“Secret” things you ask for in shops

[PantTwizzler]

I realised today in Clarks (while buying shoes for DD who had bare feet necessitating asking for their pop socks) that there are some things you can ask for in shops that aren’t advertised but are available. Pop socks is a boring example because they’d probably offer anyway, but there’s also
— garlic oil in Pizza Express
— getting your cappuccino “extra hot”

Ok it’s a short list. Is there anything else?!

When you pack the coffee tightly and it takes forever to drip through it makes it bitter but if you don't pack it tightly enough it runs through too fast and is really weak.

A 'hot latte with no froth' is the same as a flat white, a latte should be served luke warm traditionally, a flat white/cappuccino or hot chocolate should be served hot..... people who order coffee should look into the kind of coffee they actually like before complaining about how a barista served their coffee .

Yes we do heat your cup up if you are having a coffee in house and it is served in a ceramic cup when you order it hot, we do also 'burn the milk' when people insist on having it really hot in order to give it to you really hot. In that case the milk is 'over stretched' and it does change the flavour of the milk.......... if you like that....... good for you, we get paid the same to burn your milk as we do to serve you beautiful silky sweet well frothed milk .

The only people I would roll my eyes at are the ones who order a 'special' coffee like a hot latte, no froth but don't realise they are just ordering a stock standard flat white .

I recall in the 80s if my mum got the last portion of pate from the Waitrose deli counter they'd let her have the earthenware bowl it came in.

Which is probably the most middle class thing I've ever written.

THe only place I order coffee from is an Indian restaurant. They give you a black coffee with a jug of double cream! I love it. Otherwise in coffee shops I order tea.

At my local Morrisons you can get a little lump of fresh yeast from their bakery section.

Most cafes will let you have used coffee grounds (for gardening).

@PolkadotsAndMoonbeams I came on to say exactly the fabled and secret 'Espresso con Panna'. Espresso and whipped cream. It's my standard order in any Starbucks, Costa or Nero. It's not on the big overhead drinks menu but the Barista knows exactly what to make and there's even a special button on the till for it!

Also a big orderer of sandwiches without the bread. If you're low carbing and the only option is a Sarnie shop asking for a 'two filling sandwich but no bread just give me a little extra salad in a box' is a winner and no one bats an eyelid.

Yes I know I could ask for a salad but that's when they go all misty eyed and declare they don't do salads...

I forgot about the free coffee thing in Pret. I got that once, in fact it was my entire tray.

Ref extra hot coffee - Milk burns at 180oF - it causes the skin on top of milk after it's separated /proteins have been damaged - but I quite like that 😎

you can also order 'short' drinks in Starbucks, cheaper and smaller. at least you used to be able to - haven't tried for a while!

Loving all these!

Fish kettles are great but who’d want to store one? Best to go for the free hire I reckon.

A 'staff curry' from Indian restaurants. It originates from the curries that Bengali staff would eat, rather than the British Indian restaurant-style curries.
The meat is cooked slowly on the bone, so you get more flavour.

Right now, you can ask what's being done for iftar, and it's quite often a nice surprise.

I always ask from any Chinese takeaway, for the chips to be well done, and curry sauce extra hot (more spicy, usually chilli oil, leaves or actual chilli's in it)

It can make a standard curry sauce, taste devine! 😂

I own a fish kettle...
Small glasses of wine in pubs. Even if they don’t list them on the drinks menu they are legally obliged to sell you a small glass of wine if you ask.

You can borrow a fish kettle from Morrisons too 😉

Mcdonalds sausage and egg mcmuffin can have bacon added to it. So it's a bacon sausage and egg mcmuffin. It was a very happy day when I discovered that.

My local Indian spice shop will give you the dregs of their Naga chili jars if its nearly empty and there aren't many full chillies that they can sell.

The only people I would roll my eyes at are the ones who order a 'special' coffee like a hot latte, no froth but don't realise they are just ordering a stock standard flat white

A latte is bigger than a flat white though? With a higher milk to coffee ratio. So a no-froth latte isn’t the same as a flat white, which would be stronger and smaller.

Home style means food like where the cooks are from. I was out with a friend who was from Bangladesh and the waiter said something to her, I asked what did he say and she said, he asked do you want it like at home or for here etc.

I've had free sarnies from pret at the end of the day, didn't expect them free but if it's close to closing they are very generous. They offered cake one time too.

Lhassi in an Indian restaurant ? Rarely on the menu, but always available.

@Wheresmrlion - in case the craving should ever hit again - you can get it in Five Guys! A whole world of drinks options in there...

I’ve heard of ‘special’ things that aren’t on the menus of high st food outlets that you need to ask for. I don’t know what they are though.

I went to a Chinese restaurant once with a Chinese colleague and we were taken to a room upstairs (which I didn’t know existed), she chatted away to them and ordered for us and we got loads of food that wasn’t on the menu. She said it was food that they didn’t bother put on the normal menu but is very Chinese so they have it in the kitchen.

If you go to a ‘proper’ coffee shop you can also take their old coffee grounds for free to use on your garden. I used to take them to my grandads, he had the best roses I’ve ever seen!

And extra hot coffee - don’t they just give it an extra blast of steam? My coffee goes cold quite quickly from my local coffee shop.

@stayathomegardener i used to work in sainsburys and people used to ask for fresh yeast. There was one lady who literally ate it as it is eww
Also used to get guys who worked in a pizza shop come in and trying to buy it cheap