Caterer & Hotelkeeper articles from May 2004

Caterer & Hotelkeeper archives from May 2004

Pubs Round-up.(Barracuda)(Eclipse Bar Ventures)(Brief Article)
May 6, 2004... Eclipse to launch London restaurant Eclipse Bar Ventures, which owns five bars and the Boujis nightclub in London and a bar in South Africa, will open its first restaurant on the site of the former L'Odeon in Regent Street, London, towards...

how i got here.(Devonshire Arms country house hotel)
May 6, 2004... Nigel Fairclough, cellar master at the Devonshire Arms country house hotel, Yorkshire Cumbrian Nigel Fairclough, 35, joined the Army straight from school, initially in the King's Division. By 21 he was a member of the Parachute Regiment...

On the mo ve.(Cru restaurant)(Chester Grosvenor Hotel & Spa)(Quality Hotel Sunderland)
May 6, 2004... Cru restaurant in Hoxton has welcomed IAN THOMASON as head chef. He joins the London venue from the Savoy hotel, where he was senior sous chef to Anton Edelmann. The five-star Chester Grosvenor Hotel & Spa has appointed BLANCA GALINDO SANZ...

LEVANT.
May 6, 2004... Mike Smith's first foray into Middle Eastern food at Levant leans towards Lebanese, but the menu has been tweaked a little to suit Western tastes Restaurants along London's Edgware Road tend to anchor their food firmly in Lebanese cuisine....

our back pages stories from the caterer vaults.(Centre Hotels)(Atlantic Tower Hotel)
May 6, 2004... Caterer & Hotelkeeper, 4 May 1963 A survey carried out by the Angus Steak House group of restaurants on British eating and drinking habits shows that most directors tend to choose beer or lager with their steak but, when wine is indicated,...

Property Advice zone.
May 6, 2004... Are you cut out to run a pub? The thought of escaping the rat race and running a pub is a common dream for those seeking a lifestyle change, offering the chance of taking charge of your destiny and being your own boss. For couples it...

Pairing potential.(matching wine with food)
May 6, 2004... There used to be a simple formula for matching wine with food, but current thinking says that anything goes so long as they taste good together. Fiona Sims points the way to making successful matches while avoiding the worst pitfalls Well,...

Keeping secrets.(storing wine)
May 6, 2004... Fine wine should be stored and served with care, and temperature is the critical factor in both cases. Fiona Sims delves into the dark corners of the cellar Fact: how you store wine will affect how it ages. OK, so not many of you will have...

Know your grapes.
May 6, 2004... Of the hundreds of grape varieties, only about nine go into making most of the wine we drink. Get to know those, and you're on the way to becoming an expert, says Fiona Sims The more you taste, the more you'll learn. Simple. I mean...

From terroir to table.
May 6, 2004... All sorts of factors influence what goes in to a wine bottle: the variety of grape, the soil the vines are grown in, the weather, the method of production. Fiona Sims offers a guide to the winemaker's craft First you need land. Nothing...

Williams set to join rival Ritz.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2004... John Williams, maitre chef de cuisine at Claridge's, is quitting the Mayfair hotel to join Piccadilly giant and rival, the Ritz. The move comes after previous Ritz executive chef Dominique Blais left his post last week. He had been at the hotel...

Hospital caterers should act now.
May 6, 2004... The Hospital Caterers Association (HCA) held its annual shindig in Brighton last week - conference, dinner, AGM and lots of partying, it was all happening on the South Coast. The conference discussions and the debates between delegates in...

The UK top 20.
May 6, 2004... Caterer asked the country's leading sommeliers and restaurant wine buyers to nominate their favourite wine suppliers. We give you their vital statistics, revealing their best-selling wines, their latest discoveries and their hot tips on regions...

Five hot spots.
May 6, 2004... Which wine regions and countries have really got them talking? Fiona Sims profiles five of the world's top wine hot spots. If you haven't got any of them on your wine list yet, you'd better get ordering South Africa I've just got back...

BOOKREVIEW.(Rick Stein's Food Heroes: Another Helping)(Book Review)
May 6, 2004... This is Rick Stein's follow-up to his guide to the Food Heroes of Britain. This time the focus is on favourite recipes he has picked up from across the world, with influences from artisanal producers he has met in Britain and Ireland. The...

All the fun of the fair.
May 6, 2004... The London International Wine & Spirits Fair hits town this month, and it's the biggest yet. The on-trade is a key focus again this year, with special seminars, tastings and wines. Some 60,000 bottles are opened throughout the three-day event,...

