So what goes into making a good bar? That depends on how you define a good bar and everyone has their own definition, but here’s my view:

Location, Location, Location: Open a good bar in an area that’s more accessible than alternatives. It goes without saying, an area that lacks a good bar could always do with one, but think about the experience and how people’s plans will be developed. Manchester has plenty of good bars, but most of them are in the Northern Quarter. Gaslamp, on the other hand, is located on Bridge Street just north of Deansgate, significantly shortening the distance to a good bar for many people.

Opening Hours: Near a venue open from 8PM-4AM? Open your doors 6PM-2AM. Remember the experience: people will probably plan to head to your venue earlier and move on to the next after you close and vice-versa. Gaslamp is open from noon and closes at 2am. When we left, people talked about going to Mojo (open till 4), but I convinced them Corridor was the smarter choice (also open till 4). Another great example: see Callooh Callay (open till 1) and Night Jar (open till 4) in London. Night Jar is my choice for a night cap.

Design: Totally depends on the people you’re trying to attract. Personally, I like something low-light, intimate, and with a touch

of class. Some bars are really simple and understated, which suits them just fine.

Gaslamp looks like they have seriously cut corners on the decorations…and that’s absolutely the look they’re going for. Minimalist and functional, this place eschews the pretentious attitude of Deansgate in favour of a much more comfortable and relaxed atmosphere.

Price: People will pay a premium price for quality. People will also pay a ludicrously-high price for crap. Some people want bang for the buck and would drink anything put in front of them if it’s cheap and gets them drunk. Think about the customers you want to attract and price the product for them. A good bar for me has good product at a good price. Gaslamp has a good range of beers at around £3-4.

Quality Product:

Of course, this measure of quality will be heavily influenced by my own personal preferences, but I’ll do my best to be objective. If its beers, the wider selection you have, the better. Unique and interesting beers from small breweries in far-flung corners of the world will do nicely. Microbreweries, craft breweries, and especially hometown local breweries are favoured. If it’s cocktails, start with fresh ingredients. Then simply delicious spirits. Then a range of interesting spirits. Better to do 5 amazing drinks than 50 average ones. Put it all in a nice glass.

Gaslamp doesn’t yet do cocktails, but they’ve got some nice bottles behind the bar and I have been assured they’ll keep it simple and strong.

Quality of Service:

Focus on the customer. Just be friendly and make your bar a comfortable place for people to pass the time. Treat your customers with love and respect and they’ll keep coming back. In fact, treat them like guests, not customers. A short wait is fine, 15 minutes for a beer isn’t. Can’t have a long chat? I get it, you’re busy…but don’t ignore me completely.

I spent 2 hours at Gaslamp by myself and had a great time chatting with the lovely bartenders. Service with an absolute smile.

That’s about it for now, but expect that this will be updated from time to time as my criteria evolves. And maybe someday this will be the criteria I use for setting up my own shop.

All these factors lead up to Gaslamp being a really good bar, but when asked why customers will want to return, the ladies of Gaslamp had only this to say:

“Because it’s awesome!”

“Because it’s great!”

Simple and to the point, just like Gaslamp.

So who uses foursquare in the UK? Social media geeks. Design nerds. PR and advertising types.

Who doesn’t use Foursquare in the UK? Businesses. Average consumers.

Ok, that’s not entirely true, but the number of businesses in the UK embracing Foursquare appears to be significantly smaller than those using Twitter or Facebook. Further, the large partnerships just don’t exist here like they do in New York. Foursquare has its headquarters in New York, so it’s easy to see how they would develop a strong presence there. It’s also pretty big in San Francisco, where they have recently opened a second office, but so is every shiny startup with decent funding. I really like the service and I can identify with what they are trying to achieve– helping people ‘unlock’ their cities — but until recently, I couldn’t figure out their strategy or understand where their revenue came from.

So I e-mailed Dennis Crowley, co-founder of Foursquare, to ask if I could stop by for an office visit about a year ago. I was actually pretty surprised I got a reply:

“ah, most of us are out of town thru 1/4!   when you taking off?”

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to make it, but I said perhaps we could work something out next time, Dennis kindly responded:

“you bet!  hoping to make it to london soon!”

This past December, I decided to give it another go. This time, however, I wasn’t able to reach Mr. Crowley. In all fairness, Foursquare has grown significantly over the past year. Undeterred, I decided to swing by their offices in the East Village, NYC. I went to sign in (after I’d checked-in, of course) at the rather unassuming reception desk. “You don’t need to sign in for Foursquare, just take the elevator up.” Little did I realise that as the doors opened up, I’d be standing in the middle of their office. I asked around a bit and was directed to a member of Foursquare’s PR team  who was exceedingly supportive in my fact-finding mission.

