A very disappointing lunch. Should pubs and restaurants be more honest.

My son and his wife had breakfast in a London cafe recently and the bill for French toast and eggs Benedict plus 2 coffees was £63. My husband needed sedation when I told him .

I think it should be stated clearly, whether it's freshly prepared or not. There's a possibility of too many additives in food that's bought in.
And I wish restaurants had more simple dishes.

I too prefer lunch or afternoon coffee now. Too much effort in the evening.

Doodledog

My son and his wife had breakfast in a London cafe recently and the bill for French toast and eggs Benedict plus 2 coffees was £63. My husband needed sedation when I told him .

Was it Café la Ritz?

I don't know. He just said it was 'a hipster cafe'.

😲 well, eggs have gone up in price!

I know. It was basically egg on toast twice. I told him I'd do them for him for £40, and throw in a sausage.

I can't begin to work out how it could cost that much.

The coffee was £9 or so and there was a service charge, but even so. . .

I raised an eyebrow, but Mr Dog's face was comical

I couldn't care less how it is prepared. If I enjoy it, that's fine.

i very rarely eat out.
but i recognise salmon and dill fishcakes as a pub-grub standard, and i wouldn't expect it to be specially made on the premises.
i think most catering outlets buy in ready made.
it doesn't bother me and i don't think most people would care, just that it is tasty, good quality and enough of it.
there is a pub near here that i've been to occasionally. i like the food, it is generous portions, but i can't afford or justify it.
i like the salmon fillet with grilled veg and mash.
that's £20 alone, or was last time i went.
i guess it's bought it, never thought about it.
you could try to start a campaign, i guess, but i think it is a minority interest.
most people just want value for money.
they either like the food or not.
the pub near me is very popular, packed out with families for sunday lunch, and always busy.
so they have no need to change their operation.
they were v good in the pandemic; delivering takeaways, with discounts for disabled people.

All French restaurants have to display the provenance of their food.
Most places don't have extensive menus, usually 3 or 4 options for each course with a " menu de Jour" added. With the average price @ £20 per head for 3 courses, I don't think it would be economical to offer more choices.
The last meal I had in the UK in a quite expensive place, £ 90 for two of us, was dreadful. The chicken dish I ordered was described as having a " a base layer of freshly chopped tomatoes and basil" and as I am allergic to tomatoes , I asked for it to be served without that. The young girl went off and came back 10 minutes later and said I couldn't have the dish without the tomatoes because it came in a vacuum pack so couldn't be separated.
Asking for a dish without one of it's components seems a good way to find out if the dish has come pre prepared it seems

We are creatures of habit and when we find a good restaurant with locally sourced fayre we stick with those and luckily we have a good few to choose from locally and in town, Glasgow.
One we were underwhelmed with was The Ivy. Ridiculous prices for dishes that are on offer at much cheaper restaurants.

We prefer to go out for lunch now…only our bins go out at night. 😄

When DH was alive, we very rarely ate out as he’d say that my food was far better and cheaper. My cooking is above average but not that wonderful!
I have to confess that I too frequently find eating out expensive and disappointing.

Kate I m with you all the way I m not daft and I expect most pubs or pub chains to be microwaved food
I also am appalled at some of the prices you are quoting I had a lovely (big plateful) veggie roast (Quorn, Yorkshire pud, roast potatoes, and five different veg followed by strawberry cheesecake for £11.95 last week in a local cafe
I go out to eat for the company I m with, and a change of scenery
There’s a nice place here does big breakfast for under £6 and the kitchen is open so yo can see the cook and what he’s getting up to

Sometimes a chef will simply refuse to take an element of a dish out because they feel it's integral.
I've had this happen in France as long ago as 1998. I'm pretty certain that wasn't a pre-made dish.
I suppose it was a restaurant and not a pub though.

We only go out to restaurants to meet friends, a lot use pre prep or burger type meals that don’t need skilled chefs to prepare.
OH cooks well so on the days I work will usually cook and always uses fresh ingredients, grows a lot on the garden too.

I suppose it could be the time element. I love a minted lamb shank, but if I ordered it in a pub or eating place I know there is no way they could prepare it from fresh and it would come out of a plastic bag from the microwave.

Some fresh dishes can take a while to prepare, if your prepared to wait some time then that is ok, but most people want to be served pretty quick. Hence a lot of food is pre pared earlier or pre packed etc.

Kate1949

I couldn't care less how it is prepared. If I enjoy it, that's fine.

Same here.

welbeck I agree. Pub grub is pub grub. What do you expect?
If there are huge pre printed menus then the majority of items are bound to come from a freezer. When out we tend to go for the day's special as it's more likely to have had more effort put in by the chef - or is on its last legs and must be eaten!!

I find I am not at all bothered about going out for a meal any more.

For my recent birthday, we had a takeaway from a local restaurant, just the same food as you would eat in there, but a few pounds cheaper, no having to get dressed up, a much cheaper drink at home, and just a bit of washing up.

grandMattie

When DH was alive, we very rarely ate out as he’d say that my food was far better and cheaper. My cooking is above average but not that wonderful!
I have to confess that I too frequently find eating out expensive and disappointing.

Oh dear - that sort of “flattery” sounds like a cop- out!

Like others upthread I know that I am unlikely to meet cordon bleu in our local pubs but sometimes the atmosphere and company are what I want.
I do like it though when a meal goes beyond what I might cook! Sometimes a country pub has surprised with a genuinely talented “rising” chef.

This was many years ago. Back to my experience of specials board. Our head chef was given a sum of money daily which he was free to spend at local fish\meat markets and concoct dishes of his own imagination and flair. Usually worked wonderfully well as he was sometimes understandably bored simply heating up the cordon bleu meals we bought in.

As long as I and others enjoy the food, service and environment I’m not that bothered.
Did you eat it Sago and did you pay?

We did a few restaurant visits as ‘mystery shoppers’ a few years ago & found the chain mid priced places all used pre made food. Pre visit - we received detailed notes with photos/notes of reheating instructions and how to position food/ garnish! Had to then view, eat and report back. Most food good. Was made by chefs in a central place, then shipped on. Easy for them to keep standards up- hygiene, quality,timings, saves costs on decent Chefs too. Cote chain is an example of good food prepared and cooked this way.
Independent pubs, cafes and restaurants probably have their own chefs who cook some things from scratch but even those use shortcuts/ modern methods of cooking (water baths/ microwaves etc). Think overpriced food is common now- we usually feel ripped off if the whole experience is disappointing . Not so much if well cooked, hot, beautifully presented, and company is good. Great service, comfy seating and ambience/ surroundings are important too. I expect a very clean table too with sparkling glasses, shiny cutlery and new looking crockery. Even a simple fresh flower makes the difference!

Jaxjacky

As long as I and others enjoy the food, service and environment I’m not that bothered.
Did you eat it Sago and did you pay?

I did eat it and yes we paid.

When the manager came came and casually said “ everything all right with your meals” he was taken aback when I said no!
They just expect a yes.
He did listen to my complaint, I was very polite.
He acknowledged the food was bought in and said one of the reasons was lack of skilled chefs.
It’s such a shame.

Tonight we will make up for it, we have friends coming to stay so we’re having canapés of spicy parsnip soup, pesto on Parmesan shortbreads, Welsh leg of lamb roasted, with roasties, carrots and green beans followed by a cheese board then coffee/tea and fudge.
ALL HOMEMADE!!!!!!