New Year...more blogging...

Pappa Cod must apologise for his lack of blogging but well the end to 2009 was all a bit fraught and now the start to what is now commonly known as "Twenty Ten" has been challenging for a number of reasons... The UK has certainly not seen snow like we are currently seeing for many a year and with a good coating of the "white stuff" still linger half way through the month it has put paid to a kick start to the year that seemed to be on the cards. We can only hope it begins to thaw and allow life to get back to a semblance of normality.

Some highlights to the end of 2009 for this old fish was a dinner at Le Cafe Anglais...much enjoyed for a starter was a fish quenelle that was a classic - a light earthy flavour and delicate texture had me enraptured.

Then just before Christmas I paid a visit to Zurich in Switzerland that enabled me to visit some old stomping grounds and partake in some Swiss hospitality and efficiency! One place that had me amused was the equivalent of Harrods on the infamous Bahnhofstrasse in central Zurich - Globus... Here they were having a special promotion that was a British Christmas throughout the store... what amused me most was the Cafe menu that is shown above...

You will have to read it carefully but suffice to say the locals were tucking in with relish but at 10:30am in the morning it was not my ideal breakfast!

Someones research had not been totally thorough and correct.

Anyway Pappa Cod will promise to try and blog a shade more frequently and enlighten you more in "twenty ten" honest....

Keith Floyd R.I.P.

It is with sadness to think a legend in terms of TV/Celebrity Chef has passed away.

I had the pleasure of meeting the man a couple of times but I am sure he would not have remembered me.

Once was at a luncheon with my fellow inspectors from Egon Ronay Guides at Marco Pierre Whites restaurant “Harvey’s” on Wandsworth Common. We were all having a pre Christmas lunch and Keith was sat in the corner at another table slowly getting more sozzled.

The next occasion was when working for Egon I was asked to inspect his Pub/Restaurant in Totnes, South Devon in the late 80’s. The Malsters Arms that he then cleverly renamed - "Floyd’s Inn".

I vividly remember having booked a table for lunch in the restaurant arriving to be told sorry but the restaurant was now closed as Mr Floyd was entertaining a personal party therein.

I then had my lunch in the busy bar with Keith popping his head around the room working the tables and lapping up the adulation from the guests, resplendent with red wine glass in hand… my only lasting memory of the lunch was the selection of pates served for my starter were all "bought in" from France – they were good as he had obviously sourced a good supplier but a bit disappointing to think they had not been made in house!

When I then revealed myself on settling my bill I was whisked down stairs to meet the man and was introduced to his then wife Shaunagh and the guests with whom he was lunching – He proudly introduced them as “His Bank Manager”, “His Lawyer”, “His Agent” etc… a bit daunting as no names were given.

He was a gentleman personified and passionate about the food, but as was later revealed not the best at “business” as he ran up huge debts.

His legacy of cookery programmes will have inspired a generation of cooks and chefs and I also remember his talent for spotting a good chef. Although he had departed by the time I inspected the Malsters Arms Jean Christophe Novelli was his chef here when he first arrived here in the UK.

He inspired many of our "celebrity chefs" of today and his penchant for a glass of wine was legendary… I will certainly be raising a glass to him.

Menus by design...

I recently came across the following article "Menus by design" that makes some very interesting reading. It is by Nick Lander a venerated writer in the Financial Times and he hits the nail on the head with his comments.

For me the main bug bear I have with so many menus is the spelling mistakes often found within. With todays use computers to type/write a menu and the easy use of spell checking to correct them it is still amazing how many mistakes you will find. Simple grammar and misuse of culinary terms often abound.

It is however Mr Lander's opening comment that really does hit home "Menus are the financial and marketing lifeblood of any restaurant" It should be the first thing to entice your customer in to your establishment and it reflects and sells the skills of your kitchen and will be the first point of sale for the front of house staff - so why not a bit more design?

Spare a thought…

It is almost upon once again… that time of year many chefs love to hate. What is it - I hear you ask… well “Valentines Night” of course.

Firstly the tables are filled with couples all looking either lovingly -or more commonly not talking to each other. To add to this we are blighted with it being on a Saturday this year so even more challenging to establishments to make the normal Saturday night revenue they can.

I have also been guilty of it as much as others and that is the “corny menu compilations” and themes places seem to think will sell the package… something with a pink tinge to it always seems to rear its ugly head!!!

You might think I have lost my romantic streak… no I am just another year older and wiser.

I have fond memories of a few years ago a busy “Valentines Night” in a restaurant where for my sins I was paid to cook the food.

We had a couple who once they turned the menus the right way up obviously realised they were dining out in a place not of their liking or style. When they sent the cremated steak back (their request) saying it was tough and tasteless I committed the ultimate faux pas by telling the server to return to the table with the famous quote of Chinese foodie “Confucius” who said…

“Man who eats meat and peas on same plate is very unhygienic”…

I know I shouldn’t have but it did make me feel better in that stressful moment and well it was justified… honest.

Little Chef - a ray of hope?

I believe there could be a chance that Little Chef is about to re-invent itself...

Heston Blumental is soon to be seen on our screens giving their menu a makeover.

Check out the following link...

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/food_and_drink/eating_out/article5390168.ece

Different Cultures...

I was talking to the other half of an old friend and Chinese chef who has been opening a new high class Chinese eatery within the Middle East… she was relating to me the opening of this establishment had not been without its problems especially when it had come to how the punters ordered their food.