Liven up your lists.(London International Wine & Spirits Fair)
May 6, 2004... Wine sales account for 40% of a restaurant's business - fact. A good wine list will get you noticed by the critics - fact. Wine is now the most frequently drunk alcoholic drink - fact. So why are there still too many boring lists about? ...

Robuchon plans second Paris venue.(Joel Robuchon)(Brief Article)
May 6, 2004... Joel Robuchon, the Paris masterchef who retired from the stove eight years ago but made a comeback last year with L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon, is planning to open a second new restaurant in the French capital. La Table de Joel Robuchon, as...

reader; soapbox.
May 6, 2004... It's hard to judge a beast that keeps changing shape says Peter Birnie, chief hotel and restaurant inspector, AAHotel Services The hospitality industry is a service industry. It's simple, right? Well, no, not so straightforward these...

Global report.
May 6, 2004... NORTH AMERICA Choice profit up 9% in first three months Hotel franchisor Choice Hotels International boosted its profit by more than 9% in the first three months of 2004. Net profit climbed to $10.6m ([pounds sterling]5.9m), up from...

Thirst choice.(BBQ wines)
May 6, 2004... When you've decided what to cook on your barbecue, you need to think about the drinks. Fiona Sims has some suggestions Think barbecues, think sticky, sweet, caramelised meat and rosemary-scented fish wafting into the heavy summer air - it's...

A Champagne lover's concerto.
May 6, 2004... So was the four-year wait for the 1990 vintage Krug worth it? The critics - plus Dorchester head chef Henry Brosi - thought so I do love vintage Champagne launches. And Krug is usually a good one. Finally, after four years of waiting...

Last supper.
May 6, 2004... Surrounded by family on the golden sands of a paradise island with Michel Roux cooking a nine-course tasting menu, Vineet Bhatia takes his wife for a final twirl to the strains of Pink Floyd so how's the evening going to kick off? How...

Table talk.(Haggis pizzas )(Brief Article)
May 6, 2004... Let bagpipes play "o sole mio" Haggis pizzas could become the new way to celebrate Burns Night after test batches of the unusual mixture proved to be a sell-out. Italian food firm Cosmo came up with the two-nation tribute at its base in...

regional spotlight.(Newcastle's hospitality industry properties )
May 6, 2004... Newcastle Newcastle has always had a reputation as a good place for a night out, and in recent years the Angel of the North, Baltic gallery and "Winking Eye" bridge have helped raise the city's profile further. The Bigg Market area is...

property of the week.
May 6, 2004... A rare opportunity has come up to buy a handsome property in a prominent location in Brighton's old Lanes area. Since 1994 the three-storey Georgian building at 7 Ship Street has housed the Sussex Arts Club, a private members' club...

HEARD THE ONE ABOUT...?
May 6, 2004... Kate Ormrod, a solicitor with the employment team at Aaron and Partners, explains how jokes cracked in the workplace can sometimes turn out to be no laughing matter Employers are responsible for the actions of their employees during the...

Dining alfresco.(Inn the Park)
May 6, 2004... Oliver Peyton's Inn the Park had its first airing this week, but for the people behind the project it's the high point of a long-term plan. Helen Adkins reports There's something happening in British parks at the moment, something that...

Summer roomnights.
May 6, 2004... In the summer time when the sun is shining and corporate business tails off, hoteliers have to look to the leisure markets to fill their occupancy, and the focus for dining and entertainments shifts outdoors. Karl Cushing reports Making...

how I got started.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2004... Tim Lawrence It was a mid-life crisis that led chef Tim Lawrence to buy the Estbek House Hotel and Restaurant in Sandsend, North Yorkshire, having spent 24 years at the Trenchers fish restaurant in nearby Whitby. Lawrence and his...

Leap in profit puts De Vere on front foot.(De Vere Group PLC)(Brief Article)
May 6, 2004... Hotel group De Vere offered further defence to a hostile partial takeover bid last week, reporting quadrupled profits in the first half of its financial year. The company, which is being urged by shareholder activist Guinness Peat Group...

Cadogan hotel's [pounds sterling]1.7m new look is unveiled.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2004... Paris-based boutique hotels group GLA International has unveiled the first phase of a new look for the Cadogan hotel in London's Knightsbridge. The five-month, [pounds sterling]1.7m renovation has been overseen by GLA president Grace...

In-room technology gets good marks in survey.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2004... Hoteliers are getting better at providing decent in-room technology and business facilities, according to a survey by American Express. The credit card company's Corporate Travel Barometer survey shows that almost 60% of business travellers...

