Latest news with #LaPopote
Times
9 hours ago
- Business
- Times
The latest in fine dining: a range of bottled water on a special menu
A restaurant listed in the Michelin Guide has launched Britain's only water menu, offering diners a non-alcoholic alternative for up to £20 a bottle. With more than one in five people abstaining from alcohol, Joseph Rawlins, the co-owner and head chef of French fine-dining restaurant La Popote, near Congleton, Cheshire, said it was the right time to offer customers 'something a bit different'. 'We have noticed in the last 18 months that a lot of people don't drink as much and are looking for an alternative to alcohol,' he said. 'We thought there was space for it, so why not?' Working with Doran Binder, a British water sommelier, the pair selected seven bottled waters from France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Iceland and the UK. Prices start at £5 for Binder's own Crag Spring Water all the way up to £19 for the Portuguese sparkling water, the Palace of Vidago. The water will be served in wine glasses. The menu provides an alternative to the restaurant's wine selection which has bottles from £28 to £400. Binder had been selling Crag Spring at the restaurant since Rawlins took it over with Gaëlle Radigon. his partner, in 2019. 'He pitched the idea to us and we had a laugh as we were unsure what he meant by it at first,' Rawlins said. 'He then invited us down for a water tasting and that's when we realised that water isn't just water. He explained he thinks there is an exciting new market.' Rawlins gave Binder the green light in January. He has spent seven months finalising his H₂O selection, whittling down his list from hundreds of types of water. Binder, who is one of only five British water sommeliers, said the taste of water was determined by the total dissolved solids, which include naturally absorbed minerals. The solids are rated from super-low (0 to 50) to super-high (1200-plus). Binder, a non-drinker, reckons the perfect hydration level is between 100 and 200. 'I had been working on a water menu for the past three or four years trying to get a restaurant to pick it up but it has been really difficult,' he said. 'People thought it was a gimmick but it was exciting when La Popote took me on. 'I have put together a quality range of interesting water. It is a selection showing off the different [solids] water has to offer. They all have different tastes, mouth-feels and offer a different perspective on dining at a restaurant. It will elevate the dining experience for non-drinkers like myself and millions of others who aren't interested in a wine menu.' If the water menu becomes too much for diners at La Popote — which received its Michelin listing in 2022 — there is the option of drinking tap water. And that is free. La Popote's water menu will be launched on Friday.
Telegraph
13 hours ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Michelin restaurant launches UK's only bottled water menu
A Michelin Guide-listed restaurant has launched Britain's first bottled water menu. Joseph Rawlins, 32, has introduced the menu with bottles costing as much as £20 at his French fine dining restaurant, La Popote, in Marton, near Macclesfield, Cheshire. The co-owner and head chef, from Wilmslow, worked alongside Doran Binder, one of only five British water sommeliers, to put the menu together. Mr Binder, 52, from Wildboarclough in Macclesfield, has spent the past seven months selecting the seven bottles to include. The bottles come from across Europe, including France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Iceland and the UK, with prices starting at £5 for Mr Binder's own Crag spring water and reaching £19 for The Palace of Vidago, a Portuguese sparkling water. Mr Rawlins, whose wine prices range from £28 to £400, says fewer diners want to drink alcohol so he decided to 'offer something different' to 'keep up with the market'. He added: 'The restaurant scene has changed a lot over the years. We have been getting fewer big tables, more groups of twos and fours. That means at least one person there will mostly likely be driving and not be drinking as such. 'Everything has been positive, it is a bit of fun, and we are looking forward to seeing where it goes.' Mr Rawlins took over the restaurant with his partner Gaëlle Radigon, 37, in 2019, and the pair were listed in the Michelin Guide for the first time in December 2022. 'An exciting new market' Mr Binder's award-winning water, Crag, has been sold at the restaurant since 2018. The sommelier first pitched the idea of a bottled water menu to Mr Rawlins in June 2023 when he invited the couple for a water tasting. Mr Rawlins added: 'He had pitched the idea to us and we had a laugh about it as we were unsure what he meant by it at first. 'He then invited us down for a water tasting and that's when we realised that water isn't just water, and he explained that he thinks there is an exciting new market.' According to Mr Binder, water has a taste established through the number of total dissolved solids (TDS) found in the liquid. The solids include minerals which have been absorbed naturally from the earth into the water before it is taken from the source. TDS levels range from low, which is between 0 to 50, to high, at 1,200 plus, although Mr Binder believes the perfect level is between 100 and 200. He said: 'We have noticed in the last 18 months a lot of people don't drink as much and are looking for an alternative to alcohol.' For still water Mr Binder chose the 'sharp, dry, and metallic tasting' low TDS Icelandic Glacier Water (£12). He then chose still Crag (£5) which has 'no taste but a smooth creamy silky mouth feel' for mid-range TDS. He then selected Brand 22 from La Rioja, Spain, (£11) for the high TDS range for its 'smooth mouth feel and delicate mineral taste'. For sparkling he picked the 'delicate and sweet' Vichy Celastin (£9) and the 'delicate and salty' The Palace of Vidago (£19) for high TDS. He chose sparkling Crag for mid-range TDS. For low TDS, he chose Lauretana (£12) which has a 'sharp and dry mouth feel with a metallic taste'. 'People thought it was a joke' Mr Binder said: 'I had been working on a water menu for the last three or four years trying to get a restaurant to pick it up but it has been really difficult. 'People thought it was a joke and a gimmick but it was exciting when La Popote took me on. 'What I have done is put together a quality range of interesting water. It will elevate the dining experience for non-drinkers like myself and millions of others who aren't interested in a wine menu. 'Being able to chose a water with a story, something special and unique that you couldn't just get from a shop is elevating that experience. The water will be served in a wine glass, water will be put on a stage and shown respect.'
