restaurants

For many of us, hosting a dinner party is an intimidating job. It requires a lot of effort as well as time for making complete arrangements for hosting a dinner party. Right from planning your guest list to selecting a menu and ensuring things remain in place all the while, you would need some tips for party catering London.

While hiring reliable service of dinner party catering or handling the things yourself with some assistance from the professionals can let one embrace complete fun with a relaxed attitude.

Create the right atmosphere: You can one spot where you add a warm colour on your table. The food you are going to serve would be warm, and using colourful towel or trivet under a dish of your choice would create a warm ambience. You can add to the look with simple things like lighting up some Mason jar candles!

Select the right menu: Generally, there should be at 6 people in the party. It is a good idea too if your guests bring something on their part. You can take charge of preparing the main dish or dishes. Basically, the menu you choose for your dinner party would be based on the number of people you are inviting.

Setting the table: Certain styles may have a major influence on you, like a traditional classic style of setting tableware. On the other hand, some of us would rather prefer using a modern style with a minimalist approach. Here decorating with hints of gold, black and white or bold colours can help. One can choose to incorporate one’s personal preferences with the chosen style while setting the table.

While certain people prefer flower arrangements, others may use less conventional choices like succulents in the setting the decorations of the table. Colourful flowers are a versatile choice.

Preparation for hosting the party: It is not only important to prepare for great dinner time, but things should be pretty manageable after the gala time. Ensuring that you have cleared up dishwasher prior to starting the party would give you peace of mind for doing the dishes and having them clean at the end of it all. Apart from this, the trash-can should also be emptied before the party commences.

Play tasteful music: Do not shy away from playing your favourite dinner party music from your iTunes collection. Apart from choosing some of the kindred collections, make sure you have a low volume so that it is convenient to talk with friends. Music is going to lend the right spirit and fill in the gaps between your meaningful conversations.

With these simple tips, you can host an ultimate dinner with excellent party catering London.

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For any foodie, London is one of the best cities in the world to visit with its countless restaurants and eateries that lines its historic streets. If you’re thinking of visiting anytime soon, you’ll have plenty to choose from when you’re ready for a bite to eat.

There are hundreds of Italian restaurants across The Big Smoke, so if you’re a fan of Italian food, make sure to check out our selection of the best restaurants next time you visit the city.

Bella Cosa

Canary Wharf

££££

bellacosarestaurant.com

Located in the business capital of London, Canary Wharf, Bella Cosa serves a variety of traditional dishes with a modern twist, presenting beautiful dishes that you’ll love. From classic pizzas and pasta dishes to tempting seafood plates, there is an array of delicious and tantalising items on the menu for you to choose from.

With views across the South Dock of Canary Wharf, the restaurant itself provides an excellent setting for a meal out with friends, family or coworkers. You can enjoy the main dining area or hire out the private dining room.

Morso

Camden

££-£££

Morsolondon.co.uk

Morso is painfully cool so is naturally located in the coolest borough of London, Camden. You can choose from a selection of small plates as well as exciting Grappa cocktails and Italian wines. With authentic ingredients and freshly-made pasta dishes, you get a real taste of Italy when you dine at Morso.

Mangio

City of London

£

Mangio.co.uk

Right in the heart of The City of London you’ll find the charming Mangio, where they serve authentic and freshly made pasta that gives you a true taste of Italy. Mangio brings the incredible taste out of high end restaurants and makes it accessible to anyone, whether they’re grabbing a quick bite on their lunch break or looking for the best kind of fast food before exploring the city.

Franco’s

St. James’s

££££

Francoslondon.com

Established over 70 years ago, Franco’s offers a traditional Italian feeling to the streets of London with its authentic menu and delicious dishes using the best ingredients including pastas and bread which are made fresh in-house. As one of the first Italian restaurants in London, you will feel as though you are getting a little history when you dine at Franco’s.

Albertini

Camden

£

www.albertini.co.uk

This family-run restaurant was established in 2006 by Italian brothers, Albert and Tini. the restaurant itself offers a relaxed, family atmosphere, all whilst serving fresh and authentic Italian dishes that cut no corners and give you a real ‘no-frills’ taste of Italy. The restaurant offers fantastic value for money, making it the perfect venue for any occasion, such as a family evening out or a quick lunchtime bite.

