Vittles have, to their credit, written about this.
since @Arbeit_Fish has pissed off all the right people today, gonna reshare the piece we wrote about the labour crisis in the restaurant industry for @vittleslondon https://t.co/ybCYhyn7CL— stolen valeur (@nightoffices) May 29, 2022
― xyzzzz__, Monday, 30 May 2022 08:55 (one year ago) link
dan barrow's review of bastani's fully automated luxury communism: a manifesto maybe rambles a bit and if i wanted to tweak the new socialist guys in general id tease them abt the joys of high-theory-as-jargon as its own kind of pleasure in exclusivity, but it hits a lot of marks -- including towards the end the point that the contradictory aspects of luxury are themselves a value (as a kind of knotty problem to think a thing through)
http://newsocialist.org.uk/falc-and-its-discontents/
(the abolitionist position walks too easily away from this knottiness i think, which is a submerged reason it generated pushback, even if the pushback was then too often formulated just as "b-but my treats!) (anarchists often aren't good dialecticians, is my undialectical snark here)
― mark s, Monday, 30 May 2022 10:38 (one year ago) link
(same snark applies to bastani lol)
― mark s, Monday, 30 May 2022 10:39 (one year ago) link
The problem of dreariness.
I think publicly run hotels under democratic workers’ control under socialism would be nice. I think the problem with the sort of society you’re sketching out is it seems pretty dreary and unattractive which is a hard sell— Owen Jones 🌹 (@OwenJones84) May 29, 2022
― xyzzzz__, Monday, 30 May 2022 11:59 (one year ago) link
are not big hotel chains like Novotel etc usually quite uniformly dreary places.. lol wtf is he on about.
― calzino, Monday, 30 May 2022 12:02 (one year ago) link
Travelodge is, Marriotts aren't. The issue is it's all maintained by exploited Labour. OJ just wants it to be publicly run and seems to think if maids are paid so they can buy a luxury car the issue of the work they do to maintain it somehow goes away.
― xyzzzz__, Monday, 30 May 2022 12:12 (one year ago) link
In the US there were reports that as soon as people got a few months worth of pay (2k in their bank accounts to stay home during the pandemic) they got the fuck out of whatever 'horror' it was they were doing (under 'horror' management they worked under) to keep afloat.
Any breathing space.
― xyzzzz__, Monday, 30 May 2022 12:20 (one year ago) link
Good to see some good spots in the discourse, like this exchange.
Oh man, I really appreciate this - yeah it's been a bit of a pile-on I wasn't really expecting - especially as I *thought* the subtext of my tweet (that I didn't expect to go viral) was, like, we can do more fun and less exploitative ways of eating together without capital!— Arbeitology (@Arbeit_Fish) May 30, 2022
― xyzzzz__, Monday, 30 May 2022 13:59 (one year ago) link
Being called an 'ultra-left shitposter' by Owen Hatherley must make the whole thing feel worthwhile.
― Shard-borne Beatles with their drowsy hums (Chinaski), Monday, 30 May 2022 15:05 (one year ago) link
Don't think he cares what Hatherley thinks, he's going for the stars (abolishing time).
― xyzzzz__, Monday, 30 May 2022 15:16 (one year ago) link
i mean he is an ultra-eft shitposter lol?
― mark s, Monday, 30 May 2022 15:27 (one year ago) link
everyone cares what everyone thinks, it's the internet
― Daniel_Rf, Monday, 30 May 2022 15:40 (one year ago) link
He is not a shit poster, he wouldn't have bothered to engage fairly seriously with people.
― xyzzzz__, Monday, 30 May 2022 15:42 (one year ago) link
thst doesnt make him not a shi t poster !
― mark s, Monday, 30 May 2022 15:47 (one year ago) link
a Roman shitposter who ends their baiting tweets with "Discus."— Cara (@carasadhbh) May 30, 2022
― xyzzzz__, Monday, 30 May 2022 16:25 (one year ago) link
https://memegenerator.net/img/instances/60768103/are-you-not-entertained.jpg
― mark s, Monday, 30 May 2022 16:32 (one year ago) link
Weird 'postscript' is Lib com riding on the back of the restaurant tweet and they often do a thing of trying to design a post-capitalist utopia. They argued with one poster for what seemed like 12 hours.