GMB acts on smoking issue.(General, Municipal, Boilermakers and Allied Trades Union)(Brief Article)
May 6, 2004... The GMB union last week called on the Government to follow the lead of the Irish legislature and ban smoking in all 111,560 pubs, clubs, restaurants and casinos in England and Wales. Supporting its view that the voluntary code of practice...

Cowdray moves from Claridge's to Dorchester.(Cowdray, Christopher)(Brief Article)
May 6, 2004... Christopher Cowdray, managing director of London's Claridge's hotel, has been appointed general manager of the Dorchester hotel on Park Lane. His move follows the purchase of the Savoy Group by Irish consortium the Quinlan Group last month...

How to...(Brief Article)
May 6, 2004... ... get ahead during Euro 2004 UEFA's 2004 European football championships kick off in Portugal on 12 June. As it takes place on this side of the world rather than in Japan and Korea like the recent World Cup, pub and bar operators won't...

Your shout.(Column)
May 6, 2004... By Andrew Little, partner at law firm Berwin Leighton Paisner PIFs and hotel investment The long-awaited Government consultation paper "Promoting more flexible investment in property" paves the way for the introduction of UK real...

Stein pulls out of [pounds sterling]6.5m hotel project.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2004... Chef Rick Stein has announced he is not continuing with his plans to open a new hotel in Newquay, Cornwall. Stein had planned to open the 42-bedroom property at the site of the former Rocklands hotel, but is now pulling out of the project...

Review OFTHEREVIEWS.
May 6, 2004... 3 May Fuchsia Dunlop at Alan Yau's dim sum and tea parlour Yauatcha, London W1 Teas are served in delicate eggshell-blue celadon teapots with woven bamboo handles, which look like a dream on the slate grey tables. The dim sum menu is...

Combi-oven that doesn't need control settings.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2004... Rational unveiled its SelfCooking Center (SCC) last week, claiming that the new product line would take care of the entire cooking process, allowing chefs more time for menu planning. The latest development in combi-oven technology means all...

Punch profits hitting well above weight.(Punch Taverns PLC)(Brief Article)
May 6, 2004... Tenanted pub company Punch Taverns has seen its turnover and profits roar ahead, thanks to its December acquisition of rival Pubmaster. The purchase of the 3,000-strong Pubmaster estate has rewarded Punch with additional earnings...

Bigger Europe will ease staff shortages.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2004... Hospitality businesses are likely to benefit from the enlargement of the European Union (EU), which took place last week. Martin Couchman, deputy chief executive of the British Hospitality Association, said the addition of 10 new countries...

Food file.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2004... Fresh Fish There are good supplies of wild cod from the Faroes, Iceland and Denmark this week but little farmed cod. Good supplies are also expected of haddock at the start of the week, though prices may be high. Prices should fall or...

Masala World plans fifth restaurant.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2004... Masala World, the London-based Indian restaurant group owned by Namita Panjabi and husband Ranjit Mathrani, has exclusively revealed to Caterer that it will open a fifth restaurant called Amaya in London this autumn. The group, which owns...

Chef Boulud confirms QM2 departure.(Queen Mary II)(Brief Article)
May 6, 2004... New York chef Daniel Boulud has confirmed that he has stepped down as culinary adviser to the Queen Mary II, which made its inaugural cruise this January. But he refused to be drawn on reports that he had quit in a row over allegations of...

Travelodges go in [pounds sterling]15m deal.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2004... Two former Jurys Doyle executives have snapped up eight Travelodge hotels and the master franchise agreement for the brand in Northern and Southern Ireland from parent company Travelodge UK for g22.15m ([pounds sterling]15m). Seamus...

OVER; TO YOU.
May 6, 2004... Will LAST WEEK'S enlargement of the European Union help ease the UK's hospitality skills shortage? Inevitably, yes, but there will be challenges. My view as a recruiter is that it will be a very positive force against companies that exist...

Does your business need a helping hand?(Brief Article)
May 6, 2004... Do you run a hotel that's fallen on hard times? Or is your dream of running a guesthouse or B&B turning into a nightmare? If so, your business could be the focus of a new reality TV show. Five is producing a new series in which Ruth Watson,...

Hospital food: can you offer more choice and cut waste?(Hospital Caterers Association)(Brief Article)
May 6, 2004... The Better Hospital Food programme's goal to extend menu choice appears to be in conflict with the need to reduce food waste, it emerged at the Hospital Caterers Association (HCA) conference in Brighton last week. In a video speech, Lord...

