The Battle Over London Tipping

I've always found tipping to be an odd business. The Wife tends to tip everyone 15 percent, no matter what. A couple of friends tip everyone a dollar, no matter what. Some people just hate the idea of tipping and don't do it at all on general principals. I have always been against forced tipping, which is standard practice at very expensive restaurants where they are charging far too much for food anyway. But then, this is usually only done with large groups.

In London tipping it a bit different-tipping has often been covered with a service charge.

Diners at Le Pont de la Tour, Quaglino's and 18 other restaurants established by the designer Terence Conran will be presented with a bill making clear that a service charge is not included and leaving a blank space for any tips.

The move to discretionary tipping – cash that would be shared by the staff – represents the latest attempt by restaurateurs to win back diners who have deserted them in the recession. Top London restaurants have already slashed mark-ups on fine wines and hundreds of establishments are offering "two-for-one" meals or 50% off.

D&D London, which co-owns the chain with Conran Holdings, has good reason to act. It saw its profits fall by a fifth last year to £6.5m.

I like tipping, as it is one of the few chances I have in life to be a big shot and show some generosity of spirit at the same time. But I know that not everyone tips well, and I have never been a huge tipper myself. My brother always likes to do a bit of math and say there X number of people here and if we all tip Y than that's a good day's wages.

There is something to that kind of logic. Surely no restaurant would voluntarily pay their waitstaff what they make in tips on a good night? There are so many flavors of restaurants out there that it is impossible to make a definitive answer as to what a good tip should be.

I have always been in favor of the idea of a living wage-plus tips. That way there will still be some incentive to give good service, but the waitstaff doesn't miss a car payment if they have a bad week. It seems that 15% is the standard in the US, but people unused to voluntary tipping in London might lowball that number and tip more along the lines of 8%.

A standard argument against any plans to change the tipping system, as no one likes any kind of change whatsoever, is that if they don't like the system as it is-they can go get a job doing something else. Or at the very least, try to get a job at a better restaurant where the tips would be substantially better on expensive meals than on cheap meals. Or so I might assume, as I say, I don't really know.

Times are hard all over, maybe doing away with tipping altogether would be a good idea.

Read more about Tipping in The London Evening Standard. For a few London thoughts against tipping, see Citywire.

London's Top Organic Restaurants

Organic foods are made according to certain production standards, meaning they are grown without the use of conventional pesticides and artificial fertilizers, free from contamination by human or industrial waste, and processed without ionizing radiation or food additives.
-Wikipedia

Organic restaurants, their not just for California anymore. When I was a kid eating organic meant growing your own food and reading Mother Earth News for farming tips. Now it seems that everything is organic, or at least says that it is organic. It's a lot easier to find organic restaurants in London and other cities than it once was as well. A good organic restaurant is more often than not just a good restaurant.

Here are a few of London's Top Organic Restaurants-

Acorn House

London's first truly environmentally sustainable restaurant is in frantic King's Cross. Using bio diesel, eco-sensitive takeaway containers, on-site water purifiers – Acorn House leaves no natural stone unturned. The food is organic as well as being inventive and absolutely delicious.

Fresh and Wild, Soho

The Soho branch of London's favourite organic supermarket is on Brewer Street. As a company, Fresh and Wild is fully committed to delivering the finest organic produce possible. The Soho branch includes a deli, juice bar, general food store and a café.

Konstam at the Prince Albert

Housed in a former pub, Konstam at the Prince Albert is the brainchild of Oliver Rowe. Oliver sources all of the restaurant's food locally, ie within the M25 motorway, the ring road that encircles London. Both the venture and the concept were made famous in the TV series The Urban Chef.

Neal’s Yard

Snuggled between Monmouth Street, Shorts Gardens and Neal Street in WC2 is a cobbled enclave known as Neal's Yard. This charming little nook is packed with cafes, apothecaries, bakers and organic food sellers. The Neal's Yard Piazetta serves a variety of yummy wholesome Italian dishes and specialises in fresh fruit juices and non-alcoholic cocktails.

