I don't like going out for dinner.

[robfosters]

Just had a look.
Was wondering if it'd be better (price wise) to get 4 meals of the large box (4 people) vs 5 of the regular box (2 people)

Looks like a bout 50 a week. If I scraped the takeaways (cost about 80 a month) probably break even over a month.

Worth a try on one of the trials.

I had it for a while, I liked it but there were a few probs.

The best meals always seem to have a big price premium on them. If you want a steak dinner or rack of lamb, you’re paying a lot extra.

Also, it gets very repetitive. You see the same dinners over and over again.

I personally found the Asian noodle type dishes the best. Here’s an example of one I had

 

[BUDFORCE]

Absolutely. Being in the trade I can get a decent steak. The mrs can cook it to perfection and its "cheap".
But we still go out to eat steak... The meat may not be as good.. But theres no washing up and the mrs gets a night off.

For me, And I hope for my customers its more than just food.

See for me, on the rare occasion I do go out, the last thing I'd pick is steak.

Had steak a few times, in semi-nice places and once a posh hotel, and the quality of it was horrendous. I'm not complaining about how it was cooked either. A bad bit of steak is bad regardless of how you cook it.

I get consistently better steak in Tesco even the "standard range" and the finest or steak from my local butcher being even better, so I'm not buying the whole "you can just get unlucky" thing.

It can only leave me to believe that those places were getting their steak from questionable/cheap sources.

If I were going to go out and pay good money for a meal, at least get good ingredients, even if you have to pass a couple of quid of that to the customer, I'd rather pay it.

Actually jokes aside the best steak I ever had out was at a Wetherspoons funnily enough, I'd say about 25 years ago, in Southgate North London, ordered the surf n' turf, so the steak wasn't even the main focus I guess, but the bit that came with it was really good.

But I can get a steak from my butcher, whack it on a really hot BBQ and it's 10x better than any restaurant. Why would I pay someone else to do a worse job?

 

[UTmaniac]

Think I've eaten out at a sit down place once, maybe twice, since the pandemic began... Ironically I would probably have been spreading covid while eating at Las Iguanas at Longleat Center Parcs last year (instant positive day after we came back and was coming down with something from day two of hol).

Even without covid, it would be a very rare treat these days, because of inflation of essentials not met by a neutralising wage increase. We've ordered chippie takeway a few times in the last year, sadly the family favourite chippie closed a few months ago because of costs, but new one seems ok.

 

[Megahurtz400]

See for me, on the rare occasion I do go out, the last thing I'd pick is steak.

Had steak a few times, in semi-nice places and once a posh hotel, and the quality of it was horrendous. I'm not complaining about how it was cooked either. A bad bit of steak is bad regardless of how you cook it.

I get consistently better steak in Tesco even the "standard range" and the finest or steak from my local butcher being even better, so I'm not buying the whole "you can just get unlucky" thing.

It can only leave me to believe that those places were getting their steak from questionable/cheap sources.

If I were going to go out and pay good money for a meal, at least get good ingredients, even if you have to pass a couple of quid of that to the customer, I'd rather pay it.

Actually jokes aside the best steak I ever had out was at a Wetherspoons funnily enough, I'd say about 25 years ago, in Southgate North London, ordered the surf n' turf, so the steak wasn't even the main focus I guess, but the bit that came with it was really good.

But I can get a steak from my butcher, whack it on a really hot BBQ and it's 10x better than any restaurant. Why would I pay someone else to do a worse job?

Wetherspoons steak is under rated for sure!

Even if it isn't that great you're getting a steak and a pint for like £7 so barely even worth complaining!

 

[Trifid]

See for me, on the rare occasion I do go out, the last thing I'd pick is steak.

Had steak a few times, in semi-nice places and once a posh hotel, and the quality of it was horrendous. I'm not complaining about how it was cooked either. A bad bit of steak is bad regardless of how you cook it.

I get consistently better steak in Tesco even the "standard range" and the finest or steak from my local butcher being even better, so I'm not buying the whole "you can just get unlucky" thing.

It can only leave me to believe that those places were getting their steak from questionable/cheap sources.

If I were going to go out and pay good money for a meal, at least get good ingredients, even if you have to pass a couple of quid of that to the customer, I'd rather pay it.

Actually jokes aside the best steak I ever had out was at a Wetherspoons funnily enough, I'd say about 25 years ago, in Southgate North London, ordered the surf n' turf, so the steak wasn't even the main focus I guess, but the bit that came with it was really good.

But I can get a steak from my butcher, whack it on a really hot BBQ and it's 10x better than any restaurant. Why would I pay someone else to do a worse job?

I won't mock your Tesco standard range steak, as I've had some gems in there, and below average ones which have been better then some fancy ones I've cooked at my parents house when they get me to cook them. I have had better steak from a steakhouse though but I've paid a fortune for that meal. Still think you are missing the general socialising aspect of eating out though.