Branded badges and partnerships generate revenue. You can’t walk around New York without coming into contact with Foursquare. Every time I took a taxi, I saw a tie-up with Foursquare and People Magazine. Citibank has a giant display showing how many users had checked in at the bank. Huge brands like Pepsi, Starbucks, Tasti D-Lite and more are embracing Foursquare and rewarding users for their loyalty.

People Magazine and Foursquare - taxi advertisement.

Checking-in at the bank.

Foursquare plans on internationalising. Look out for versions of the site/app in new languages that should help increase adoption in Europe and South America.

Experimenting with targeted promotions. Go to to the gym every day at noon and then over to that big-name grocery store? Perhaps next time you’ll get an offer on sports drinks when you check-in. Catch that morning brew on your way to work every morning? Perhaps now you’ll get on offer on food to go with it. We discussed deals based on the times of your check-ins, but it sounded like they have a lot of different models in the works. The possibilities based on your daily habits and your social graph are really exciting. How about deals that, based on your preferences, you’re likely to enjoy? How about discounts for bringing a group of people together and collectively checking-in? Or taking that further, when friends check-in nearby one another, they all get a deal for a mutual location? Exciting stuff.

Unfortunately, none of this is happening across the pond yet. They don’t need to adapt the language necessarily, and the only large partnership I can think of is with Domino’s. This may not be ‘official’ and I don’t think there is a badge associated with it, but their are free pizzas and discounts available. Read more about Domino’s and Foursquare. My concern is that the people who have been using Foursquare have only been using it for the novelty of it or, like me, to keep track of where they’ve been.

Dennis Crowly, himself, summed this up pretty well in an interview with the BBC:

“You could do it for your own personal history, to say I’ve been there ten times.” And he admitted he did it himself: “I actually check in at the supermarket to compete with this guy who’s got the mayorship there.”

With other players entering the market (Facebook, Yelp, etc.), what will happen when the novelty wears off? At the start, trendy social networkers hopped on to the platform and started adding tips around London at many spots popular amongst bloggers, creatives, etc. Interest has waned, however, and I know a number of people who used to use the service, but in the absence of any real incentives, its become more of an afterthought (See comments from “Geofftech” on the BBC article above). As Groupon’s success shows, people are all about the deals.

Enter the Foursquare Ambbassador Program. A great initiative to harness the enthusiasm of its power users to develop the partnerships on the ground. Users encourage their favourite places to offer deals, which in turn drives more users to Foursquare to get these deals, and the businesses get increased business and the analytics offered by Foursquare. Everybody wins, right? Well I can only see this working with independent retailers, not your big-brand high street businesses. For that, Foursquare will need to get involved themselves and develop these partnerships at a corporate level. Also, this will have a hard time taking off in Europe until they provide support for other languages.

Foursquare still have the opportunity to forge these partnerships and corner the UK (and, indeed, European) market, but with increasing competition, they’d better act fast.

To be honest, I’ve been downright lousy.

Not only was I not writing, but various aspects of the site had started to become a bit dated. The map of my most recent check-ins displayed a map of London, when I’ve lived in Manchester for nearly 4 months. After having updated my WordPress theme, some links no longer worked and the logo was out of place. Aesthetically and functionally, the site had flaws.

I figured it’s about time I wrote a short piece on what I’ve been up to and what over the past few months and what has prevented me from writing. It really comes down to time and prioritisation and over the past few months, I’ve bitten off more than I can chew.

In August, I started the full-time MBA programme at Manchester Business School. At first, I was spending all my time meeting the 127 other students from the 40 other countries and learning the ropes of the programme. You go to all your lectures, you attend every meeting, and you do your best to re-adjust to the life of a student. Oh, and there’s parties. Lots and lots of parties.

Just as you start to get your schedule straight by the end of September, the projects begin and the student clubs formally begin their new years. Our first project began at a not-for-profit organisation and we were working with real people on real problems. Great experience, but also a good deal of pressure. We have a variety of professional interest clubs and I joined the Media, Entertainment and Sports Society, as well as the Business Technology Club. Then the MBA Council elections were held in October and I, somewhat predictably, ran for VP of Social Affairs. It was a neck-and-neck race with my competitor who was an excellent candidate for the position, but enough students elected me to the position.  Come November, the importance of networking had been sufficiently drilled into our brains and some of us spent as much time meeting new people as we did on actual academics, if not more. By the end of November, I realised that, whilst I had attended most of my lectures, I had taken in very little of the material and exams were just around the corner. My amazing colleagues supported me through the last few weeks and taught me everything I would need know to succeed in (not simply pass) my final exams at the beginning of December.

