Merchandising
It is interesting people can be tought to do it or something?
Tags: маркетинг, маркетинг ресторана
Archive for the “Travel” CategoryПоездки ресторатора Савелия Либкина. Впечатления, фотографии, гастротуризм, энотуризм. Porto – traditional and rather not restored architecture… Many buildings are in the untouched state already 150 years. The special charm is added by the facing of some facades with ceramics and ornate and always different mini balconies. The cast-iron and steel wickerwork has marked Moroccan motifs, as ornaments on ceramics. There is a lot of ultramarine in the colors of ceramics. The impact of colonial possessions of Portugal in past is felt. The first restaurant Salsa e Loureiro was recommended by the manager from the company Ramos Pinto. The cuisine of the restaurant the chef Hélio Loureiro described as a gastronomic and typical for north of Portugal. He recommended the course from pork Rozoes, which is served with salsa Papas de Sarrabulho made from pork blood, pork, chicken and bread. The taste is very expressive but unpleasant for me. The pork itself was cooked in the lard. The taste is also impressive enough and a little rough because of the lard. The basic work of Hélio Loureiro is to cook for Portuguese football team when they have away matches. And exactly Hélio recommended us the restaurant with simplest and typical food in Porto, Casa Aleixo. The restaurant is situated in the most not tourist part of the city and it doesn’t advertise itself in the hotels and guides, but the taxi drivers know it and it has certain image. The room is hanged all over with diplomas and press cuttings where this restaurant is mentioned. There are 5 main courses and 10 appetizers which aren’t changing from the moment of opening in the menu. The family works at the restaurant. The food is cooked at the kitchen which area is 6-7 metres, it can be seen in full from the table. It is difficult to talk about special taste because the hake and the octopus were fried in flour and eggs within 5 minutes and resembled very much home Odessan food. The rice with pieces of octopuses was cooked beforehand and it was cold in the plate. Everything is cheap, vapid and rather tasteless. The morning of the second day started from the visit to company Sandeman. Next to Porto, in the small town Villa da Gaia, are situated all another producers of porto wine, beginning from the oldest one Сruz up to ten companies which age is no more then 30 years old. Only during the correspondence with director responsible for our region it was understood that they don’t experience the lack of visitors and that is why we didn’t count on some special hospitality. In the result, in the cold and dark room, among tuns with logos we were told about differences of wines from the Douro valley and about the history of company’s logo which was drawn by George Massiot Brown as far back as 200 year ago. Then they showed us 10 minutes movie in Russian and then was short tasting of three porto wines and one table wine Galabriga 2007. The wine Barca Velha recommended us as local great one we are expect to taste already at the restaurants. Empty and furnished like coffee house restaurant Bacalhoeiro which was recommended by Sandeman was ignored by us in the favor of neighboring one with very long name «Adega e presuntaria trasmontana II». Short menu and excellent atmosphere were noticed at once, and we had a luck with choice as it turned out later. All the guest of the restaurant get at once on their tables mini set of appetizers: anchovies marinated in special way, olives with garlic and oil, then small boar covered by parchment with a few types of local sausage and jamón. A few minutes later we were served hot appetizer from local frankfurters Alheira and a pie with filling from the same frankfurters. The special feature of these frankfurters is that except the pork and local spices it contains a sort of local bread. We chose the main course by ourselves as we wanted the octopus initially. The waiter specified that their octopus is served with potatoes and pepper. It was very delicious. The amount of the 50 Euros for two persons only highlighted the success of the choice. In the result we had dinner there again but only we have ordered additionally Belhota — the verity of jamón with huge term of aging. The third day’s morning began from the visit to Ramos Pinto. We were met very benevolently by Ana Perina from the guest relation service and she told us about how one of the employers who was involved in marketing at Sandeman left the company and organized his own company in 1820. Аndre, it was the name of this employer, have chosen the provocation in visual communications and the quality in the products as the points of difference. As opposed to Sandeman the portfolio of the company contained and contains now 50% of dry wines and 50% of porto wines. One more difference of the company Ramos Pinto was in very beautiful decorated office located near the Sandeman. However the globalization have applied to both companies. Ramos Pinto was bought by Frenchmen from Louis Roederer and Sandeman became one of the purchases of one Spanish bank. Today 80% of local wines market are controlled by 5 companies. In fact this information and many other things about Ramos Pinto wines we heard from the second Ana, export manager, who already 20 years is involved in the company’s issues. According to Ana Rato word the market of porto wines looks like this:
