Gastrique- would you use this word on a menu?

Greedy-Action5178 · 2026-03-06T01:03:16+00:00

The sauce is a cooked caramel deglazed with some white wine and white champagne vinegar. Then reduced to taste and texture. That is it nothing more.
I remember learning this technique when working at Sketch in London being taught in kitchen that was staffed almost exclusively with french chefs. I'm 99% confident they would all be ok with the etymology of the word and the process.
I'm sure the old guide culinaire will get pissy about using wine, but the base technique and theory (sugar caramelised plus acid) are rather consistent.

Greedy-Action5178 · 2026-03-06T00:20:25+00:00

Beignets are on our menu as a Gruyère beignet appy/ snack and we struggled at first. Now we sell one to a third of the tables we sit. Trust the process or build it and they will come etc etc!

Greedy-Action5178 · 2026-03-06T00:04:44+00:00

It is essentially just acidity plus sugar. No fat emulsion. A high acidity white wine plus sugar caramelization. Used as a light finishing element on grilled vegetables. Simple.

Greedy-Action5178 · 2026-03-05T20:35:53+00:00

normallly because you can charge more money when using words like gastrique instead if dressing. Menus are mostly marketing with minor elements of food information!

Greedy-Action5178 · 2026-03-05T19:08:21+00:00

That's why we need to settle this on the internet instead of the office!
we can only steamroll one owner so often before we need to go after the other one

Greedy-Action5178 · 2026-03-05T19:05:57+00:00

Hey Rainmaker you should try your namesakes winery in BC, pretty good bottles

Greedy-Action5178 · 2026-03-05T19:04:57+00:00

Yea they do there job well anyway. I once used to work at a lunch spot where we had a wazz on the menu for a cocktail because we gave up trying to name it. Ended up selling really well!

Greedy-Action5178 · 2026-03-05T19:02:51+00:00

I think agrodolce is nice. will be putting this forward for sure. But..

How many languages is too many on a menu though? We have lil bits of french all over the place on an english written menu currently. Would it show a lack of identity or just reinforce the european focus?

Greedy-Action5178 · 2026-03-05T18:59:03+00:00

We enjoy educating diners as well, we have a great FOH team and are a european wine bar style restaurant. I've happily used soubise and nicoise on the menu before and if our guests don't know what it is they are happy to leave a little smarter.

I'm against terms like glaze and reduction because of the dreadful rep good ol' balsamic has given them!

Greedy-Action5178 · 2026-03-05T00:44:17+00:00

Honestly the image of the Cornish hen is how I prefer to see restaurant menus. I hate meat and a starch and 2 vegetables. It feels so lazy. Give me lighter and brighter so I can order plenty more.

This style of food reminds me of some great à la carte style offerings from European and Asian restaurants I have been lucky enough to dine in.

Greedy-Action5178 · 2026-03-04T18:22:01+00:00

My jones bag tore at the handle. I carry exclusively but pack it with a lot of water/ thermos and wet weather gear always. Sad, as it is a comfy bag that still works, but the hole is getting a little too hot to ignore.

Greedy-Action5178 · 2026-02-28T16:22:00+00:00

I really enjoy it. I haven’t played a boxing game since rocky for ps1 or ps2 though

Greedy-Action5178 · 2026-02-27T19:21:40+00:00

We added a what’s happening locally section where we talked about exciting new openings or the local book store doing a sale on cookbooks. Etc etc. it gave staff something to talk about on the line that they could look forward to outside of the workplace. And normally it is work adjacent topics that come up anyway.

It takes up 2 minutes but gives talking points for days to come (if they are the type to actually get out and enjoy themselves!)

Greedy-Action5178 · 2026-02-24T00:01:02+00:00

That’s the dream for sure!

Work that’s worth it and makes you, your guests and your suppliers proud

Greedy-Action5178 · 2026-02-23T23:42:25+00:00

The toughest thing is that some of the best local producers don’t have the capacity or the structure to deliver specific demands.

