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American tourist in the UK reveals he was lured into Angus Steakhouse after being fooled by viral prank
American tourist in the UK reveals he was lured into Angus Steakhouse after being fooled by viral prank

Daily Mail​

time6 days ago

  • Entertainment
  • Daily Mail​

American tourist in the UK reveals he was lured into Angus Steakhouse after being fooled by viral prank

An American tourist revealed how he fell for a cheeky British prank which aims to keep foreign visitors away from London 's best restaurants. Liam Nelson, from New York, said he'd had the 'worst steak of my life' from Angus Steakhouse in Leicester Square, after he noticed the venue had a slew of 5-star reviews online. However what the US tourist didn't know was Brits have been 'love bombing' chain restaurants with positive and often exaggerated reviews to entice visitors to their doors. The aim is to lure foreign visitors away from the top restaurants in central London so they are not overcrowded. Stand up comedian Liam, who is in London to perform at Top Secret Comedy Club, luckily found the funny side of the prank and took to his TikTok @liamnelsoncomedy to tell the tale. In a clip, which racked up over 127,000 views, he claimed Reddit tricked him into visiting the restaurant for a steak dinner. He revealed he was looking for some 'hidden gems' when it came to restaurants instead of the usual tourist hotspots you would find in central London. The comedian explained: 'I went on Reddit, every single response was Angus Steakhouse in Leicester Square. 'I thought maybe this is a little hole in the wall area next to all these shops, like a secret hidden gem. 'I look up the steakhouse and I see it's a chain and that is kind of compromising on one of the principles I was looking for, but tonight I was looking for an incredible steak. 'I have never seen Reddit all agree on a restaurant before, I have never seen this many people all say the same thing and they all had these glowing reviews and I read them and some voice in the back of my head was saying 'this is wrong, this is not normal' and I ignored it. 'I walked into a place with a giant neon sign and continued to order a steak.' Liam claimed the venue was 'loud and chaotic' but he felt assured the steak would be great after reading the reviews. 'All the pictures on the wall look really yummy, the prices are decent for a steak in this area, probably about as cheap as you will get for a steak.' He revealed that an 'unfortunate truth was revealed' when he continued to look up the reviews as he waiting for his meal. He added: 'I found an article about how London Reddit has tried to send tourists to Angus Steakhouse to preserve the good steakhouses for themselves, genius. 'I thought I was immune to online scams but they got me... at this point my order had already been placed, the steak arrives and it's grey. 'It was bad, I tried the creamed spinach, worse than frozen somehow. London Reddit that is one for you, zero for me.' Many rushed to the comments with some doubling down on the claim that the steakhouse is indeed the most popular, while others suggested different restaurants. One person said: 'He's lying Angus steakhouse is the best you're going to get in London. Really a must visit.' Another simply said: 'So proud of us.' Someone else wrote: 'Blacklock is the beast steak + meat place I've been to more frequently in London it's SO good. A fourth said: 'Go flat Iron, it's in Covent Garden, affordable decent steak.' It comes after loyalists and influencers have infiltrated the web, taking to X, Reddit, and even Trip Advisor to write what appear to be grossly exaggerated reviews. 'They have THE BEST steak sandwiches!' said one person on Reddit. Many rushed to the comments with some doubling down on the claim that the steakhouse is indeed the most popular, while others suggested different restaurants Responding to this comment, someone else added: 'And Taylor Swift... New menu item just dropped! The Swiftloin steak sandwich'. Also seemingly in jest, one user said: 'I've been a vegetarian for over 15 years, but not even I can resist Angus Steakhouse's steak sandwiches.' 'I was on hunger strike once. Survived for 56 days, it was the steak sandwich that broke my resistance. I am now a nutritionist and I always recommend the Carnivore diet, centred around this hallowed Stakehouse,' wrote another. 'Angus Steakhouse is on my wish list for the last meal I ever have. Absolutely phenomenal place. I just hope the tourists don't find out about it,' said one more. A look at some of the 5000 odd Angus Steakhouse reviews on Trip Advisor paints a similar picture. Alleged tasters of the chargrilled menu took to the website to boast of the 'very good' menu. 'It was very good and the staff is very friendly, I would recommend this to anyone who loves a good steak.' said one. Someone else wrote: 'Very, Very good. Food and service Excellent. The prices were very competitive and not outlandish. Thank you for the experience'. 'On point!!' began another. 'American filet with green beans and salad. Cooked perfectly and service was excellent. Perfect location to the W hotel. Minutes away. Or going to see a play'. Of course these reviews could be true, but some people don't think so. Over on X, one user went a step further and offered directions to a branch of the famous Steakhouse: 'The one by Victoria station go to that one' they wrote. And while others were quick to catch on to the ploy, others stated they had noticed something amiss but couldn't quite put their figure on it. 'I was wondering what was going on,' said one woman, who seemingly came across the many 5 star reviews of the Steakhouse. Someone else wrote: 'Stop snitching', while one added: 'This seems cruel to be honest'. However Eater correspondent Jaya Saxena told Thrillist that the strategy is not fool proof and isn't guaranteed to work. 'I think the biggest obstacle would be that sites like Yelp and Google have moderators that look out for review bombs, both positive and negative. So if suddenly a restaurant were getting hundreds of good reviews at once, that might trigger suspicion' said Jaya. 'On Reddit it might, since responses to any thread asking about steakhouses might look like legit answers. But also, presumably since this is already circulating social media and you're writing about it, I imagine anyone looking at Angus might see this information and second guess the reviews'.

