To think that restaurant food in Britain is fairly poor quality?

[partinor]

I live in a city that is supposed to have some of the best restaurants in Britain. I also am a good cook. Unless I spend £50 plus per meal, I usually end up eating a meal that is fine, but I could have easily made a meal as good or better myself fairly quickly.

Too many restaurants seem to basically buy in a combination of frozen ready made meals, and prop this up with fairly easy to make fresh food such as a fish cooked in a very easy to make sauce.

If I go out to eat I want something that is better than I can make fairly easily at home. I am beginning to think Britain must be a nation of poor cooks as I have been to so many places people rave about and I just think meh, that is fine, but no better than I made in 20 minutes after work last night.

I will carry on eating out with friends, just for the socialising.
Aibu.

I get where you are coming from, we have given up trying to find a roast dinner that beats mine and things like pasta sauce, lasagna, pies etc can bought from catering suppliers such as Brakes bros for low costs so a lot of restaurants use them.

I have always enjoyed Cote though, is there one near you?

Don't eat out then. Problem solved.

Have you tried La Rock in stapleford? Is it pricey but lunch is very reasonable and the food and atmosphere are really lovely.

If anyone can recommend non fine dining places that are genuinely good food, I would appreciate that.

depends what you mean by non fine dining? The fat duck was possibly the least pretentious place but costs a bomb?
Do you mean cheap?

I don't like the fussy service and formality of Michelin starred restaurants. I hate being interrupted constantly to ask about the food, to maintain a perfect level of wine glass - sometimes the buggers even take the bottle away and leave it neatly out of your reach. I don't like being called madam frequently. I don't like being made to feel I'm making the place look untidy - I am really just over the whole carry on. I want good interesting food, I don't mind paying for it but I don;t want to feel like I'm eating it in a straight jacket!

Cote is a big meh
No I keep saying we should try Le Rock. One of the few recommended places we haven't been to.

I mean non Michelin guide places.

Carluccios is a franchised chain, so you are unlikely to have a really good meal there though you might be lucky with a seasonal dish or two.

As someone said up thread, if there are more than four or five things on the main menu then you are looking at a la carte freezer burn. If I need to eat And am not too bothered I will go to a pizza place where you can see what they are doing, see if there is fresh pizza dough and where they are happy to let you choose your own stuff to go on the top.

Try some food markets.

Why nothing from the michelin guide? They have a specific category of places that sell excellent food at reasonable prices, not just expensive food.

I can't say I've eaten in Michelin starred restaurants very often, but when I have, I've never left hungry. The portions look tiny but after three courses - got to have pudding - and the extra little appetizers I'm always pleasantly full.

The OP has a point, I think. Mid priced places are often adequate but a bit disappointing, though it has improved in recent years. My town is half the size of Nottingham and has plenty or eating places but few really good, reliable ones.

I think you are generalising and going to the wrong restaurants. If you go to quality restaurant, they'll prepare fresh.

I am the one that said of you see more than 4 or 5 things on the menu you are looking at frozen meals. Either that or sauces etc that are used in a few different dishes.

And when Gordon Ramsey goes to failing restaurants, he always teaches the over ambitious ones to cook simple easy to do food. It makes money, but is very boring. I can get great fish from the fishmongers and prepare a pan fried fish very easily.

I do eat out at a great carvery - meat decently cooked. But I like it because you get a lot of different vegetables. I wouldn't bother cooking all of those for an ordinary dinner.

themoomoo Because I have tried most of them anywhere near me.

Not in the UK, but my favourite place to eat is the fritkot across the road. looks like a chippy with a wooden shed attached if you want to eat in. This chippy does the best steak frites ever, with roquefort sauce, and if you ask really nicely, the proprietor will whisk up a sabayon for you. It's bliss, fresh cooked steak, crisp double fried frites, a Kriek (cherry beer) and then a wonderful sabayon with a ball of vanilla ice cream buried in its depths.

Who needs fancy restos, when one can eat like that for sub €30? I can walk home as well!

There’s a hidden gem of a Portuguese restaurant in Nottingham called Nando’s.
Well worth a look...

I don't eat in Michelin starred places, can't afford it. But I never eat at chains.

I've just spent £24 on a 2 course meal in London - all home made for 2. It was incredible. One of the best home cooked style meals I've ever had. I can't be arsed to make pies myself, or cook decent puddings.

Mini steak pie (I had the child's one), mash, mushy peas - bread and butter pudding and custard

For veggie dh - soya mince pie, mash, mushy peas. Rhubarb crumble and custard

And I had it Deliverood. Goddards of Greenwich (19th century pie place, does liquor/eels/gravy etc)

We are so spoiled in London for great food, I've never eaten a bad meal.

Maybe I just have higher standards for food than others?

I expect so OP. I often find my own high standards more a curse than a blessing. Don't you agree?

I live near Edinburgh and there are 3 or 4 really good places within about a mile radius.
In Edinburgh there are some really fantastic mid range local bistros - the Walnut, The Educated Flea, Blonde.
There has also been an influx of chains which are threatening the livelihood of local places.

Laurie That is the kind of place I would love to have nearby. I do make pies, honestly they are easy to make and a great way to use leftovers. But at that price I would be happy to eat there.

We are not British, don't live there either but we once spent 2 weeks in Wales for holiday.

Let's just say I was grateful we had a kitchen in our holiday home. We tried a lot of restaurants.

I know, such a bargain.

We're both so happily stuffed. We were planning to go out for a roast at lunchtime but couldn't be bothered changing out of our pj's.

I'm going to be ordering from them every Sunday now. I prefer to order puddings as I'd end up eating them every night if I cooked them. The home made puddings were fantastic.

I understand to a point

I get pissed off with meals that i can do at home so would avoid that meal

But part of the restaurant experience for me is not having to cook it and when out with family everyone being able to pick a different dish