Here in the UK such ethnic establishments tend have their customers order a range of dishes that they then share amongst the party. Well no such practice at this new place they all want their own plate of grub and in no way are they going to share it…it reminded me of a similar experience in a Chinese eatery in Co Wicklow south of Dublin… here a family gathering all tucked in to their own choice of individually chosen dishes and our order of a selection of dishes were met by some really cursory looks that we must have flown in from another planet…
Seems like the front of house crowd need to do a bit of education on the punters. Still it does illustrate rather well some cultural differences when it comes to table manners…

Recession what recession…

Happy New Year for 2009 by the way…

It has been all doom and gloom here in the UK but well the old hospitality business certainly seems to be buoyant following some of my recent experiences.

Just this last Monday whilst meeting with a long term client/candidate from South Africa I thought I had it all sussed where I would take them for lunch in the South London suburbs.. well it proved a shade embarrassing to find choice after choice was still closed after the festive break.

Only after a quick call to a friend with a encyclopaedic knowledge directed me through the Blackwall Tunnel to a Gastro Pub in the Isle of dogs that certainly came up trumps… it was doing quite a brisk trade for a Monday lunch and well saved the day…can thoroughly recommend it so do check it out at http://www.thegundocklands.co.uk/

Following on from this I then decided to treat “Mama Cod” to a night out as the little “Sprat” is not around for the night and we decided on a number of local options but found all were fully booked or could only offer an unsuitable time to service our gastric needs.

Not bad for a Friday night in early January with crap weather as well. Will report on how it all goes and what we think of our seventy mile round trip for dinner!!!

Tis the "Season to be Jolly"...

Well as Christmas fast approaches I thought it would be a good idea to share a heart warming quote I recently came across on another blog…

It is from a small little restaurant in the foothills of the Pyrenees in the South of France.

The owner affectionately known as “Chef in heels” overheard a local French customer say

"Dommage il faut allez chez les Anglais pour bien manger"...

Translated:
“Such a shame we have to go to the English to eat well!!! (meant as a compliment).

So one in the eye to the French!!!

Fish & Chips – reign supreme…

Those of you who know “Pappa Cod” well will know I am a big fan of the establishment “Chez Fred” in Westbourne, Bournemouth.

I have long said this is the epitome of what good fish and chips should be and it still continues to impress.

The owner Fred Capel once a chef himself has built up and enviable business that delivers consistently good well-sourced fresh fish and properly cooked chips but also I have to say really does understand the value of building a database of customers and the marketing it does with them.

The “little sprat” really loves this place especially their “sprat pack – kids menu” not only for the colouring competition and fishy related quiz questions etc but without fail each year for the past 3 years she has been sent a birthday card with an invite to claim a free meal… as long as she brings an adult with her. Simple but exceedingly effective to get us all back again…

Every table also has a customer comment card that is so well worded it makes filling it out a real pleasure. On top of that the fish and chips is really the outstanding feature. Even when they get it wrong (a nearby table on a recent visit complained their fish was undercooked) they dealt with it swiftly, professionally and in a sustainable way ensuring the customer felt truly valued.

It impressed me so much I left my glasses behind on the table and when I returned to collect them 30 minutes later I very nearly reordered my meal… but that would have just been greedy…

Little Chef - nothing has changed

It was a cold wet November evening and feeling in need of a break on a journey around the M25 on the way to the south coast we pulled into the car park of a Little Chef on the A3.

It has been many a year since walking into one of these establishments and it was like going into a time warp. It seems like time had stood still with a menu gargantuan in size appealing to all possible markets.

Any way our simple choices made were delivered promptly and the resulting items ordered were edible and fulfilled the need.

It was however the surroundings that seemed to have changed little in the last 20 years with an almost totalitarian feel to it, chairs with a leatherette covering were uncomfortable and had clearly seen better days few were not damaged by exploratory fingers.

The final nail in the coffin was the smelly toilets that welcomed you on arrival and ensured you left as quickly as possible… the crap in the bowl was the final straw… it might be their 50th year in existence but they really do need a makeover and revamp to bring them into the new millennium!!!

I think I will give them a miss for the next 20 years and see if things have improved on my next visit!!!

Pure genuis...

For those of you who know “Pappa Cod” you might put me down as an endangered species but I am trying to embrace all that is new hip and “with it” in terms of technology and the “new media”

I am pleased to say I have come across some good uses of what is now deemed to be the new way of communicating… "Facebook" is a modern phenomenon that has caught the imagination of a younger generation that shows no fear.

The “Hospitality” business has yet to embrace this fully but I am pleased to say I have seen some good uses of it though.

One place in particular stands out YPolyn a small rural restaurant in South Wales is using Facebook to build a database of customers who they can communicate with quickly in a very targeted way.

They are creating what is effectively an exclusive club as access to it can only be achieved by signing up to Facebook.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Carmarthen-United-Kingdom/Y-Polyn/15605940141Polyn/15605940141

I'm amazed more serious use of this medium has not happened yet but I guess it will only be a matter of time as the industry wakes up to what possibilities lay out there for them.

On another note YPolyn seems to be well ahead of the game by registering the cleverly named http://www.creditcrunchlunch.co.uk/ domain name as long ago as May 2008...

Pure marketing genius but then again I would expect nothing less from the stable of Wright and Manson…

http://www.ypolynrestaurant.co.uk/