EXCLUSIVE No laughing matter! Top London comedy club that hosts the biggest celeb comics fails hygiene inspection
EXCLUSIVE No laughing matter! Top London comedy club that hosts the biggest celeb comics fails hygiene inspection

Daily Mail​

time21-04-2025

  • Entertainment
  • Daily Mail​

EXCLUSIVE No laughing matter! Top London comedy club that hosts the biggest celeb comics fails hygiene inspection

A hugely popular central London comedy venue that has played host to some of the biggest names in British stand-up has been hit with a damning food hygiene rating. The Top Secret Comedy Club in Covent Garden has had to make major changes after environmental health inspectors found evidence of mice, droppings on bar surfaces, and mould in the ice machine. The club – just yards from the West End's theatres – was given a food hygiene score of 1 out of 5 by the Food Standards Agency, meaning 'major improvement is necessary.' The venue, which has become a cult favourite thanks to its no-frills atmosphere and surprise sets from comedy royalty like Jack Whitehall, Romesh Ranganathan and Russell Howard, has now come under fire for its shockingly poor food hygiene practices. MailOnline can reveal that the official report makes for grim reading. Inspectors reported 'evidence of mice in the bar area' on not one but two separate occasions in September – a major red flag for any premises serving drinks to the public. The report, seen by MailOnline, also noted: 'Droppings noted on surface / in the bar.' 'You must deep clean all areas (food and drink).' Inspectors were so concerned by the findings that they ordered the venue to call in professional pest control immediately to carry out a full site survey and implement proper 'proofing' to block any further rodent access. They also slammed the use of open bait trays, writing that they are 'not appropriate with food and drink' nearby – potentially putting customers at risk. Further concerns were raised over the general state of the premises, which was described as 'dirty' with 'sticky floors', and most shockingly, the ice machine – a staple of any bar – was found to be 'very dirty / mouldy', casting serious doubt over the cleanliness of drinks being served to guests. Despite not having an operational kitchen – the club encourages patrons to bring in their own takeaway – the bar and drinks area still fall under food safety regulations, and the rating of 1 suggests the club is falling dangerously short. The venue is known for its stripped-back style, low ticket prices and the possibility of seeing household names test out new material in front of small audiences. On any given night, it's not unusual for stars like Katherine Ryan, Seann Walsh, or even US comics like Louis CK to appear unannounced – making it a go-to spot for savvy Londoners in the know. But now the spotlight is on a very different kind of performance – one taking place behind the bar, where health and hygiene practices appear to have slipped to a worrying low. The Food Standards Agency's scoring system runs from 0 (urgent improvement necessary) to 5 (very good). A score of 1 is just one step above the very worst rating. The club, which remains open and trading, has been approached for comment. It comes after the club banned guests with Botox last month in order to liven up the crowd. They claimed that 'frozen faces from Botox impact the entire atmosphere'. Mark Rothman the owner of the club said at the time: 'I've had numerous complaints from performers who find it increasingly challenging to gauge audience engagement and bounce off their reactions.' The club says it has taken this measure as a 'last resort' to help liven up the crowd. 'We hope trialing this ban will help move the needle and get facial reactions back into the room – for the benefit of our comedians and the audience,' adds Rothman. Now famous comedian Jimmy Carr, 52, who recently debuted a new look and has admitted he can't stop getting 'tweakments' said he will no longer to play at the venue. Speaking to Radio Times, he said: 'I would look surprised, if I could. 'Does that mean Katherine Ryan and I can no longer play the club? 'Because we're mostly Botox. Of course it's a PR stunt, but it's a fun PR stunt. It speaks to something interesting, which is when you watch live comedy, the person on stage isn't the only one performing. 'Being in an audience is performative: people laugh out loud in a way that maybe they wouldn't if they were just staring at their phone.'

