Monday, 4 April 2011

Who needs (and who cares) about a £45 hot dog?

I don't know about you, but I despise restaurants that sell excessively pricey food. I used to edit a magazine in the fine dining sector of the market and a lot of the time I used to quietly wonder why the food was so expensive – not because the quality was so poor but just because there are limits for everything and food simply doesn't have to be expensive. There's no point. A lot of the time, you're paying for the presentation, you're certainly not paying for the quantity and, of course, it's all down to the ingredients.

Give them a banana! The world's most expensive hot dog. Photo: Yahoo!
Anyway, there's a restaurant in New York charging £45 for a hot dog and, as you might expect, it's a hot dog that is not only long, but one that has duck foie gras liberally sprinkled on the top. I hate foie gras, mainly because when I edited the food magazine I alluded to earlier, it was something that was always on the menu and it's horrible and it's disgusting the way it's made. I can't remember exactly, but it's something to do with force-feeding and it's just not right (click here for more details).

And then, of course, I wonder who will pay £45 for a foie gras hot dog and the answer is poncy people who are out to impress, bragging to their friends that they were foolish enough to spend £45 on a hot dog in the hope that their friends will be impressed.

Check out the story for yourself by clicking here.

Wednesday, 30 March 2011

37 per cent pre-tax profit rise fuels global growth for sarnie chain

Pret a Manger.
Sandwich chain Pret a Manger, founded by Julian Metcalfe and Sinclair Beacham, has announced a rise in pre-tax profits of 37 per cent to £46.1 million. The company is now planning to expand globally with 30 new stores. Click here for more.

Thursday, 24 March 2011

Last night a tea lady saved my life

Tea ladies – you never know when you're going to need one.


A Portsmouth pensioner's life was saved by a hospital tea lady. Click here for more.

Wednesday, 23 March 2011

Tea Zone and Camelia Lounge – Portland, Oregon

Portland's Tea Zone and Camelia Lounge. Photo: World Tea News.
We've had combined bike repair shops and caffs and now we've got a tearoom and bar combined, this time in Portland, Oregon's trendy Pearl District. Click here for more.

Friday, 18 March 2011

Schizoid café in Southsea

Lin's Thai Café in Southsea, run by a mother and daughter team, has a dual personality, according to a Portsmouth-based news website. Click here for more.

Lin's Thai Café in Southsea

Thursday, 17 March 2011

Caff in court for charity

Mold Crown Court in Wales
According to a report in the Flintshire Chronicle in Wales, a caff has been set up in Mold Crown Court to raise money for the Wales Air Ambulance. Click here for more.

Japanese tea growers are fine, but what about the retailers?



While Japan's tea growers are reported to be fine after the recent earthquake and tsunami, there are fears for the country's urban coastal regions. According to a report from the on-line World Tea News, reports suggest that many have been swept away. For more information, click here.