Mr. Knows-Nothing

On my most recent work trip to Canberra I spent the majority of the day liaising with clients as well as trying to canvas for new ones. In my role I visit copious amounts of food service establishments where I interact with various people from all walks of life & social background. Establishments I visit range from local cafes, Five Star restaurants to Food & Beverage suppliers.

On this particular visit to Canberra I decided to spread my wings and sample a different café for breakfast. It was at this café where the idea was reinforced to me that an establishment is judged not by the quality of it’s product, but by the quality of its service.

Nothing is more frustrating to a customer who frequents an establishment than when they ask a simple question just be looked at with a blank stare. This particular visit to Canberra consisted of a friend & my self, meeting up for an early breakfast before proceeding to work.

After looking through the menu we both ordered the “The Big Breakfast” which consisted of eggs, buttered toast, sautéed mushrooms, grilled tomato, bacon & two sausages. We both changed the meal to suit our dietary requirements when my friend asked the question that shook the gentleman who was serving us to the very core! “What meat is in the sausages?” was the question. The only reply, “I don’t know”.

What frustrated us the most in this situation wasn’t the fact the gentleman who was waiting on our table knew nothing, but that he didn’t do anything about it! This got me thinking about the many establishments that do not adequately train their staff & educate them about the simple things. I wouldn’t have thought about this situation so much if the gentleman who we have dubbed “Mr. Knows-Nothing” would have simply responded by apologizing & by saying that he didn’t know the answer but would find it out for us. This in turn would have caused him to save face instead of appearing naïve.

This situation doesn’t just confine itself to the Hospitality industry, but appears throughout every conceivable industry. In this situation we are focusing on a waiter working in a café with a lack of knowledge about what is on the basic menu. This is a serious downfall in such a competitive industry, where if you are disappointed by one café, you can simply move on to the next. 

Appropriate & adequate training combined with sufficient staff knowledge & quality service are key factors in determining the failure or success of any establishment.

The answer to our mind-boggling question: “Beef Sausages”.

Healthy tips for following a good healthy balanced diet

When you see a food like yoghurt or milk or anything with a fat content that can be “high”, always try and substitute it for a low fat cheese or yoghurt.

It has the same taste as most foods high in fat and is also better for you in the long run with cholesterol and is a great way to fight against diabetes.

Berries:  

As you can see there are quite a few berries listed on our latest menu.
This is for two reasons:

1. Berries are in season in summer; the darker they are the sweeter they are.

2. Berries contain the most vitamin C out of any food/fresh fruit on the market.

A lot of people tend to think carrots and oranges contain the most as that’s what they are taught from a young age. In actual fact, red grapes, strawberries and blueberries all contain a huge amount of Vitamin C. The darker the fruit/berry then the more Vitamin C they contain. Oranges and carrots contain the least amount of Vitamin C. But because they are so cheap and readily available then that is what you are told to have.

When purchasing Yoghurt from the store, always try and buy the natural yoghurts. It contains more Lactobacillus Acidophilus (which is natural bacteria that is great for the body) and if you wish to sweeten it, add your own sugar and in turn you will also know how much sweetness you are adding to your meal, whether that be in sugar, sweet fruits or honey, compared to getting already pre made sweet yoghurt.

By

Jason King

Two Spring Menus

Thanks to our resident Chef, Jason, we are happy to provide everyone with two menus below with a "Spring" aspect to them, along with a couple of our own favourite dishes (you will see which ones they are!).

As you will notice, berries appear a few times through out both menus in various dishes at different meals of the day. We felt Berries represent Spring!
These menus are intended to act a basic out line of what can be both made up at home or in a commercial environment. As always, we welcome any comments or suggestions!

Menu 1:

Breakfast.

Warm cinnamon Porridge w Rhubarb & Blueberries.

. Cream cheesed bagels w  salmon & dill/honey mascarpone & nutmeg/ French onion chive.

. Mandarin & Boysenberry Crepes w honey & almond Yoghurt.

Lunch.

Thai Red curry Chicken soup

Prosciutto wrapped lamb w spring salad & mint dressing.

.Honey glazed chicken w melon & avocado salad

Dinner.

Chicken casserole w brown rice & assorted vegies & warm crusty bread

Pork & apple Butterfly Steaks w Seasoned Vegies

Kingys’ Spicy Middle Eastern Delight

Desserts.

Mocha walnut Cheesecake w coffee cream

Cookies n cream Waffle pudding

Coconut banana Sundaes w  chocolate (any flavour) sauce.

