And we're done!
Thanks for all your questions, and thanks to Marina for answering them.
Marina’s column continues here and in Weekend magazine
Updated
'I think service is still a real issue on these shores. It’s still not regarded as a ‘proper job’ and it very much should be.'
mammuthus asks:
What are your reflections on the development of the UK restaurant scene in the UK in recent years? What are the positive aspects and where does there remain a need for improvement?
Guardian staff I think the UK has come along in leaps and bounds over the past few years. I've spent a lot of time in rural France recently, and eaten some spectacularly bad, defiantly monocultural food. We're doing so much better these days, with a real emphasis on locality and seasonality. We customers are getting wise, too, to the lazy kinds of outfit that relies on Brakes food to be simply reheated.
I think service is still a real issue on these shores. It's still not regarded as a 'proper job' and it very much should be. (I should know - I did it for years.) I'd also like to see us a little bit more confident in our own identity, instead of constantly trying to ape New York or Portland.
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'My pet peeve? Constant interruptions of 'how great is that for you?' '
Cossiee asks:
What is your biggest pet peeve with customer service when you visit restaurants?
Guardian staff Argh - you've wound me up and set me off!
Constant refilling of the wine-glass.
Calling me 'laydeez'.
Anything to do with tipping where the service charge doesn't go straight to the staff.
Not greeting when we arrive, or saying goodbye when we leave.
Trying to put me on the worst table when we're a party of two women (I get this a LOT.)
Constant interruptions of 'how great is that for you?' (mostly in the US).
Not managing expectations - if something has gone wrong, apologise. It'll be forgiven. Ignore and panic, it'll be enraging.
Blatant upselling.
Patronising: a server in the US taking a good ten minutes to tell me what aburi sushi was although I hadn't asked.
I worked FOH for years. It's not in any way an easy job, and you need a degree in psychology to figure out which table wants to be your best friend, and which simply wants to be left to their own devices. To this day, when I'm worried or stressed, my anxiety dreams are me, alone on the floor of a frantically busy restaurant. Brr.
ID243082 asks:
Are her family and friends nervous about cooking for her because she’s tried so much amazing food? Is she any good at cooking?
Guardian staff Oh, and nobody ever cooks for me, ever. Apart from my husband who does ALL of the cooking in our house and complains that I return everything with a sneer and have taught the children to say things like 'lacks finesse'.
:))))
HLThomas asks:
How do you feel about a favourable review you wrote when you revisit the venue in question and the place seems like a complete dive? And visa-versa.
Guardian staff I genuinely don't get this too much, fortunately. I've made mistakes of course - I didn't love Bocca di Lupo when I first went and am now a rabid fan.
If something lets me down horribly, I do what everyone else does and take to Twitter.
'I'm no fan of Tripadvisor as it has led me up some very dodgy byways.'
TheMarxOfProgress asks:
Do you worry that Trip Advisor might make you obsolete or do you think there will always be demand for “expert” reviews?
Guardian staff It's a very interesting question. Jancis Robinson did a very thoughtful piece about this very thing here and I agree with much of what she says.
I honestly have no idea. I'm no fan of Tripadvisor as it has led me up some very dodgy byways. But I like to think there will - that people would want an informed review of a film, for instance, instead of standing outside the cinema and asking everyone 'what did you think?'.
zchap41 has an idea...
How will the stalwart fans of Roti King cope with the queues now? Could you perhaps suggest two separate queues for those whose first attendance was pre- and post-MO’L top50?
Guardian staff
paddyi asks:
How influential do you feel your reviews are? And does that worry you?
Guardian staff I only know anecdotally - eg one of the restaurants featured above contacted me to say the 'phones had been ringing off the hook'. I think it's a short-term effect though - repeat visits will depend on the restaurants' own performance.
I take the job hugely seriously. I'd never diss anywhere for the sake of a good line - these are people's livelihoods I'm talking about.
marcam1000 says:
Marina, it must be as (or more) tiresome for you to hear people complain about the London-centricity of both your weekly reviews and this list, as it is for readers outside London to open their Guardian Weekend magazine at the review page, most weeks.
