Cost isn't everything
How much are you willing to pay for a meal before you wince at the cost?
Recently, celebrating a birthday, I clocked up a bill for £300 for four of us for dinner and wine at Simpson's in Edgbaston. Now I'm not going to claim that's anything other than expensive, but I didn't feel in the least ripped off.
The food was cleverly conceived, beautifully cooked and fabulously tasty. The wines, from the cheaper end of the list, were excellent. And service was impeccable.
The bottom line is that our view of whether a restaurant gives value for money doesn't rest only on the cost, but on the quality of food served.
I've eaten meals that cost a tenner a head and felt shortchanged. Yet Simpson's seemed reasonable value at £75 a head.
But I guess I'm lucky to be able to afford to eat at such establishments. Such treats are what make this job so great.
I hope my review in Thursday's Food + Drink section of the Mail indicates just how much I enjoyed the meal.
PS:
If you want the chance to eat really cheaply, check out the competition in tomorrow's Food + Drink - the chance to win a meal for four, with wine, at Birmingham's newest gastro-pub, the King's Head in Hagley Road.
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Paul Fulford - Features Editor Paul Fulford gives his verdict on the region’s restaurants.
I would say it's about a balance between quality and cost. The problem with a £300 meal is that if it was anything other than excellent, you would rightly feel cheated. Especially in Birmingham, to be honest.
On the other hand, when a £30 meal turns out to be so much better than expected, you can't help but be delighted!
Absolutely right - a few months ago four of us ate at Jacky's Kitchen in Bromsgrove Street for around a tenner a head (with wine and beer) and though the food would never win Michelin stars, it was tasty and freshly cooked so it was impossible not to walk out smiling.