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Daily Mail
24-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Large reservation deposits and 90-minute timeslots: The sorry state of the UK's fine dining scene
Eating at a Michelin-starred restaurant these days is like going to a premier league relegation football match. You have to fork out huge amounts of money in advance for your seat, it takes ages to get there and then the whole experience lasts just 90 minutes before they start trying to kick you out. What happened? Why is fine dining suddenly taking lessons from fast food, hustling us from our seats and literally turning the tables on us? The British gastronomic experience used to run on trust and a deliciously freewheeling flexi-time – arrive at 'ish' o'clock, eat like a Roman emperor, stay as long as you want, then leave a big tip if you enjoyed it. Now our enjoyment is being regulated à la Swiss horology and officiously monitored like a German bank account. These days it starts even before your starters. 'Minimum spend' is a grim and déclassé phrase previously only heard at Las Vegas girly bars and at bottle service VIP areas in glitzy Mayfair nightclubs – it's a low bar set specifically to encourage high rollers and discourage paupers, penny pinchers and riff-raff. But plenty of properly posh nosh houses in London are now insisting on a similar advance and outlay for bookings, days or weeks in advance of your actual dinner. Hutong at The Shard requires diners to spend at least £80 per head on Friday and Saturday nights. Chutney Mary in St James's imposes a £60 per person minimum for dinner. At Mayfair sushi temple The Araki, diners must 'pre-pay' £310 per head on the Tock app for the exclusive dinner omakase experience. Three hundred and ten quid! In advance. Are we eating out or investing in a Ponzi scheme? With daytime alcohol consumption all but taboo in 2025, the long lunch is under serious threat, too, replaced by ten miserable minutes of takeaway sushi at the computer terminal ('al desko') or a cheerless meal replacement shake in front of a WFH Zoom call. Tired of no-shows and what the business calls 'reservation squatting' (booking numerous time slots, deposit free, then only turning up for one of them), restaurateurs are now imposing time limits on their dinner tables, too. You go online, book and probably leave your credit card details, only to be informed in plain English – no fancy dressing – that the management is going to need you to be gone within 100 minutes of your reservation time. As it usually takes ten minutes either side of a booking to get in and out of a restaurant, this cuts actual dining time down to 90 minutes. 'Lockdown was the beginning of all this nonsense,' says Mark Hix, a legendary luncher and diner, whose work CV includes kitchen stints at Le Caprice, The Ivy and The Groucho Club, as well as managing his own highly regarded restaurants in London and Lyme Regis. 'That's when everyone got paranoid about time slots and efficiency, when they started making rules and asking for deposits. And when everything went online, people took advantage and started booking tables for six or ten at several different restaurants in one evening and then deciding which one to show up at on the night.' That does sound annoying, and one does feel the restaurateurs' pain – but an hour and a half! For dinner? Surely I shouldn't have to be clock-watching when I'm supposed to be gorging. When I sit down for nosh I want to decompress. I want to be under the influence of a full-bodied red, not under a time constraint. The 90-minute dinner-table limit doesn't work because of how a typical restaurant experience tends to pan out. First, you make the reservation, taking into account guests' availability and location, factoring in their various punctuality records. For me, dinner will involve either a single friend, a group of male mates or my two grown-up daughters. On any and all of these occasions, at least one person (sometimes me) will be late. Sometimes by as much as 25 minutes. And seeing as it's rude to order for yourself in their absence, you wait. Since the clock starts ticking from the reservation time, that's almost a third of the allowance already used up. Factor in cloakroom procedure and pre-dining loo visits, we're really not left with a lot of time. When everyone has finally arrived, we can order – but with myriad 'dietaries' to deal with and the back-and-forth decisions of the dish-ditherers and the I-haven't-looked-yets, this can eat up another ten minutes. We are now probably down to 60 minutes and with starters delivered to the table, the seconds are ticking away with the neuroticism of the Countdown conundrum clock. Someone orders the risotto, which is cooked from scratch and takes an extra 20 minutes, so the rest of the table will wait and order more wine. It would be rude