 

[Gray2233]

If I fancy steak I honestly often pick up the cheapest from Aldi or ASDA for around £2.40-2.80, give the packet a look over to make sure it's a decent cut.

I don't find paying more for supposedly better quality cuts worth it, at least not in the supermarkets. I will spring out more if I take a trip to a good butcher don't get me wrong.

 

[robfosters]

Aldi’s Ashfields 30 day matured 12oz sirloin is absolutely amazing for £7.

 

[MissChief]

I probably eat out on average once a week, sometimes twice. We have a very good selection of independent restaurants and pubs locally including a place that does great pasta and burgers. Monday to Thursday they do 20% off main meals too. My son and I can have a main meal and dessert for around £20 each which for me is worth it. The food is really good too.

We go out for lunch on a Saturday most weekends too as my son pays, a thanks for getting up at 6:30 every morning to take him to work. We’ve tried probably ten or so local places over the last few months and always been impressed by the quality. Sometimes the prices not so much though!

 

[Scam]

See for me, on the rare occasion I do go out, the last thing I'd pick is steak. (snip)

I understand what you're saying, and even steak at a good restaurant can be very disappointing - especially if it's not a specialty. Restaurants quite often do a steak option just to appease picky eaters that only recognise meat and two veg on the menu (like my boss ). I'd only really eat steak when going out if it's their specialty. Something like Hawksmoor, Gaucho, Temper, Blacklock in London for example. I'm even wary of our local steak house (not tried it) because I'm woried I'd just be disappointed. That said Hawksmoor etc. is insanely bad value for money. They must be £40-50 for a steak on it's own (no sides) nowadays. Madness. My local butcher is expensive, you're looking at £15 for a good fat ribeye, but at least it ain't £50.

Sometimes the prices not so much though!

Everything, everywhere is just so damn expensive nowadays

 

[BUDFORCE]

My local butcher is expensive, you're looking at £15 for a good fat ribeye

I tell you what, inspired by this thread I am going to go to my local butcher today and get some ribeye steaks and Ill let you know how much they are and approx weight.

I need to get some brisket anyway.

I bought a brisket (literally the whole thing) last year, I cant remember how much is was, I wana say about £70. I cut that up into family size portions (and cubed some for stews) but that brisket was really good quality. I'd cover in salt pepper, then that really cheap american mustard that comes in a squeezy bottle, put in on the bbq uncovered for about an hour maybe hour and a half, then wrapped up in tin foil, add some liquid (typically cola or soy/water mix) and keep cooking for about a 4 hour total cook time.

Absolutely melt in the mouth and moist, and the fat content gives it such a good flavour, I am not sure how much that would work our per portion, probably not much, and although seems like going off tangent, again, why would I go out and pay probably pay £20 just for one meal of that. I bet most places wouldn't even be cooking it over charcoal.

This is why when I watch travel programs (although I find him a bit cringey) the likes of Mark Weins etc when hes is places like South East Asia but also America. The quality of the food and cost in somewhere like Thailand just blows anything we have away, by a magnitude of 100. And even if you look at the US, some of the BBQ places where they have build their own smoker and specialise in BBQ, proper portions, not particularly expensive, soul food, you just don't seem to get there here.

Seems in the UK we are about "fine dining" which to me seems to be about everything but getting good food for a good price.

I understand the social aspect but I do that in other ways.

 

[Raymond Lin]

I went out earlier this week to a Korean place, there are a few things that is on the back of my mind when i am in a restaurant in the UK.

1 - I think I can do something like it for less money.
2 - I can't help but compare it to the same thing I've had in Korea.

Of course, compared to the plane ticket to Korea, it is cheaper than that. It tasted pretty good, pretty authentic, I have no complaint of the taste department in insolation. I have no complaint of the price when considering how much the flight cost. It came to about £25 for the 2 dishes. If you've can't cook or never experienced the real thing, it's fine. But for half the money for the same thing and tastes better in Korea, when i know that, i can't help but have that in the back of my mind.

 

[Rai200]

I tell you what, inspired by this thread I am going to go to my local butcher today and get some ribeye steaks and Ill let you know how much they are and approx weight.

I need to get some brisket anyway.

I bought a brisket (literally the whole thing) last year, I cant remember how much is was, I wana say about £70. I cut that up into family size portions (and cubed some for stews) but that brisket was really good quality. I'd cover in salt pepper, then that really cheap american mustard that comes in a squeezy bottle, put in on the bbq uncovered for about an hour maybe hour and a half, then wrapped up in tin foil, add some liquid (typically cola or soy/water mix) and keep cooking for about a 4 hour total cook time.

I went up to the meat market in London the other night to meet up with our butcher, the prices there are fantastic. Well worth going if you don't live too far away and want to stock up your freezer.

