Table talk
Buttering up the passengers
No one could accuse Little Chef of failing to keep up with the latest fads in the culinary world. And the current trend of dumbing down menus in favour of far simpler dishes is definitely one that hasn't escaped the creative minds at the Little Chef in Manchester's Piccadilly Station. Spotted recently on the chef's daily specials board, in alternating red and white chalk, was the declaration: "Today's special: bread roll with jam, 40p."
Doing time in Waterford
Guests at County Waterford's Lismore Hotel have been counting the half-hours since the new millennium dawned. Locals insisted that the town's clock, which has remained silent for many years, should be fixed in time for the big midnight bash. But since then, the shrill blasts of the clock have been sounding every hour and half-hour. While council engineers work out what to do, the clock continues to remind sleepless hotel guests that they're 30 minutes closer to getting-up time.
A pitch is worth a thousand words
Wine tasters attending a recent event hosted by the New Zealand Wine Institute at London's Chelsea Village had more than a few glasses of vino to reflect on. The view from the hospitality suite, overlooking an empty football pitch, would have been somewhat dull, but was livened up when tasters were able to toast a couple getting married in front of one of the goals. Not quite so palatable was seeing an intimate gathering scattering someone's ashes over the sidelines.
Relaxation shock at Aubergine
William Drabble, the chef who stepped into the not inconsiderable shoes of Gordon Ramsay at Aubergine, is receiving some interesting publicity from Pink Fish, the PR company for the London restaurant. Since he took over from Ramsay, runs the blurb, there has been "a calming effect on the dining room as well as the kitchen" and "Aubergine is now notably more relaxed than in recent years". Can't imagine what they mean.
Boeuf sans frontières
Here's to Gallic chef Michel Bourdin. To celebrate his 25th year at London's Connaught hotel, he has invited a number of French chums, including three-Michelin-starred French chef Paul Bocuse, to the hotel for dinner. Politicians in his homeland may be angered to learn that the pièce de résistance will be a dish of Scottish beef. He said: "In cooking, there are no politics."
Balti towers
Mohammed Aslam, boss of the seven-strong chain of Yorkshire-based Aagrah Indian restaurants, reckons his diners are in need of a little abuse. He has hired an actor who poses as Basil Fawlty to insult the customers. Aslam said: "He abuses them up to a point but he doesn't throw things and he doesn't get near the food. We take care of that."
