If you were going to open a restaurant...

Markcheese

Minder wrote: »

I'd open some sort of pan Asian resso. The sort of place that serves Japanese, Thai, Korean and Vietnamese food with the odd curry thrown in. Big central bar in the middle of the floor with a large robata grill. Lots of polished wood and leather stools. I would manage the whole operation but leave the cooking to the experts. I'd also employ lots of bright, shiny, happy people to do front of
house.

Not quite your ideal but an interesting Korean/Japanese /local boozer near parnell square in dublin, (don't know the actual street). It's called Kim chi .. Ate there before Christmas, not flash and polished but seriously cool ..

MissFlitworth

Minder wrote: »

I'd open some sort of pan Asian resso. The sort of place that serves Japanese, Thai, Korean and Vietnamese food with the odd curry thrown in. Big central bar in the middle of the floor with a large robata grill. Lots of polished wood and leather stools. I would manage the whole operation but leave the cooking to the experts. I'd also employ lots of bright, shiny, happy people to do front of house.

Speaking of pan Asian (the rubbish ones, yours would be amazing) restaurants though, this made me snort unattractively on The Oatmeal this week

Alun

There's a place like that here in Bray called the Sanam "Multi-Cuisine" ... Indian, Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, Burgers, Southern Fried Chicken. :eek:

Tiddlypeeps

I'd probably hate to work in a professional kitchen but if I were to do something like that it would probably be a proper BBQ place, sort of like the food from the Bison bar in Dublin but in a much nicer setting, loads of different slow roasted meats served in giant portions of deliciousness.

That or a Denny's style restaurant. There are pretty much no decent breakfast places in Dublin. When I lived in Carlow the Eddie Rockets did a great breakfast menu, french toast, home fries, pancakes and typical fry type stuff. But none of the Eddie Rockets I've been too in Dublin seem to do that and I don't think there are any/many other places like it.

MissFlitworth

Thinking of it, if money wasn't a problem and I wasn't required to work in the kitchen except when I wanted to and the Grease Trap, gunk in the plug hole, dealing with anything on my 'gross list' etc. was someone elses problem what I would like is to discover a corner of the country where it is always a gorgeous, warm Spring day. I'd like a beautiful building right on the coast, with a terrace overlooking the sea, like so



and we would serve a menu of Tacos, margaritas and nice beers. Followed by donuts.

Minder

Alun wrote: »

There's a place like that here in Bray called the Sanam "Multi-Cuisine" ... Indian, Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, Burgers, Southern Fried Chicken. :eek:

I was think more Roka than Jasmine House meets KFC

Loire

MissFlitworth wrote: »

Thinking of it, if money wasn't a problem and I wasn't required to work in the kitchen except when I wanted to and the Grease Trap, gunk in the plug hole, dealing with anything on my 'gross list' etc. was someone elses problem what I would like is to discover a corner of the country where it is always a gorgeous, warm Spring day. I'd like a beautiful building right on the coast, with a terrace overlooking the sea, like so



and we would serve a menu of Tacos, margaritas and nice beers. Followed by donuts.

I would get SO hammered at that bar

genuine leather

A cool beer and mexican taco please Miss F...... im there ...mmmm

MissFlitworth

Loire wrote: »

I would get SO hammered at that bar

Be careful around those railings you...

I'd be a mess too, probably another reason why I shouldn't own a restaurant, I'd drink the stock.

genuine leather wrote: »

A cool beer and mexican taco please Miss F...... im there ...mmmm

On it!

Loire

It's aimed at men, but some classy places here also: http://gallivant.com/scarf

Loire

MissFlitworth wrote: »

Be careful around those railings you...

It's a real "James Bond" bar. A tux, an Omega, a pair of ladies and a vodka martini. Hey Ho

The Hill Billy

If I were to cook for a living I'd like to be dishing out a refined version of good ol' peasant food. Seasonal to the max & making the best use of the less common cuts of meat, offal, game &, as far as possible, locally sourced veg.

Loire

The Hill Billy wrote: »

If I were to cook for a living I'd like to be dishing out a refined version of good ol' peasant food. Seasonal to the max & making the best use of the less common cuts of meat, offal, game &, as far as possible, locally sourced veg.

Kinda like Bistro cooking in France?

