It has always amused me that the job title “air hostess” has always been greeted with an air of austerity and envy by a lot of women.

To many It conjures up a glamorous image of the champagne sipping, high roller lifestyle jet setting with the stars, sitting on the knee of a sugar daddy whilst the ex-RAF jet fighter turned commercial jet pilot, gushes over the tannoy about “cruising altitude” in that tone that only a man trained by the stiff upper lip routine of the RAF can produce.

In fact an Airhostess is a rather boring job, based around the virtues of a waitress, but with swollen ankles, jet lag and a distinct lack of tips.. when was the last time you tipped an air hostess? think about it. My. tip? Get a different job.

Flaring is an artform associated with bars and clubs, it is the practise of flipping bottles and cocktail shakers in an effort to impress and to catch the eye. I once shared a room with a chap who was the welsh national champion, and by god could he flair.

wether it be flipping bottles behind the back, spinning jugs on his head, or breakdancing to the Beastie boys with a full magnum balanced on his nose he never let the side down, one of he biggest showoffs i have had the pleasure of encountering, but then if you got it? why not flaunt it?

I love Thia Cusine, its the perfect combination of spicy indian curry and the delicacy and finess of the chinese dishes.

Not to say the Thia food is nothing but a mis mash of other styles of food, oh no but if you had to describe what it was like , that wuld probably be the best way of doing so. Thia Red curry, absolute genius, and then thia prawn crackers, the spicy ones, now who ever invented them should be awarded the highest accolaide that the Thia government can muster.

Not to hot, yet not too cold, the Thia curry has the perfect balance of heat and refresment that other curries just cant reach.

Not had a Thia meal before? i would highly reccomend one.

Tapenyaki in Manchester is an unusual place, you sit in an arc around your designated chef, who then proceeds to not only cook your food, but then proceed to throw it at you.

If you are useless at throwing popcorn in your mouth then stay clear however if you are a champion pop corn mouth catcher and you want to impress a date with you oral skills then this is definitely the place for you.

Not only do the chefs throw food at you but they all seem to have graduated from the Shaolin monk school of cheffery, more ninja than chaps who cook your food, these crazy makers of Japanese delights will confound you with the sacred art of spatula juggling and salt and pepper shaker flaring.

Mental

1. Punctuality is key. – If you make a table reservation then make sure you stick to the time as closely as possible, a dining reservation is just like any other appointment, its designed to make the service as quick and efficient as possible for both you and the restraint, don’t forget that.

2. What to wear? – Depends on the location and the background to which you are going out for a meal, it’s probably not a good idea to wear t-shirt and trainers on a first date, but then neither is it a good plan to wear a tux! Use your head and wear the appropriate attire.

3. Table setting, – you shouldn’t have to worry about this is you are dining out, but make sure all the cutlery and crockery is clean and neatly arranged, things like cracked wine glasses deserve a mention to the waiter, better that than a law suit when you cut you lip..

4. Should you send bad food back? – I say yes, too many people suffer in silence with bad food, you’re paying for it!! Many people vote with their wallet and just don’t tip, it’s nonsense, food is just like any other service. If you got your car back from the garage with the brakes not working you would take it up with the mechanic wouldn’t you! ?

5. Kids – If you have to take your kids with you especially young kids then make sure you come prepared to keep them occupied, badly behaved children can not only ruin you own night but everyone else around you, take a colouring in book and some crayons or if you live in the modern world.. a PSP.

What with the credit crunch hitting home people are looking to new cheaper forms of indulgence than hitting the restaurants for some feel good food.
Step into the world of the budget takeaway, these days offers in takeaways are getting ridiculous. Admittedly Donner kebab is not my idea of fine dining, however when its offered complete with freshly made naan bread and a choice of dips and salad its hard to walk on by when the asking price is 99p Yes that’s a kebab with a chilli pepper for 99p.
What’s the biggest success story of the recession so far? Greggs, the bakers. Reporting record sales since they began trading in a shop in Newcastle. as people look to a little bit of comfort food to give them a lift in these dark and depressing economic times.
So shop around, you’re not going to get fine dining, for a pound, but don’t discount the takeaway, it’s a staple of the British diet, and it can still come up with the goods.

After going to watch a disappointing game of Football involving my father’s long suffering side Barnsley, myself and my parents went to a local pub that had just opened up a Indian restaurant in its basement, after good reviews we thought that a curry would be the perfect requirement after watching such a terrible game.

I shan’t detail the name of the foresaid eatery for worry of embarrassing them. (This is supposed to be one of the shining lights of the curry world) But on entering the establishment i thought it unusual to see none of the diners actually eating.

After purchasing drinks i went to enquire further as to the lack of happy curry munching clients and was given a rather unusual reply.

“I have a problem with gas”

Said the obviously flustered proprietor. Fearing the worst I suggested a trip to the doctors, gas can be both embarrassing and uncomfortable.

However it seemed the problem was worse than i had anticipated, the gas to which he reffered was the stuff used to actually cook the meals, the curry house was out inthe sticks and had no mains gas supply, only a tank, which a minor waiter has neglected to check upon and therefore they were unable to cook said curries.

We left disappointed. I intend to return with the promise of a free meal due to the inconvenience caused. I shall keep you posted.

Food is great, its one of my favourite things, it’s amazing to see how food has evolved in this country. For instance the Chinese you get from your local take away bears little resemblance to the original dishes you get in China. Likewise, Chicken Tikka seems the most Indian of all dishes; however it is a little known fact that it was actually first created in a London Hotel Restaurant in the 1970′s.

Pizza, is becoming a more and more bastardised food source, the original Pizza created in the township of Napoli traditionally come with an egg on top, but this is a trend that is hardly found anywhere else in the world.

Interestingly enough Tikka pizzas are now quite common among the takeaways of my local area, so does that make a chicken tikka pizza another British creation?

I went to a cheeky little diner in Manchester the other week. The Mongolian BBQ Chorlton Street in Manchester is an unusual dining experience. Firstly, there ais no set menu, you pay a set price and then you basically make up your own dishes.
You get a bowl, pick your favourite meat, all the usual suspects are there, chicken, beef, lamb, but then they have a few speciality meats on offer as well, Bison, and Camel to name but two!
the meats all come uncooked so then you choose your vegetables of choice, and take then to the chefs who cook the food right in front of you on a massive hot plate.
You also have a huge selection of sauces to choose from chilli, lemon etc so your meal is only constricted by the power of your own imagination!
Highly recommended.