When visiting London, you will be spoilt for choice when looking for somewhere to eat great Italian food. Whether you’re looking for a cheap eat or fine dining, there is something to suit everyone, so why not try one of the above restaurants and find the perfect taste of Italy in the London?

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When done right, businesses in the hospitality industry can be goldmines. Consumers are spending more money in bars, restaurants and hotels than ever before, and so with the right support, you can capitalise on their willingness to spend and take your company to the next level – but only if you can manage your finances and stay afloat when things aren’t so good.

Below, we’ve put together four of the best ways to save money when you’re working in the hospitality industry. Read on to find out more, and you’ll soon increase your bottom line.

Cut down on food waste

One of the biggest reasons why many food establishments struggle to survive is waste. The average pub and restaurant can waste more than 50% of its food stock per year due to ill planning and poor usage, so take a look at the bigger picture and find ways to cut down on the amount of food you’re buying. Do regular stock checks, fish out menu items that aren’t being ordered on a regular basis, and streamline your menu to reduce waste. With the food that is left over, create dishes, like soups, sandwiches, and pies, to avoid excessive waste.

Hire the right team first time

Rather than taking on friends and family and using temporary and relief chefs when you’re busy, you should build the right team the first time. Don’t go into this blindly – it’s easy to make the wrong decision and hire staff that are not compatible or have picked up bad habits on their journies, so rely on a company that offers hospitality recruitment for the best results.

Find a new supplier

When was the last time you spoke with your supplier and tried to arrange a discount on your food order? If you haven’t been keeping a close eye on your incomings and outgoings, you may not even know how much you’re spending per dish, so you should explore your options and look for a supplier that offers more affordable produce. Small businesses, for example, could benefit from ditching their wholesale catering supplier and switching to supermarkets, whilst larger organizations could visit their local cash and carry rather than paying delivery.

Change your serving style

Finally, rather than hiring waiting staff to greet guests, take orders, and ensure tables are happy, you could adopt a more casual dining approach, similar to that of chain bars and restaurants like Nando’s. By getting patrons to come to the bar to order their food and drinks, and make sauces, sides and soft drinks self-service, you’ll save a tonne of money and will be able to reduce your staff bill. There are drawbacks to this approach, however; your service will suffer, and regulars who enjoy your attentive service may be alienated, so weigh it up.

There you have it – a few ways to save money in the hospitality industry and increase your profits. Whatever technique you choose to try, we wish you the very best of luck with it.

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As you know, the coffee industry continues to thrive and grow all around the world. However, enthusiasts and connoisseurs are becoming more discerning with their needs. They want a richer and more flavourful cup of joe. With Wega coffee machines, they certainly can.

If you are a restaurant or café owner, here are some reasons why this is the best machine on the market:

Sleek and Modern Features

Wega coffee machines are built with lots of features. Besides churning out a good cup, these are made from stainless steel and chrome materials. With its structurally sound and engineered design, it’s no wonder many people covet this device. This alone assures you of sleek, modern pieces designed to complement your space.

Having a slim unit doesn’t mean it’s not at all functional. Equipped with programmable doses, manual brewing buttons, steam wands, auto water refill and many more, these will certainly churn out delicious cup after cup.

Durable Design

Made from heavy-duty materials, these machines can withstand the test of time. This is particularly useful when there are many people who are waiting for their drinks. After all, you don’t want machines that easily conk out, right? With this brand, café owners can give high-quality drinks in a matter of minutes, allowing customers to enjoy their beverages in its optimal state.

Easy to Use

The great thing about Wega is that is their machines are geared towards businesses and even personal use. Because of this, you might notice that their equipment is generally easy to use, allowing the whole coffee-making process to be as smooth and quick as possible. As a result, this helps people have a nicer experience when using this appliance.

Purchase a Wega coffee machine, check online catalogue now! They have a great selection of machines which can be delivered right to your doorstep.

Author: Carrie Sze

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Chefs are an essential part of your restaurant or kitchen. They are the ones who can make your restaurant to be successful or to fail. One of the challenges a person can face is hiring a restaurant chef in Sydney. Finding a chef who is competent, hardworking and capable for your restaurant can seem like an impossible task. In spite of the challenges, it’s vital for you to use hospitality consultants when finding chefs for hire. Here are qualities which you should look for when hiring a chef.