to tuck in while their plate is still bare, right? But being well-mannered will also mean that eating, fun, bacchanal and conversation, taste savouring and wine time is now down to around 15 minutes. So let's skip pudding and have a coffee somewhere else. Bill, please! Ironically, this can take an age to arrive, but these wasted minutes, the extra time of the 90 minutes, will not be acknowledged. And guess what? Turns out there's no one waiting for this table anyway so we could have stayed much longer, tried the affogato dessert and consumed more Picpoul. Spent a lot bigger, too. Oh, to be back in the great expense- account splurge of the 1990s when I was once told off by my boss at a glossy magazine for taking too little time for lunch. 'Simon, lunch is 1pm until at least three,' my superior explained. 'If you are back in the office for two, you just make the rest of us look bad.' Around the same time, across town in super-smart Fitzrovia, the owner of Michelin-starred Pied à Terre would tell stories of a loyal customer nicknamed 'Timmy Two Lunches' by staff, who would take two tables a day – one at 12 o'clock and another at two o'clock. Two, two-hour lunches in one day! The owner of Ffiona's on Kensington Church Street still gladly recounts how, once, a national newspaper's 90s Christmas party exited her establishment at 7am. Waiter, can we reverse time and go back to these glory days, please? Ask a professional bon viveur about the idea of treating dinner as a revved-up amuse-bouche rather than a slow-food main course, clocking restaurant guests in and out like factory workers, and they will choke on their beef-shin ragout. YOU's restaurant critic Tom Parker Bowles, a long-playing record holder for extended fun dining, is refusing to eat anything off this rigorously set menu. 'No decent restaurant would turn its tables like that. It's so rude,' he says. 'It wouldn't happen at The River Cafe, Bellamy's or St John. They would never rush you or kick you out.' Chef Mark Hix, now living in Dorset and working as a private caterer, believes that two hours is a civilised time for a dinner. 'More if people are drinking a lot of wine.' Sometimes, Hix acknowledges, it'll be the menu, the kitchen, the cooking and cheffing process conspiring to gobble up the precious seconds. 'If a customer orders soufflé, the full roast chicken for two or the kilo porterhouse steak well done? Those dishes are going to take a bit longer – say 40 minutes to an hour longer. Both customer and management have to take that additional time into consideration.' Side order: I once had a roast chicken dinner with Hix myself. It began at 7pm and ended at 1am. A long time, a very good time, and a long, long time ago, too.
Time Out Dubai
16-05-2025
- Business
- Time Out Dubai
Best Chinese restaurants in Dubai 2025: 10 top-rated spots to try next
A guide to the best Chinese restaurants in Dubai is something every foodie needs to have, as you never know when that desire for dim sum might strike. How often do you crave Chinese food? At least once, probably twice a week? Join the club. Everything you need to satisfy those cravings is right here, with our list of the best Chinese restaurants in Dubai. Check out the full list of the Time Out Dubai Restaurant Awards 2025 winners here From high-end restaurants to the most authentic Chinese cuisine in town, we present the top-rated spots in town. Time Out Dubai reviews anonymously and pays for all its meals. For more on the review process click here. These are the best Chinese restaurants in Dubai, as recognised by the Time Out Dubai Restaurant Awards 2025. The best Chinese restaurants in Dubai 2025 WINNER Long Teng Seafood Restaurant Credit: Long Teng Seafood Restaurant Long Teng is renowned for its Chinese seafood dishes, which it does extremely well. Set over several floors in Business Bay, this authentic spot is the go-to when it comes to traditional, fresh seafood dishes. There's also a wide selection of dim sum – from crystal prawn to veg, as well as cute little chick-shaped custard buns. From noodles to stir-fries, there is everything you could want, making it one of the best Chinese restaurants in Dubai. It's so good there's even a location in Time Out Market Dubai. Unlicensed. U-Bora Business Tower, Business Bay, @longtengseafood (04 241 1666). Check out our full Long Teng Seafood Restaurant review here Highly commended Hutong Credit: Hutong A high-end Chinese restaurant in DIFC, Hutong hails from Hong Kong and has famous locations worldwide, including in London's The Shard. The DIFC branch is a cool location for lively late-night dinners, fun brunches, business lunches or a dinner date. With a large spacious interior, with high-ceilings and a central bar, plus a cute terrace (often complete with a DJ), it's quite simply the best Chinese restaurant in Dubai. The menu is fantastic too, with a top selection