Sick of eatting out and it’s not that good!

I stick to the 2 restaurants that I like and are consistently good. 1 is a chain and the other an independent.

Why have a burger in a restaurant, when you can but steak and flash in the pan and pop between 2 halves of a bun in a few minutes at home?

I want complicated meals I can’t cook at home

Agreed. Went out yesterday and the food was so average but the service was terrible and the atmosphere had really gone down hill in the restaurant as well.
Had a much better meal a few weeks back at our local food festival from a street food van.

Yes the roast prices! My local has a new roast advertised, it’s a three roast dish ( I will grant them that) but still, for one person £42!

I am rarely disappointed with food I eat out. I tend to go to independent places and have a look at their social media first. It’s definitely more expensive than it used to be, but still worth it to me.

@rainbowunicorn

nah, definitely not obsessed, just mindful. Pretty much everyone I know is.

Our local gastro pub is abysmal. They seem to think vegetarians want to eat dry qinoa and falafel. I don't like either of those things.
I've yet to find a really decent place to eat. It's a bit tricky in Somerset as all the decent places are in Bath or Bristol miles away from me and impossible to traverse and park.

We went out for lunch yesterday and I realised it was the best meal out I've had in years, definitely since before Covid. I was a bit unsure beforehand as the restaurant is Michelin-recommended and a bit pricey. But it was worth every penny.

A lot of restaurants and chains that used to offer decent fare have been serving overpriced mass-processed crap for a long time. It shouldn't be the exception to eat fresh ingredients cooked on the premises with a bit of love.

I agree with previous posters that the worst decline has been in the quality of roasts - it's gone from "this is great" to "this is okay I guess" to "actually I don't want to eat that".

I enjoy eating out and luckily for me I can afford it but quite often now I find I don't want to do it because it's such an underwhelming experience.

I’ll sometimes eat beforehand so I only order a starter or small dish. I’m even thinking of taking a packed lunch with me next time I go into my local big town rather than having lunch or snack out.

I eat out a lot and I agree that the choices are limited nowadays. I am lucky enough to live in a town with a fair choice of independent restaurants that are good value for money and good service

@Greekdream my ex always wanted to eat out and so when I was with him once per week minimum we did (prior to meeting him it was probably once per year - if that! I have no family/friends so never had the opp). After 2 years, I can say I’m an expert and 9/10 times it’s pretty underwhelming. The desserts esp are always just defrosted and flavourless but usually always start mimumim £6. Ice cream often contained many ice particles as though it was well past its use by. The best ones were when we went away for weekend breaks and they were famous for a particular type of cuisine. Hate to think of how much money was spent for such minimal pleasure! 🙈

Yeah but you literally said "no need for a dessert after a pizza" which is clearly not true as some people, including me often feel the need for a dessert.

But here you are telling people they don't need dessert because their pizza has lots of calories. Eating out fpe a lot of people is treating themselves to a desert as well as a main. You are the only person on this thread telling others what they need and don't need.

You seem quite obsessed by calories
You are coming across as a bit preachy.

Ew 🤢

We've virtually stopped eating out due to the cost. £19.50 or fish and chips when the fish costs about £2 each

Funnily enough me and DD were talking about this earlier today. I rarely eat out now, I enjoy cooking and we are lucky enough to have a sociably sized kitchen so I have always have company when preparing food. I’d much rather save the £££ and put it towards a foreign holiday (where even average restaurants are still of a goodish standard & much cheaper).

At current prices, you can easily save a couple of hundred a month if you are used to eating out every other week.

Eating out for two (nowhere special) can be a week’s food bill and nine times out of ten I could do just as well or better at home. I very rarely eat out now as it’s not worth the expense. England is a very expensive place to eat out.

@saveforthat

good for you. Some people need and/or want to be mindful of calories when they eat out. Neither is better than the other.

So? When I eat out, I never count calories, how miserable would that be.

Very few places near us are actually worth the money. I refer to get some nice food from M&S and stay n. You don’t have to worry about the poor service then.
went out on Friday night to a fairly local pub that gets 4 on trip advisor. It was overpriced and underwhelming.

That depends on the pizza and the topping

Proper slices of Neapolitan Pizza
DEFINITELY
leave room for a gelato after them

Usually when we go out the food is fine but the prices are absolutely ridiculous. I used to love wine and cheese but refuse to go out for it anymore after being charged £38 for a cheese board that was about the size of my hand. Went home and made myself a pasta!!

We went out to a pub for lunch yesterday and the choice was so poor - burgers, burgers, burgers. And sharing platters. Boring. And the wine was shit. I am a pretty crap cook but can do a good Gousto meal these days, so much tastier.

THIS
I once read the Brake Brothers catalogue.

High end restaurants pay extra to have unmarked vans delivering their ready made frozen goats cheese and onion tarts
and slow roasted lamb shank with redcurrant jus