MasterChef judge Grace Dent has advised diners against ordering several seemingly popular restaurant dishes, including poached eggs for brunch and highly aged steaks. The award-winning food critic, 52, detailed 10 items she believes are often overpriced, poorly prepared, or both.
Dent, who grew up with simple tastes in Carlisle, England, reflected on how her background differs from many other food critics. "I grew up eating very simply," she told The Guardian in 2022. "My mum did cook – hotpots, stews, fairy cakes – but my most exciting meals were tinned. I still feel the love from a tin of macaroni cheese, ravioli, baked beans."
Her list of culinary warnings includes:
Poached Eggs
Dent cautions that large brasseries serving poached eggs on a busy Sunday are unlikely to prepare them fresh. She suggests that kitchens may pre-poach hundreds of eggs, store them, and then reheat them, potentially resulting in an undercooked yolk.
Aged Steaks with Backstories
Steaks from "retired Galician dairy cows" aged for 40 days, often served with the animal's history at hip bistros, are also on Dent's "never order" list. She described them as potentially costing around £60 and likened their lengthy descriptions to a "doomed animals of Farthing Wood story."
Full Globe Artichokes
Dent called the whole globe artichoke, typically served unopened with butter, a "mockery of a farce." She posited that such dishes are ordered by a specific demographic for health reasons.
Hot Chocolate at Cupcake Emporiums
She warned against ordering hot chocolate from "whimsical cupcake emporiums," noting that these drinks can approach £15 and often end up cold due to complex preparation methods involving significant frothing and marshmallow additions.
Complex Dishes on Mondays
For restaurants open on a Monday, Dent advises ordering the simplest item on the menu. She suggested that staff on such shifts might be reluctant to be there, leading to a less than ideal dining experience for complex orders.
Jerusalem Artichokes
Despite appearing on "fancy seasonal menus every January," Dent warned against Jerusalem artichokes. She clarified that they are not true artichokes but sunflower tubers that contain high levels of inulin, which can cause digestive discomfort.
Chilled Soups
While intended to be refreshing, Dent found that chilled soups often resemble "half an inch of stomach bile" and would benefit from being heated.
Hot Menu Items on Trains
She expressed a general aversion to hot food served on trains, stating, "Microwaved sausages aren't any more delicious because I can see Warrington Bank Quay."
Hotel Porridge
Porridge ordered from the a la carte menu at upscale hotels is often prohibitively expensive and takes a significant amount of time to prepare. Dent believes it is often made from a simple sachet with hot water and passed off with an embellished jam.
Optional Cheese Courses in Michelin Restaurants
Dent suggested that optional cheese courses in two-star Michelin restaurants might feature "funky 'fungal' cheeses" with unusual crackers and chutneys.