The Sun
20 hours ago
- Business
- The Sun
Michelin-starred restaurant launches ‘water only' menu with bottles selling for eye-watering sum
A MICHELIN star restaurant has made a splash by introducing Britain's first water only menu, with some bottles costing up to £20. The French fine dining restaurant wanted to experiment with its epicurean menu after pitching the idea three years ago. 7 7 7 7 Owner of La Popote in Cheshire, Joseph Rawlins, 32, worked alongside one of only five water sommeliers in the country to put it together. Joe, who is also the headchef of La Popote, gave the go ahead for the project at the beginning of the year. Sommelier Doran Binder, 52, then spent the last seven months deciding on the best bottles to feature the water. On offer from their menu is a selection of seven premium waters from across Europe to choose from - and they come served in wine glasses. Four of these are still, including tap water, and four are sparkling. The selection has been handpicked from various countries, including France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Iceland, and the UK. At the cheaper end there is Doran's own Crag Spring Water, which costs £5. For those looking for something a bit more extravagant, at the high end there is the £19 Portuguese sparkling water - The Palace of Vidago. Joe said: "The restaurant scene has changed a lot over the years we have been getting fewer big tables more groups of twos and fours. "That means at least one person there will mostly likely be driving and not be drinking as such. TV chef to launch UK's first Michelin-starred ready meals after closing famed London restaurant "To try and keep up with the market we wanted to offer something a bit different. The restaurant's wine prices range from £28 all the way to almost £400 per bottle. In December 2022, La Popote was awarded a Michelin Guide listing, after Joe and his partner Gaëlle Radigon, 37, took over the restaurant in 2019. As one of their valued suppliers to the restaurant, Doran then pitched the idea of a bottled water menue to Joe in June 2023 by inviting the couple for a water tasting. He had been providing his award winning Crag Spring Water to the restuarant since 2018. Joe said: "He had pitched the idea to us and we had a laugh about it as we were unsure what he meant by it at first. "He then invited us down for a water tasting and that's when we realised that water isn't just water and explained he thinks there is an exciting new market." Water has a taste through the number of total dissolved solids that is found in the liquid, according to Doran. This includes minerals absorbed naturally from the earth before the water is extracted from its source. 7 7 7 With Gaëlle now pregnant and breastfeeding, Joe says the idea of an alternative to alcohol made even more sense: 'There is a limit to what she can drink. "We thought there was space for it so why not?" So in January this year, they decided to go ahead with the idea. Joe added: "We have noticed in the last 18 months a lot of people don't drink as much and are looking for an alternative to alcohol." Across the the seven months of putting the menu together, it changed three times. The selection of waters include: Still Crag Spring Water (UK, £5) – Binder's own award-winning water with a creamy, silky mouthfeel Sparkling Crag Spring Water (UK, £5.50) Icelandic Glacier Water (Iceland, £12) – sharp, dry and metallic with super low TDS Brand 22 (Spain, £11) – still, high TDS with a smooth mouthfeel and delicate mineral taste Lauretana (Italy, £12) – sparkling, low TDS, sharp and dry with a metallic finish Vichy Celestins (France, £9) – sparkling, high TDS, delicate and sweet The Palace of Vidago (Portugal, £19) – sparkling, high TDS, delicate with a salty, mineral profile Doran also chose between hundred of bottles in order to make the perfect menu: "I had been working on a water menu for the last three or four years trying to get a restaurant to pick it up but it has been really difficult. "People thought it was a joke and a gimmick but it was exciting when La Popote took me on. "What I have done is put together a quality range of interesting water. "It is a selection showing off the different TDS water has to offer." As a non-drinker, Doran hopes the water menu willl elevate the dining experience for customers. And there are still hopes to grown and expand the menu in the future.
