thankfully most people though "got" it, and we didn't respond to any negativity online as we never do.
So what was it like on the day? naturally we were a bit worried, and having no idea whatsoever how many people were going to show up we catered for 200 and crossed our fingers it would be enough. We were slightly concerned just before opening when a trickle of single men who were unknown to us began to queue outside the door, but after an early flow it slowed down to a dribble then eventually to a stop. We served 29 people in the end with a free roast, none of whom looked homeless to me (that non PC comment will no doubt go down well) and their ages ranged from one young fella of around 22 to a couple of what looked like retired colonels who could've been in their 80's. The split was around 60:40 men to women I should think, and the average age 50 or so. I greeted all of them on arrival and got them a beer, took their names then told them we'd have a table in "about ten minutes or so". Then when the next person came in, I'd take their name then casually throw in "oh I'll tell you what, let me introduce you to so and so" and kind of got people together that way. I was able to sit people in groups of three and four, and there were a few fledgling friendships (and one budding romance!) formed.
We had four non paid helpers who very kindly offered their services via Twitter, and they were absolutely lovely. Our staff were brilliant too (because they are) and we were also helped on the day by the very big hearted Tom Elliot-Frey from Youngs.
The people who came seemed to love it, they all seemed to have a good old laugh and were unbelievably thankful when they left. All said they'd been wavering as to whether to come or not (which leads us to think there are probably heaps more people in the same boat) but were extremely glad they did. I reckon we'll do it again next year, although it won't get the media coverage as by then it'll be "old hat". If you're a publican yourself and considering giving it a go, I reckon you'll have no worries. If you need any advice (I know you probably won't but hashtag just saying) contact me at the Alex.
Now we've well and truly had our Andy Warhol moment, we can get back to just running our pub again, Happy New Year everyone!
So we were probably even more surprised than you were when the Evening Standard, Talk Radio, BBC Radio London, SKY News, ITN London etc came knocking at our door looking for an angle on the "free roasts if you're on your own on Crimbo day" story. Yes the Wimbledon Guardian had gotten hold of it (and we were even quite chuffed at that) but when you've got people emailing you from Australia and the USA telling you how happy the story made them, you get to know what they mean when they say it's gone "viral". Even more surprising we thought given we've done a similar thing for the last five years, but I guess in those years it didn't get retweeted by George Galloway to 259K followers, setting up a chain of events which saw it spin around the world.
Obviously when literally millions of people read it you are bound to get the odd one who either doesn't get it at all, or alternatively writes the whole thing off as a cynical marketing ploy. To that end we had a couple of people telling us "homeless people don't have Twitter accounts" despite the fact the gesture wasn't specifically aimed at homeless people anyway. Equally, it was frustrating to read one guy from hundreds of miles away speculate that the Alex was probably "a dingy little pub that nobody ever goes in" (how wrong can you be in one sentence?) then go onto explain it was nothing more than a crude PR exercise. Thankfully most people though "got" it, and we didn't respond to any negativity online as we never do.
So what was it like on the day? naturally we were a bit worried, and having no idea whatsoever how many people were going to show up we catered for 200 and crossed our fingers it would be enough. We were slightly concerned just before opening when a trickle of single men who were unknown to us began to queue outside the door, but after an early flow it slowed down to a dribble then eventually to a stop. We served 29 people in the end with a free roast, none of whom looked homeless to me (that non PC comment will no doubt go down well) and their ages ranged from one young fella of around 22 to a couple of what looked like retired colonels who could've been in their 80's. The split was around 60:40 men to women I should think, and the average age 50 or so. I greeted all of them on arrival and got them a beer, took their names then told them we'd have a table in "about ten minutes or so". Then when the next person came in, I'd take their name then casually throw in "oh I'll tell you what, let me introduce you to so and so" and kind of got people together that way. I was able to sit people in groups of three and four, and there were a few fledgling friendships (and one budding romance!) formed.