So let’s recap on where some of my time went:

Personally

• Getting settled in the city of Manchester.
• Getting to know 127 other MBA’s from all over the world.
• A few weekends away to the lake district, Edinburgh, and London (several times).
• Meeting great new people in Manchester, primarily through The Gastro Club.

Academically

• Joined two MBS clubs.
• Elected as VP of Social Affairs and planned a few small events and a strategy for the coming year.
• Working closely with the amazing staff at MBS in recruitment, marketing, and some policy.
• Attending lectures and working on group assignments.
• Two large projects, one of which is for an actual organisation.
• Meetings. So, so many meetings. Meetings to plan future meetings. Meetings for the sake of meeting.

Professionally

• Attending a few tech and startup events in London.
• Meeting as many people in the tech industry as I can as I carve out my career ambitions…I’ve got it pretty much nailed down to VC or Startup BD.

After all that, as well as a number of other things that you don’t budget time for, finally came blogging. As much as I enjoy writing, I simply had too many things on my plate; I tried to do everything and meet everyone.

Now, I feel like I did pretty well in my first term. I met amazing people in my personal, academic, and professional circles, and am well-positioned to take on the second stage of the MBA. I figured things out and learned how to manage my time better than before. You heard it here first, I’ll be blogging more in 2011.

In the coming weeks, I’ll be doing a more formal re-launch of the site. I have a new layout in the works and a number of posts that are ready to roll off the (word)presses. I’ll also be focusing more on tech commentary, but will still be throwing in some cocktail bar and restaurant reviews. In essence, I’ll be bridging the gap  between my interests and my passions to make the site a better representation of who I am.

I look forward to the challenges that 2011 will bring and I know there will be a number of things that will attempt to lure me off the path of being a good writer/blogger, but this is something I love doing and I will do everything I can to give it the attention it deserves. It’s therapeutic, it’s expressive, and above all else, it’s fun.

To my fellow bloggers, followers, MBA colleagues, professional acquaintances, friends, and everyone else, thanks for the support: personally, academically, and professionally. I don’t discount how important the people I surround myself with have been in helping me achieve my goals over the last few months.

Have a great New Year and I’ll see you in 2011.

Michael

PS Apologies for the puns, but I just couldn’t help myself (this is a food blog, after all!)

The three restaurants of Constantin Constant: Cafe Constant, Les Cocotte, and Le Violon d’Ingres.

Three of the finest bars run by the same gang: Experimental Cocktail Club, Prescription, and Curio Parlour.

I’ll say this, there was nothing funny about these establishments dedicated to the finest culinary and cocktail experiences. The service across all of them was excellent and in some ways, it was a really enlightening experience. I realised that meals in Paris don’t have to be expensive if you want good food. I realised the service, even to an American on his own without a word of French, can still be first-class. I discovered the vieux carre (more on that in a minute).

The three restaurants of Constantin Constant all reside adjacent to one another along Rue Saint-Dominique in the 7th. Cafe Constant is, as the name implies, significantly less formal. Four of us came for lunch with no reservation and walked away under €20 a head on the prix fixe. That is shockingly good value for Paris. Have a gander at some of the food:

The next night it was off to Les Cocottes. I imagine you might need to make a reservation here, as it was quite busy when I entered. However, I was on my own and you can actually eat at the bar, so I had no trouble getting a seat. Have I mentioned I hate eating alone? I always have to sit there and fiddle with my phone (probably tweeting about the meal) or checking my e-mail, etc…but sitting at the bar, there is no one across from me and I don’t feel uncomfortable in the slightest. I actually enjoyed being alone. Anyways, the food is very reasonably priced and certainly high quality. I think I managed to get away with €40 for starter, main, and dessert with a glass of wine. I started off with a langoustine dish, moved on to the special of the day – a chicken cocotte, and then had the chef’s special divinely chocolatey dessert. For those that don’t know, a cocotte is a dish served in a small fireproof pot. See it in the pictures below:

Lastly, on the high-end, we have Le Violon d’Ingres. I’m a terrible food blogger and didn’t make a note of what I had, so you’ll just have to trust me in saying that it was very nice, but the food was not of such significantly higher quality as to justify the price. Its more about the atmosphere which is much more intimate. I’d suggest going here for a romantic dinner; Les Cocottes is the better choice for entertaining.