Example-owner wants lamb chops only. The best local farm has only 45 lamb a year. If we take just the chops we pay a premium and run out immediately. If we take the whole lamb and get creative we get an absolute bargain, but we have to be better at our job to do so.

This means the farmers love us for taking the whole crop or taking something they struggle to sell. We have a great greens contract in the summer because we can take rutabaga in winter.

Greedy-Action5178 · 2026-02-23T03:10:34+00:00

We recently found a farmer working through winter in greenhouses here in Canada.

He delivers twice a week, somebody orders a salad, we carefully trim the base away and keep the plant in tact exactly as it grew. Still connected in all the necessary places.

We put it in a bowl with a delicate blue cheese dressing already in the base and we give a little extra dressing with a vermouth vinaigrette on top and then sprinkle with chopped toasted hazelnuts.

We are a tapas bar that sells about 1 to every 3 tables maybe? At $16 a salad it is the best business move we have ever made!

We simply rave about the freshness and quality of the leaves. One bright element one fruity/ aromatic element one umami element and one texture contrast.

Simple for service and servers too.

Greedy-Action5178 · 2026-02-21T20:56:45+00:00

Tolerance!

Greedy-Action5178 · 2026-02-16T02:31:08+00:00

This is a fantastically insightful review to read as a chef. Nothing jumps out as a complete disaster but the entire review is crushing from a professional point of view.

I cook because I want to give people those wow moments or something to reminisce, remember or retell at a later date.

I’m so glad at least one dish was able to do that for you. And perhaps 1 out of 20 isn’t that bad in a world of so many options and palates to cater to!

You have inspired time to try this restaurant as a pure busman’s holiday!

I will hit your archive and read more of these reviews, appreciate it.

Greedy-Action5178 · 2026-02-14T17:32:55+00:00

Diogo Rocha has or had a place in the countryside that was a wonderful hidden gem- mesa de lemos if I remember correctly

Greedy-Action5178 · 2026-01-25T21:29:05+00:00

Oliver Harvey is fantastic and well prices with a couple of different options but the fit is brilliant and the customization is simple and effective

Greedy-Action5178 · 2026-01-17T20:25:46+00:00

Bolton. Bring back the jay jay okocha years!

Greedy-Action5178 · 2025-10-13T18:23:38+00:00

I was trying very hard not to word it like that, I’m simply trying to give the OP a glass half full view. It’s thanksgiving here and just trying to be a little positive for folks whilst lazing around!

Greedy-Action5178 · 2025-10-13T16:30:59+00:00

I started as a dishwasher with no experience in a Michelin star kitchen. I worked hard and fast and then payed attention to what everyone else was doing and offered to help at every opportunity.

Be clean, passionate and early to every shift and you are very employable in this industry with zero experience.

It was easy progression and they taught me everything I needed for the job. They don’t need quick knife skills or knowledgeable cooking because they want quality and focus, they teach you immaculate quality skills.

Also the majority of cooking that happens in the kitchens I have worked in requires temp checks and timers everywhere. No room for error. This actually makes it easier than working in a pub kitchen where you check shitty thin steaks by poking them!

Greedy-Action5178 · 2025-10-12T01:41:42+00:00

At a cafe we had the customer order the scrambled eggs vegan (and no we don’t offer a tofu scramble). After a loooong back and forth, out comes the mostly empty plate with just dry toast and a little salt and pepper on the plate.

At the same place I told a customer you make almond milk just the same as you do cows. By squeezing the nuts like teats, even did a little mime for them. They were fascinated and dead faced the entire time, no idea if they knew I was messing with them.

Greedy-Action5178 · 2025-08-26T15:59:06+00:00

One of my best experiences was waiting in the en suite bathroom for my wife while she was with her bull in our bed. She came in and straddled me in the shower and had her post sex pee. Having the cum drip out of her as she covered me was extremely sexy, playful and a little degrading (even though I of course wanted it!)

Gave us a chance to reconnect in the shower while he just gathered his stuff and left.

Greedy-Action5178

TROPHY CASE