'It's invading menus': Top chef on overrated trend he doesn't get - and world's best food city

Every Thursday, our Money blog squad interviews chefs from astir the UK, proceeding astir their inexpensive nutrient hacks and more. This week, we chat to Mike Reid, renowned TV cook and "Aussie Beef Mate".

Good nutrient doesn't person to beryllium expensive... tasty nutrient is simply tasty food. Obviously, amended ingredients and nutrient (which would usually mean higher costs) would lend to a amended flavour. However, immoderate of the champion nutrient I devour is thoroughfare food, from section markets oregon vendors. When I was successful Singapore past year, I tried 1 of the cheapest Michelin-starred restaurants successful the world, with a pork noodle crockery astatine astir the equivalent of £5 for a 1 prima dish. It proves that bully nutrient doesn't person to beryllium expensive.

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Michelin-starred nutrient isn't ever the tastiest, but... it is decidedly a marker of consistency and talent. We are blessed successful the UK with a thriving nutrient scene, with truthful galore large chefs, and not each of them are cooking wrong Michelin restaurants. What I would accidental with Michelin restaurants is that it is simply a precise bully marker for a spot to devour wherever you should beryllium getting large work and large food. It is simply a usher to assistance you. I emotion eating retired astatine Michelin restaurants and person cooked astatine this level too, but I'm conscionable arsenic blessed eating crossed the large spectrum of restaurants that we are blessed to have.

The champion chefs I've worked with are... legends specified arsenic Michel Roux Jr and Gordon Ramsay. I besides had the pleasance of making "Five Star Chef" with Michel for Netflix, and that was specified an unthinkable acquisition of moving with him again. His professionalism and endowment basal retired each day, and I learned truthful overmuch from him astir being connected acceptable and the vigor and expertise helium brings with him.

I grip a TV cook cooking maine a atrocious repast by... styling it retired - I would ne'er privation to publically embarrass anyone. Food is truthful subjective, adjacent though it whitethorn not beryllium to my taste, the adjacent idiosyncratic who tries it mightiness emotion it. So I would effort my champion not to walk comment. Or my different maneuver is to absorption connected a redeeming element, truthful for example: "Oh wow, the flavour of that beef is beautiful, oregon the colour of that condiment is truthful vibrant."

What annoys maine the astir astir the manufacture is... however we person an anticipation present of being capable to devour astir foods each twelvemonth circular - past we really kick astir however it doesn't sensation arsenic good. We request to get backmost to respecting our nutrient much and knowing the seasons. To bask strawberries successful summertime and not look for them successful winter. To get backmost to eating tomatoes that person been grown and ripened connected the vine successful the sun, arsenic opposed to successful a greenhouse, grown and picked early. It volition beryllium truthful overmuch amended for the satellite and amended for america to bask things arsenic quality intended.

The biggest mistake I spot chefs marque is… overcomplicating their dishes. We person specified a tendency erstwhile we are younger and starting retired to showcase our skills, to amusement connected each sheet what we tin do, and this often leads to dishes being overly analyzable and excessively overmuch going on. Sometimes you spot 10 elements connected a sheet erstwhile lone 5 are needed to marque it truly outstanding. Restraint is the people of assurance and a existent content successful the nutrient that they are cooking. I retrieve truthful intelligibly erstwhile the penny dropped for maine and my nutrient went to different level aft this. My chefs were happier, too.

The astir overrated azygous nutrient point is… Dubai chocolate. I bash not recognize wherefore this has swept the satellite and taken over. It's invading menus successful each area, meal is present littered with it, inspiring dishes, and dessert menus are overloaded with it too. I deliberation it's overly affluent and mode excessively sweet. But that's conscionable my humble opinion!

What I deliberation astir nutrient influencers is... that emotion them oregon hatred them, they thrust covers to your restaurants, truthful you request to clasp them. I person worked with and met galore - astir are beauteous radical and large foodies who consciousness fortunate to bash what they do. The number tin beryllium a small "needy", let's say, but I deliberation erstwhile you person a genuine influencer that you cognize volition thrust concern to your restaurant, you are blessed to enactment with them. I deliberation it's astir being selective and choosing the close ones for your audience.

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My arguable food/restaurant sentiment is… your repast should beryllium paid for successful advance. We are 1 of the few, if not the only, "entertainment" services wherever you wage aft receiving your goods. Think if you spell to the movies, theatre oregon a concert, you wage successful advance. Paying aft your repast gives immoderate guests the content that if it wasn't precisely arsenic you wanted, you don't person to wage for anything. You don't get a refund if you don't similar a movie? We person already paid for everything, the staff, the ingredients, the gathering and our costs person been laid retired successful advance, truthful I don't spot wherefore the acquisition is antithetic to different industries. It shouldn't beryllium a choice. Of course, if we don't conscionable your expectations, determination needs to beryllium a level of compensation, but astatine the moment, each the powerfulness lies with the guest.

The champion metropolis successful the satellite to devour is... San Sebastian. From the Michelin-starred restaurants to the unthinkable pinchos bars - the prime of nutrient is incredible.

My favourite edifice concatenation is... Sticks and Sushi. Great concept, bully prime fish, and I emotion the sticks too. My benignant of chain.

My go-to inexpensive devour astatine location is... wagyu skirt sandwich

• 150g Wagyu Thick Skirt
• 1 Hens Egg
• ½ Tomato, Sliced
• Sprigs of caller Watercress
• ½ Onion, Sliced & Sautéed
• ½ Tbsp Dijon Mustard
• 1 Tbsp Kewpie
• 3 Shallots
• 1 Tbsp Corn flour
• Oil for frying
• 2 Slices of White Sourdough

For the gravy:

• 500ml Beef stock
• 2 Tsp Corn Flour

Method

1. Coat your shallots successful the maize flour and past fry disconnected successful your lipid astatine 160C;
2. Grill the wagyu from country temperature, seasoning generously with brackish connected your BBQ for astir 8 minutes, making definite your coals are not excessively hot, you privation a bully mean heat. Then remainder for astatine slightest six minutes successful a lukewarm place;
3. Start reducing your banal by half. Prepare your maize flour slurry by adding a interaction of h2o to your maize flour and premix well;
4. Over a debased heat, fry your eggs till the achromatic is cooked but ensuring you person a beauteous runny yolk;
5. Once finished resting, instrumentality the roasting tray juices and adhd to your stock. Bring to the boil and past thicken with the cornflour slurry and play to taste;
6. Assemble your sandwich, basting the breadstuff with your mustard, past adding the chutney, the beef chopped successful fractional and each your different bits, finishing with the watercress and the chips connected the side.