On the drinks side, each of the three cocktail clubs I sampled had a completely different atmosphere.

First up was Experiemental Cocktail Club. This was the most mature of the three bars with a staff that ran the place like clockwork. They knew everything about drinks, and could match your tastes, but for a place called Experimental Cocktail Club, I didn’t find them all that experimental. That is not a bad thing. The drinks were innovative and perfected. They knew what works, there was no experiment. The vibe was pretty casual, but this was certainly the place for an intimate evening of fine drinking. My drinks: Tommy’s Margarita and a Ditzy Kitty.

After a couple drinks here, I trotted on down to Prescription. Best vibe of the night — the place was absolutely buzzing. Cool people, dressed cool, all enjoying cool cocktails. I found it so much easier to approach people and strike up conversations…even with the bartnenders who certainly had their hands full. Prescription also introduced me to the vieux carre. Oh, the vieux carre, a beautiful blend of Rittenhouse Rye, Grosperrin VSOP cognac, sweet vermouth, Angostura bitters, Benedictine, and a citrus zest. It was approaching 1am and it was time for me to move on…though I could have spent the entire night drinking vieux carres.

Curio Parlor was my next and final stop of the evening and I promptly found a seat at the bar where I camped out for the evening. It was time to slow things down a bit, move on to some classics, and really soak up my last evening in Paris. It was time for a Manhattan. I think people were sufficiently libated here because I didn’t need to initiate any of the conversations. A steady stream of people seemed to keep coming up to chat — maybe I just looked cool with the Manhattan. Of course, Curio Parlor was open till 4am so my 2 drink limit that I had held so tightly to seemed a bit meaningless, as this was my last stop of the night. I think I probably had 3 or 4 drinks at Curio and they were all delicious. I stuck mostly to classics (ok, manhattans), but I think a threw a surprise in from the menu, just to say I had.

All in all, I was very impressed with all of these spots and I would whole-heartedly recommend them to anyone…

Inherently funny? Hardly, thought I did meet some intersting people along the way.

More satisfying? Drinking at three bars is always more satisfying than one. Tasty food too.

More effective? I definitely feel like I experienced some of Paris’ finest by cramming these places into three days in Paris.

Drinks (because I always start with drinks)

Odder Bar (Oxford Road): This sister bar to Odd in the Northern Quarter has plenty of good offers for poor students like myself. £5 will get you a small pizza and a pint for dinner. The pizza is pretty small, but if you’re just looking for something to munch on whilst having a few drinks, its way better than a packet of crisps. They’ve got a decent selection of beers and a very chilled atmosphere.

Socio Rehab (High Street, Northern Quarter): Every single person I’ve asked for Manchester bar recommendations has always had this place on their list, and for good reason. The service is a little slow, but if you’re not in a hurry, their drinks are really something special. The staff are amazing at what they do considering their cocktail menu has over 80 drinks and even an order of 5 or 6 drinks still comes out right. My personal favourite is the Mid-Week Roller. Drinks come out at £6.50 each, which is on the pricier side of Manchester, but still way cheaper than London.

Keko Maku (High Street, Northern Quarter): This place takes you back to a simpler, more relaxed time; your own little island in the middle of Manchester . Leave your worries at the door, there’s no room for them here. Drinks are generous in both size and alcohol content. Also, they have a rum club for £10 that’ll score you an invite to one of their brand-supported drinkfests every 6 weeks or so. I haven’t been yet, but it sounds like pretty good value to me.

Mojo (Bridge Street (Backside), just off Deansgate): A rock n’ roll cocktail bar. What more needs to be said? I picked this venue for a recent MBA student meet-up and about 50 of us descended on the place on a Tuesday…entirely dwarfing the other 15 or so other people. By midnight, though, quite a few other people had come along and the place was getting rather full. Apparently, on the weekends, Mojo is completely packed and it’s one of the best late night haunts in the city– when everything else is closing, the party continue here till 4AM. With a pretty extensive and reasonably-priced drinks menu (£2 Quilmes, wow) and a good mix of rock, pop, and even reggae, Mojo makes a great choice for either a large group on the dance floor or a few friends taking over one of their many booths in the back.