But, seriously, why not get out more?
Guardian staff This year I’ve been in Birmingham, Glasgow, Liverpool, Belfast, rural Kent, Manchester, Edinburgh, Argyll and Bute, Essex, Morpeth, Brighton, Leeds, Dorset, Bristol. Not to mention Spain, Palm Springs, Salzburg, Sicily, rural France, Seattle, Portland Vancouver. I get out quite a lot.
'I take endless phone pics. Now that everyone's a blogger or an instagrammer, nobody pays much attention when you do.'
ID243082 asks:
I’m curious about when Marina visits restaurants to review them - does she take notes on her thoughts right then and there? Or would that reveal her reviewer status to the staff? How does she remember everything if not?
Guardian staff I used to have an almost eidetic memory for food. Couldn't remember my kids' birthdays, but dinner - always. I've never carried a notebook, or scuttled off to the loo to take notes. Now - I blame the martinis - it's not quite so sharp. But I take phone pics, endless phone pics. The beauty of this is now that everyone's a blogger or an instagrammer, nobody pays much attention when you do.
'You might as well have a giant arrow pointed at your head flashing REVIEWER HERE'
saintpellegrino asks:
How often do you eat solo? It sounds like often-ish from the reviews - but I’m guessing not in the bigger fancier places?
Guardian staff For reviewing purposes, never. It's hard to get a rounded picture of a place on just the one meal. And if you start ordering multiples of courses, you might as well have a giant arrow pointed at head flashing 'REVIEWER HERE'.
Updated
Claire C asks:
How many times does Marina visit a place before it makes it onto a list like this?
I ask as I have visited one of the cheaper places on this list (after reading the Guardian review) and it was dreadful. TripAdvisor shows there are consistency issues. Would a place make it onto a 50 best after a single good meal?
Guardian staff I try always to go at least more than once (although that's on my own dollar...) Consistency, especially with small, cheap joints, can be an issue. But with these, I'm likely to forgive the odd off day. Especially if they more frequently deliver something ambrosial for four quid.
I would love to say that I visited recommended restaurants e.g. in the Northeast many times, but it would be impractical if not impossible. But before recommending, I do need to have been recently.
rafer asks:
What was your most expensive evening at Barrafina? (Mine was £260 for two)
Explanation: I find Barrafina so good and enjoyable that I often order more than I need. This is also goes for the drinks. Bills rack up quickly then even though the most expensive item on the food menu is below £20.
Guardian staff These kinds of restaurants - small, delicious plates; great winelist - always deliver me a bill that comes as a total shock.
It's that ability to order something, then just order another little something, then another... yikes. Also, am very greedy.
'The number of places opening called Blah & Blah, with brick walls and filament lightbulbs is starting to depress me.'
thedavidjay says:
Marina - you’re one of the few UK reviewers/critics who seems genuinely aware of what’s going on outside the UK in terms of food and restaurant trends. Do you feel the UK is following its own path, or do you think it draws heavily on trends first set in other places (the US seems a huge source of ideas)?
Similarly, what do you anticipate as the next trends in terms of what ends up on our plates nationwide?
Guardian staff Oh lord - HUGE questions...
I said earlier that we're still a bit stuck in our admiration of other cities, particularly NY. The number of places opening called Blah & Blah - enough with the bloody ampersand! - with brick walls and filament lightbulbs is starting to depress me. (And that's before I get to the likes of Scoff & Banter, which I'd cheerfully throttle.)
But I do think that the more interesting restaurants are starting to forge a genuinely British identity (I'm thinking of Brawn, or The Ethicurean, or Inver. And, not included because of timescales, Pidgin). They don't seem to feel the need to reference anywhere else but their own patch.
This kind of approach is what I think we'll be seeing more of: a celebration of individuality without the need to mimic our big cousins across the Pond.