Tell us your worst service nightmares and you could win an iPod.
May 6, 2004... Have you ever spilt soup on an important dignitary, or served up rare steak to a vegetarian? Whatever your worst restaurant nightmare is, we want to hear from you. To help ease the pain of revisiting such bad memories we're offering an...

stockwatch.
May 6, 2004... High-street pub operator REGENT INNS was the loser in terms of share price last week. The group saw its share price tumble by more than 22% to 49.5p after it warned that profits would be down on last year and that it had put a freeze on new...

The next generation.
May 6, 2004... The people who will become tomorrow's hospitality managers already have a firm idea of what they want from the industry, and they are a pretty sorted out bunch. We went to earwig on their aspirations at a recent focus group Last month at...

McCree elected chairman.(Hospital Caterers Association)(Brief Article)
May 6, 2004... Alison McCree has been elected chairman of the Hospital Caterers Association for a two-year period. She succeeds Neil Watson-Jones. Commenting on her appointment she said: "I am committed to taking health service catering to even higher...

A barbie world.
May 6, 2004... Are you bored with burgers? Do you find bangers banal? Can't be bothered with blackened breasts? There are other things you can cook on a barbecue. Dan Bignold urges you to try something different this summer We Brits reckon we know a...

Grossman calls for national standards to harmonise hospital meal production.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2004... Conventional cooking in hospital kitchens may soon be a thing of the past as more hospitals buy in their meals from production units. Loyd Grossman, honorary patron of the HCA, said the NHS had to act more like a commercial business to...

Mattioli denies rumour of Walnut Tree Inn sale.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2004... Francesco Mattioli has dismissed rumours that he is to put landmark Welsh restaurant the Walnut Tree Inn on the market. Mattioli said speculation concerning the sale of the property had continued since former head chef and co-owner Stephen...

Licences under threat from police action on underage drinking.
May 6, 2004... Publicans who sell to under-18s or promote binge drinking could be "named and shamed" - and lose their licences - in a police clampdown planned for this summer. News of the campaign, which will include sting operations over six to eight...

in brief.(Catering Equipment Distributors' Association's Grand Prix Awards)(Johnson Hospitality Services)(Figgjo AS )(Brief Article)
May 6, 2004... CEDA Grand Prix Awards A record number of entries in this year's CEDA (Catering Equipment Distributors' Association) Grand Prix Awards made the judges' decision a tough one, but the panel came up with five category award winners in...

career clinic.
May 6, 2004... The expert panel Our expert panel comprises representatives from the Hotel and Catering Training Company (HCTC), Accor Hotels UK & Ireland, Greene King Pub Company, Simply Chefs by Hocaps, Bartlett Mitchell, Learnpurple and Conran...

inside track.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2004... Choice Hotels Europe (CHE) WHAT BUSINESS IS IT IN? The hotel company is the third-largest in Europe and in combination with Choice Hotels Scandinavia has 500 properties in 19 countries. CHE is operated by CHE Group, which employees...

Medical ward staff undervalue meals as aid to recovery.
May 6, 2004... Poor communication between medical staff and hospital caterers, and the separation of their budgets, leads to patients getting artificial feeds or expensive drugs when ordinary food would be just as effective in aiding recovery, delegates at...

Conference straw poll.
May 6, 2004... *****YES****NO Are you in favour of creating a two-tier servicein which patients have the choice of paying formore expensive, "luxury" meals?****50%****50% Do you want catering budgets to be devolvedto ward level?****20%****80% ...

Critics' choice.
May 6, 2004... What makes the perfect wine list? The critics know. Caterer talks to four leading industry figures to find out what they love and hate about wine lists - and be warned, there's no holding back Susan Low, restaurant critic, wine writer and...

HCAAward winners 2004.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2004... n Hospital Caterer of the Year, sponsored by Hobart - Martin Cantor, trust catering manager at Solihull Hospital, West Midlands. Personality of the Year, sponsored by Appetito - Carol Lendrum, deputy facilities manager, Eastern Support...

Training for profit.
May 6, 2004... You've sourced the wines and waxed lyrical on the list, but most customers will still appreciate some guidance from a knowledgeable member of staff. Fiona Sims advises how to sell your wine list So you've got a great wine list; now you need...

Regent looks to new ops director.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2004... Late-night bar and entertainment operator Regent Inns last Thursday announced the resignation of its operations director Michael Thiele, alongside measures to stem continued poor trading at its Walkabout chain. Thiele has been replaced by...

done deals.
May 6, 2004... Please send your press releases to sarah.kaikini@rbi.co.uk See Properties Sold on Caterer-online.com for news of more deals Bournemouth operator buys hotel for more than [pounds sterling]2m Blue Mermaid Hotels, which owns four hotels in...