Coffee

Java (near Oxford Road Rail Station): My first stop in Manchester and on my way to school. They have free WiFi, decent food, and they can pour a real nice cup. I especially like their frappe’s for those balmy summer days in Manchester. Ha, who am I kidding? It’s just a nice place to sit and waste away a couple of hours and they’ve got flat whites on the menu too.

North Tea Power (Northern Quarter): Wayne and Jane run this little cafe tucked away in the Northern Quarter. Apparently they are the first in the UK to offer espresso tea. No flat white on the menu, but they are more than capable of making you one.

Restaurants

Well, to be honest, I haven’t really ventured out too much. I’ve got a list a mile long, but I’ll save that for my next post once I’ve actually had a chance to try a few.

By all means, if you have any suggestions, please leave them in the comments….I’m going to eat my way through the town over the next few weeks before the madness of the MBA really sets in.

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of going to Roast in Borough Market for a few drinks. This place exemplifies class without being even the slighest bit pretentious. You would feel just as comfortable in jeans and a t-shirt as you would donning your best dinner jacket. They’ve somehow managed to capture all the friendliness and charm of Borough Market and added the service and atmosphere you would expect from a fine dining experience. The entrance is not easy to find, but ask anyone and they can point you in the right direction…or just look up. The place sits right above the market with tall glass windows for terrific views of everything below. The high ceilings are all glass too, giving Roast a very airy and open feel which helps to achieve the welcoming atmosphere they’ve tried to create.

My first visit was, naturally, for the bar. After a long stroll through Borough Market, we were a bit thirsty and the drinks menu is really refreshing. Every drink uses the best ingredients, many of them sourced from the market itself. The list of drinks changes regularly…so there’s always a reason to go back? The Bloody Mary, though, is reason enough. I could go on about how they cater to your every taste, whether you’re in the mood for something sweet, sour, spciy or otherwise…but I think I’ll just let the menu speak for itself.

Fancy a Drink?

The bar is very well stocked and you can immediately see that they take their drinks seriously. I wish I’d taken a picture of it, but there were plenty of unique spirits. They’re happy to serve up the classics (which I’m sure are very nice), but I suggest you work your way through their inspired drinks menu. Be nice to them and they’ll be nice to you, just check out our supposedly small margaritas, you know, just to taste them.

Now, I’ve only had the Sunday roast, so anything else on the menu is foreign to me, but this is a post about a place called Roast and I went on a Sunday…What did you think I was going to have? The meal was absolutely delicious. I started off with a nice light salad in preparation for the meat feast that was coming. I went for pork belly and it was (un)comfortably the biggest pork belly I’ve ever had the pleasure of consuming…and consume I did. This was just another example of me eating far beyond the point of satisfaction and just across the line of gluttony. I’ll never learn.

The three course set menu roast on Sunday will set you back £30. Drinks are about £8. Ok, so it’s not cheap. It is seriously satisfying though, and certainly a place you could spend HOURS in. A friend told me I could simply write “Roast=Awesome.” and this post would be complete. I think it’s better summed up by saying it is just so satisfying on so many levels. Shockingly refreshing drinks, high-quality food from high-quality ingredients, and enough food to last all day…all in a fresh and inviting environment.

If it’s a sunny weekend, there’s probably no place I’d rather be than Roast. You might need to book a bit in advance, though, as they sometimes fill up on weekends. However, if you just happen to be strolling through Borough Market, it’s definitely worth popping in to their bar to lift your spirits with whatever the weekly special happens to be.

Bar Tip: I have to go back.

Tipster: I have to go back.

Restaurant Tip: This place gets two tips.

Tipster: It’s that good.

I recently discovered that these three words bear almost no meaning in the city of Amsterdam. Over the Easter weekend, I decided last minute to take a trip to visit the Dutch and see what kind of trouble I could get into. Four of us flocked to this city of debauchery with no agenda and no plans; our only obligations lie in making the most of the city. In the very centre of the city, I only had one recommendation, the speakeasy bar Door 74.

It was Saturday night and I would normally try and book for any classy cocktail bar, but here it would appear that is the onlyway of getting in at all if you’re not lucky. We didn’t really know what to expect except some really nice cocktails. A reservation was for 10pm and from the moment we walk in, we’re treated like VIPs at the most exclusive night spot in town. A kind gentleman takes our coats. A beautiful girl shows us to our table where a nice selection of nuts and olives awaits. Would we like a glass of champagne to start? Why yes, we most certainly would.