We had four non paid helpers who very kindly offered their services via Twitter, and they were absolutely lovely. Our staff were brilliant too (because they are) and we were also helped on the day by the very big hearted Tom Elliot-Frey from Youngs.
The people who came seemed to love it, they all seemed to have a good old laugh and were unbelievably thankful when they left. All said they'd been wavering as to whether to come or not (which leads us to think there are probably heaps more people in the same boat) but were extremely glad they did. I reckon we'll do it again next year, although it won't get the media coverage as by then it'll be "old hat". If you're a publican yourself and considering giving it a go, I reckon you'll have no worries. If you need any advice (I know you probably won't but hashtag just saying) contact me at the Alex.
Now we've well and truly had our Andy Warhol moment, we can get back to just running our pub again, Happy New Year everyone!
Friday, 16 December 2016
Negative social media, what to do?
We've probably all had it who work in the hospitality trade, particularly if you serve large numbers of customers every day. "Don't go to this place it's rubbish" on TripAdvisor (hopefully surrounded by "do go to this place it's really good" reviews). Or the old chestnut "we've been asked to leave for absolutely no reason whatsoever" on Twitter (because all venues do this don't we? We all ask people to leave for "absolutely no reason whatsoever").
Such things on Twitter and Facebook provide a bit of a dilemma for publicans and restaurateurs everywhere, do you get involved and try and explain your position, or do you let it blow over and let people get their gripes off their chest? My feeling is there's no right or wrong answer, but almost always conducting dialogue of this type with customers on a public forum doesn't end well. Either it drags on and on and other people (who weren't there/don't know the situation) get involved, or the operator eventually loses his rag and launches into the customer publicly telling him "never come back you tosser!". We've all seen such cases played out in the media and in my view it doesn't reflect well upon either party, amusing though it is for the newspapers (particularly if it's a well known chef as it always seems to be) .
As far as being a customer myself who occasionally refers to such sites as TripAdvisor is concerned, I think it's usually important to have a "nutter" filter when viewing potential places to visit. I've always felt that if the vast majority of people really like a venue, the odd one giving a 1 out of 5 review and saying "the place was packed and noisy" or "we had to wait 35 minutes for our pizzas" ought to be taken with a bucket of salt. Equally, I can't get away from the feeling that if said customer was so massively concerned with the noise, or the wait time, or the price or whatever it was, why didn't they take it up with the management at the time, or at least call them the next day to discuss it? That's what I'd do see, if (and it's never ever happened) I was asked to leave somewhere "for no reason whatsoever" I'd leave, then vigorously take it up with the management of the venue the following day. I wouldn't create a scene at the time as that would kind of prove the removers were correct all along, and I wouldn't lower myself to sounding off on social media, I think I'm better than that.
Not that all of this of course means that any complainers or people who mark you one out of five and the like are wrong, of course they aren't. People who complain or aren't impressed ought to be the oxygen which allows a good venue to improve, pointing out deficiencies or indiscretions which the vast majority of customers will also see but usually be too polite to tell you about. "Professional complainers" don't exist, they are a myth of the hospitality trade in my opinion. Also my opinion is that you should multiply the number of complaints you receive in a year by AT LEAST a factor of ten in order to assess how many dissatisfied customers you've had. Most people don't complain, and I've lost count of the times I've been somewhere and despite not being impressed with the whole experience have with a smile told the server everything was "really good". We don't complain as a whole, so when people do we in the trade ought to take them seriously.
