NeedGrub.com Blog

"The other night I ate at a real nice family restaurant. Every table had an argument going…  " This is a famous one liner from an American comedian. While at first glance it appears to be a normal statement, rich on humour quotient, reading it again will offer interesting information about eateries in general. A restaurant or an eating joint is an important venue, which helps connect and enjoy wonderful times. It is of course about food, but that is definitely not all. A public place, the eatery is often responsible for bringing out the most private expressions. And this fact has not only been realized by the eating community, but even the hosts are well aware of the pertinence.  

As an important step towards this acceptance, many upcoming eating joints have ventured a step ahead and tried some unconventional stuff. For instance ‘Influence’, a new dining facility at Chennai, has used designers Manish Malhotra & Vikram Padke to design the interiors and staff dresses. Gold and Beige are the colours selected by the style mind for the overall appeal of the eatery. Restaurant would be open around the end of January.  

Likewise, ‘Drop in’ a food court in Chandigarh sector 34, has been renovated in a completely new Green avatar. The concrete flooring has been replaced with green ground to bestow a different appeal to the food court. This green eatery is quite in line with Chandigarh’s green city tag. So now if you plan a visit, do not expect to be covered with just bricks and stones, there could be other interesting options. 

Knowing the food … what does that means? If it is about the ingredients, then please spare me, I cannot deal with the recipe. After all if knowing the recipe was the point, why would I eat outside, would I not take the pains of cooking and feeding me?

Well rest your queries; it is not about the ingredients, but about the cleanliness quotient associated with cooking and serving norms. Food courts, self serving restaurants and fast food corners are spreading fast. The guy on the counter usually wears rubber gloves, dresses up elegantly and communicates in the most pleasant tone. But this is not about him either. Reference is towards the men behind the counter, responsible for food preparation. If they decide to take their jobs lightly you could most easily be the victim of bacteria and related diseases. Un-hygienically prepared food has affected more than any other serious ailment.

In such circumstances, would you not like to know the eatery better? Convenient eating is desired, but the cost of this convenience could be high and thus despite the effort it might entail, it is suggested that once in a while, we sneak beyond the ordering window. Knowing the steps the restaurant staff takes or does not takes towards serving cleanly prepared dishes, would not only make the meal more sumptuous, but also healthier for you and your family.

But would the management allow? Yes, the restaurant team would certainly allow and if they do not, you just have a reason to suspect. If during these surprise inspections you gather information that is crucial enough for all to know, do not forget to add the same to NeedGrub’s blog or restaurant review section. Also do regularly check back the same columns for similar details, as posted by other fellow reviewers.      

Writing a restaurant review is simply an expression of your liking or disliking for an eatery’s cuisine, service, ambience or item costing. While there is no special degree required to write a restaurant review, following the below mentioned guidelines can assist.

1. Be clear i.e. when you are expressing about the quality of a restaurant, do not end with a confused answer. For example, there are reviews where the reviewers mentions expensive wine and in the end rates restaurant 4 out of 5 on the price category. Keep in mind that readers want to know whether they should or should not visit a restaurant, based on various parameters like rate, quality, etc. Such dubious replies will not help them.  

2. Do not forget the food. There is the ambience, the furniture, funny posters, excellent cutlery, pleasant waiters and waitresses, but hardly any food. Cuisine is the key ingredient of a restaurant review; let that not be the last one. Emphasize upon the cuisine type, along with the budget range.

3. Highlight the restaurant’s USP and if there is nothing special about the eatery, do not forget to mention the same. For instance, these days’ opening up of new coffee shops around every nook and corner is a norm. While few are exceptionally good, there are many, which just add on to the numbers. Thus while writing about one of these cafés, it will be important to bring out the special feature or justify average ratings.

4. Complement the writing with pictures if possible. Visual appeal augments the value of written feedback.

 

 

There are ample sources, both online and print, talking endlessly about restaurants and the food. Ratings on account of food, ambience, service, cost, etc., are always there. So why must I spend even few minutes reviewing yet another eatery, for one more website??