The next Ana Rozas from Ramos Pinto, the member of the family and great granddaughter of the company’s founder, is involved in blending of wines. It was she who held the rtasting of porto. The tastes of 10-20 and 30-year-old porto differ not much, but they are much more interesting and impressive then ordinary porto. The color of old ports is rather cognac then dark red like ordinary ruby and tawny. The gastronomic restaurant Sessenta Setenta recommended by the second Ana turned out to be a delicious one. There were the owner, the chef and his guests and we in the restaurant. The pupil Jose Pedro Corvalho cooks. The boy has very eccentric appearance and his uniform is not very clean but nevertheless he cooks very carefully and precise. All the tastes selected very delicately and they have been perceived excellently in spite of too gastronomic serving. The amount of check 70 Euros for two tasting sets consisited from five courses seemed for us to be funny, especially on the background of Kiev or Dnepropetrovsk for example. In the daytime one waiter works in the restaurant and in the kitchen the chef cooks and his pupil washes the plates. In the afternoon we visited one more restaurant recommended by Ana. This time it was fish restaurant Lusiadas. A huge selection of very fresh fish and seafood… I failed to find only small octopuses, calamari and scallops. All the rest in the form of small portions was hardly placed on the table and cost 70 Euros with tips. We refused from thee hot plate as the dinner was late. This time there were guests but no more then 20 persons in the room intended for 130-140 persons. Restaurant Salsa & Loureiro Av. Da Boavista, 1277, piso -1 Porto Restaurant Casa Aleixo Rua da Estação 216 Porto Restaurant Bacalhoeiro Av. Diogo Leite, 74 Vila Nova de Gaia Restaurant Adega e presuntaria trasmontana II Avenida Diogo Leite 80 Vila Nova de Gaia Restaurant Sessenta Setenta Rua Sobre o Douro 1 A Porto Restaurant Lusiadas Rua Tomás Ribeiro, 552 Porto Tags: travel, Португалия, путешествия, туризмOne of the food rating systems acts in Great Britain. Any food rating system is controversial. The most famous is the Michelin Guide, which rates restaurants for comfort and also for food via the coveted Michelin Stars. A one star Michelin restaurant is likely to be very fine indeed, while three stars (the best) is an accolade handed out only to a few dozen restaurants in the world each year. However, this system leaves the vast majority of places untouched, and Michelin is ultra sensitive to the commercial consequences of its accolades. Hence it tends to be slow to dish out stars and even slower to take them away. This suits chefs fine (which is why chefs love the Michelin, provided they get a star of course) but makes it difficult for consumers, as it is not possible to tell whether a 1 star establishment is just on the brink of a wonderful two stars or actually should have long since lost its star. The system which was chosen by foodwriter and restaurant critic Andy Hayler is used by the edition Good Food Guide, one of the best restaurant guides in Great Britain to my mind. Unlike many other guides, the Good Food Guide has an inspection system (so is not just a popularity poll that can easily be influenced by unscrupulous restaurateurs) and accepts no hospitality, hidden fees or advertising. Its inspectors are completely anonymous. This means that, while it may make mistakes, they are honest ones rather than due to some hidden commercial interest. The Good Food Guide has tried scoring out of 20, and out of 5, but has settled on a simple out of 10 system. It should be said that 1/10, which sounds dreadful in a school report, is actually very good in Good Food Guide terms. It means that the restaurant is in the top 1% of restaurants in the UK. 6/10 is roughly equivalent to 1 Michelin star, 8/10 to two Michelin stars, and 9/10 or 10/10 to three Michelin stars. A system that really reflected reality in terms of the relative positioning of all restaurants would start at 991/1000 for a 1/10, a 995/1000 for a 4/10 and proceeding to 1000/1000 for a 10/10 in Good Food Guide terms. This would seem rather cumbersome and suggest a level of precision that is unreasonable, so Andy has stuck to the simple out of 10 system. He considered also rating service and ambiance, which for many people are at least as important as food, but since this is often down to personal taste (one person’s “romantic” is someone else’s “tacky”) he decided against. Instead he notes particularly attractive settings or unusually good service in the notes. The marks which uses Andy Hayler not always coincide with other guides, including the Good Food Guide at any given point in time. Saveliy Libkin Tags: маркетинг, рейтинги
Continuation of the subject
Having shared my considerations about selection of the restaurants abroad, I though of my meeting with one of well-to-do compatriot in Ireland. Due to understandable reasons I will replace his name by common — Nikolay Nikolaevich, hereinafter referred to as NN. So, we have met by accident in the hotel, and when we decided where to have a dinner NN have recollected at once that he heard it is difficult to get to the restaurant Chapter One in Dublin. Besides, this restaurant is marked by a star. Just to make sure I have asked the concierge what he can say about this restaurant. He stopped short in confusion and tried to recommend another restaurant but after three minutes and 20 Euros he have spoken more eagerly and strongly recommended to refuse from this restaurant in favor of more delicious and less popular among the tourists restaurant under the name Patrick Guilbaud. In the result we have decided we have decided to see both of them and to choose just at place. Recommended Chapter One turned out to be half occupied by the tourists. Also the menu was not interesting for me, as the name and the description of each course have taken 3 and even 4 lines. Besides, all the awards of the restaurant were displayed in the foyer. Additionally I have walked along the hall examining the interior and I noticed that things which were in the gust’s plates resembled rather competitive course in Ukrainian provinces then delicious and interesting food at expensive enough restaurant. NN has stood his ground and almost