1. Have a stable temperament

There are times when your restaurant will experience bad and good days. How the chef will behave in such days will greatly influence how the other staff members will react. Having a person who is calm and collected while under pressure will keep your kitchen and restaurant running smoothly even during the days when levels of stress are high.

2. Experience

When hiring a restaurant consultant chef its necessary for you to consider their experience. You need to look for a person who has the experience of running a restaurant smoothly and efficiently, a person who will design your restaurant menus and who will maintain a good picture of your restaurant.

A chef is the backbone of your kitchen, and you would not want word to be spread around that your restaurant doesn’t serve good food. Hence when looking for a chef, look for one who is well experienced and has a vast knowledge in the culinary domain.

3. Good educator and trainer

Chefs who are experienced and qualified should also be good trainers and educators. The chefs are the ones who will be responsible for showing new employees how everything goes in the restaurant. They are well versed with using the restaurant’s equipment, and they can show the new staff members how each equipment is used.

4. Have computer skills

A good chef must also be computer literate. Knowledge of MS excel spreadsheets will help them in coming up with the costs of different menus, and also check the profits they will get with a particular cuisine. Word documents and good typing skills will also help them when creating new menu layouts. Knowing how to take advantage of various online platforms in social media will assist them in marketing the restaurant.

5. Ability to handle criticism

Another important quality that a chef needs to have is the ability to handle criticism. No matter how great the dishes are, you won’t lack a customer or two who will not like it. When such a case occurs, the chef should take the criticism politely and even smile to the customer instead of trying to argue back and forth with them.

A chef can greatly affect the success of your restaurant. He can make your business to fail or to succeed. You should hire a chef who has outstanding qualities such as; being a team leader, having an even temperament, be able to handle criticism, be well experienced and have computer skills.

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You do not have to go home and cook every night. Nor must you eat at your desk every day. You can break up the monotony of life by going to a high quality Towson restaurant. Going to a good restaurant is one way of spicing life up a bit. It will put you into a nice atmosphere; it will allow you to enjoy the rich and flavourful meals of the chef; and it most important, it will get you out of the house for a little while.

Towson restaurants are famous for their fresh, delicious food. You can enjoy everything from a well-cooked steak to a fresh catch of the day. Towson’s location in Maryland makes it one of the best places to get seafood dishes. You can get grilled octopus, hot crab dip, or calamari. You can also enjoy grilled rack of lamb chops, chicken kabobs, crispy-fried cod, and surf ‘n’ turf. Restaurants in Towson also offer a range of great sandwiches. No matter what you are in the mood for, you can get it at one of the better restaurants towson.

You should never have to sacrifice quality for price. You should be able to get a delicious and well-prepared meal for a reasonable price. You can get a range of high quality dishes for lunch or dinner. This gives you the opportunity to eat away from your desk during your lunch break or take your family out for a nice meal at dinner time. You have the option of any one of these plans. You will be able to enjoy the pleasures of Towson restaurants in your own time.

You can also turn to such restaurants for catering. If you are planning an event, then you must ensure you get the food right. This can make all the difference between a successful event and non-successful one. Once you have got the food right, everything else is a cinch. Working with a Towson restaurant can help you bring your event to a successful fruition. It can provide you with the cuisine and dishes you need to please everyone.

It is important, however, to choose the right restaurant. They do not all offer the same level and quality of service. You want to work with a Towson restaurant that can deliver what you need it to. You will need to be discriminating in this choice. You want to get the right menu for the right price. You also want to be sure about the service you receive. You will need servers who know how to carry out their jobs. The last thing you want is to bring people onboard who are not dedicated to the highest standards of customer service.

You want your event to come off well. To meet this aim, you must work with a high quality restaurant. It is the only way you will be pleased with how your event turned out. You should make the food for the event your highest priority. The only way to do that is to work with a Towson restaurant that offers first-rate catering services.

Do you want to do something special to spice up your life? You can do so by going to the best restaurants towson.