Menu 2:

Breakfast.

Creamed rice  w poached berries & pear.

Baked Eggs w veg, ricotta sourdough & salmon rosettes’.

Carls Big breaky, 2 sausages w  homemade beans & Rostis’,

2 eggs of your choice w bacon/ Minute Steak, mushrooms, leek & spinach (or a vegie stack)

Lunch.

Kingys’ warm Cajun chicken salad.

Creamy  Pumpkin & Pine nut pasta.

Kingys’ Korean beef pot.

Dinner.

Mediterranean Lamb cutlets w  mashed parsnip

B.B.Q  Salmon & coriander butter w saffron rice & vegetables.

Chilli & Tuna spaghetti w fresh parmesan & rocket.

Desserts.

Berry  Mascarpone tarts

Black forest Cheesecake

Strawberry & Hazelnut Gateau

Saturday Morning Outing

Today was one of "those" Saturday mornings... The alarm clock sounded at 6:15am & the 'off' button was pushed instead of the 'snooze' button. Subsequently & as you would expect, there was a rush to get out of the house!

At 9am after dropping my girlfriend to work I met up with an old friend for breakfast at her new pad in Paddington. She suggested we try one of the cafes near her house called Tiger Mottle. I'd recognised the name of the cafe from the Time Life Magazine & thought this would be a great opportunity to visit & see what the cafe has to offer as I don't usually frequent cafes in that end of Paddington.

Tiger Mottle uses all fresh ingredients, Free Range eggs & Golden Cobra coffee beans. Their Chef, Billy, is known for "squeezing the best flavours from the freshest produce". Most establishments have their own signature item on the menu & Tiger Mottle is no different. Their signature drink is the Maple Mottle. Very simply it's a Double ristretto, a shot of maple syrup & a dusting of chilli topped with cream.

Coffee at Tiger Mottle is made using the 'double ristretto technique'. The reason they make their coffees using this method is that they transform the flavours into a "rich and aromatic elixir with knock-your-socks-off flavour". Their description is fitting of their beverages & spot on in its accuracy.

Prices are very reasonable, service is quick, the cafe is presented beautifully & the staff are friendly & welcoming. Tiger Mottle is the perfect place to visit to start your weekend.

Visit them at 248 Glenmore Rd, Five Ways, Paddington NSW 2021 or www.tigermottle.com

Whats Cooking?

Welcome to the 1^st instalment of Menus’ from the Hospitality Boys, where every so often we will try to bring you new exciting menus’ (recipes if asked for) and tantalising dishes that you can create at home for little of the cost it would normally be when you buy take out.

The inspiration behind most of my dishes is simple; fewer ingredients = more flavour.

I’ve learnt so much from my family and from all the Chefs I have interacted with in my career.

Two tips you need to know; 1. Always cook with what you know, 2. Keep it simple... simple works.

Creating dishes/meals is a lot like making a cocktail at a bar; it’s a lot about experimenting with different ingredients. Some cocktails taste lovely & some dreadful.

That’s the same with food; by adding an extra ingredient or leaving one out can either ruin or make the dish.

These dishes I have placed on our 1^st Edition of Menus’ are all things I have made before and have had remarkable feedback on. I love cooking over & over again for my guests, family & friends.

The good thing about having a few choices under each meal is that you can ‘mix n match’ to satisfy your hunger needs and what your taste buds desire.

So have fun, go crazy and jot down some meals that you’ve made or have seen on TV , in magazines, recipe books etc... And give it a go!

I can guarantee there is no better feeling than sitting down to a meal you yourself have prepared, cooked and served! 

The satisfaction you get from tucking into it with friends and loved ones is immeasurable. 

You will get some great feedback along the way and the best one of all is an EMPTY PLATE.

Please enjoy these healthy, hearty dishes and if you require any information about recipes or drinks to match your meal, please jump on our wall or Blog and drop us a line.

Happy cooking,

Sample Menu 1

Breakfast

Eggs Benedict w Salmon, Chives ,Sourdough and Prosscutio 

Fresh fruit topped layered w Yoghurt, Muesli and Berry Compote

Buttermilk pancakes w Strawberries & Blueberries, topped w caramelised banana and icing sugar (side serve of golden syrup)

Lunch

Warm Thai beef Salad w mild chilli dressing accompanied by glass noodles & roasted almonds

Homemade Quiche Lorraine or Vegetarian w Parmesan & Rocket Balsamic salad

Lemon parmesan crumbed chicken schnitzel w seasonal Vegies/salad & Pesto Mash.

