So how exactly does one go about scouting locations for opening a good bar?
I recommend the USA, everything is better there and for half the price.
Restaurants in the UK do not suck.
The best pubs in the world are in Vancouver.
I live in Vancouver and I disagree strongly. What places are you thinking of?
You may actually have been born and raised and fed in the UK and we love you and all, but honestly, I’ve been there too and the eating experience was not generally the highlight.
Then you went to the wrong places. There is no shortage of excellent food in the UK.
Bangers and mash, fish and chips!
Bill Hicks.
I had some pretty tasty food in London and Bath over my Christmas holiday. Two of my top fives from the trip are food related.
Don’t forget bad teeth, ten year old chimney sweeps and foggy, cobbled streets!
I actually don’t mind the french, italians or anyone like that criticizing English food, I just bristle when it comes from a country that has no cuisine of its own.
Ya know, it’s funny that everyone ignored Nicks actual question. :)
Here’s what I know about restaurant location Nick, and it’s not very much:
Parking and foot traffic. Visibility. The market research I have seen involves hiring one or two people to watch a spot basically all day and count when people walk by it.
The Indian food in the UK is really good. And steak and kidney pie is good when they make it from scratch. And there’s a good sandwich place called Parmenter’s. And there’s this thick sort of granola stuff that they call “flapjack” that’s good. And the beer is good, of course.
But generally, yeah, the food sucks (and my standards for food are quite low). Only cigarettes allowed me to survive three years there.
Oh yeah:
Q: Why is the grass in England so green?
A: Because they haven’t found a way to boil it yet.
Is the Gaucho Grill still in London? I ate there several years ago and enjoyed it.
Heck, even the hotel I was at (Mayfair Intercontintal) had decent grub. I will admit to being a tad nervous when I ordered a Scottish Lobster.
I’m sure it’s actually great in places away from the tourist traps; actually i think the stereotypical low-quality food served in those kinds of places is what drives Americans to these sorts of conclusions.
If in the UK, I eat Indian whenever I have a chance. Where does one even get traditional British food? I mean, I’ve tried pub grub and fish n’ chips, and while filling it fits a slot just above McDonalds in my mental ranking of foods. McDonalds is probably healthier now that I think of it.
Not that Swedish cuisine is much to brag about, but atleast I’m not an American.
Hahaha. You’re talking about a whole country and you just named the one good sandwich shop. Excellent.
I’m trying to save Nick some time!
This is my new favorite place, based on my most recent visit. They specialize in gourmet pies.
And let’s not forget the Fat Duck, which was recently named the best restaurant in the world by a panel of critics and peers.
The fact that they even thought to make and sell something called “Mushroom and Asparagus Pie” says everything anyone needs to know about English food, I suspect.