Brisket was £8/kg, lamb chops £6.50/kg, rib eye from about £11/kg (up to £20 for better quality).

Got gifted a 1.3kg tomahawk

Absolutely melt in the mouth and moist, and the fat content gives it such a good flavour, I am not sure how much that would work our per portion, probably not much, and although seems like going off tangent, again, why would I go out and pay probably pay £20 just for one meal of that. I bet most places wouldn't even be cooking it over charcoal.

Because you wouldn't have to buy a BBQ/smoker, coal, wood chips, spend any time cooking it, trimming it, cleaning up etc. with no guarantee it will be any good. A lot of people simply won't have space to do that kind of thing.

This is why when I watch travel programs (although I find him a bit cringey) the likes of Mark Weins etc when hes is places like South East Asia but also America. The quality of the food and cost in somewhere like Thailand just blows anything we have away, by a magnitude of 100.

Most of Asia has low cost of living and the prices reflect that.

And even if you look at the US, some of the BBQ places where they have build their own smoker and specialise in BBQ, proper portions, not particularly expensive, soul food, you just don't seem to get there here.

American BBQ isn't that cheap either, a whole brisket from a high rated BBQ place in Texas is $145* for roughly 2kg. £57 a kilo. Most places sell it for $15-20 per 1/2lb + sides. Which is about £20 like you mentioned.


*https://snowsbbq.com/product/snows-bbq-brisket/

 

[tobiasthedog]

I went up to the meat market in London the other night to meet up with our butcher, the prices there are fantastic. Well worth going if you don't live too far away and want to stock up your freezer.

Brisket was £8/kg, lamb chops £6.50/kg, rib eye from about £11/kg (up to £20 for better quality).

Got gifted a 1.3kg tomahawk

Because you wouldn't have to buy a BBQ/smoker, coal, wood chips, spend any time cooking it, trimming it, cleaning up etc. with no guarantee it will be any good. A lot of people simply won't have space to do that kind of thing.



Most of Asia has low cost of living and the prices reflect that.



American BBQ isn't that cheap either, a whole brisket from a high rated BBQ place in Texas is $145* for roughly 2kg. £57 a kilo. Most places sell it for $15-20 per 1/2lb + sides. Which is about £20 like you mentioned.


*https://snowsbbq.com/product/snows-bbq-brisket/

Where in london did you buy that tomahawk? It looks amazing. I live in London and would love to get some of that.

 

[D.P.]

Somewhat similar to me. I really enjoy cooking and think I am quite good at compared to most people's standards - my mum was a proffesional chef.
SO going to an average restaurant and paying several times the cost of the raew ingredients to get a meal where I think I could cook better myself is just disapointing at best. And since I like cooking, then I have essentially missed out on some fun.

I don;t eat much meat any more, but do eat some quality beef or something I wont find at the local supermarket like Rabbit, venison, partridge. My wife is fully vegetarian, and combined with the requirements of quality this limits us to some higher end restaurants. Unless it is a Birthday or anniversary then we need to bring the kids along so we can have a family experience, so the cost starts adding up right away. Then there is the cost of drinks, an apertif, good bottle of red and a digestif that are charged at 5x what I can buy at home (the identical wine form the same local winemakers).
It then gets very expensive ,and although it is affordable (Gucci belt joke) I often just can't be bothered with the hassle and expense.

Plus, eating out with kids always adds a big level of uncertainity. Nothign worse than an expensive meal if one of your kids os being a pain, or throws up the floor, or refuses to eat anything even they are not fussy and always eat the same food at home.

 

[BUDFORCE]

Where in london did you buy that tomahawk? It looks amazing. I live in London and would love to get some of that.

You can order those online.

 

[Participant]

I get the sentiment op, but I try and force myself to not be a food or service critic and instead to embrace the experience of using the time being waited on to talk to my family / wife / friends.

It's so easy to complain about every little thing when going out and spending money on something you yourself could have done better, but I ask myself why I ate out in the first place, which is to enjoy an occasion and have other people do stuff for me...I generally then settle in and enjoy it.

 

[Haggisman]

I'm with the OP on this, paying a fortune to have to wait for someone cook a meal for me that I could have cooked better myself at home for 1/4 of the price isn't high on my list of "things I enjoy"

 

[Rai200]

Where in london did you buy that tomahawk? It looks amazing. I live in London and would love to get some of that.

The main market, Smithfields. It opens at 2AM, as Budforce says you can order them online but the market will be a lot cheaper and straight from the source.

A trip there to stock up your freezer once in a blue moon is a good idea if you're close.

 

[GlitterBalls]

The main market, Smithfields. It opens at 2AM, as Budforce says you can order them online but the market will be a lot cheaper and straight from the source.

A trip there to stock up your freezer once in a blue moon is a good idea if you're close.

Smithfield's is great. Opens at midnight though not at 2am. Closes at 7am iirc.

 

[Philtor]

nvm.