The only time I've ever been anywhere that swanky (silent "S", by the way) was when I penned a couple of restaurant reviews for the freepaper I write for.
I usually just do the music and cinema reviews, but they do let me do other things from time to time.
The first place was a pretty standard city centre Chinese - it's very big and has a large private room with a karaoke system in it, but other than that it's nothing too amazing. Both the food and the service were very good and I've been before and since as a punter.
The second one was in a listed building down by the waterfront - the old Royal Mail building - and was called
Radley's.
It's since changed hands and renamed but is still trading as a restaurant/bar :
I took my gf and we chatted to the chef afterwards as part of the write-up and the food was absolutely superb .. but the prices
I'm from a lower-middle class family and we never went out to dinner much - normally to a pub, or my mum really liked a
Harvester for some reason so we'd go there if she wanted to - but these were just silly money, and it's only in Southampton.
I had a starter which was called "Cappucino de poule" or some such nonsense : it was basically chicken soup served in a coffee cup and saucer with a bread stick instead of a spoon
It was utterly gorgeous, with a frothy top, but it cost about £14 !
(I wrote the piece about 12 years ago, I guess, so at least £20 today)
Then I had a lamb steak .. it fell off the bone and melted in the mouth ..
I can't even remember the desert but everything was gorgeous .. and with a bottle of wine the bill came to £140-odd, if we'd been paying.
I loved every mouthful but you can't eat like that every week, can you ?
Well, I can't anyway ..
I'd rather spend my money on records