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Many people around the world enjoy going out to eat every so often. Visiting new places can be an exciting experience, as you can try different foods made by different chefs. Some restaurants will specialise in a specific type of cuisine, whereas others will have a more general menu. When you are looking for your next place to eat out, you might be able to benefit from a restaurant that specialises in atmosphere, as well as food.

What Can a Quality Restaurant Offer?

Some restaurants will only put effort into their food, rather than the atmosphere of the restaurant itself. This can make it rather unenjoyable to eat out. However, a quality restaurant in Ayrshire can provide experiences such as:

• Sunday lunches
• Afternoon teas
• Cocktails
• Locally sourced ingredients
• Private dining
• Parties
• And much more

Why Should You Visit a Restaurant?

Each and every one of these experiences are tailored to ensure that you have an enjoyable time while you eat. Whether you want a light Sunday lunch, or you are looking for an evening cocktail with a friend or two, you will be able to have a fitting meal. In some situations, you might be looking for a place to have a more private dinner. A high-quality restaurant will be able to meet those requests and provide a private dining room for you. Many chefs also make sure to take care of the food as well. They will make sure that the food they are serving is locally sourced and fresh so that they can prepare the best possible dishes for you. In fact, some chefs will even go the extra step to accommodate dietary needs, such as making gluten-free and vegetarian-friendly foods available as well.

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Over the years and in the recent past, restaurants that serve dishes with pests as their main ingredient have become increasingly popular. Pest-aurants, as they are called, can be more easily found in countries like China, Japan, and South Korea. Everyone has their own opinion; it is not necessary that you will find deep fried cockroaches delicious. Nonetheless, here are some of the very best dishes to try if you’re into this kind of things.

1. Fried Roach: this dish is perhaps the most common dish in all of the cockroach recipes. To get the best outcome possible;

• Collect your cockroaches and gather them together into a bag. Ensure that the bag is sealed and put it into a freezer for a little over 5 minutes. This allows you to make sure the cockroaches are dead.
• Take out the cockroaches and then wash them to get rid of the dirt they are carrying with them. Once washed, dry the group by spreading them on a sheet. Use a paper towel to speed up the process.
• Once done, take out a frying pan, pour a reasonable amount of olive oil and heat.
• Pour the cockroaches onto the pan and fry until they seem to turn brown and crispy.
• Now move onto the dressing. Filter out the oil and turn off the heat. Then, pour some sugar and soy sauce.
• Stir the mixture until the sugar turns into caramel, take it out on a plate and you’re ready to serve.

2. Roach Stir-Fry: This dish comes second in line. To get the best results, use of American cockroaches is preferred. Collect about 8 cockroaches, an onion, green pepper, rice (according to your needs), ginger powder, oil, and some salt.

• Like always, make sure the cockroaches are dead by keeping them in the freezer for a while. Wash and dry them, and make sure to remove both wings and legs of the insect since they won’t be needed.
• Start boiling the rice.
• Pour the vegetable oil into a pan and start heating. Simultaneously, add the onion slices and the green peppers; make sure they become crispy.
• Fry cockroaches separately in a pan until they become brown and crispy.
• Finally, place the cockroaches on the pile of rice on a plate and serve.

3. Roach spread: Not much of a dish, but a dressing. This recipe is quite simple and quickly done.

• Add the cockroaches in vinegar and then boil the mixture with butter, pepper, farina flour and a pinch of salt. This process will result in a paste.
• Spread the paste onto a bread as you would spread jam.

4. Roach Burrito: To get a deep fried cockroach burrito, you will need to;

• Get a number of cockroaches and remove both their legs and wings.
• Make sure to wash the cockroaches well.
• Fry the insects along with either chicken or beef.
• Finally, add the rest of the things you would normally do.

5. Cockroach Fondu: Who doesn’t enjoy fondu? Now, let’s try a cockroach fondu.

• Take out the wings and legs of the pest and wash their bodies.
• Boil them for at least 10 minutes and then serve them with a chocolate dip.

Many other dishes of cockroaches are available, you can try them at the Pest-aurants around you.

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Traditionally, when we decide to get married in the UK, we opt for a church or chapel to tie the knot. For the wedding party afterwards, a hotel is generally the place of choice but we overlook other options like a marquee to celebrate our big day. Everyone has their wedding in a hotel, but you should want your wedding to be different and to be remembered and having your reception in a marquee is the first step to a wedding that no one will ever forget. There are many great reasons to choose a marquee and we will look at some of them here.

