Madagascan Gin Palace Closes Options

[TallDarkAndHands...]

http://www.newburytoday.co.uk/News/Article...articleID=11025

Now that is a shame. Sign of the times I guess.....

[Bloggo]

http://www.newburytoday.co.uk/News/Article...articleID=11025

Now that is a shame. Sign of the times I guess.....

Yes, I've had some good nights in the Palace singing Delila.
A case of "if you don't use it, you lose it"
But it looks like the owner wants to move on.

[Blake]

I am sorry for those who will lose their jobs here but the MGP was crap.

The food was forgettable at best.

[dannyboy]

http://www.newburytoday.co.uk/News/Article...articleID=11025

Now that is a shame. Sign of the times I guess.....

What is a shame is that places like Strada, Prezzo, Ask, Cafe Rouge, etc etc carry on, full each night with people who don't realise all the kitchen does is boil pasta & warm sauces to pour over them, make a pizza from preped dough & designated toppings & grill steaks.

see also - http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKL947425220090310 it is a few months old, so things may have got better.

[Strafin]

It's always a shame to lose an independant, I never went there, my wife is a bit fussy for the 'exotic' menu, and it seemed quite expensive. To be fair though I haven't heard anything bad about it before

[Andrea]

It is a shame... I actually quite liked the MGP. Although I have to admit, I found the service to be really slow. when going in for lunch the couple times I've been, my group would be the only ones in there yet we were still late back to work because service was so slow.

[Guest_Bill1_*]

I am sorry for those who will lose their jobs here but the MGP was crap.

The food was forgettable at best.

I disagree and think the word "crap" is shamefully over the top.

I've had a few good nights in there and was never dissapointed with the food.

I do agree that it is a shame for the staff though.

Maybe they can be re-employed in the owners next venture.

[Biker1]

What is a shame is that places like Strada, Prezzo, Ask, Cafe Rouge, etc etc carry on, full each night with people who don't realise all the kitchen does is boil pasta & warm sauces to pour over them, make a pizza from preped dough & designated toppings & grill steaks.

The people get what the people want.

[user23]

What is a shame is that places like Strada, Prezzo, Ask, Cafe Rouge, etc etc carry on, full each night with people who don't realise all the kitchen does is boil pasta & warm sauces to pour over them, make a pizza from preped dough & designated toppings & grill steaks.

People seem to like that sort of thing.

Out of interest, does he still own Montys?

[dannyboy]

The people get what the people want.

so true so true.

hence the domination of Tesco, B&Q, etc etc and the decimation of the high street independent.

[Strafin]

The thing is nobody has said it was fantastic, it was quite expensive and although I love the theme, the menu was quite unusual. I don't know what the offer nights were, but I consider it (mainly because of the wife) a high risk place to try for the price. I would try Strada, Prezzo's and others like it because you could take a special offer and not feel as though you'd wasted a fortune if you didn't like it.

[peach]

It is a shame... I actually quite liked the MGP. Although I have to admit, I found the service to be really slow. when going in for lunch the couple times I've been, my group would be the only ones in there yet we were still late back to work because service was so slow.

The food was good but agree the service was slow. It's why we stopped going there in the end.

[dannyboy]

The food was good but agree the service was slow. It's why we stopped going there in the end.

It is Catch 22. 'Proper' cooked food takes time to bring from the kitchen. Many chain restaurants only have to warm food, which is quicker. We come to expect 'fast food' in restaurants because of this. So the restuarants which actually invent, prepare, cook & serve their own individual menus suffer, where as the those which have menus designed to offer brand indentity & consistency across the chain using easy to prepare dishes thrive.

Bet you'll never see a Souffle on the menu in these places!

[Strafin]

It is Catch 22. 'Proper' cooked food takes time to bring from the kitchen. Many chain restaurants only have to warm food, which is quicker. We come to expect 'fast food' in restaurants because of this. So the restuarants which actually invent, prepare, cook & serve their own individual menus suffer, where as the those which have menus designed to offer brand indentity & consistency across the chain using easy to prepare dishes thrive.

Bet you'll never see a Souffle on the menu in these places!

wrong on all counts. Consistency is the key which is why SOME chains use SOME pre prepared items but is not the case for a lot of them. There is no reason why bespoke food can't be done quickly

[dannyboy]

wrong on all counts. Consistency is the key which is why SOME chains use SOME pre prepared items but is not the case for a lot of them. There is no reason why bespoke food can't be done quickly

Like which?

How can you have consitency accross the country unless the food is centrally controlled?
You can't have a chef in Brighton making his Bolognase to his recipe, whilst a chef in Lincoln uses his.
Why is it that every Enterprise Inn, Prezzo, Strada, etc etc has the same menu? Which chains have bespoke menus?

I'm not saying the food is bad - if it was they wouldn't be busy every night. What I am saying is that it is restaurant catering on an industrial scale, with all that brings.

[Andrea]

I cook dinner every single night using fresh ingredients. It never takes me more than an hour (unless using the slow cooker!) to prepare and cook my food (the majority of my time is the preparation - and I'm slow!).

Every restaurant should have a system to cook their food. Prepping the food should be done prior to opening. And restaurants should have a prep chef to keep food topped up throughout the service. Anything over a 20 minute wait for your main course is unacceptable.

[dannyboy]

I cook dinner every single night using fresh ingredients. It never takes me more than an hour (unless using the slow cooker!) to prepare and cook my food (the majority of my time is the preparation - and I'm slow!).

Every restaurant should have a system to cook their food. Prepping the food should be done prior to opening. And restaurants should have a prep chef to keep food topped up throughout the service. Anything over a 20 minute wait for your main course is unacceptable.

20 mins should be fine - as they'll also have had the time whilst you are eating your starter.

[Biker1]

There is another thread on this forum called "The 100 most annoying things: poll".

I would add "Waiting excessively long times for your food in restaurants".

[peach]

It is Catch 22. 'Proper' cooked food takes time to bring from the kitchen. Many chain restaurants only have to warm food, which is quicker. We come to expect 'fast food' in restaurants because of this. So the restuarants which actually invent, prepare, cook & serve their own individual menus suffer, where as the those which have menus designed to offer brand indentity & consistency across the chain using easy to prepare dishes thrive.

Bet you'll never see a Souffle on the menu in these places!

When I say slow service I meant the staff - not very attentive at all. Slow at taking orders, wrong orders and also taking an age to get their attention and get the bill. I don't mind waiting for food but waiting for the staff to tend to me when it isn't even busy was my big gripe and that was on more than one occasion. Maybe I was unlucky on the times I went there but I didn't enjoy the experience so decided not to return again.

[dannyboy]

When I say slow service I meant the staff - not very attentive at all. Slow at taking orders, wrong orders and also taking an age to get their attention and get the bill. I don't mind waiting for food but waiting for the staff to tend to me when it isn't even busy was my big gripe and that was on more than one occasion. Maybe I was unlucky on the times I went there but I didn't enjoy the experience so decided not to return again.

ah, now that is a different matter. Waiting staff should never make an error, should know the menu inside out & watch their tables.

The chain restaurants seem to be able to get this aspect right......