of dim sum (don't miss the truffle mushroom bao) as well as plenty of Sichuan-style dishes – including the spicy signature Red Lantern crab. Licensed. Gate Building 6, DIFC, (04 220 0868). Check out our full Hutong review here XU Credit: XU This modern Cantonese restaurant has stunning interiors and despite its surprising location in Kempinski Mall of the Emirates, it's fast becoming one of Dubai's dining hot spots. From the team behind Twiggy, Ninive, and La Cantine du Faubourg, the standard of service and quality of food at XU is high – as you'd expect. A solid line up of dim-sum and stir-fries are sure to impress with tasty plates including salt and pepper squid and pan-fried scallop dumplings. The black pepper beef tenderloin is a hit, while if you're feeling bougie opt for the caviar prawn toast. The décor is cool, the diners are cool, and it's one of the newest, and now best, Chinese restaurants in Dubai. Licensed. Kempinski Mall of the Emirates, Al Barsha, (04 394 6252). Check out our full XU review here Shortlisted Demon Duck Credit: Demon Duck This upmarket restaurant comes from celebrity chef Alvin Leung, known for his self-professed 'X-Treme Chinese' food, at Banyan Tree Dubai. With cool décor, moody lighting and graffiti-style design it's a trendy spot, but with a more premium price tag. As the name suggests duck is the main ingredient here, whether you want it as gyoza, salad or as the classic Peking duck – which is a must-try. There are plenty of other modern plates such as sweet and sour chicken, chicken xiao long bao, short-rib gyoza and more. Licensed. Banyan Tree Dubai, Bluewaters Dubai, @demonduckdubai (04 556 6466). Hakkasan Credit: Hakkasan This globally famed name is renowned for its high-end Chinese food. Here in Dubai, Hakkasan is found at Atlantis The Palm and has a cool setup with moody lighting and classy interiors. Dive into a selection of premium dim sum – all in different colours and shapes and stuffed with everything from veg to lobster or wagyu beef. Stir-fries are also worth trying, especially the black pepper rib-eye. The vibe is elegant and it's a well-known spot for a fancy Chinese meal. Licensed. Atlantis The Palm, Palm Jumeirah, (04 426 0752). Check out our full Hakkasan review here Maiden Shanghai Credit: Maiden Shanghai One of the liveliest Chinese restaurants in Dubai, Maiden Shanghai is probably best known for its high-energy Naughty Noodles party brunch. However, that's not to say its Chinese food isn't top-notch too. Priding itself on being MSG-free, Maiden Shanghai serves up a range of delicious, and familiar, dishes from dim sum to char sui beef, sweet and sour prawns to sizzling lamb, kung pao chicken and egg-fried rice. The interiors are cool and the views from the terrace are fantastic too, making this a top all-round location. Licensed. FIVE Palm Jumeirah Dubai, Palm Jumeirah, (04 455 9989). Check out our full Maiden Shanghai review here Moli by Shi Credit: Moli by Shi Found in Dubai Hills Business Park, this is a chic, elevated neighbourhood-style Chinese restaurant. With luxe interiors and a sophisticated vibe. There are popular Cantonese dishes on the menu, as well as more authentic plates such as abalone and cordyceps duck soup if you're feeling more adventurous. Feeling fancy? There's an elevated roasted duck with caviar and foie gras. If you're keeping it simple, don't miss the dim sum – especially the steamed prawn version and the cute little wagyu beef puffs. Licensed. Dubai Hills Business Park, (04 276 3338). Check out our full Moli by Shi review here Mott 32 Credit: Mott 32 As well as being one of the best Chinese restaurants in Dubai, Mott 32 also has one of the most enviable views in the entire city. Sat up on the 73rd floor of the Address Beach Resort, you can see for miles from this super vantage point – all along JBR, to Jumeirah, Downtown and beyond, as well as across to Palm Jumeirah and Bluewaters. Aside from the stunning setup, the décor inside is eye-catching too, with swathes of foliage and a cool vibe. The menu boasts modern Chinese dishes with plenty of dim sum, stir-fries and more. There's also an interesting vegan menu (think faux squid, duck et al) as well as a list of more authentic plates such as a bird's nest soup. Licensed. Address Beach Resort Dubai, JBR, (04 278 4832). Check out our full Mott 32 review here Royal China Credit: Royal China One of the more old-school Chinese restaurants in Dubai, Royal China in DIFC has stood the test of time. Drawing in a loyal crowd, there's a spacious dining room with plenty of dark woods and vibrant reds – all echoing the traditional vibe of the delightful Chinese food that arrives swiftly to the table. Dim sum is a major draw here, with all the usual suspects present and correct, from scallop dumplings to steamed chilli chicken and roast chicken buns, as well as dishes such as seafood hot