But anyway back to Twitter complainers and TripAdvisor marker-downers. I'm pretty sure that as these people have a smart phone and are "savvy" on things in general, they have the ability to find out a venues phone number and/or email address. They have the ability, the intelligence and the nous to make their point to a venue and its management without seeking to publicly embroil them in an argument as well. Ultimately that's the way I feel that such things ought to be played out, and that's why I tend not to get involved if a customer is disparaging on a public forum. I obviously for reasons of professional courtesy wouldn't say to a customer "because you were drunk sir and being a pain in the arse" on a public forum, but I maybe more inclined to do so if he or she popped in and had a word with me. Equally I maybe (or almost certainly would be) more sympathetic to his or her cause if they took the route of actually speaking to us, rather than what they consider to be "the wider world" (even that's a myth, nobody listens to any of us really!).
So anyway there you have it, at the Alex we generally don't get involved in social media spats. We don't think it is helpful. If however you wish to contact us for whatever reason, our email address for reference is alexandra@youngs.co.uk and our phone number is 0208 9477691. My name is Mick, and if you fancy just bobbing in I'll buy you a pint and we can discuss anything you like.
Such things on Twitter and Facebook provide a bit of a dilemma for publicans and restaurateurs everywhere, do you get involved and try and explain your position, or do you let it blow over and let people get their gripes off their chest? My feeling is there's no right or wrong answer, but almost always conducting dialogue of this type with customers on a public forum doesn't end well. Either it drags on and on and other people (who weren't there/don't know the situation) get involved, or the operator eventually loses his rag and launches into the customer publicly telling him "never come back you tosser!". We've all seen such cases played out in the media and in my view it doesn't reflect well upon either party, amusing though it is for the newspapers (particularly if it's a well known chef as it always seems to be) .
As far as being a customer myself who occasionally refers to such sites as TripAdvisor is concerned, I think it's usually important to have a "nutter" filter when viewing potential places to visit. I've always felt that if the vast majority of people really like a venue, the odd one giving a 1 out of 5 review and saying "the place was packed and noisy" or "we had to wait 35 minutes for our pizzas" ought to be taken with a bucket of salt. Equally, I can't get away from the feeling that if said customer was so massively concerned with the noise, or the wait time, or the price or whatever it was, why didn't they take it up with the management at the time, or at least call them the next day to discuss it? That's what I'd do see, if (and it's never ever happened) I was asked to leave somewhere "for no reason whatsoever" I'd leave, then vigorously take it up with the management of the venue the following day. I wouldn't create a scene at the time as that would kind of prove the removers were correct all along, and I wouldn't lower myself to sounding off on social media, I think I'm better than that.
Not that all of this of course means that any complainers or people who mark you one out of five and the like are wrong, of course they aren't. People who complain or aren't impressed ought to be the oxygen which allows a good venue to improve, pointing out deficiencies or indiscretions which the vast majority of customers will also see but usually be too polite to tell you about. "Professional complainers" don't exist, they are a myth of the hospitality trade in my opinion. Also my opinion is that you should multiply the number of complaints you receive in a year by AT LEAST a factor of ten in order to assess how many dissatisfied customers you've had. Most people don't complain, and I've lost count of the times I've been somewhere and despite not being impressed with the whole experience have with a smile told the server everything was "really good". We don't complain as a whole, so when people do we in the trade ought to take them seriously.
But anyway back to Twitter complainers and TripAdvisor marker-downers. I'm pretty sure that as these people have a smart phone and are "savvy" on things in general, they have the ability to find out a venues phone number and/or email address. They have the ability, the intelligence and the nous to make their point to a venue and its management without seeking to publicly embroil them in an argument as well. Ultimately that's the way I feel that such things ought to be played out, and that's why I tend not to get involved if a customer is disparaging on a public forum. I obviously for reasons of professional courtesy wouldn't say to a customer "because you were drunk sir and being a pain in the arse" on a public forum, but I maybe more inclined to do so if he or she popped in and had a word with me. Equally I maybe (or almost certainly would be) more sympathetic to his or her cause if they took the route of actually speaking to us, rather than what they consider to be "the wider world" (even that's a myth, nobody listens to any of us really!).