‘No frozen faces': Top UK comedy club bans audience members with botox
‘No frozen faces': Top UK comedy club bans audience members with botox

The Independent

time07-03-2025

  • Entertainment
  • The Independent

‘No frozen faces': Top UK comedy club bans audience members with botox

One of the UK's leading comedy clubs, Top Secret Comedy Club, has become the world's first to ban guests with botox from its central London venues. Top Secret Comedy Club has hosted some of the biggest names in comedy, with star acts Jack Whitehall, Amy Schumer and Dave Chappelle gracing the stage in their Drury Lane and Kingsway clubs. The drastic move comes after stand-up acts have shared concerns that audience members with frozen faces aren't reacting to their jokes. Botox is a neuromodulator, a type of injectable that temporarily disrupts the nerve signals to the muscles that prevents them from contracting and reducing the appearance of wrinkles. The rise in 'tweakments', particularly among twentysomethings, has risen sharply in recent years, with an estimated one million botox injections carried out in the UK each year. Mark Rothman, the Top Secret Comedy Club owner, claimed the eyebrow-raising decision to ban guests 'up to their eyeballs' in botox was the 'last resort' to prevent losing talent who perform at the club. 'Our incredibly talented comedians are fed up with performing to reactionless faces,' he said. 'I've had numerous complaints from performers who find it increasingly challenging to gauge audience engagement and bounce off their reactions.' He continued: 'Comedy thrives on connection, and facial expressions play a huge part. We want people to laugh, cry, frown, sneer, but frozen faces from Botox impact the entire atmosphere. 'We hope trialling this ban will help move the needle and get facial reactions back into the room – for the benefit of our comedians and the audience.' Andrew Mensah, one of the venue's regular stand-up acts, added: 'Performing to an audience with frozen faces can be incredibly tough. 'Comedy is a two-way street – we feed off the energy and reactions of the crowd. Mark and the team are always devising new ideas to support us comedians – this must be his best one yet.' Meanwhile, comedian Paul Chowdhry, who is set to perform at the club this month, said: 'My face barely moves on the stage – I wouldn't want to see the same thing staring back at me.' From 5 March, the Top Secret Comedy Club audience members will be vetted by door staff trained to carry out ID checks and 'expression tests' designed to detect the botox. Rothman warned: 'We're dead serious about the ban and if you're surprised we need to see that! We are looking forward to welcoming faces old and new, that can still move, in our venue soon.'

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