Modern restaurant/dining trends that annoy you

[ThistleAmore]

I'm supposed to be packing for a work trip, so obviously procrastinating wildly, and got to thinking about stuff that annoys me in modern cooking (and yes, I realise this is the very definition of a #firstworldproblem).

The lack of plates is an obvious one, but I also find this weird trend for not bothering to cut up vegetables irritating, too: call me old-fashioned, but I think whole carrots are for horses, and prefer them to at least have been introduced to a knife before they find their way onto my plate.

What gives you indigestion (physically or spiritually)?

@LoniceraJaponica why isn't Parmesan or pesto vegetarian? (Vegan - no, but vegetarian surely yes?)

@Thunderpunt I think it's made with rennet

Argh, posted too soon - which comes from calves' (?) stomachs. Lots of cheese isn't vegetarian because of this.

Service charge being added automatically.

You're a restaurant. It's your job to serve this food. Why are you charging me extra on top of the listed price?

Just price it properly, taking everything into account, and leave me to decide whether to leave a tip or not.

Restaurants that excuse shitty service with the "we're really busy" thing. I'm here. I can see exactly how busy you are. If your kitchen can't handle the orders then you either turn people away or you get more staff in. I refuse to suffer for your ineptitude in under-staffing the fucking barn you've chosen for your restaurant.

My mum had a restaurant and I've cooked and waited on. I know this trade and I won't put up with shit service or stupid excuses.

My local is a "gastro" pub and to be fair the food tastes amazing. However...

The children's chicken nuggets and chips came out on a wooden "slate" with the chips in a mini bucket, the nuggets in a china bowl and the beans in a mini saucepan ... my son is 17 mths....

My pudding (an amazing winter fruit crumble) came out in an individual bowl on a slate with a mini jug of custard... I couldn't for the life of me work out how to pour the custard in without it dripping all over the table....

“. Ive also been served chocolate mousse in an old fashioned teacup with a saucer”

I may have been your chef

This the chocolate mousse I serve 😂

All of the above plus: Kid’s food being delivered on scorching hot plates that the waiter puts right in front of the toddler. Hovering over the baby with hot food or drinks. Putting the ludicrously expensive wine in reach of the baby. Not serving decent veg with kids meals always beans or bloody peas which go everywhere. Filthy high chairs.

Yes Sweetpea55 !
Hate this or anything that's not in ratio, not enough toast for the doorstep of pate or teeny tiny pots of sauce,gravy or relish so it's either gone in 2 bites and you still have the rest of the meal to eat or you try to eke it out using the tiniest amount with each mouthful but then you can't even taste it. And if you ask if you could have some more toast/gravy/sauce indicating your 3/4 full plate they charge you another £5 for a second miniscule portion!

@Thunderpunt Parmesan contains animal rennet. It is DOP certified which means it has to be made in a certain way (in this case using animal rennet). Therefore no genuine Parmesan cheese is vegetarian. Genuine Genovese pesto contains Parmesan, and is therefore not vegetarian, but you easily buy vegetarian pesto that doesn't contain Parmesan.

There are some good parmesan replica cheeses - usually the supermarket value brands as non animal rennet is cheaper than animal rennet.

I wouldn't expect most people to know this, but any self respecting food outlet that claims to be able to provide vegetarian food absolutely should know this.

I am not vegetarian, but DD is. I hope I didn't come across as preachy.

Oh yes Ispatienceavirtue. I hate not getting enough gravy/sauce/relish etc. Those sachets of taretare sauce/ketchup/mayonnaise you get contain about a teaspoon of sauce, so you end up using several (Clearly, I'm not talking about a gastro pub here, but just your run of the mill cafe)

Only main courses on the menu marked as vegetarian; I need to know about side dishes and deserts too!
Vegetarian options disappearing in favour of vegan, I like cheese!
Vegetarian things that say they have parmesan in them? Do they mean veggie hard cheese or are they idiots?
Fruit in savoury dishes; eww.
Crumble that is basically fruit with broken biscuits on top.
Thimbles of coleslaw, how cheap is cabbage?
I could go on and on, dh is obsessed with eating out, but it is nearly always disappointing for me.

I just hate the 'fucking' word from the speech deficient

I buy vegetarian pesto occasionally, but it's pretty expensive.
I've yet to find a supermarket one that is.
I have to get the sacla which can be nearly £3.

Restaurants (I'm looking at you Dishoom) that don't take bookings and delight in having a two hour queue outside.

I don't really mind this in places like Franco Manca where they turn the tables over quickly and it's very cheap, but something about Dishoom (and others) gives me the rage - I find it so arrogant.

Also, listing ingredients with a number at the end rather than just describing the dish and giving the price.

Being called "guys"
tiny tables
Waiters who don't write anything down

Herby puddings -chocolate mousse is far nicer without rosemary; lemon tart is far nicer without basil etc etc
sharing plates- this trend has only persisted because the profit margins are great

I don't know if I am just being a grumpy old b*stard (probably) but the thing that is REALLY irritating me is the amount of times they come to check on the table- and they literally NEVER judge a break in the conversation- Last week a group of friend and I were out and we were in the middle of clearly a big story, THREE times different staff came and interrupted. When I was a waitress, we were trained to go and ask, but to judge it and wait for a lull or at least hover until the customer took a breath. GRRRR

Mains that aren't mains, but are basically dressed plates of protein so you have to add sides. If I'm spending north of 20 quid on a plate of food, I expect it to be a complete dish.

Er butty, that china on china on china looks very slippery. Does your mousse often propel across the table?

In Nandos when they ask you if everything is alright but you know they're only doing it because they have to retrieve the numbered chicken on a skewer.

"I buy vegetarian pesto occasionally, but it's pretty expensive."

No it isn't. Sacla vegetarian pesto is only 10p more than traditional pesto in Tesco.

'artisan'

Great lonicera can you do me a link?

www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/search?query=sacla%20pesto&icid=tescohp_sws-1_m-ft_in-sacla%20pesto_ab-226-b_out-sacla%20pesto

Normal pesto £2.50, vegetarian pesto £2.60, although, the non vegetarian pesto is currently half price at £1.25.

I don't think this is expensive. It makes a pretty cheap meal to have some pasta with pesto stirred into it, and a salad.

Ah, but that's a lot more than the tesco non veggie one that is 90p.
I thought you'd found one for a £1, was excited for second.

I only buy Sacla. I haven't seen one for 99p. I still think a jar of pesto at £2.60 for a meal for 4 people is not expensive.