Net result.
May 6, 2004... Internet purchasing and third-party procurement companies are streamlining the buying process, saving time and reducing costs Pick up the phone, tell the supplier what you want and the next day he delivers it. That's the way purchasing has...

Bristol's Markwick to open bistro/take-away.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2004... Chef Stephen Markwick, whose fine-dining restaurant was a fixture on the Bristol restaurant scene for 13 years, is planning to open a neighbourhood bistro/take-away in the city later this month. Three weeks ago, Markwick and his wife Judy...

Chef news Round-up.
May 6, 2004... A tick for the Cross at Kingussie The Cross at Kingussie in Inverness-shire has won an industry hotel award, just over a year after former AA chief hotel inspector David Young bought the property. It beat off strong opposition from...

salary watch.
May 13, 2004... reception managers The past nine months have seen little change with regard to salary levels in this sector, with the exception of the four-star hotel market, which has seen some slight upward movement. These increases have been driven...

reader; soapbox.
May 13, 2004... Take the French out of English-speaking kitchens says Shane Osborn, head chef and co-owner of the two Michelin-starred Pied a Terre What I hate is when chefs run round kitchens speaking French, calling out "Oui, chef" this and "Oui...

Property Advice zone.
May 13, 2004... Eight steps to operator heaven, by property agents Colliers Robert Barry 1. Before starting your property search consult your bank or a specialist finance broker who will advise you on the sort of price bracket you should be looking...

how i got here.(Victoria Borrows)(Interview)
May 13, 2004... Victoria Borrows, marketing manager, Les Routiers Les Routiers was formed in Britain in the 1970s to provide the public with a choice of fine establishments in the UK and Ireland which provided locally-sourced, high-quality food, a warm...

On the mo ve.
May 13, 2004... Welsh brewer and pub company SA Brain has chosen RICHARD DAVIES as sales and marketing director. He joins from Nutricia UK, where he was commercial director responsible for the company's [pounds sterling]100m nutrition and supplement division....

OVER; TO YOU.(Brief Article)
May 13, 2004... Has Mayor Ken Livingstone been good for your business, and would you re-elect him? Personally I wouldn't re-elect him. At the moment we're just outside the congestion charge zone so it hasn't affected us that much, but it has been bad news...

our back pages stories from the caterer vaults.
May 13, 2004... Caterer & Hotelkeeper, 15 May 1969 In the fifties, Guy Prince of Lebegue created something of a minor sensation when he first invited women of the Press to his celebrated annual tastings in the company's candlelit cellars in Stainer...

Pastilla.(La Mamounia hotel)
May 13, 2004... The pigeon pie known as pastilla is a classic of Moroccan cuisine. Michael Raffael follows Boujemaa Mars, chef at the famed La Mamounia hotel, through the process of making it Cookery writers transcribe it from Arabic as "pastilla",...

Your shout.
May 13, 2004... By Dominic Mayes, partner in the hotels department of Knight Frank What, the mixed, use of hotels? The idea of a development being somewhere you can work, rest and play is as attractive to property developers as it is to those who fund...

Give us a chance to self-regulate.
May 13, 2004... Rifle through your back issues of Caterer to March 11, and you'll find a tasteful cover shot of two figures enjoying a glass of wine, a cigarette and a chat. The headline reads, "The burning issue: smoking. Government gives hospitality three...

Pieces of eight.(Trafalgar Hilton hotel)(Cambridge Belfry hotel)(Holdsworth House hotel)(Interview)
May 13, 2004... High-flyers from eight hotels around the UK tell us how they came to be working in hospitality and how they see the future Dirk Dalichau, 34 General manager, Trafalgar Hilton hotel, London Salary range: not given How did you...

RESTAURANT OPENINGS.(Lace Market Hotel)(Brief Article)
May 13, 2004... Merchants and Saint Bar Lace Market Hotel, Nottingham Nottingham's boutique hotel, the Lace Market, has relaunched its restaurant Merchants and Saint Bar, after a [pounds sterling]500,000 David Collins refit and a new menu by chef...

Lifetime of learning.
May 13, 2004... What do your competitors do about training? And how important is it? Rosalind Mullen finds out All caterers do it - or say they do it - because everyone knows training is important. But with staff turnover in hospitality running more than...

Payne and the pleasure.
May 13, 2004... Sommelier James Payne is in his element at London restaurant the Greenhouse - where the boss is also a wine enthusiast When sommelier James Payne worked at Cumbrian landmark Sharrow Bay, he once told me that one of his best-selling wines...