pot, crispy duck, stir-fries and more Hong Kong-style Chinese food. Licensed. Precinct Building 4, DIFC, (04 354 5543). Check out our full Royal China review here Tang Town Credit: Tang Town With a menu steeped in the thousand-year-old culture of the Tang Dynasty, Tang Town takes its Chinese seafood seriously. An abundant selection of live seafood draws in the connoisseur, with organic fish head served 12 different ways, various cooking methods for baby lobster – from simply steamed with garlic to baked with chicken broth and cheese – and a marinated jellyfish head salad that wobbles delicately as its served. An exceptional new addition to Dubai's Chinese dining scene, with the Tang roasted peking duck with caviar rivalling the best in town. Licensed. Dubai Mall Fountain Views, Downtown Dubai @tangtown_dubai (04 431 2888). Other award-winning spots in Dubai The 10 best Japanese restaurants in Dubai to try next Get your hands on the best sushi, sashimi and robataki in town 10 of the best Turkish restaurants that will easily change your life We've tried them all and can confirm, these are the best It's official: The 10 best Thai restaurants in Dubai to try now Unmissable spots for authentic Thai food in the city
South China Morning Post
15-04-2025
- South China Morning Post
6 signature egg dishes worth celebrating with in Hong Kong this Easter
Easter is coming, so cue the egg puns! Advertisement Ahead of the brunches, chocolate and roast dinners you're sure to indulge in this weekend, we're highlighting a slightly different Easter tradition. Once a forbidden food during the 40 days of Lent, eggs became a treat to tuck into on Easter Sunday, and were eventually crafted out of chocolate in celebration of the spring holiday. More than just a protein-packed breakfast staple, eggs are used creatively by many across Hong Kong's F&B scene. So, besides whisky sours and egg-topped noodles or rice, here are our picks of the very best egg-based dishes that may not immediately come to mind. 1. The Carbonara Egg at Trattoria Felino Trattoria Felino's Carbonara Egg. Photo: Handout Ship Street's Southern Italian restaurant, Trattoria Felino, takes the eggs in carbonara to the next level, elevating all the familiar flavours of the beloved pasta dish, without the pasta. The Carbonara Egg layers slow-cooked egg yolk with guanciale and a pecorino cheese foam, artfully served in a hollowed-out eggshell, balanced on a bed of corn kernels. 2. Meatball yakitori at Yardbird Yardbird's meatball yakitori. Photo: Handout Yardbird is known for its beak-to-tail yakitori, and perhaps one of its most famous must-order dishes is the chicken meatball skewer with tare and egg yolk. It's a dish that every diner is sure to snap a photo of whilst dipping – the ground chicken is formed into meatball yakitori and grilled over binchotan charcoal, served with a side dish of tare sauce and one whole egg yolk. Guests are encouraged to dip the skewer, mix the yolk and enjoy. 3. Foie gras and caviar with Shanghainese coddled egg at Hutong Hutong's foie gras and caviar with Shanghainese coddled egg. Photo: Handout A staple on Hutong's menu, the Shanghainese coddled egg has seen many iterations throughout the iconic Northern Chinese restaurant's 22 years in Hong Kong. This version, though, is perhaps the most decadent. Part of the Skyline dinner tasting menu, the gently cooked duck eggs are halved and served runny, topped with caviar and foie gras. 4. Sourdough egg tart at Bakehouse Bakehouse's sourdough egg tart. Photo: Handout When someone mentions eggs in Hong Kong, most minds will go to the small and round yellow tarts, and the sourdough version by pastry chef Grégoire Michaud is likely one of the city's favourites. Featuring a buttery, flaky crust and a silky smooth custard filling, these little delights are Bakehouse's bestsellers, and for good reason. 5. Carbonara pizza at The Pizza Project Carbonara pizza from The Pizza Project. Photo: Handout Topping pizza with eggs isn't groundbreaking, but ever since The Pizza Project opened in 2020, its Carbonara pizza has arguably become the restaurant's most iconic dish. A classic base is topped with tomato sauce, fior de latte, pancetta and one runny quail egg per slice. A simple yet delicious interpretation of breakfast on pizza, it's a true celebration of eggs. 6. Salted egg chicken wings at Kinsman Kinsman's salted egg chicken wings. Photo: Handout Exclusive to Canto cocktail bar Kinsman – and straight out of the renowned Hong Kong-based food critic Susan Jung's cookbook Kung Pao and Beyond – Kinsman's salted egg yolk chicken wings are made with the golden yolk of salted duck eggs and coated in bird's eye chillies and curry leaves. Salty, spicy and full of flavour, this lip-smacking recipe embraces salted egg yolk, one of the most simple ingredients of traditional Chinese dishes and an ever-popular snack flavour.