So anyway there you have it, at the Alex we generally don't get involved in social media spats. We don't think it is helpful. If however you wish to contact us for whatever reason, our email address for reference is alexandra@youngs.co.uk and our phone number is 0208 9477691. My name is Mick, and if you fancy just bobbing in I'll buy you a pint and we can discuss anything you like.
Friday, 25 November 2016
Kids in pubs. Are we in the trade unreasonable?
Kids. What is or isn't acceptable behaviour (from their parents mostly) is a regular thing which comes up in pubs, and ones as busy as we are at the Alex feel it more than most.
Here are my thoughts on it, the mantra I try and live by. I think this is reasonable and sensible, although sometimes some parents don't agree.
SAFETY.
I'd quite like it if your child was safe while they are in the Alex. As such, I'd much prefer it if they stayed at your table, with you. That means I don't think it's OK if they take the fire guard away from the fire to get a closer look (I kid you not), I don't think it's OK if they sprint around the pub (up and down stairs) to show you how fast a runner they are, and I don't think it's OK if they wander into a separate bar from where you are sitting (we have four bars at the Alex, all with doors out onto the street). Also, I don't think it's OK for them to climb up the walls or things which are attached to them, nor do I ever want to hear the scream of a child who has run into a teapot carrying server and got it spilt down their back. So call me a stickler, but I'd quite like them not to smash their face in when they fall over, not to get burnt by hot drinks, not to walk out of the door and get run over by a truck, and I'd also quite like it if they left with the person who actually brought them in.
OTHER CUSTOMERS.
By and large (and this is in my humble opinion, formed after 20 odd years in the trade), people come into the pub to chill out with their friends, their family, or by themselves. Usually, customers quite like it if they can stay in their own little circle of people (or by themselves). As such, they aren't normally overly receptive to other peoples children (or indeed anyone they don't know) bothering them at their table. Equally, people screaming and shouting at the top of their voices (however old they are) isn't usually what is needed for a relaxing environment. As such, in my opinion ( I wouldn't say this to you but it is my opinion anyway) an emergency dummy might be in order if your child is prone to sudden outbursts of high pitched screeching. Unreasonable? Perhaps, but check out the packed pub which has only three empty tables, all of which are next to yours and all of which have been vacated by people now sitting as far away as they can get.
PROPERTY
It's really not OK for your child to draw on the tables in the pub with felt tip pens. Why do I mention it? I'm really not kidding, I've had to explain it to two separate families in the last 18 months. I don't mind picking up all the stuff which gets thrown on the floor, but damaging tables so I've got to sand them and re-polish them after you've left isn't cool.
So there you have it. My kind of wishlist if you choose to bring your children into the Alex for a bite to eat. Sorry if you don't agree, but please be assured that if I ask you to make sure little Johnny doesn't play in the fire or sprint up and down wooden steps, I aren't being difficult for the sake of it, I've actually got his best interests at heart.
Tuesday, 19 March 2013
Brasserie Zedel-The @14thefrog review.
Brasserie Zedel is where the Atlantic bar and grill used to be, on Sherwood st in behind the flashing neons of Piccadilly. I only know that because somebody told me obviously, I wasn't a frequent visitor to the aforementioned Oliver Peyton celebrity hangout. It's downstairs a couple of flights, and looks like a cinema when you're walking in. You kind of keep asking yourself if you haven't come to the wrong place as you walk past big billboards advertising crooners with cheesy grins and cabaret artistes. You haven't though, and when you finally emerge into the cavernous restaurant, it's a real sight to behold.
It's all bright and sparkly, with art deco lights and high ceilings. The waiters look like they're actually accountants who are doing a bit of moonlighting at lunch, and there is a real sense of theatre to the place (almost literally).We got in there just after it opened and were the first ones in, and the very nice lady on the reception jump stuck us in a perfect spot for people watching. They keep a section of tables back for walk-ins, and it was to there where we were steered. She politely informed us that the table was "booked in 90 minutes time", and while I don't suppose for a second that it was, it did let us know quite clearly that this was a table turning operation where buggering about would be severely frowned upon.