 

Yes, you could decide not to write a restaurant review and thus add up to the review archive of NeedGrub; after all that would save you few precious minutes. However, by not doing so, you also deprive thousands of foodies from receiving first hand, impartial comments. Authenticity of the review gets killed, because customers like you, chose not to highlight any specific positive or negative experiences.

 

On the other hand, NeedGrub.com - does offer a difference. NeedGrub has their expert go out and review restuarnts. But, the big difference, is that you KNOW that its a review from one the NeedGrub experts. Where as, lot of other websites, hire reviewers for the job, and the real users do not know that its infact  a paid review. And if this happens, food lovers like you are probably not getting a genuine reviews and ratings.

 

If you decided to make a mental note of the restaurant food, services and ambience, while enjoy a sumptuous meal, penning down the details, even in a completely informal would add huge value to NeedGrub. Thousands of readers would be reading your review and making observations. The food lover society would be better connected and informed. It is just a matter of penning what you feel. Would you still not like to bother writing restaurant reviews??

 

 

Food courts are definitely a revolutionary idea, after all a few years back, who thought that it would be possible to order a pizza, a bowl of dal makhani, Singapore noodles, cheese sandwich, masala dosa and the favourite cup of coffee, all in one go. You can sit anywhere you please to in a spacious boundary, gaze at the various popular and new food stalls, decide to order an assortment of dishes and serve all present at the table. There is no need to digest Mexican, only because your sister is adamant and neither is it required to order a whole dish of rice and curry separately. The more economical food meals can now be opted for.

 

In the most simplest terms, food courts are a blessing for average earning Indian families and social groups. They do not attack the wallet and neither do they tamper with the taste buds. Flexible group eating cannot perhaps mature more than this.

 

While the picture is all rosy and pink, there are few things food courts have killed; the fun of debating over ordering Chinese or Continental or Italian, for instance can no longer be enjoyed. Likewise, the trend of fine dining is fading away under the shadow of food court culture. No napkins or cutlery presentations to great you. Neither is there an army of waiters rushing to serve you. ‘Self service’ is the slogan. There was a time when customers’ maintained safe distance from Nirula’s, because the outlet wouldn’t offer fine dining facilities and today the trend is no longer alien. But guess with the positives in limelight, the sacrifice isn’t really too harsh. After all, the idea is to eat delicious … isn’t it??

 

Aftermath basically means negative impact, so how can a healthy lifestyle have an aftermath? Or rather how can there be any negative impacts of a healthy lifestyle?? 

Well there certainly are ‘the negative impacts’ or dreary consequences, because had this not been true, why would we subject ourselves to living as unhealthily as possible? I have no study or research to corroborate the mentioned, but if answer of the below mentioned is positive, you too are a part of the unhealthy band wagon. 

• I smoke / consume alcohol a little too often (drinking 5 days a week is often)
• I literally survive on packed food, let that be cooked or uncooked
• Sleeping hours … nothing fixed
• Exercise … the work schedule is enough of physical exertion, isn’t that exercising
• I eat fruits … maybe ones a week or ones in fifteen days or maybe even lesser, but yes I do consume fruits
• Vegetables … yes there are vegetables in that cream sandwich or … yes the pizza toppings, they are loaded with healthy vegetables

 

Difficult to say no to these, right?? After all where is the time to do so much i.e. to cook and eat, sleep on time, go to the park and walk and drink less? There’s just too much of stress already and trying to find affirmative answers to the stated will worsen the situation. There’ll unbearable consequences … see, the link is established. 

But while we’ve successfully established the link, there are things which have been ignored. Healthy lifestyle slows the aging process. There are less of medical ailments to deal with, if the above stated aspects are attributed attention. Moreover, a healthy lifestyle leaves you with more energy. The mentioned pointers together bestow a longer, healthier life. Thus for every few minutes you spend on living healthier, there are more hours to live the way you would want to … isn’t a bad deal, is it??

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