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CTV News
a day ago
- Entertainment
- CTV News
A British restaurant is launching the U.K.'s first water menu
Water "sommelier" Doran Binder has curated the water menu for the French-style restaurant in northern England. (courtesy Doran Binder via CNN Newsource) London — The French are known for their love of fine wines. La Popote, a French-style restaurant in northern England, is no exception. The Michelin Guide-listed eatery in the county of Cheshire offers diners the choice of almost 140 varieties of wine. But now the business is taking a bold step to cater for discerning non-drinkers by offering an entire menu of bottled water. Diners will have the choice of three different bottles of still water and four sparkling beginning Friday, as well as complimentary tap water. La Popote is tapping into a global trend away from alcohol. For example, based on a Gallup poll last year, 58% of adult Americans drink alcohol, down from 67% in 2022. A growing number of Americans are giving up alcohol, whether permanently or temporarily, while many restaurants are offering a bigger range of mocktails, and sober bars and non-alcoholic bottle shops are becoming increasingly popular. Water menu The restaurateurs decided to launch the water menu after a tasting experience at the water bar owned by Doran Binder. (courtesy Doran Binder via CNN Newsource) Chef Joseph Rawlins, who founded and runs La Popote with his French partner Gaëlle Radigon, said they had initially been approached about the idea by Doran Binder, who was already supplying the restaurant with their 'house' water under his Crag Spring Water brand. A water sommelier, certified by the Fine Water Academy, Binder first suggested the idea of a water menu to the couple three years ago. 'I laughed it off,' Rawlins told CNN. 'I initially thought it was a ridiculous idea.' But when Binder invited the couple to a tasting at the 'water bar' he owns in the Peak District, a national park in north-central England, they were sold. 'It was mind-blowing,' Rawlins said of the experience, adding that he now believes that 'water isn't just water.' At that first tasting, they tried five or six different varieties. 'Then we did a second tasting with exactly the same waters but we paired them with certain foods – like Manchego cheese, Comté cheese, chocolate, Parma ham, olives. Like with a wine, the taste just changed.' The restaurant is the first in Britain to offer a water menu, according to Binder, and one of only a handful in the world. Binder curated La Popote's water menu, which features a selection from across Europe, including Britain, France, Spain and Portugal. Prices range from £5 ($6.80) for a large bottle of his Crag brand to £19 ($26) for The Palace of Vidago, a Portuguese sparkling water. 'The measurement of minerals in water is what drives taste and flavor,' Binder told CNN. That measurement is called Total Dissolved Solids, or TDS, he said. 'Distilled water is zero TDS. It's brilliant for cleaning windows, brilliant for electrical appliances, brilliant for your car battery – rubbish for the human being,' he said, noting that sea water is at the other end of the spectrum with 30,000-40,000 TDS. The restaurant's range goes from 14 TDS in the Lauretana sparkling mineral water from Italy to 3,300 for the Vichy Celastins from France. The French water initially tastes rather salty, Rawlins said. 'Then you put it with something that's quite salty like a Parma ham and they both naturally balance each other out, so the water is not salty anymore and it's a longer-lasting flavor of the ham in your mouth.' How the water is served is also important, Rawlins said. 'We recommend it at room temperature with ice and a slice of lemon. Water is like wine – if it's too cold, it kills all the flavor.' The water menu is giving diners 'another dimension,' he added, noting that 'a lot of people are drinking less now.' Binder, who has never drunk alcohol, agrees. 'There are more and more people who don't drink alcohol, like me. I'm a massive foodie and when I go to a restaurant they can't wait to throw a wine menu in front of my nose, which will never be of interest to me. 'But put a water menu in front of me and now you've opened up a whole new revenue stream. It's appealing to restaurants and it's appealing to more and more health-conscious people and really it's all about the epicurean experience.' Jordan Valinsky contributed to this report.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Michelin Guide restaurant introduces UK's first 'water menu' with seven different options costing up to £19