A Dry Vodka Martini

The drinks menu is extensive with plenty of interesting and unique creations. No fruit drinks here; if there’s fruit, it’s because they’re using their own homemade fruit syrups. The red vermouth is homemade too. Rare bitters find their way into rare and often infused spirits. Every drink is a tribute to the art of bartending.

Sure, they can do the classics, and whilst my friends were working their way through the cocktail menu, I was putting the bar through its paces. I started off with my personal bartending benchmark, a dry vodka martini with a twist. Surprisingly, the waitress asked if i wanted it shaken or stirred. This seems like a haven for purists, so I didn’t feel out of place saying “Stirred, never shaken.” I think it’s generally regarded that shaking a martini only serves to dilute the drink. Anyways, this drink goes down smooth, crisp, clean, and with just the slightest sweetness to it. Served in a chilled glass, it is truly a thing of beauty and rates among the best I’ve ever had. Ok, so they passed that test, but even I can make an (admittedly, average) martini.

“Could I have a Perfect Manhattan?”

“Absolutely.”

The Perfect Manhattan

Meanwhile, we ordered another round of house cocktails for the table and so far my favourite is “The Viking” – Akavit, Barbancourt rhum, Lillet blanc, orange  bitters. Just then, one of the bartenders approaches me and says “Are you the one who ordered the Perfect Manhattan?” Somewhat guiltily, I acknowledged I was the trying to gauge just how good their cocktails were. “You seem to know your drinks. Let’s find you that Perfect Manhattan.” Now it was a journey we were taking together. I try one whiskey that I am warned is quite strong. As delicious as it is, its probably going to overpower the vermouth. He knew it too and without hesitation he brings over a 100-proof whiskey which he thinks will suit it perfectly. This was only the second taste, but I knew this would be the one. A few minutes later, my Manhattan arrives and he’s standing there waiting for me to taste it, slightly nervous that it might not be what I was looking for, but showing the kind of excitement you get before someone opens a gift you have really put a lot of thought into. One sip and it’s perfect. Actually the best Perfect Manhattan I’ve ever had…twice.

So we worked our way through and I think I might have gone for a Sazerak, but it didn’t even matter. I was only trying other drinks because I would have felt bad about having the same Manhattans all night. It was nearing 3am and I asked what time the bar closes and with a spirited laugh (no pun intended) the waitress says, “We close when the bartenders feel like leaving…and they really hate leaving.” But it was getting late and we’d drank plenty, so we decided it was time to call it a night.

We walked back to our substandard accommodation and I had to drop off my roommates and take the single key so I could walk my friend back to where she was staying and still be able to get back into our hotel. The moment we walked out she looks at me and goes, “You know, I bet it would have been fun to stay there longer…” I didn’t need much persuading and we quickly jumped in a taxi. We thought we would just stop by for one last drink.

My foray into bartending.

We arrived back at the bar around 4 and were told it had shut some time earlier. After some persuading, we managed to get in and realised they were just getting started. There were still a good 15 or so people and they were cleaning up so we were told we could have any simple drinks. Like shots. Easy to pour, easy to serve, and too easy to drink. At one point they even put me behind the bar, a sign of respect that I don’t take for granted. They guided me around their vast selection of spirits to pour out shots for everyone and apparently, I was only the 4th person to person to work the bar who didn’t actually work for the bar. Rum and cokes were the bartender’s choice and their house rum is El Dorado from Guyana, which has a slight vanilla taste to it. We ended up talking for hours with the staff and other patrons lucky enough to be invited to stay late. A late night became an early morning and most of the guests slowly started to file out by 6. Everything, most of all our sobriety, was coming to an end. There were 5 of us left now, but we can’t leave without one last drink.

Out comes the champagne and a shot of whiskey each. A couple glasses down and some more meaningful chat and it’s now 7:30. We’ve lasted as long as the bartenders wanted to and they decided its time to finally call it a night. Have we really been here for the better part of 8 hours? Handshakes and hugs all around, it’s been an adventure and this is what Amsterdam is all about.

After that night, all I wanted to do was go back…which we did, the very next night. It was another night of decadence that ended with us stepping out into the light of day. Even now all I can think about is the next time I can get back for another round with some of Amsterdam’s finest bartenders. One last drink? I hope that’s never the case at Door 74.

Door 74

PS HUGE thanks to 52 Martinis for the fantastic recommendation.