I still think the biggest influencers, specifically in terms of their chef alumni, are Fergus Henderson, the under-rated Jules Wright of Wapping Food (RIP), and Simon Rogan. You can't discount school-of-Ramsay either: Angela Hartnett and Jason Atherton in particular. I'm very excited to see what Clare Smyth does when she leaves the Ramsay mothership.
'Cheapness and value are two very different things.'
lukemcgowan asks:
In terms of value for money which of the 50 would on your list would you say was number one?
Guardian staff Really tricky. Of course cheapness and value two very different things. I think I'd have to go for 40 Maltby St - the cooking is far, far better than prices and surroundings might lead you to expect.
ID805810 has a suggestion:
On a visit to Caithness I stumbled upon Cote du Nord. It’s in Kirtomy, near Bettyhill which is not near anywhere really...Eight seat restaurant run by local GP on days off. Visited when we could and......as a Scot you may understand how good food is when you want to lick the plate. 12 course taster menu, £35.
Took your advice and visited Inver on way to Tayvallich from Glasgow. Loved it, and in its own way, Cord du Nord it’s equal.
Guardian staff
'I've been in a starred restaurant and a mouse skittered across the floor.'
popdan1 says:
10th in the top 10 list manages to scrape a 1 star hygiene rating. You pay your £4 and take your choice (or gamble)
Guardian staff Yes, I do. I've eaten street food all over the world, in places that swish their crockery through buckets of water to 'clean', and lived to tell the tale. When I was a small child, my mother would pick up the food we dropped on the floor - salami! - and put it back on our plates.
I've been in a starred restaurant (which shall remain nameless) and a mouse skittered across the floor. You do pay your money...
I'd find it hard to countenance a place in the UK that had really grubby loos, however.
willemharvey asks:
If you had to eat at one restaurant every evening for a week, where would you go? You’re allowed to eat with different people each time to prevent it getting dull!
Guardian staff This is one of those question to which the answer changes on a daily basis. Right now, I'd have to say Quality Chop House. The menu changes almost daily, which is a benefit for the lover of novelty, it's a beautiful, austere little place. And has the wine list of the gods.
'As a committed carbphile, toast is my downfall.'
Terence Cass asks:
My sister used to eat in restaurants in 5 star hotels throughout the world. She used to say that she longed for a night where she could eat a slice of cheese on toast or a bacon butty for a change. What do you eat on your night off?
Guardian staff I SO relate to this! Sometimes when I'm abroad and have had breakfast, lunch and dinner in restaurants, I long for toast in front of the telly. (I know, I know - my diamond shoes are too tight.)
As a committed carbphile, toast is my downfall. Good sourdough, heavily heaped with sharp, mature cheddar, blasted under the grill, slathered with Coleman's English. Sheerest bliss. I’m also devoted to a good sausage roll.
JohnHumphreysSN asks:
Which is the best of the High Street chain restaurants?
Guardian staff I'm always nervous of saying 'best'. But I really rate Franco Manca (which I think is on a national expansion plan). Cote (if they sort out their tipping lark). But if I'm honest, I try to avoid chains if I possibly can. I found myself in a branch of Zizzi recently - distress purchase - and it was genuinely dismal.
I think there should be a branch of Ottolenghi on every street corner.
'I'm as pure-mouthed as driven f*&%$ snow'
FattMatt says:
You like going to restaurants incognito and pride yourself in the fact that your identity is unknown to nearly all of the catering trade. Please can you confirm that the only inkling that you are reviewing a place is the fact that you cannot take the Glasgow out of the girl, and you still cuss like a Glaswegian docker?
And bread should it be gratuitous or charged?
Guardian staff What the f*&^%$4 f*&^ you talking about? I'm as pure-mouthed as driven f*&%$ snow.
Oh god tricky. As a customer: free. As a restaurateur, especially if made on site and someone's had to go in at 5am to man the ovens: charged.
'There's nothing I loathe more than savaging a mom and pop operation'
SonOfTheDesert asks:
what’s the ratio, roughly, of restaurants for which you don’t publish a review (because there’s nothing interesting to say about them, or because you’re too angry, or whatever) to those that you do?