A Michelin-recommended restaurant in Cheshire has launched an entire menu of bottled water that will cost £19. La Popote in Macclesfield, Cheshire, a French restaurant which is in the Michelin Guide for has introduced the UK's first 'water menu' Joseph Rawlins, 32, co-owner and head chef at the casual fine dining restaurant is working alongside Doran Binder, who is one of the UK's five water sommeliers. The idea was first pitched by Mr Binder, 52, two years ago, and he got the green light from Joseph to start putting the menu together in January. Doran, from the village of Wildboarclough in Cheshire, spent the last seven months choosing the perfect bottles from across Europe, including France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Iceland, and the UK. The menu includes seven bottles from three still selections and four sparkling. Doran has his own bottled water on the menu, Crag Spring Water sourced from his village in the Peak District, which costs £5. From there, the prices go all the way up to £19 for Portuguese sparkling water, The Palace of Vidago. The premium waters will be served in wine glasses, to give customers who don't drink wine or other alcohol a similar experience to those who do. Doran chose the waters based on their total dissolved liquids (TDS), which affects flavour and mouth feel 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. 'To try and keep up with the market we wanted to offer something a bit different. 'Everything has been positive, it is a bit of fun, and we are looking forward to seeing where it goes.' Joseph, who trained at Gordon Ramsay's Tante Marie cooking school, has been co-owner of La Popote with his partner Gaëlle Radigon, 37, since 2019. He said that when he and Gaëlle took over the restaurant six years ago, they only kept a handful of previous suppliers, one being Doran. They have since transformed the acclaimed restaurant and, as of 2022, La Popote has been listed in the Michelin Guide. Doran has been selling his award-winning water at the casual fine dining restaurant since 2018. He invited Joseph and Gaëlle for a water tasting in June 2023, which was when he also pitched his idea for a bottled water menu. Joseph recalled: '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.' According to Doran, water has flavour that is established through the number of total dissolved solids (TDS) found in the liquid. These solids include minerals which the water has absorbed naturally from the earth before it is taken from the source and bottled. TDS levels can range from super low, between 0 to 50, to super high, which is over 1,200. Doran believes the perfect hydration level is between 100 and 200. While the couple were intrigued by the idea, they postponed it after Joseph and Gaëlle welcomed their first child in 2023. It was postponed again when Gaëlle became pregnant last year, so it wasn't until January 2025 when they decided to go ahead with the water menu. Joseph said: 'During that period we had been wanting to give it a go having a water menu. '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. 'With Gaëlle also having a little one and being pregnant, also breastfeeding, there is a limit to what she can drink. 'We thought there was space for it so why not?' While working on putting the menu together, Doran changed it three times over the last seven months as he sought to create the perfect menu. For the still water selection, Doran chose the sharp, dry and metallic-tasting super-low TDS water in Icelandic Glacier Water (£12). His own Crag Spring Water (£5) made for the perfect mid-range TDS, as it has no flavour but offers a smooth, silky mouth feel. Doran's final choice for the still water selection is from the brand 22 Artesian Water, from La Rioja, Spain (£11), which has a smooth mouth feel and a delicate mineral taste. As for the sparkling water selection, the water sommelier opted for a £9 Vichy Celastin, which is delicate and sweet, and The Palace of Vidago (£19) for its high TDS, which gives it a delicately salty flavour. He also picked sparkling Crag (£5.50) and the low-TDS Lauretana (£12) sparkling water, which has a sharp and dry mouth feel. Doran 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 is a selection showing off the different TDS water has to offer. 'They all have different tastes, mouth feels, and offer a different perspective on dining at a restaurant.' He believes the different waters '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,' Doran continued. 'The water will be served in a wine glass, water will be put on a stage, and showed respect. 'I could have put hundreds on the menu all for different reasons. It was really hard to narrow it down and I feel bad about leaving some out. The menu will hopefully grow and expand.' La Popote's water menu will be fully available from next Friday (August 22).
The Sun
3 days 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.