Bassfish

My food business fantasy is to open a stall/van specialising in soups. I've been to loads of farmers markets and have rarely seen anything like what I've had in mind. I would have a choice of three soups like a French onion soup, Thai chicken noodle soup or chestnut and mushroom all served with a choice of crusty parisienne bread or brown soda bread.
That's my little fantasy but alas the need for a steady income to pay the bills will see it unrealised.

hardCopy

MissFlitworth wrote: »

I'd be a mess too, probably another reason why I shouldn't own a restaurant, I'd drink the stock.

Chicken stock or beef stock?

The Hill Billy

Loire wrote: »

Kinda like Bistro cooking in France?

Possibly. It has been quite a few years since I've been to France. I only remember eating in rip-off joints in Paris the few times I was there. And was too inebriated on fines wine & cognac when I travelled around Bordeaux to remember much at all.

MissFlitworth

hardCopy wrote: »

Chicken stock or beef stock?

I do like to be classy, nothing but the finest veal stock for me

Muahahaha

I worked front of house in bars and restaurants for years in my 20s but like many got tired of the unsocial hours, nowadays I work from home and choose my own hours which gives me ample time to fantasise about one day opening up my own restaurant.
For me, a passionate carnivore, the only restaurant I'd be interesting in opening is an Argentinian one. I spent six weeks in Patagonia a few years back and during that time me and three foodie friends had what we all call some of the best meals of our lives. If you're a fan of red meat there is no better place in the world to eat out than Argentinia.

There was one particular restaurant we visited that I would love to emulate. When you arrived at this restaurant the entire shop front on the street was a floor to ceiling cube shaped glass BBQ room, approx 16sqm in size. In the middle of the glass room was a massive BBQ pit on the ground packed full of burning embers. Over the pit strapped to metal racks were the entire carcasses of several Patagonian lambs, sides of beef and a couple of suckling pigs all which were slow cooking over hours above the pit. The four of us stood out in the street for several minutes literally salivating over the lamb cooking in the window, with the juices and fat of the meats dripping off and spitting into the fire below. We hadn't even entered the restaurant and already we knew it was going to be a great meal. We then walked inside with the cubed glass BBQ room to our right, as we did so a chef entered the room and just touched his knife to some lamb to get it to fall off the bone and into a bowl below. The excitement was reaching fever pitch, four carnivores were going for a feast ! Through the door to the right was the biggest BBQ grill I've ever seen, it was about 15m in length and had 8 chefs working at it, constantly turning a huge range of steaks of all cuts. The aroma in the room was just to die for, plumes of charcoal and hard wood smoke rose up into the canopy above. There was a real sense of urgency among the chefs and it was a very busy operation.

I won't bore ye with the details of the meal except to say it was divine. But on top of the meal what has always been memorable for me was the way in which the design of the restaurant impacted so heavily on the experience. Before we even entered our taste buds were stimulated by our eyes by gazing into the BBQ pit room, upon entry there was an explosion of sensory perception with the smells and sounds of the huge BBQ grill. We were totally stimulated by the time we had sat down at the table, at that stage they could have brought out fried mice tails and we would have devoured them !

I'd love to recreate something similar here, with the entire front of the restaurant being a glass BBQ room with meats cooking on it facing out into the street. I've no doubt that such a spectacle would make passers by stop and gaze at what could be their dinner 5 minutes later, step right in ladies and gentlemen !

funkey_monkey

I'd open a restaurant that served something other than pasta or risotto for the non meat eaters

Pang

I think my restaurant/cafe would be themed around eggs. I absolutely adore poached eggs. I would eat them every day if I could!

If that didn't work out, I would love to open a French styled patisserie that specialises in different types and flavours of eclairs.

Markcheese

funkey_monkey wrote: »

I'd open a restaurant that served something other than pasta or risotto for the non meat eaters

Goat cheese and red onion tart it is so ..

monty_python

Animord wrote: »

I have worked as a chef. 50 odd covers a night and I have three words for you. DON'T DO IT.

It nearly killed me.

Only 50? You had it easy mate

Johnny_Fontane

Dublin needs a number of restaurants which I reckon could work.