Guardian staff Remarkably high. In particular, there are those heavily recommended restaurants you go to with high hopes and find they're just not that good. Often they're little independents and there's nothing I loathe more than savaging a mom and pop operation. These kinds of places die their own deaths without the lacerating beam of broadsheet attention.
'The list is a very personal love letter to the restaurants that make me happy - my favourites.'
Neil Bertorelli says:
Very dissatisfied with this review. Wales does not have a single mention. Are you kidding me we have fantastic restaurants here.
Guardian staff Hi Neil - sorry you feel this way. It isn't a review, nor was it ever designed to be a definitive guide to the UK's 'best' or 'top' restaurants. Rather it's a very personal love letter to the restaurants that make me happy - my favourites.
I thought I'd covered this in the introduction, but it bears repeating. There are restaurants I like and admire that haven't made it onto this list: Mourne Seafood in Northern Ireland, Y Polyn near LLandeilo, Two Cats in the Jewellery Quarter. But they're not my favourites. And that was the only criterion for inclusion.
To lay out one's favourites is an exercise in subjectivity. These are all places that have given me enormous pleasure. Maybe next year there will be more in Wales or Norfolk or the Midlands. I'm always open to recommendations! On Twitter this morning, someone started off quite grumpy with me and ended up giving me a lovely list of names, all of which I'll look into.
Updated
gnat says:
Come to Vermont?
You’d be spoilt for choice!
From high end posh to lovely grazing through farmer’s markets and some of the best microbrews ever
Guardian staff
'I'm not a massive fan of the sort of restaurant that sets out to achieve Michelin stardom'
DsGo says:
The list seems to be mostly (though not exclusively) a mix of old-school classics and more hip, under-the-radar, places, with a relative paucity of Michelin stars. Was that a deliberate attempt to avoid a list of the predictable, or do the Michelin inspectors simply not find or appreciate the same things that you admire?
Guardian staff As I said in the intro, I'm not a massive fan of the sort of restaurant that sets out to achieve Michelin stardom. I find that they tend to be more about the chefs than us, the customers (there are, obviously, exceptions - I think two of my choices have been blessed by Michelin).
I can find them hugely admirable, but not entirely loveable. Which is what I was going for here. I was lucky enough to go to El Bulli twice when it was open, the equivalent of winning the restaurant fan's lottery. It was a gobsmacking experience, but I wouldn't ever be inclined to include it in my list of favourite restaurants.
doctorbidston asks:
Should restaurant reviews be considered as literature?
Guardian staff Depends on who's writing 'em.
I heard this morning on Twitter that Toulouse Lautrec liked Sweetings and wrote a cookbook. I had no idea...
KarenDorner asks:
Marina, which dishes would comprise your ‘last supper’?
P.S. I really enjoy your reviews. Best wishes
Guardian staff Thank you Karen! I answered this question recently for Noble Rot, a wine and food mag, and I think I'll stick by my answer there...
Hot buttered toast, maybe Scottish 'plain' bread, the heel of it, dripping with fine, salty butter. A couple of frosty vodka martinis. Hell, maybe three. With, if I may, a side order of MDMA.
*dies happy*
And an update...
Guardian staff Important contributor note: am not advocating taking of Class As. But this is a special circumstance.
Updated
And we're live!
Guardian staff Marina O’Loughlin will be answering your questions until 2pm. Leave yours in the comments field below
Join us at 1pm
“Would I go back?” That’s the key question our critic Marina O’Loughlin asks herself when considering how much she rates a restaurant.
This weekend, we publish a list of her 50 favourite restaurants in the UK, from a seaside pub in Kent to a Glasgow institution. Now we want to hear from you: do you agree with her? Did she miss your favourite? If you live outside the UK (and if budget were no object), what restaurant should she not miss near you?
Post your questions for Marina in the comments below. She will be online from 1pm GMT today, and will answer as many questions as possible.
Updated
That's it, folks. Sorry if I didn't get round to your question, and thank you so much for coming by.
Marina x