The Independent
26-02-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Want a table? That'll be £100 per head before you even order
Once upon a time, booking a restaurant was simple: you found a place, called up, made a reservation and – crucially – turned up. Now, in an era where dining out is already an expensive endeavour, restaurants are adding yet another hurdle: minimum spends. London's top spots are now enforcing spending thresholds, turning tables into high-stakes investments before you've even glanced at the menu. At Gymkhana, the first Indian restaurant in London to receive two Michelin stars, that's £100 a head. Hutong, a northern Chinese restaurant in the Shard, demands £80 per person on weekends. Chutney Mary, another Indian restaurant, which has been going since 1990, expects you to drop at least £60. Even if you just fancy a quick cocktail and a dessert at Jean-Georges at The Connaught hotel, you'll need to part with £50 per person to secure a spot. What was once a courtesy booking is becoming a financial commitment. For restaurants, this is a necessary defence against rising costs, reservation-squatting and social media freeloaders. But for diners, it's yet another way of extracting cash in an already pricey dining landscape. The real question is: who are restaurants actually fighting? The culprits – no-shows, bots and influencers – or the ordinary customers left holding the bill? Let's be clear: running a restaurant right now is no easy task. The hospitality industry has been battered by rising costs, post-pandemic recovery struggles and shifting dining habits. No-shows are rampant, online bots are reselling reservations and ultra-wealthy diners – once reliable big spenders – are leaving the country in droves. One of the biggest headaches for restaurants is people booking multiple tables across the city and deciding last minute where to actually dine. Chris D'Sylva, owner of Dorian in Notting Hill, calls this 'reservation squatting' and has introduced a £25-per-head deposit to stop it. The problem? Unlike theatre tickets, restaurant reservations are free to make, meaning diners feel no real obligation to commit. This leaves restaurants with empty tables and lost revenue. And while you might assume that walk-ins can fill the gaps, the reality is that fewer people are casually dropping into restaurants these days. Consumers, faced with their own financial pressures, are dining out less frequently and choosing where to spend their money more carefully. On top of that, many restaurants don't even allow walk-ins – some operate exclusively on a reservation basis, now with a charge attached. The spontaneous dinner out is becoming an endangered species, replaced by bookings made weeks in advance, sometimes at a cost before you've even set foot in the door. High-end restaurants are also facing a new kind of scalping: online bots snapping up reservations, only to resell them for profit. Gymkhana cited reservation bots as one of the key reasons behind its new £100-per-head minimum spend. Realistically, trying to spend less than £100 at Gymkhana is like trying to leave a pub after 'just one pint' – possible in theory, but unlikely in practice. If you actually show up, the minimum spend is essentially just a deposit you'll end up using. But is that fair? For most diners, who'll happily order a starter, main and a cocktail or two, if not the full-whack £140 tasting menu, it won't matter. But if you just fancy a couple of dishes and a beer, tough luck – you'll have to splash out or eat somewhere else. Then there's the flight of Britain's ultra-wealthy. In 2024, the UK government cracked down on tax perks for non-domiciled residents, prompting 10,800 millionaires to leave the country. These were exactly the kind of diners who wouldn't think twice about splashing out on caviar and Château Margaux. With their departure, restaurants are left trying to make up for lost big spenders – and the rest of us are footing the bill. From April 2025, National Insurance costs for employers will soar. In real terms, that means a restaurant with 30 staff will have to find an extra £100k per year. For a franchise with 300 employees, say, that jumps to £1m. This, combined with rising food costs and rent, is forcing restaurants to find ways to secure revenue – minimum spends being one of them. Restaurants are also sick of social media personalities