Eating out is always an expensive let down.

[istheheatingonyet]

I'm just not doing it any more. Granted I am "older" but the last offering was bread, mashed acocado, feta and some sort of sauce. Is it a meal, is it brunch nobody knows?
Cheap ingredients, silly price.
What a waste of money.

I can still eat in Chinatown in London for a tenner which is amazing value and good food.

I'm a fan of Miller & Carter and loved when they had the summer promotion on of a steak meal with cocktail for £19.95. Usually go the the Fredrick Street restaurant in Edinburgh but also use the one in Aberdeen on Union Street when I go to visit eldest DS &DIL.

We are not well off by any means but if we do eat out for what you might class as a fancy meal, if we can’t cook it as well at home then it’s worth a go!!

It is very expensive now, I just try and find vouchers where I can

Toby Carvery offers very good value especially they often have discounted offers.

@istheheatingonyet experiences a new low today! After a lengthy walk to avoid the temptation to put the heating on she finds herself at a local "community cafe" Previous enquiries as to why this is a community venture illicited the response " it's for the community"
OK fair enough, do I still pay? Apparently it was a yes.
Todays choice was bought in pies in a warming cabinet, soup or hummus and pitta. The latter was the favoured option. And yes folks, it was hummus and pitta. A dollop straight from Tescos and a toasted pitta on a plate.
There you go! A tenner. But it's all about Community.

If you’re going to pay £10 for hummus and pitta why don’t you just put the heating on with that £10 instead? Or am I missing something really obvious?

That sounds - well not even awful, just the sort of boring thing you eat if you're really broke or on a strict diet (or both). Actually I think my favourite place to eat when it's cold is Morrison's cafe, cheap and cheerful with lovely staff. When it's warm a sandwich or pasty on a bench by the river (any river, we have plenty here).

I have a very rare condition called DOT. It stands for Disorganised Thinking. There is no known cure and sadly nobody is making films about it ( as yet)

@cardibach - we do like eating out too but rarely do because it’s often disappointing. I don’t mind paying good money for a meal but it should be worth it. When we go to somewhere like Nandos it’s not for an eating experience, it’s for decent tasting food/fuel at a fair price.

If we want an eating experience we find that instead of paying over the top for ordinary fare we’re better off taking a chance and paying a bit more for a Michelin star restaurant in the hope that we’ll get something nicer than what we can cook.

I must have a very big appetite - the only tasting menu that I’ve not come away hungry from is Tommy Banks’ Black Swan. Which is just as well as we stayed at their inn with not a fast food place in sight!!!

Perhaps I've been lucky but I can only think of a handful of occasions where the food/cost ratio has been disappointing when eating out?
I consider myself a pretty good cook who isn't afraid to try new things ( FiL even told MiL my roast potatoes were better than hers!!! )
The range of eating establishments in the UK is vastly superior to some countries that have a reputation for great cooking as we seem to have embraced so many other cultures.
I currently work for a small chain of Italian restaurants that specialise in a small plate style menu, I'm sure some of you can work out who.
What surprised me was how much is actually cooked in house and with expensive ingredients.
And to say all chain places don't care about the quality is wide of the mark as the owners are constantly doing spot checks & unannounced visits.
Having worked in the food industry most of my life I'm a fussy sod but with all that am rarely forced to complain.
The thing I find the most variable the world over is service.

Had the best macaroni cheese I have ever tasted at a spoons.

We like a local pub/Restaurant in a pretty town a short drive away.They do Burgers on Wednesdays for a tenner and really nice chips .Prices everywhere have increased hugely .Portions are OK I find generally .Harvester takes some beating as well .

Totally agree, we eat out alot, few complaints