The atmosphere is welcoming and comfortable. Most recently, I came here with one guy and a few girls and each of them immediate jumped an octave and squeaked “ohmygod its sooo CUTE!” (the guy included, it’s THAT cute). Random kitch adorns the walls along with all of my favourite Italian meats and cheeses. Downstairs there is a small lounge area with books on cooking, a couple couches and tables and a set of turntables (I didn’t see any records, but this would be a GREAT place to waste an afternoon over a bottle (or two) of wine and a stack of records). I walked in and, even though I’d only been once before, everything felt so familiar. I picked a table, laid my jacket on the back of a chair, placed the bottle of wine we’d brought on the table, and went back outside to wait for the rest of my party. The staff are exceedingly friendly and as soon as everyone had arrived, they rearranged the tables to seat our group of 5.

The menu is simple, but what they do, they do well. Both times I’ve been I started with the meat and cheese platter. This is a meal on it’s own and when we requested turning the platter into something slightly more vegetarian friendly, they simply brought out a larger portion with more cheese and vegetables. 5 people ate well and we had only chalked up £20 to the bill. Every time we started to run low on bread, another loaf appeared out of nowhere. Twice now I’ve been and both times I’ve had the gnocchi. This time was a simple mozzarella, tomato, and basil gnocchi which tasted very fresh and was a perfect compliment to the meat and cheese feast. Having had so much food to start with, three girls split two mains– something to keep in mind. If you’ve got an appetite though, don’t hesitate to get a whole pasta dish for yourself. Also, whilst they offer a few nice house wines, you are welcome to bring your own. None of us made it to dessert, but they all looked very nice.

For the 5 of us, the final bill came to £70. The service was casual, yet attentive; we never waited long for anything, and when I wanted the bill, I felt comfortable enough to walk up and ask them for it directly. On our way out, Gianfilippo came over for a quick chat and personally thanked each of us for coming.

We walked out perfectly satisfied and with, pardon the pun, big cheesy grins on our faces. We were just so taken with the place, the people, and the food that we found ourselves arm in arm, practically skipping down the road to Callooh Callay.

That’s the effect Bottega Prelibato has on you.

That, or the three bottles of wine we brought.

The Tip: TBC

The Tipster: Gianfilippo

Lastly, it is worth noting that I am not the first person to have reviewed this place. Apparently, it does quite well as a lunchtime delicatessen. Check out Cheese and Biscuits for a much more established and reputable blog than my own.

From start to finish, there is a lot to enjoy here.

Normally, I would start with the cocktails menu, only this time there isn’t one.

There are no real menus, in fact, nor are there any real waiting staff. All the ordering is done using a touchpad built into the table and food and drinks are brought to you as soon as they’re ready. A projector mounted above the table projects your virtual menu onto the table and this is where the fun starts. It may sound really gimmicky, but there is something a bit exciting about scrolling through the menu options and seeing each dish beamed down onto your plate.  It sparks conversation too; you’re each talking about what you want to order, who gets to order which dish, in what order you want them to arrive, etc. Changing the decor of the table is as simple as a few clicks. As soon as you’ve made your selection, the whole menu rolls up into an inobtrusive little circle on the table. It’s great to have some fun with it, but don’t let yourself get carried away. Changing the decor with a few quick clicks? Keeps things fresh and fun. Watching the crew at work on the “Kitchen Cam”? Blurry and pretty pointless. And a game of battleship? You’re in real trouble if you have that little to talk about that you resort to this. The whole system can really ‘bring something to the table’, but don’t let it detract from the enjoyment of everything else, especially your company.

With the novelty wearing off, we started off with a couple cocktails. The drinks are delicious and they really think of some interesting creations. As with everything else, fusion is the name of the game here. Your standard mojito is now a sake mojito. Fresh fruits make their way into most, if not all of the martinis: passionfruit, lychee, lemongrass and melon, to name a few. Their signature drink, the Inamo, is a refreshing and spicy blend of mandarin puree, spring onion, vodka and chili syrup. Careful, I ordered a Thai Sapphire expecting a manly drink, only to get an extremely fruit and pink conconction. It was still pretty refreshing, but not my kind of drink.