1.Dumplings - chinese dumplings, works all over the world, none in Dublin (bar the chinese restaurants).
2.Ramen restaurant - high quality japanese ramen, made the japanese way, 24 hour braising of stocks etc. Again, tiny menu, you do one thing and you do it RIGHT.
3.Vietnamese - Ok, so we have Pho Viet in Dublin, but there is nothing else. You could do Banh mi for lunch, it would go a bomb!

Animord

monty_python wrote: »

Only 50? You had it easy mate

By some people's standards I am sure I did, but having gone from working in offices for 25 years with no restaurant experience and then do a 12 week cookery course I am pretty proud of myself to have been able to handle a restaurant doing breakfasts, lunches and then 50 three course meals at night.

rubadub

Pang wrote: »

I think my restaurant/cafe would be themed around eggs. I absolutely adore poached eggs. I would eat them every day if I could!

I was thinking about this too a while ago. I would have ostrich eggs, a portion of one so you can just try it without having to deal with the whole egg. Or you could get a taster tray with loads of eggs of different birds. Even have live chickens out the back or in cages or in videos so you could pick the bird who's egg you want, and know its laid that day, in China you get live fish & frogs in tanks and can pick the one you want.


For a normal restaurant I would simply introduce varied portion sizes, price accordingly. I think its bizzare that none I have been to do this, I imagine some might but its rare. While your typical mcdonalds or chipper will have supersize meals, or lunchbox/snackbox/dinnerbox. I think its odd to give all people the same portion, so you have a 6' 5" guy with his 5" 6 stone wife given the same portion, which they would obviously not do at home.

People could order 2 dinners (I know a guy who does) but this means he is paying the typically built in cover charge twice. -which is another idea, having a cover charge and then more reasonably priced food.

Small portions sizes could encourage people to have more courses too.

One of the chinese buffets in dublin let you do a takeaway, you get a tray and fill and weigh it and you are charged just like you are for fruit in a supermarket, well actually you get a discount on the price per kilo for the more you get, which also makes sense.

hardCopy

rubadub wrote: »

For a normal restaurant I would simply introduce varied portion sizes, price accordingly. I think its bizzare that none I have been to do this, I imagine some might but its rare. While your typical mcdonalds or chipper will have supersize meals, or lunchbox/snackbox/dinnerbox. I think its odd to give all people the same portion, so you have a 6' 5" guy with his 5" 6 stone wife given the same portion, which they would obviously not do at home.
.

I have a similar idea to this where I would include a decent sized meal limited to a certain amount of calories maybe around 450.

It could a couple of different ways:

• Include a calorie limited portion as well as a full sized option for each item
• Include a different special each night with a 450 calorie limit

450 is just a random figure but it should be possible to eat out without going overboard, any menu option can be healthy if the portions are appropriate.

Johnny_Fontane

hardCopy wrote: »

I have a similar idea to this where I would include a decent sized meal limited to a certain amount of calories maybe around 450.

It could a couple of different ways:

• Include a calorie limited portion as well as a full sized option for each item
• Include a different special each night with a 450 calorie limit

450 is just a random figure but it should be possible to eat out without going overboard, any menu option can be healthy if the portions are appropriate.

you see this is exactly the sort of restaurant that I run a mile from. This obsession with calories, diet and carbohydrates drives me nuts. Keep this stuff inhouse, in YOUR house.

hardCopy

Johnny_Fontane wrote: »

you see this is exactly the sort of restaurant that I run a mile from. This obsession with calories, diet and carbohydrates drives me nuts. Keep this stuff inhouse, in YOUR house.

I disagree, it's nice to be able to eat out and still have control over what you eat.

Lots of places now show the calorie content of their foods but don't offer any low calorie option beyond a green salad.

frag420

I would open a smokehouse.......

Wings, ribs, steaks, pulled pork..............simple food done good!! With decent beers, good music, hot waitresses!!

No fois gras on a bed of something or any kind of ju or any kind of nonsence like that!!

The Hill Billy

frag420 wrote: »

I would open a smokehouse.......

Wings, ribs, steaks, pulled pork..............simple food done good!! With decent beers, good music, hot waitresses!!

No fois gras on a bed of something or any kind of ju or any kind of nonsence like that!!

Funnily enough, this describes The Smoke House restaurant in Killarney very well. Especially the hot waitresses.