Bumpkin

Previously known as The Liquid Lounge, the recently launched Bumpkin professes to being – 'for city folk who like a little country living'. And rustic and organic it certainly is. The many menu highlights include Dorset crab, a terrine of ham hock and line-caught sea bass.

Duke of Cambridge

Only organic food and drink is served at the good looking Duke of Cambridge. The blackboard menu changes constantly but always features fantastic, fresh and inventive cuisine. One of London's favourite gastro pubs, diners can eat in the bar or in the dining room.

The River Café

This restaurant is famous the world over for its use of exquisite ingredients. The owners Ruth Rogers and Rose Gray, attribute their incredible success down to sourcing and using only what is in season. The River Café is stylish and expensive, but it's also considered one of the best restaurants in the world.

The Gate

Visit Hammersmith for what some people call the best vegetarian restaurant in London. The approach to cooking is an eclectic one - drawing on a wide range of ethnic cuisines, selecting the best combinations and creating dishes that have earned him a reputation as one of London's finest vegetarian chefs.


Pimilico’s Roussillon

Specialising in Classical French cooking and the wines of south-west France, but with a emphasis on using the best available British produce, Roussillon was the first restaurant in Britain to introduce - alongside its a la carte - seasonal Garden Menus, which offer diners an experience where vegetables are the focus of the meal. As such, the restaurant is appreciated by meat-eaters and vegetarians alike.

Eat and Two Veg

You won’t find any meat on the menu at Eat & Two Veg, only tofu, soya & what’s mysteriously billed as ‘a special blend of vegetable protein’ used in cunning ways to simulate meaty favourites. Choose from dishes on the all-day menu such as Not Nicoise salad made with tofu, Lincolnshire-style sausage with mash or a good range of veggie burgers.

Terence Conrad Bibendum and More

While a great deal has changed since 1987, much too has remained the same. The restaurant’s original ethos of producing classic French food with a strong British influence, using the best quality seasonal ingredients continues today.- Bibendum website

Sir Terence Conrad has his own Empire in London and elsewhere around the world. Like Frank Lloyd Wright and all other successful modern moguls, Terence Conrad is not just a name, he is a Brand. The Conrad Shop has all those wonderful things that no home should be without-Conrad Furniture, Conrad Lighting, Conrad Entertaining. All designed with that wonderful Terence Conrad mix of Old and New.

Among the architecture of note is the recent Roppongi Hills, a new 11-hectare urban quarter in the heart of Tokyo. There is also the first museum in the world devoted exclusively to 20th and 21st century design, the Design Museum which opened in 1989. There also many hotels, homes, and other projects under the Terence Conrad banner.

Terence Conrad has also written a book about London. Terence Conran on London is a visual guide to the excitement and diversity of London life, seen through the eyes of one of the world's foremost designers, retailers and restaurateurs. He paints a fascinating portrait of London, its architecture and interiors, as well as the worlds of transport, work, shopping, eating, street life and culture.

The OXO Tower-London

"That's the Oxo Tower, of Oxo bullion fame." The man guiding our boat across the Thames told us. But since we were a bunch of tourists from America, none of us had ever heard of Oxo.

The building was originally constructed as a power station for the Post Office, built towards the end of the 19th century. It was subsequently acquired by the Liebig Extract of Meat Company, manufacturers of Oxo beef stock cubes, for conversion into a cold store.

The London building was largely rebuilt to an Art Deco design by company architect Albert Moore between 1928 and 1929. Much of the original power station was demolished, but the river facing facade was retained and extended. Liebig wanted to include a tower featuring illuminated signs advertising the OXO name.

The Oxo Tower Restaurant is a bit pricey, as should be expected in a proper London eatery. Three courses £33.00 for lunch, while most dinners seem to be in the £20.00 neighborhood. As with a lot of London Attractions, there is a 360 degree view to be had online.
It looks like a nice enough place and the view certainly seems worth seeing.