1. You Decide The Venue

If you choose a hotel, then you have to go there, but with a marquee, you only need to find the space for it and it can go almost anywhere you want it to. Maybe there is a location where you first met and fell in love in a park or in the countryside or somewhere right beside the British coastline would be perfect for your big day.

2. You Choose Your Own Caterer

Because you get to choose who cooks for you, you also get to decide what you want to eat. In a hotel setting, the menus are always the same. You can either have turkey and ham, lamb or chicken with the same boring vegetables. With a marquee and your own chef, you are open to many culinary possibilities like BBQ, roasts, pizza ovens and many more and you can hire all this catering equipment in York and create a menu, your guests will love and remember for years.

3. You can Work Within Your Budget

A marquee wedding and reception allows you to have great flexibility when it comes to the money you want to spend. You get to choose the location, the chef, the decoration, the bar and the florist and having this much control allows you to work within your limited budget. You also get to choose how many people come to your event and you are not restricted by size like you would be in a hotel banquet hall. If you want to have additional guests then the marquee can be added to, so you can do that easily and with the minimum of fuss.

4. You Design The Marquee

Marquees are made to be flexible and so you get to decide the shape and area the marquee will cover. You can design the marquee according to the location you have chosen and if it is by the sea for example, you can have all the windows of the marquee facing towards the ocean. This way you get to bring the outside in and your guests will love it. You need to see the marquee as a canvas that you get to paint as you decide themes and colours.

With a marquee wedding, you get to decide when the party ends and starts. You are not restricted by opening and closing times and your guests get to celebrate your big day right into the early hours of the next day.

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You have the venue, you have the capital, and you have a sumptuous menu – so your restaurant is guaranteed to be a roaring success, right? Wrong. Many people make the mistake of thinking the restaurant business is easy, but in reality it’s a cut throat industry which is incredibly difficult to break into. A number of factors contribute to the success of a restaurant, all of which must be taken on board if you are to ensure the longevity of your endeavour. Here are some of the top factors when it comes to running a successful restaurant.

Use Quality Ingredients

However you dress them up, cheap or low quality ingredients will always shine through and your customers are bound to notice. Any restaurant’s success relies on regular custom, and the only way you are going to get this is with high calibre food. So, don’t scrimp on ingredients or use processed or frozen items. Often, it is no more expensive to use fresh ingredients, it just requires a little extra planning to ensure nothing is wasted. If you have an extensive menu, it can be difficult to make it work whilst using all fresh ingredients, so it is advisable to reduce your menu choices down so that you can focus on ensuring that each dish is top quality.

Ensure Your Equipment is Functioning

If you have faulty items in your kitchen, your responsibility is far greater than at home. Your customers’ health is in your hands, and you have a duty of care to ensure that the food you are serving is cooked properly. Your restaurant’s reputation is paramount to your business’s success, and customer complaints about food poisoning are a sure-fire way for you to lose income. On top of this, if legal inspections of your facilities show faults in your kitchen appliances then you may be subject to hefty fines, or even restaurant closures, so for this reason it is absolutely essential to your business that you don’t put off any repairs. If you’re concerned that your oven isn’t heating properly, or even overheating, then you should arrange for a professional repairs team to come and check it out. There are services offering commercial oven repair in Solihull who will be able to diagnose the problem right away and provide the right parts to get it fixed.

Don’t Forget Hospitality

Many restaurant owners produce spectacular food but are left stumped when it doesn’t seem to leave customers coming back for more. This is usually because they forgot one key ingredient – hospitality. Your customers come back for you as much as they do the food, so it’s important to show your face and make them feel valued and welcome. You should ensure that all of your staff are on board with this aim, so train your waiting staff, your chefs and your kitchen porters in hospitality as they will all have an impact on the experience of your customers. The atmosphere of a restaurant contributes greatly to its ambience and the enjoyability of a meal, so make sure you aren’t missing out on this essential factor.

Each and every one of these points is essential in order to run a buzzing restaurant, so be sure not to focus your energy all on one part and you’ll be on your way to success in no time!

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