: Wed Feb 28, 2007 5:26 pm
Steam Pig wrote:
We went on work do just before xmas, it's fine, although some inverted snobs on here may think it too "whitey". The bar isn't particularly cheap but the food is good and reasonably priced, good surroundings and service, try to go later than earlier or you'll be eating by yourself.
I’ll pick up the gauntlet as I’d assume I’m one of the worst offenders.
I don’t see it as inverted snobbery but as common sense and is based on what do I want from a visit to a curry house and what do I consider to be value. My thinking goes like this:
The cost of making a curry doesn’t alter from one place to another. Unless the meat is free range organic (and it won’t be) it’ll be the same cost to buy for all curry houses. The same applies to the fresh ingredients and spices, which will all be bought for the same price from the same wholesalers.
So what are the other factors you might have to pay for?
Cleaning – doesn’t alter from place to place.
Chef – unless you’re employing a chef to cook ‘fancy’ dishes then I doubt the cost of a chef differs much from one place to another. A nominal impact if anything at all.
Waiters – again, unless you’re after silver service experience you won’t pay more/less for a waiter’s labour costs.
Uniforms – if the waiters are wearing fancy uniforms then you’re paying for it
Bar – if its got a bar its paying for a licence and you’re paying for it.
Parking – if its got a car park then you’re paying for it, it costs money to buy and maintain.
Parking attendant or ‘greeter’ at the door – a la Mumtaz for the former or Agraahs in Leeds for the latter, if there is one then you’re paying for him.
Location – if its in a posh city centre location then you’re paying for it.
Foyer – if space is being given up for a foyer or a cocktail bar or similar rather than for tables then every table that is there is expected to recoup more money to pay for it.
Décor – if it has funky décor then it’ll cost more money which you’ll be paying for on every meal. It’ll also need replacing more often upping the cost to the punter even further.
Furniture – as above, if its funky you’re paying for it.
Lighting – again as above, if there is fancy lighting then it costs more to buy, run and replace and you’re paying for it again.
Cutlery/plates – the fancier the pricier, the pricier the more the supplement you’ll be paying. Of course, if there’s no cutlery there’s no cost at all…
The other impact on prices is demand. If demand is high then (to a degree) so is cost, but demand doesn’t equate to quality – there’s huge demand for Mcdonalds but its still sh
ite.
Compare and contrast somewhere like Karachi or Kashmir where you can have 3 ‘courses’ for less than £6 with a Mumtaz, Agraahs, Akbars or indeed Three Singhs where you can pay more than double that just for a main course. The prices in the latter places aren’t higher because the food costs more to prepare but because there are a range of those extra costs loaded on (the décor/lighting/uniforms/car parks etc) to create an
experience.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing though and doesn’t necessarily mean the food will be poor because there is a focus on the
experience factors.
For a works doo a more expensive place is ideal – not everyone likes curry, let alone likes good curry, some people feel safer in a fancy establishment, its probably a special occasion so you want to go somewhere fancy to match it (and don’t mind paying more for the one off ) and most of the people there will be at least as bothered about getting pi
ssed up as having a good meal so a bar is important. No problem with that.
The people that annoy me though are those that routinely go to these sort of places and herald them as something wonderful or even just patronise them frequently, claiming its not because of the experience but because of the food. I find that as nonsensical as it is self delusional.
The prices are higher for non food related factors – they’re paying for the experience and not the food but don’t like to admit it to themselves or others. Moreover, these sort of places recognise that their market is not one where food is important but experience is and tailor their menu and methods accordingly meaning that the food itself is frequently not as good as significantly cheaper places who only have the quality of their food to market themselves with, as they have the luxury of targeting the experience market. Take for example, reviews on here of Agraahs (by me) and the Three Singhs (by someone else) - the food is pretty variable despite the prices.
I’ve recently added reviews of visits to the Golden Bengal in Leeds and Mumtaz that were for occasions and fitted the bill very well. I paid a lot more but got food that was good at Mumtaz and excellent at the GB so I didn’t mind it too much but wouldn’t go to either regularly as it’s the food I go out for not the décor etc. For everyday curries I want high quality at low cost and if it can be busy at 7pm and doesn’t offer all the trimmings it probably offers both of those.
As regards the Three Singhs I wouldn't go there unless it was a group doo where I had no choice. The name just suggests servility and pandering to the sort of whitey ars
eholes I refer to as delusional above. I might be missing out on something special but for my requirements for good food first and foremost I doubt it.