has taken a seat… All further things were the lesson for me. First of all it was primitively tasteless. Secondly NN liked everything. And especially NN has paid my attention on that there are a lot forks and knives on the table and everything looks like very expensive. And a huge vase with flowers which has stood on the central table not given a moment’s peace to the NN’s spouse. After the visiting of the toilet his souse praised that fact that there is cologne on the shelf… To cut it short NN and his spouse have eat the food with pleasureе. The bill was ordinary and my moo was cheerful because I have picked by the fork the peculiar shapes and drops I still was hungry. Then we have gone to the restaurant Patrick Guilbaud. We have been offered a seat in the bar and offered an aperitif while they will prepare a table. NN and his spouse were satisfied already but nevertheless they decided to bear company. Maybe the specification of the fact that I will pay for the dinner at the second restaurant helped to take this decision. The average age of the guest in this restaurant was more then 50. The staff was of the same age approximately. The wine list resembled rather one of the volumes of the Great Soviet Encyclopedia. There are 15 items in the menu and also two menus with selection from 4 courses for dinner. The waiter has recommended us one of the courses having specified that it is a hit among the regular guests. Then the chef come to us and made inquires about the versions of serving and side dish of this course. The matter was the Bresse chicken. All the rest was absolutely incomprehensible to the NN’s family and I felt a pure rapture. So, the main question which stands before the reading/observance of similar rules is who are the judges? Tags: Gastro-tourism, путешествия, туризм
Well, so that it will be guaranteed delicious, in good atmosphere and with decent service you should enter web page of Zagat with paid service and having chosen the city to define the top twenty of the restaurants in the wanted category. Usually I choose those restaurants which has no less then 24 points in the categories food and service. Also you can look through Тоp-10, as a rule these positions can be seen after choosing the city at once. Then you can visit site Via Michelin and repeat all the same. But only at Michelin you should specify do you want restaurant with a star-Best restaurants or with forks-Charming restaurants. I prefer the restaurants with a forks and it must be no less then five forks. Sometimes cozy, small and delicious restaurants without pretensions to luxury which are marked by face-Best value are interesting. Then you can read what the «writers» tell about selected restaurants. Then you can write down approximately ten restaurants which you liked and to call your fellows and make inquires about these restaurants sure if any. Now we can say that in fact the first stage of the selection is passed. Then when you come to hotel you should talk to concierge and to specify thoroughly that the restaurants which visiting card are already on the reception in readiness are not interesting for you absolutely and showing him the preliminary list ask him to describe each of them. Of course, further you should tip the concierge depending on hotel’s rating and on the time spent to your question. Usually the sum is from 5 up to 25 Euros. If you liked the restaurant then further you can make inquires about it having specified what type of food you prefer and how much you are ready to spend. In the decent hotel a concierge always is abreast of restaurant subject. And you are planning to come to this city the second time then you can come to agreement about reservation of the best restaurants for your name by phone beforehand. Sure a concierge will ask you will you stay at this hotel, he will mean if he can reckon on the tipsе. If you risk to reserve a restaurant without making inquires in hotel, then it will be enough just to send them e-mail or to call them and to discuss the nuances of you visit. Some successful restaurants in London, Paris and other cities similar by rating complicate the reservations requesting number of credit card or specifying have you visited this restaurant earlier. In the result many things depends on what you want to get really. If you are interested in luxury and plenty of stars, plus chef’s rating then as a rule the check will be plus 50% and all the rest depends much…. So it is better to visit the restaurants of Alain Ducasse in Paris or Monte Carlo only if you have too many money. If your goal is to visit the best restaurants according to the rating of London Restaurant Magazine., then in the case of your visit to Heston Bluementhal or to Ferran Adrià you will have to worry about it 3-4 months prior. Besides you should understand that the restaurants named by experts the best turns out to be hard to compatible with the notion «excellent dinner with a bottle of wine at a price $100 maximum». However, I doubt whether anyone come to these restaurants to have a lunch or dinner, most likely people come there to get impressions or just to put in an appearance. In any case you also should be ready for that after the visiting of «the best» you will have the desire to eat vareniki with potatoes or chicken tabaka for dinner.
Tags: Gastro-tourism, food, путешествия
Exactly in this small town located all producers of Porto wine. I have made an appointment with Sandeman as they are large producer and with Ramos Pinto as this company is oriented on the quality.
Earlier port wines have been transported to Vila Nova de Gaia by river on the flat-bottomed boats — «barcos rabelos», in the 550 litres tuns.
The impressions are on the photos. And here also Tags: Порто, путешествия |
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Restaurateur Saveliy Libkin
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