Anyway, this seemed to be, buried within, someone sketching out a bit more of a high-level vision, of how work will transform into tasks.
You’re drifting a bit close to falc here. We can’t expect technology to save us from having to actually do tasks that aren’t always pleasant ourselves. We can continue to iterate and develop new things, but 1) there are limitations and 2) the meantime— Neville (@catherinebuca) May 31, 2022
― xyzzzz__, Wednesday, 1 June 2022 07:17 (one year ago) link
copenhagen restaurants https://www.ft.com/content/a62a96b8-2db2-44ec-ac80-67fcf83d86ef
― TWELVE Michelob stars?!? (seandalai), Friday, 3 June 2022 14:29 (one year ago) link
*me, as a waiter at the communist restaurant, coming to clear the plates*: "Are you finished with Dis Course?"— caitlin 🇮🇪 🌾🍞🤝 (@catsfeettowel) June 3, 2022
― calzino, Friday, 3 June 2022 15:01 (one year ago) link
Is Moro still any good? I ate at Morito years back but never made it to Moro.
Sone friends coming to town and it's one of the only places i can get a table at a reasonable time, but spider sense says maybe it's a little tired.
I have a booking at Bubala Soho otherwise but later in the evening than I'd prefer.
― ionjusit (P. Flick), Monday, 3 October 2022 20:42 (one year ago) link
I think it's still solid food, but isn't innovative anymore? (I think when it started it was one of the few places doing small plates?)
― colette, Tuesday, 4 October 2022 19:59 (one year ago) link
went to a local, Maremma (Water Lane, Brixton) yesterday, and it was v good, the best time I've been in fact. the menu was suitably autumnal, with walnut butter, ricotta and lemon tortellini, pork tenderloin in fennel, and various pecorino cheeses with a honeycomb, and a decent house white.
― Fizzles, Sunday, 23 October 2022 09:46 (one year ago) link
Two developments I've noticed:
1- Dunno if this is just a changing demographics of Stokey thing but post-pandemic the kebab shops are closing earlier. Used to be I could come back from the cinema on a Tuesday evening at 23:00 and get a bab within walking distance. No more!
2- Korean Fried Chicken fever has trickled down enough that now some chicken shops have changed their names from US states to Korean cities, Seoul Fried Chicken as opposed to Tennessee Fried Chicken and such.
― Daniel_Rf, Monday, 7 November 2022 11:48 (one year ago) link
Previously existing chicken shops re-branding with Korean names or new places?
― Tim, Monday, 7 November 2022 11:57 (one year ago) link
The local Chinese here is closing at 10 to save on energy bills
― xyzzzz__, Monday, 7 November 2022 12:05 (one year ago) link
I don't entirely know Tim, but I can say these places are v much identical to existing chicken shops, it's not like they add gochujang or something.
― Daniel_Rf, Monday, 7 November 2022 13:53 (one year ago) link
Dammit
― Tim, Monday, 7 November 2022 13:54 (one year ago) link
since I'm unlikely to go out till the end of the year, here's my list of 2022 highlights (mostly lazily in the North-East LDN area)
Set meal at the Clove Club - worth the exorbitant price, loved the shrimp bisque and the pork jowl. Yangeyon bun and creme brulee cookies at Bake StreetMixed grill from Numara Bors Cirrik 2Twice cooked pork belly and Peking shredded pork with sweet bean paste at Old Street ChineseHor borek pastry from Yasar HalimIndo Chinese paneer lettuce cups at Brigadier'sTakoyaki and breaded horse mackerel at AsakusaThe fish set menu at Aun'sKurdish kebab at Babaan's Nan (this might be bog standard for all I know, never had Kurdish kebab before - love the naan bread, minced meat paste and sauces tho)Pakistani cheese naan at Ararat BreadSweet glazed pork with cabbage and a side of mashed potatoes at Daffodil Mulligan's
Guilty pleasure, trashy section: the cheddar corndog at Myungrang in AngelGuilty pleasure, bourgie section: the pastrami bun at Gail's
― Daniel_Rf, Wednesday, 21 December 2022 14:34 (one year ago) link
Vittles response to the New Statesman piece criticising the enterprise from a couple of weeks ago, inserted in this review.