looking for free meals. Dorian along with Hugh Corcoran (chef and proprietor of The Yellow Bittern) have both called out influencers sliding into their DMs with requests for comped dinners. Dorian even posted an exchange with an influencer asking for a collaboration, responding with: 'We're introducing a collab tax on top of the full price menu if you're interested'. Surprisingly, they weren't. Corcoran, meanwhile, exposed a so-called luxury fashion brand for making a big reservation, failing to confirm, then ghosting them entirely on the day. For some restaurants, minimum spends might also be a way of keeping the blaggers at bay. I wonder if whatever restaurateur is writing in favour of no minimum spending would be happy for me to book a table of eight, order some tap water and proceed to use the restaurant like my own living room. Of course not, it is completely ludicrous and disingenuous to say you accept no minimum spend Hugh Corcoran, The Yellow Bittern Corcoran also pointed out that the only thing worse than arguing in favour of a minimum spend is pretending restaurants should have none at all. 'I wonder if whatever restaurateur is writing in favour of no minimum spending would be happy for me to book a table of eight, order some tap water and proceed to use the restaurant like my own living room,' he wrote on Instagram. 'Of course not, it is completely ludicrous and disingenuous to say you accept no minimum spend.' But he also made it clear he wouldn't be introducing one himself, calling the further monetisation of dining out 'deplorable', adding: 'There is a solution to this all – order as if you enjoy eating and drinking!' While restaurants have valid reasons for implementing these policies, the people actually paying for it aren't the no-shows, the bots or the influencers – it's the regular customers. Ultra-wealthy non-doms disappear to Monaco and suddenly we're the ones being told we can't book a table unless we commit to spending £100. It's a financial burden shifting downwards, from absent millionaires to the average Londoner just trying to enjoy a meal out. Rising prices, service charges and expected tips mean London restaurants are already among the most expensive in the world. In fact, £100 a head is fast becoming the norm, whether you're dining at a Michelin-starred establishment or just somewhere that takes itself a bit too seriously. It's no longer just a splurge meal – it's a Tuesday night catch-up with a friend where a couple of cocktails and a steak push you into triple digits before you've even thought about dessert. Minimum spends add yet another financial barrier, turning dining out from a treat into an investment. The big question is whether this will work – or whether customers will start avoiding restaurants with minimum spends. This isn't the first time restaurants have imposed extra charges on diners. In 2023, several establishments introduced solo diner charges, sparking controversy. One such example was Café Royal, which imposed an extra fee on solo guests, arguing that single diners take up valuable table space that could otherwise be occupied by multiple paying customers. The backlash was swift, with many criticising the move as exclusionary and unfair. If minimum spends are now following in these footsteps, the question remains: will diners simply accept them as a necessary evil, as part of London's fine dining landscape, or will they push back? The Araki, Mayfair's ultra-luxury sushi restaurant, already charges £310 per head up front. The US is doing it too – booking platforms like Tock and Dorsia are already setting minimum spends across high-end restaurants, and now Dorsia has launched in the UK, with leading London restaurants such as Strakers, LPM, Akub, Bouchon Racine, Lita's and The Barbary already signed up. If it works there, it may well stick here. Restaurants have legitimate frustrations – no-shows, spiralling costs, influencers who want free food – but their solution is punishing the wrong people. While minimum spends might deter influencers and no-shows, they also risk alienating the loyal diners who actually want to eat there. At some point, customers will decide whether these price walls are worth climbing – or if they'd rather just go somewhere else. Because let's be honest: minimum spends might keep the blaggers out, but at this rate, they might just keep everyone else out too.
