Just seen this on a sample menu for a hotel we are visiting soon

the best ever I love it.

Maggiemaybe your skate was stale.... you should have sent it back. Fresh skate should be sweet, preferably served with a caper, brown butter sauce and new potatoes. The ammonia smell is a dead give away that the fish has been deceased for some time! (A la Monty Python's parrot)

the best ever I love it.

I used to smile when my late father used to turn his nose up at things like Chinese or Indian dishes calling it in his words muckment then would tuck into pigs trotters and pig cheek or tripe with onions which I couldn't stand . I say each to their own I don't like rare cooked meat but appreciate others do .

I retrained as a chef, we were taught the french way with the french name. Fair enough. But nowhere did it ever mention wilted lettuce, burnt butter or any other made up pretenious name, and my other pet hate, I was served a hot coffee in a glass, no handles, in some trendy little place in the country. When I asked why I had a glass instead of a cup or something with a handle on I was told this is how they serve it in London. Well said me, we are not in London and I doubt you have run out of cups so a cup of coffee please...now.

Ah, just sussed it
I will go to the Coombe Cellars then next time I'm down that way

I've had a deconstructed Black Forest Gateau!
It all gets reconstructed when it goes down.

I would have to know and trust the person who picked my wild mushrooms, otherwise I'm happy with the food - but perhaps the descriptions are pretentious

Wondering which pub it was in Combeinteignhead ChrisCross

Hope none of you ever encounter 'deconstructed ' food .

A while ago I went to a very pretentious pub/restaurant in Combinteignhead in Devon and decided to brave trying "lamb five ways" - which included a funny little rissole type thing, a mini shepherds pie, some 'pulled' lamb, a teeny chop and a virtually raw piece of lamb rump. It was served with nettles as one of the vegetables. So continuing to feel brave I tried a couple of mouthfuls. Yuk. As well as tasting disgusting, seriously my mouth felt like it had been stung for 3 days. Presumably it had. Never again.

And I think that wild mushroom dish sounds delicious. Left over corned beef hash for us tonight

I'm late to the party, but have just seen the comments re skate wing. I tried it at a very upmarket restaurant and it was absolutely foul. It reeked of ammonia and tasted of it too. Apparently this happens with skate occasionally and opinions differ as to why. I should have sent the horrible thing back, but was influenced by my foodie friend declaring it delicious despite the smell. The taste and stench seemed to be with me for days (shudder!).

That apart, I think we have fabulous food choices in this country now - you can get great food from any area or cuisine imaginable. I don't care how they describe it as long as it tastes good .

Not pretentious at all (I don't like the use of poncey here) burnt butter is delicious and skate with black butter is also lovely.

Grumpa PMSL not literally of course !

Grumppa

Another illusion shattered. I had assumed that Panfried was a character in Wagner's Ring der Nibelungen.

Maryxyx - I agree ; my children have explained to me that 'ponce' or .poncy' is considered extremely insulting these days. But it was not always - it used to mean something a bit pretentious. It's hard to keep up these days. I think there's another thread on this topic.

Hey to everyone who is moaning about those of us who moan!
We enjoy a good moan, that's what we come to Gransnet for - but we do heaps of other fun things - don't we?

Many years ago OH and I ran a village pub. I only cooked lunchtime, our customers were mainly from the local factory. They seemed to like my homemade food such as steak and kidney pie, cod and chips and other unadventurous dishes!!A friend, who was also a landldy had her photo on the cover of the brewery magazine, showing off her steak/kidney pie topped with puff pastry.Little did people know that she bought her ingredients from a local freezer company. She defrosted the filling, added the cicle of frozen puff pastry and cooked it in the oven.She advertised it as "home cooked" Don't always be fooled by the description of the meal on the menu.

Marionk you have totally missed the point people aren't saying they won't try new things as I said above I m very adventurous in my food but I hate pretentious titles I don't mind French titles if the food comes from a French background and warrants it but these awful names that are given simply TO BE trendy are annoying When they talk about a bed of wilted lettuce I just see this little lettuce leaf with a quivering bottom lip

If they are doing it to blind you with jargon and bamboozle you into thinking that they are better than they are, then I don't like it either.

Other clues are sneering to themselves as you choose the carrots as a vegetable when they have recommended the fennel in some fancy sauce (happened to me many years ago at a trendy London restaurant where we had been sent free by our hotel because of some mixup about bookings. Apparently it was frequented by a lot of celebrities, which may have been true but we were teribly ignorant and uncool and didn't recognise anyone) Or taking your coat and holding it with fingertips as though they think it may be contaminated with - horror - cat hairs.

In proper restaurants with knowledgable staff, you are welcomed whatever you want to eat, and if you don't know what a cheffy term means they are happy to explain it. That is their job.

Quite right tothose of us who love cooking and eating out. I really love trying something I don't make myself. I think it's inverted snobbery just to want plain food if someone's trained for years to cook well why shouldn't they tell you about it.

I too dislike pretentious descriptions of food. I am happy to try new things but like to know exactly what I am ordering!!

I recall some 30 years ago my brother in law refused to come to us for a meal because he said I put garlic in everything (well, not everything - I never put it in porridge!) and we had ideas above our station because we drank wine with Sunday lunch! Now that's what I call unadventurous

Elegran.
Agree Nice to visit eateries where you can experience more that your average pub type meals.

Don't you just love it when a dish is described as "pan-fried"?

Well, what else would you fry it in? Your hat?!

jillyco - that's an interesting menu and much cheaper and more varied than it would be in an equivalent restaurant in France!