https://www.vittlesmagazine.com/p/crispy-bhajia-and-the-golden-thread
― xyzzzz__, Friday, 8 September 2023 11:14 (seven months ago) link
had a really nice light meal at the new honey and co in lambs conduit street. middle eastern/levantine cookery v much in the claudia roden style. great menu.
― Fizzles, Tuesday, 28 November 2023 18:07 (four months ago) link
Don’t you find it a bit expensive? I rate Hiba by the tube station much more highly.
― steely flan (suzy), Tuesday, 28 November 2023 18:35 (four months ago) link
oh absolutely, i threw all my money at them and they gave me some very nice food and wine. was heading to the cinema and fancied trying it out as hadn't been before.
hadn't heard of Hiba, but look forward to visiting! two bloomsbory recommendations for the price of one.
― Fizzles, Tuesday, 28 November 2023 21:05 (four months ago) link
bloomsbury
The M&H people have pissed off all the flats on that block because they installed a very loud fan (Cigala, the Spanish restaurant that was the previous occupant, did not keep the neighbours awake with theirs).
Hiba Express (to give its proper name) has a branch in Walthamstow and a wrap place near Goodge Street. They are Palestinian. The first time I got a wrap at Holborn, they made it so quickly, I expressed surprise. The cook beamed at me: ‘we ARE Hiba EXPRESS!’
― steely flan (suzy), Tuesday, 28 November 2023 21:35 (four months ago) link
lol excellent, and good to hear that they've got a branch in walthamstow as well, as i'm sometimes around there.
― Fizzles, Tuesday, 28 November 2023 21:45 (four months ago) link
Have a great sentimental attachment to Honey & Co (which I first heard about in this thread!), have all their books, love their food. I do find the space in Lambs Conduit a bit dull though, miss the buzzy atmosphere of Warren St.
― TWELVE Michelob stars?!? (seandalai), Tuesday, 28 November 2023 22:43 (four months ago) link
ok so i ended up at honey & co in the end and holy shit was that the right choice. cannot recommend this place highly enough. the food!!!!!!the mezze set is the best option, like a taster menu for the starters, and if there's a starter not on it they'll happily swap it in (which we did for what turned out to be the star dish of the night - chicken liver baklava with grape molasses). the artichoke heart salad was really incredible too. main courses were so deep and rich and warming (slow cooked chicken in currants and pomegranates for me, slow cooked lamb with rice and almonds for him). the pistachio cake (served with sour cream, which actually really worked) was a hit too. only -ve was that our main courses arrived just as we were finishing our starters - we did take our sweet time over the mezze set but it would have been nice to have a break between courses.but the food, oh my god, made up for it x 1000.― lex pretend, Saturday, 9 November 2013 09:18 (ten years ago) bookmarkflaglink
the mezze set is the best option, like a taster menu for the starters, and if there's a starter not on it they'll happily swap it in (which we did for what turned out to be the star dish of the night - chicken liver baklava with grape molasses). the artichoke heart salad was really incredible too. main courses were so deep and rich and warming (slow cooked chicken in currants and pomegranates for me, slow cooked lamb with rice and almonds for him). the pistachio cake (served with sour cream, which actually really worked) was a hit too. only -ve was that our main courses arrived just as we were finishing our starters - we did take our sweet time over the mezze set but it would have been nice to have a break between courses.
but the food, oh my god, made up for it x 1000.
― lex pretend, Saturday, 9 November 2013 09:18 (ten years ago) bookmarkflaglink
ilx first mentions
― TWELVE Michelob stars?!? (seandalai), Tuesday, 28 November 2023 22:45 (four months ago) link
New (to me) Ta'mini Lebanese bakery nr Bloomsbury is excellent. Working my way through all the wraps on their menu. Spicy falafel is outstanding. Roast vegetable... Booming. Saisage one great too. All quite distinctive.