London is a great town for recycling, and old power plants and post offices seem to always be on their way to being new businesses of one sort or another. The OXO tower with its nice tic-tac-toe logo and sharp art deco lines is a very nice building that houses art exhibitions and flats as well as a restaurant.

So when a tour guide points out the Oxo Tower to you, nod knowongly when he talks about Oxo Stock Cubes.

Oxo Tower Wharf, Bargehouse Street, South Bank, London, SE1 9PH

Hard Rock Cafe London

Standing on Old Park Lane since June 14th 1971, this is the one that started it all. The brainchild of Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton, the cafe attracted customers from day one with first-rate but moderately priced casual American fare (available no-where else in London or the UK at the time), warm service and ubiquitous Rock 'n' Roll music and sensibility - Hard Rock Cafe London became an instant classic.-Hard Rock Cafe London.

Stopping by for an overpriced hamburger and a good long stare at the stuff on the walls is what The Hard Rock Cafe is all about. Seems that every city in the world has a Hard Rock Cafe these days, but the Hard Rock Cafe London was the first. The idea that you couldn't buy a hamburger in London restaurants in 1971 is a bit odd, since three story tall McDonald's dot the central London landscape today. If you like American food such as hamburgers, BLT's, Nachos and similar fare The Hard Rock Cafe London is a good place to go.

The food is always great at a Hard Rock Cafe Restaurant, and they do serve drinks so you can be as rowdy as you like. In fact, my own experience at most Hard Rock Cafes is that they are LOUD. So don't expect to sit and have a quiet chat, expect to yell to be heard over the Rock and Roll music bouncing off all the old guitars and records hanging on the walls.

One of the cool features of the Hard Rock Cafe London website is the Hard Rock Memorabilia page. Here is a mosaic of the many cool rock and roll items The Hard Rock Cafe has gathered over the years. What's cool about this bit of business is that you can zoom in close enough to see the autographs on the guitars and read the cover of the Beatles Paint By The Numbers Kit. There's an item you don't see everyday. While this is not as cool as standing right next to an item in a Hard Rock Cafe, it is kind of fun to fiddle around with.

Lee Ho Fook's-Werewolves of London

Saw a werewolf with a Chinese menu in his hand, walking through the streets of Soho in the rain, he was looking for a place called Lee Ho Fook's, going to get a big dish of beef chow mein-
Warren Zevon

There are a handful of songs that I will listen to when the come on the radio no matter how many gazillion times I have heard them-Werewolves of London is one of those songs.

So when I went to London the first time, there were a handful of places I just had to see-Stonehenge, Tower Bridge, and Lee Ho Fook-I know Stonehenge isn't in London, but it was still the top of my list.

London's Chinatown is an amazing place, the phone booths with their little pointed roofs, the windows filled with roasted ducks, and the Apothecary with jars filled with who-knows-what. And there was Lee Ho Fook's, great name anyway. I scanned that little menu by the sidewalk, but there was no beef chow mein on it. Maybe it's a special request item.

But the point was not to eat at Lee Ho Fook's in London, any more than it is necessary to walk across Tower Bridge-just to see it and photograph it and be able to tell your friends-yeah, there really is a Lee Ho Fook in London.

I've been to Mystic, Connecticut as well as London, England. There really is a Mystic Pizza there, and it is a cool little restaurant, with a lot of neon and stuff hanging off the walls- just like in the movie Mystic Pizza. But it is just a pizza joint, albeit one with photos of famous people eating the pizza. So I didn't eat at Lee Ho Fook's, but I did walk by and have a look at it.

Somewhere nearby Lee Ho Fook there was a very pretty Chinese girl in a very elaborate and colorful costume, she was asking a pound to have her picture taken. So I gave her a pound and The Wife took a photo of me and this lovely girl, then I took a photo of the Wife and this lovely girl. The sad bit is that I only had black and white film left, so this girl her in amazing costume rests in my photo album in beautiful monochrome. I have a digital camera now.

Maybe next time I'm in London I'll actually go and eat at Lee Ho Fook's instead of just looking at the menu.