No sooner had our bums hit the seats than one of the accountants was over with the menus. The first thing you notice is that it's all in French, the second thing which hits you is that it's very reasonable bordering on cheap. They do a two course set menu for about nine quid, while three courses can be done for twelve. We didn't go for that option, although what we had didn't come to too much more.
I went for the French onion soup which has always been a favourite. It was utterly brill, with meltingly tender onions and the little gruyere croutes on the side so you could lob them in as you saw fit (I must confess I couldn't really understand the DIY element). Sarah had spinach and cabbage soup, which was much nicer than it sounds. We also got some bread which was fresh French stick, with that lovely butter that you always get in such places which is never available anywhere else.
For mains it was Onglet steak all round. They give a knife which looks like it's just been lifted off the "Jagged Edge" poster, but you don't need it really as the meat is as tender as something that's pretty tender. The frites are great, and it all comes in this red wine gravy (I cannot type the word jus).
Desserts were a lemon tart for me which was lemony enough to make you pull a funny face, while Sarah had pears in port with almonds and cream. My dessert was better. Then it was coffees and a pinot des charantes, the bill off the accountant bloke (perfectly totted up obviously) and out well within time. There's a 12.5% service charge which is fair enough as you get served by about 73 people, and it's quite good, AND it only amounts to about a fiver anyway. The bill was about £57 and the whole experience was great.
If you're in the west end and want to go somewhere good, cheap and quick then go here. I have read one or two negative reports (amongst hundreds of positive ones) but I'm at a loss to think of a single bad point. It's cheaper than Cafe Rouge and about a squillion times better. Well done to all.
It's all bright and sparkly, with art deco lights and high ceilings. The waiters look like they're actually accountants who are doing a bit of moonlighting at lunch, and there is a real sense of theatre to the place (almost literally).We got in there just after it opened and were the first ones in, and the very nice lady on the reception jump stuck us in a perfect spot for people watching. They keep a section of tables back for walk-ins, and it was to there where we were steered. She politely informed us that the table was "booked in 90 minutes time", and while I don't suppose for a second that it was, it did let us know quite clearly that this was a table turning operation where buggering about would be severely frowned upon.
No sooner had our bums hit the seats than one of the accountants was over with the menus. The first thing you notice is that it's all in French, the second thing which hits you is that it's very reasonable bordering on cheap. They do a two course set menu for about nine quid, while three courses can be done for twelve. We didn't go for that option, although what we had didn't come to too much more.
I went for the French onion soup which has always been a favourite. It was utterly brill, with meltingly tender onions and the little gruyere croutes on the side so you could lob them in as you saw fit (I must confess I couldn't really understand the DIY element). Sarah had spinach and cabbage soup, which was much nicer than it sounds. We also got some bread which was fresh French stick, with that lovely butter that you always get in such places which is never available anywhere else.
For mains it was Onglet steak all round. They give a knife which looks like it's just been lifted off the "Jagged Edge" poster, but you don't need it really as the meat is as tender as something that's pretty tender. The frites are great, and it all comes in this red wine gravy (I cannot type the word jus).
Desserts were a lemon tart for me which was lemony enough to make you pull a funny face, while Sarah had pears in port with almonds and cream. My dessert was better. Then it was coffees and a pinot des charantes, the bill off the accountant bloke (perfectly totted up obviously) and out well within time. There's a 12.5% service charge which is fair enough as you get served by about 73 people, and it's quite good, AND it only amounts to about a fiver anyway. The bill was about £57 and the whole experience was great.
If you're in the west end and want to go somewhere good, cheap and quick then go here. I have read one or two negative reports (amongst hundreds of positive ones) but I'm at a loss to think of a single bad point. It's cheaper than Cafe Rouge and about a squillion times better. Well done to all.
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