The Milestone Restaurant - your opinions.

[Venkman 10]

I am a veggie but am not going to yell or anything

 

From our/my point of view, while we have 'limited our options', the point was the lack of variety in the options available. It would be the same for you if you were only offered chicken soup for starters and then ham soup for the main.

 

I think it's just the way people think of dishes. For example, if you took the meat off the traditional sunday roast plate, that's a far more interesting variety of food suitable for veggies than you usually get in the sunday veggie option.

 

Does that make more sense?

[KATIEB_23 10]

I am a veggie but am not going to yell or anything

 

From our/my point of view, while we have 'limited our options', the point was the lack of variety in the options available. It would be the same for you if you were only offered chicken soup for starters and then ham soup for the main.

 

I think it's just the way people think of dishes. For example, if you took the meat off the traditional sunday roast plate, that's a far more interesting variety of food suitable for veggies than you usually get in the sunday veggie option.

 

Does that make more sense?

I think that in the case of Sunday roasts, the reason a totally different 'non-Sunday-roast' type meal is offered is because they would have to make special separate vegy gravy, Roast potatoes and yorkshire puds. That's a lot of hassle for one person - much easier to have a few 'pasta bakes' on hand just incase!

[Venkman 10]

Ha. Fair enough - my point was more that people cooking seem to panic and resort to (as you say) a pasta bake or 'some cheese' for the vegetarians whereas the veggie 'trimmings' on their meat dishes are often far more imaginative.

 

(admittedly, I don't really bother trying to find a veggie sunday lunch, I just go to East One for my Sunday dinner )

 

ANYWAY...back to the Milestone. I hear some of us think it's really good/bad...

[Stebbil 10]

I am a veggie but am not going to yell or anything

 

From our/my point of view, while we have 'limited our options', the point was the lack of variety in the options available. It would be the same for you if you were only offered chicken soup for starters and then ham soup for the main.

 

I think it's just the way people think of dishes. For example, if you took the meat off the traditional sunday roast plate, that's a far more interesting variety of food suitable for veggies than you usually get in the sunday veggie option.

 

Does that make more sense?

 

Yes, and I do agree with your logic. What I dont understand is that if the orginal poster regarding the "cheese only" comment had ordered something not off the set menu, then they would have had more choice. Having eaten there numerous times, I know that the a la carte menu offers multiple vegetarian options. If I didnt like anything on the set menu out of personal choice then I wouldnt blame the restaurant for limited options, I would blame myself for not desiring anything off the set menu. It makes no difference if I dont like something on the set menu due to my personal tastes, or if I am vegetarian, vegan or whatever. The only time I believe you can feel a little hard done to is if it is a dietry requirement due to health, such as if you can only eat gluten free food.

 

There are vegetarian restaurants in Sheffield of which I have been to with friends who are vegetarian. But I dont get upset that there is no meat on the menu. Theoretically the same should be applied to the opposite. Restaurants generally will always cater to meat eaters. the fact there is a vegetarian option at all should be considered a bonus.

 

Like I said before, I mean no offense with my comments, I simply get a little frustrated with vegetarian complaining about their limited options, when they have limited them themselves out of choice.

[Venkman 10]

Right, I thought the set menu thingy was referring to something in the Gordon Ramsey show rather than in general. My mistake.

 

I guess my rebuttal is that, if you are going to do a vegetarian option - especially if you're charging Milestone prices - sometimes I do feel a little more effort could go into the dishes rather than it feeling like an afterthought.

 

As I said in a post on this thread further up this page, I wouldn't have gone to the Milestone at all were it not for a friend's birthday but, having been assured that they could cater for me and that I spent £30 that night, I wasn't particularly impressed.

 

So yes, in a sense, I am 'lucky' that there are vegetarian options so I can eat out and about once in a while. I'm even pleasantly surprised when there are two to choose from (which rarely used to be the case) but I if I'm paying full price then I don't think I should have to make do either.

 

But I am sorry if me sometimes criticising a place for its veggie options frustrates you. That's not the intention. But we'll probably never see eye to eye entirely anyway, otherwise you'd be veggie or I'd be eating meat!

 

Right. Sorry to hijack the thread!

[Stebbil 10]

No apologies necessary mate, I think we have explored an alternative element to "what makes a good restaurant" and both points of view have been intelligently discussed.

 

You never know, one day I may become a grass scoffer and you a flesh muncher

 

Best wishes

John

[Claret 10]

I think one thing we can all agree on is that this place is definitely more of meat-eaters kind of place. The fact that they breed their own pigs confirms this!

 

I love it myself, but can appreciate the frustration that veggies will experience with the place. To charge £30 for a veggie meal, the same as the non-veggie meal, would certainly annoy me.

 

Re that point, have they completely changed the menus now? Looking at their web site it looks like they have just one menu for both upstairs and downstairs. Anyone been recently?

[Bulgarian 10]

I love it myself, but can appreciate the frustration that veggies will experience with the place. To charge £30 for a veggie meal, the same as the non-veggie meal, would certainly annoy me.

 

So vegitarians want their specialist diet (that they chose) catered for, and it has to be just as exciting as the non-vegetarian menu, but cheaper ?

 

If I ran a restaurant I wouldn't bother with vegetarian food.

Edited October 6, 2010 by Bulgarian

[Venkman 10]

Agreed. Ha - look at us having a civilised discussion on a message board. I feel like I should slag off real ale or something

 

 

EDIT: Hadn't seen Bulgarian's post when I posted the above. Normal service resumed.

Edited October 6, 2010 by Venkman

[steiner 10]

I go there on a regular basis and never has the slightest problem with it.nice place.

[Claret 10]

So vegitarians want their specialist diet (that they chose) catered for, and it has to be just as exciting as the non-vegetarian menu, but cheaper ?

 

If I ran a restaurant I wouldn't bother with vegetarian food.

 

I do think it should be cheaper. Quite simply vegetarian food is cheaper to make. I remember eating at Kumquat-Mae and being really annoyed that I was being charged the same price for a bit of veg that I would pay for a meat dish. Ok, maybe my argument is flawed (after all rents and overheads are the same veggie or not), but it really did wind me up!

 

If I did run a restaurant I would do veggie food. I think, in some ways you can be more adventurous. Whenever I eat Indian now, I always go for 2 side orders of veggie dishes instead of a main meat dish. Cheaper, bigger serving (!) and s tastier than a standard meat curry (I think anyway)!

[Anting 10]

I'm a bit shocked that Milestone is considered one of the best restaurants in the UK.

 

I know it's only TV but come on!!!

 

I've been to much, much better places in Sheffield let alone anywhere else.

 

Milanos, Morans, Kitchen, Cross Sythes, any one of Richard Smith's places & even the new refurbished Prince of Wales...

 

Milestone - always has been very hit and miss, just as the programme showed.

 

 

T