michelin defender 2 reviews
Price: $11.49
(as of Dec 29, 2024 20:49:14 UTC - Details)
Includes Le Cinq, Beast and Farm Girl Café, and a new introduction by the author.
Jay Rayner isn't just a trifle irritated. He is eye-gougingly, bone-crunchingly, teeth-grindingly angry. And admit it, that's why you picked up this book, isn't it?
Because you aren't really interested in glorious prose poems celebrating the finest dining experiences known to humanity, are you? You want him to suffer abysmal cooking, preferably at eye-watering prices, so you can gorge on the details and luxuriate in vicarious displeasure.
You're in luck. Revel in Jay's misfortune as he is subjected to dreadful meat cookery with animals that died in vain, gravies full of casual violence and service that redefines the word 'incompetent'. He hopes you enjoy reading his reviews of these twenty miserable meals a damn sight more than he didn't enjoy experiencing them.
ASIN : 1783351764
Publisher : Guardian Faber Publishing (January 1, 2018)
Language : English
Paperback : 112 pages
ISBN-10 : 9781783351763
ISBN-13 : 978-1783351763
Item Weight : 2.31 pounds
Dimensions : 4.33 x 0.2 x 6.89 inches
Reviewer: Davalon
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Hysterically funny
Review: Based on user reviews and the cover, I decided to buy this book. I did not realize that it would be about the size of my palm. So, I was a bit disappointed that this was such a thin volume. However, despite its size, it requires both hands to keep the book open comfortably, which may seem like an odd comment, but once you are holding it, you will understand what I mean.That said: Despite the fact that nearly all the restaurants reviewed are in London, a city where I do not live, the immense pleasure these reviews give far outweighs the fact that I will most likely never "sample the delights" that Mr. Rayner has had the (mis)fortune of experiencing.If you like biting, witty, acerbic humor by someone who is unafraid to speak his mind, this book will not disappoint you. Mr. Rayner covers the waterfront, from the interiors, the waitstaff, the starters, the mains and the desserts. He also points out the prices, which all seem to be astronomically high.He begrudgingly acknowledges a few dishes (rarely) as hopeful, but the majority of his praise (slight though it is) is, oddly, almost always reserved for desserts. It simply must be that those are the few items on the menu he finds successful.In this way, the reviews do seem to follow a pattern and after he described yet another dessert that I didn't think really needed to be mentioned, I got a bit bored. But... soon enough I found myself howling at his descriptions and observations, and part of the great joy I experienced was knowing that I didn't have to pay a pence to suffer the hell this poor man did.There were numerous one-liners that I burst out laughing at. The only one I'll share here is: "You could easily respond to this week's restaurant with furious, spittle-flecked rage." It summed up so much.Nothing misses Mr. Rayner's incredible sharp eye (or his sensitive tongue, I might add), and the reader can revel in descriptions that make each restaurant, waitstaff and dish come alive in ways that are fresh, novelesque, poetic and hysterically funny.If you enjoy the wit of a great food critic, this is the book for you.
Reviewer: Don H
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: He ate there so you didn't have to.
Review: A fun follow-up to Jay's prior MY DINING HELL, with a second stack of his scathing reviews of overpriced, underwhelming, and just plain bad restaurants in the UK and beyond (the capper, of course, being the review of Paris' three-star Georges Cinq which caused a minor international incident.) Witty, smart, and dedicated to how good eating out should be (and to calling out how awful it SHOULDN'T be!)Knocked down to four stars from five due to the publisher not releasing a Kindle version in the US, blocking Kindle purchase outside the UK, blocking hard copy purchase on Amazon.UK outside the UK, and limiting US purchase on Amazon to one vendor (based in the UK, as it turns out - so why all the other restrictions?)
Reviewer: Ksenia Ustrimova
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Hilarious
Review: If you want to have a quality laugh, here it is. Recommended. Seriously, give it an hour and you won't regret it.
Reviewer: Jen G
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Perfect amount of Rayner's patented snark
Review: Rayner's descriptions of the food, the atmosphere and his experiences make for delicious reading. He is a Renaissance man who is brilliant and hilarious. I only wish he traveled to the U.S. more often.
Reviewer: MRB
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Loved this book. As Jay hi self says, no-one wants to read positive reviews but give us real screamers & weâre happy. If you enjoy reading about how awfully bad supposedly great restaurants can be, you will love this !
Reviewer: Mr. M. P. Powell
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: I like Jay R's reviews, theyre funny and follow, if I can, his suggestions. When all the stinkers are in one place, they do get a bit depressing however. It was also funny to read of the outcome in each case - mainly little change. Surprising really. I must say that I thought influential reviews might have had more effect.
Reviewer: ballardite
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Got this to read on a holiday but finished it so quick I had to find other things to read. Itâs a collection of his reviews of poorly performing restaurants. The writing is savage and hilarious and I appreciated the notes at the end of each piece telling the reader about the current state of each establishment.
Reviewer: diamondcat
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Along with Grace Dent, Jay Rayner is one of my favourite food writers. It must be a joy dining out with him! This is a fantastic collection of reviews that prick the pomposity of overpriced and overrated restaurants, some of which should, most definitely, be put out of their misery.
Reviewer: Celia 22
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: I donât read this blokeâs newspaper column, buy the book someone said, youâll enjoy it.I didnât.So he makes money from serving this up fresh to the newspaper and then expects people pay to read it again in book form? Old tripe served cold?The only thing I found amusing was that even after his best âacerbicâ reviews most places survived and even got good reviews from paying customers!Good job he doesnât run a restaurant.