Dinner

Homemade Steak & Sweet Potato Pie w Vegies

Seafood Platter consisting of a Calamari Tower surrounded by Prawn Cocktails and Tuna skewers accompanied by Cocktail, Horseradish Aioli & Tartare sauces

Dessert

Chocolate Mousse w Strawberries & White Chocolate shavings

Lemon Tart w fresh Cream & Brandy sauce

Homemade Pavlova w Honey comb Ice cream

Please Enquire for recipes.

Jason King

Hospitality Boys.

A Good Coffee is Hard to Find

“By many accounts coffee is the most popular beverage on earth after water. According to the World Bank, as many as 500 million people are involved directly or indirectly in the global coffee trade. Coffee is the most actively traded commodity on the planet after petroleum…. Finding a good cup of coffee can be hard, and a great cup of coffee can be really elusive. The vast array of brands, styles, certification labels, and drink preparation methods make it all the more confusing.” (http://dethroner.com/2006/12/11/what-is-coffee/)

Taking the above comment into consideration, why is it that a good cup of coffee, let alone a GREAT cup of coffee, is so hard to find? To produce a good product, a relative amount of time, preparation & care needs to be taken. The Barista producing your coffee needs to be competent enough to know how to work with every aspect of the coffee making process. Basic principles that affect the out come of any coffee are as follows to produce a quality beverage:

• Freshness – Moisture, Oxygen, Light & Heat are the main factors that affect the freshness of the coffee.
• The Grind – Depending whether you are using an Espresso Machine, a coffee plunger/press or a drip coffee maker, different grinds will have a big affect on the end product & the type of beverage you are making. A shot of espresso will be ready in approximately 25-30 seconds, where as coffee made in a French press could take up to 4 or 5 minutes to brew as it is in direct contact with water.
• Proportion – Depending on the café you are going to & what coffee company they are with will determine the appropriate proportion of ground coffee to use in an espresso machine. A figure that some cafes/companies work with is approximately 7g-10g ground coffee = 1 x 30mL espresso shot.  
• Water – Purified water is the best kind of water a person should be drinking, but purified water is also ideal for a great tasting coffee as the filtration system eliminates the impurities that cause the beverage to take on a different taste, therefore hindering the finished product of the Barista. Water that is just off the boil will ensure the extraction of the all the right flavour elements of the coffee.

Café management & Baristas often ignore the fact that the grind of the coffee needs to be changed throughout the day. Depending on the location of the café, the time of day or even the season will impact on the type of grind a café should be using at any one time. The last thing that any paying customer wants to have served to them is a coffee that looks, smells & tastes like a used ashtray. “Unfortunately everyone and their dog does coffee these days, but not everyone does it great or does it great consistently” (http://www.espressoelements.com.au/about/).

In a lot of cafes around Sydney it is not uncommon for a Barista to ruin a coffee when they are texturing the milk that is needed for a milk-based beverage. Milk texturing, whether being made using an at home espresso machine or with an industrial machine is more often than not, an art form, not just technique. A drink is usually ruined when the milk either contains too much air (froth) or the milk is burnt & has a custard like smell to it. The perfect milk for any milk-based coffee should be around 65°C to 70°C as well as silky & smooth with a slight sheen.

No matter if you are a Barista working in a café or a customer ordering your coffee, always keep these few points in mind as they will affect the end result & that satisfaction that is derived from it.

Making Life a Little Easier

How many people out there visit their regular café & have their coffee card stamped? How many people out there collect coffee cards from numerous different cafes?

How many times have you bought as many coffees as you need to redeem your free coffee & only realised you’ve lost or forgotten the card when going to redeem your long awaited “FREE” coffee?

If like me, you have answered yes to any of the above questions, you will love this little idea from HopShopper.

How does HopShopper work?

Using your Smart Phone, such the iPhone, collect loyalty card stamps and browse nearby shops, restaurants and cafes. Reduce the amount of loyalty cards you carry to zero. This application is one of the easiest to use. Simply open the application & hold the Smart Phone’s camera up to the digital barcode provided by the café or shop that you are making your purchase from. The appropriate information is then sent to that retailer & the “stamp” is recorded. Think of this application as totally replacing the coffee /loyalty card.

This application from HopShopper now allows a retailer to “immediately reach many nearby consumers with promotional offers to attract consumers into store”. Retailers will then be able to see the return on this new way of mobile marketing by an increase in weekly sales.

For consumers, the advantage of down loading this free application from HopShopper, is that all your hard earned loyalty stamps will be collected & stored in one safe & secure place on your Smart Phone, with the ability to explore new places to shop or cafes to relax in.