Over to food. Normally I go straight for the Berkshire pork neck with apple confit and chocolate sauce (you people who can’t mix your sweet and savouries can shove it…this is my favourite thing on the menu) but this time I’d come with a vegetarian who still eats seafood. Side note: I really dislike the word floating around for this, pesca-aqua-whatever. At least this meant we could still get the black miso cod, my second favourite dish. So we went through the interactive menus and ordered the following:

• Spinach and Mushroom Parcels: I really don’t like mushrooms in anything and I thought these were delicious. Wrapped up little gifts from the vegetarian gods.
• Tuna Tartare (pictured): Really nicely presented dish of “chopped tuna, sesame, herbs, truffle and soy” with a raw quail’s egg on the side which we mixed in right away. I imagine it improved the consistency, but I didn’t try it without it.
• Black Cod: Instant classic, and from what I’ve heard, very reminiscent of what you’d find at much more expensive restaurants like Nobu.
• Sashimi Platter: Larger than I expected, 15 sizable pieces of fish and an AMAZING wasabi dressing.
• Edame Beans and Crunchy Green Salad: I’ve lumped these together because they were both just side vegetable dishes. They are pretty standard fare, but the Green salad has a really nice sesame dressing and I think it goes well with everything else.

There’s not much else to say, really. I’ve worked my way through a bunch of the meat dishes, some of the seafood, and even a curry or two. On the meat side, the aforementioned Berkshire Pork Neck, the Hot Stone Ribeye, and the Wagyu Bavette could each get me to return. Everything just tastes very fresh and unique. It is so easy to get the whole fusion concept so terribly, terribly wrong, but this is a terrific and inspired menu that really shows that the genre can deliver.

Of course we had dessert and the European influence here is obvious. Apparently there’s a French pastry chef in the kitchen. We had the Vanilla Creme Brulee (see banner photo) and it did not dissappoint either. Extremely creamy and velvety. I would order it again on my next visit, but I am too curious to try the other dishes like the Thai Basil Pana Cotta.

I will close by saying that after one bite, there is no way you could mistake this place as just a restaurant with a good gimmick. As interesting and cool as the whole ordering/interactive dining experience is, it is the food that will keep you coming back. The prices aren’t cheap, but I always walk away feeling like I got good value for money. There isn’t much to say about the service, because they tell you up front that dishes will come about 15-20 minutes after you order them, and that pretty much holds true. That said, you can always flag down a waiter if you need anything else.

Tip: PINCHITOtapas, WC1 (I don’t need any convincing, I’m practically a regular at the EC1 branch)

Tipster: Anthony, Manager

Let the games begin.

Meat is all around me. At Rodizio Rico, skewered towers of meat bombard you from all corners of the room. Our server comes up and asks if we’ve been before. Two out of three of us had been and we knew what to expect. The third made sure to bring his appetite, doing his stomach stretches with a burger at lunch. The waiter tossed three coasters onto the table, green on one side, red on the other. Green side up and the floodgates are open. Red side up when you need to catch your breath (or you’re on your last breath).

“Eat as much as you can,” he says.

Don’t worry, we knew what we were getting into long before we stepped foot in the door.

We’re wearing sweatpants, we’re here for excess.

You start by having a look at the buffet. I think I saw some salad and fruits, but that just takes up valuable meat space. The rest of the buffet is either fried, meat, or maybe fried meat. Rice with chicken. Fried vegetables with sausage.

Round 1

All in all maybe 10 different dishes, only one or two of which contain only vegetables. I load up 3/4 of a plate full, leaving a corner of the plate for the first wave of meat. I figure I can eat my way around the buffet starters and make more room for meat as the night goes on.

One by one, the carvers march over to our table. Lamb, rump steak, top side of beef, beef with cheese, beef shish, pork, sausages, chicken hearts (!). You get through them all and nothing has had a chance to settle. The food ranges from good to great, but more than anything, we’re driven by the mantra “Eat as much as you can”. Back to the buffet, but only to keep the palate fresh for more meat. A glass of wine helps too. That glass is on the coaster, pinning it to the table green side up.

Another plateful. More skewers. We’ve lapped ourselves and we’re back on lamb. We’re starting to have to make some tough choices; we can only accomodate our favourite meats now. I’m not full yet, but I can feel the food starting to weigh me down. Can’t stop, keep it coming.

Defeat.

Another plate down. The room’s going blurry and my head is spinning. I can’t make eye contact with any of the servers because Ithink they can sense my weakness. I surrender, I’m waving the white flag, I’m…turning the coaster from green to red. Take pity on me, I’ve just eaten my weight in meat.

We all say there’s always room for dessert. I’ve never known this to be more true than at Rodizio Rico. As full as I was, each meat skewer taunting me as it went by, I still thought dessert sounded pretty nice. A nice, light, and very sweet, mango custard was just what I needed.

Dinner, dessert, and a glass of wine come to just over 30 with service. Carnivores, eat your heart out.

The tip: Preto

The tipster: The man in the suit and tie…who, it turns out, doesn’t eat meat.