And i've seen Mick Lynch eating there. What more do you need?
― ionjusit (P. Flick), Tuesday, 28 November 2023 22:52 (four months ago) link
There's another Honey & Co deli just opened on Store St (i think)
Menu is a bit cheaper. You can do take out.
― ionjusit (P. Flick), Tuesday, 28 November 2023 22:54 (four months ago) link
I’ve been to Tamini, no Mick Lynch sighting yet though.
The Honey & Co deli is on Store Street and I think I prefer it to the restaurant. I know what you mean about the lack of buzz comparing the restaurant with the old Warren Street location.
My other good picks for around there are Chilli Cool (first-wave Sichuan that’s at least 15yo) and Master Wei. Noble Rot or Cafe Deco for OCCASIONS. Fromagerie for meetings. But most of the time when I’m going out I wind up at Eat Tokyo, which in these £25 posh entree times can seem as inexpensive as fast food.
― steely flan (suzy), Wednesday, 29 November 2023 00:01 (four months ago) link
Tim once mentioned a thai restaurant as what he'd show ppl from out of town as an example of London restaurants at their best, I thought it was on this thread but my search lead nowhere, anyone know?
― Daniel_Rf, Sunday, 31 December 2023 11:32 (three months ago) link
Singburi?
― Humanitarian Pause (Tracer Hand), Sunday, 31 December 2023 11:44 (three months ago) link
Kiln!
― Tim, Sunday, 31 December 2023 11:52 (three months ago) link
Probably.
Yeah, Kiln sounds right! Thanks.
since I'm at it, 2023 meals (really need to get out of the East more)
Birthday dinner at Mangal 2Cheese chicken from Good Friend Chicken in ChinatownLaghman noodles at Etles UyghurShanghai style pork belly on rice at Lulu'sBueno cheesecake from Bake StreetBifana from LisboetaGreat tteopokki at Bi Won LondonDusty Knuckle Bakery bacon sarnieTurkey pie from SnackbarPho at Song QueMilky tea from Bun HousePotato kugel and apple kugel from Avrumie'sFried chicken from Seoul 90Bacon and haggis roll from Scottish Kitchen
Guilty pleasures: jerk chicken bagel from Bagel House, super sugary chai from Chaiwaala
― Daniel_Rf, Sunday, 31 December 2023 11:59 (three months ago) link
Advice needed:
Going out with my mum in London Bridge on Sunday. She doesn't want to eat anywhere too high end (disappointing). I was *thinking* the Royal Oak, but I'm not sure it's quite right for what she'd like, what other good options are there? There's the Wright Brothers, Brindisa I guess though we went there last time. There's Padella isn't there? Not sure that's right either, plus can't book.
― Fizzles, Thursday, 25 January 2024 10:00 (two months ago) link
Define “High end”, is it a vibe or a price point, do you have that thing with yr mammy where you can’t take her anywhere cos she’ll complain about the prices
― Roman Anthony gets on his horse (gyac), Thursday, 25 January 2024 10:07 (two months ago) link
Would Cafe Murano on Bermondsey Street fit the bill? 15 minutes’ walk from London Bridge.
― Madchen, Thursday, 25 January 2024 10:10 (two months ago) link
Anyway I never really go there apart from to the Ginger Pig before ILB meets but Eliots comes highly recommended by a mutual friend of ours, I have only had the basque cheesecake there but it’s excellent. Also there’s a Hawksmoor there which I mention as they do a Sunday roast that is supposedly good, also have good cocktails.
― Roman Anthony gets on his horse (gyac), Thursday, 25 January 2024 10:11 (two months ago) link
No helpful advice, but I took older 2 siblings and a brother in law to Borough Market last year and they hated it at first sight! They couldn’t cope with the food market atmosphere and set up, and demanded to leave almost immediately, and we ended up at the Wagamama at Bankside (not recommended).
― Dr Drudge (Bob Six), Thursday, 25 January 2024 10:11 (two months ago) link