Whether you are a consumer or a retailer, this application is certainly worth looking into. There are many applications out there related to the hospitality industry yet this is a prime example of a product that is beneficial to all parties & aims at making life a little easier through electronically stored loyalty card stamps & direct mobile marketing to the consumer.

For more information about this product, visit their web site;

www.HopShopper.com

The Little People Doing The Big Things

There’s an old saying, “Never forget the little people” and I’m not talking about people small in height! I’m talking about those people who help make the Hospitality Industry what it is which is no easy job. The Hospitality Industry is made up of many different people, each in their own sector, who do the countless unseen things to ensure the end result is perfect.

Today we're specifically talking about the back of house & what is needed to make it work.
Being a chef this is one example we come across many times when out. You hear people say things like; ‘’really, $25 for a steak, veggies and mash?!” The question we have to now ask is this; Do these customers understand that they’re not just paying for the chefs cooking skills, the piece of meat & the vegetables that get put on their plate? The simple answer is a resounding "No". Ignorance is bliss. Which paying customer have you ever come across that wants to know the whole back story of how their piece of steak landed on their plate? 

Whether it is in a restaurant, cafe or even a hotel, pretty much anywhere that serves you food you are paying for the following in reverse order:
* Service of the meal from wait staff
* Rent & upkeep of the premises
* Staffs wages (Labour costs) 
* Delivery of the raw products (supplier) 
* Suppliers wage / costs.

You should always keep in mind where the food comes from. It doesn’t miraculously come from a freezer or a spare cow out the back of the kitchen as we'd all like to think! There is a long & involved list of where the product is sourced from. Places include, but are not limited too farmers & growers etc. 

So next time you order food at any cafe, restaurant or any place that you are paying for your meal to be made for you, just think of the hard work done by 'the little people' to get you that meal. Your meal generally consists of more than just a chef turning your scotch fillet on the grill. Next time you place your order & you question the price, take a second to think about the many steps in the process, of the possible components involved & how many people it may have taken to prepare your meal. From raw produce, to a beautifully cooked steak with mouth watering roasted vegetables.

Another example, taking into consideration the many people involved, are the people in the Hotel & Restaurant industry who are the unsung heros. The managers, wait staff & cleaning staff. These people do copious amounts of work that is hardly ever seen. The customer only ever sees the finished product, never the work involved. 

The Hospitality Industry is by no means an easy industry to work in. For those who work within it know that although there is often hard work & many hours of standing on your feet, it is more often than not, a very rewarding industry to work in. 

Cafe vs Customer; First Contact

Never forget this rule:

Your initial actions when a customer enters your establishment will set the tone for their visit – these actions with either make or break any further dealings you have with customer.

Many establishments have had many theories both trialed and tested when it comes to the initial contact or “greeting” a staff member will give to a customer when they enter your establishment. These theories will often change once a customer is a regular & is then known to staff members. There are many establishments where the staff member who is serving the customer or prospective customer literally pounce on the person the moment they set foot through the front door! Questions are immediately fired off in quick succession; “Hi can I help you?”, “Are you ready to order?”, “Would you like to start with drinks first?”. Enough is enough already! As the customer we get the point! You are trying to serve us & offer us something, we get it!

Here’s the deal ladies & gentlemen. Scrap the interrogation techniques & give your customer or potential customer room to breathe. If the customer is going to take the time to enter a café or restaurant, chances are that they are there to spend money on the products that you offer so there is no point in suffocating them. Half of your job & the jobs of your staff members is already taken care of because you have established & maintained an inviting “hospitable” environment for the customer.

Out of all the industry big names, Starbucks have nailed this technique – or at least where I worked, the theory was nailed. When a customer enters the Starbucks they are immediately acknowledged by staff members by someone taking the time to look at them, smile & say hi. This doesn’t have to include the staff member walking up, wrapping their arms around the customer & slapping a kiss on their cheek! It’s a simple, run of the mill “hi” & a smile. The customer is then given space to breathe & make choices. The questions about what they are going to order are asked when the customer is ready. Not when the staff member is ready. This will make the customer feel like they are in control.

Relax when it comes to greeting your customers or potential customers. Always remember that they are there because they want to be there. Don’t push them away by being so overbearing that they feel uncomfortable & pressured. Most of all, don’t get offended when the customer doesn’t want to be friendly as this should not be a reflection on you. 

An American Road Side Diner - Quick easy meals, great home cooked feeling & hospitality!