[thechat] Restaurant update

[Madhu Menon]

Yello!

Email time is so scarce these days (it's 0045 hours here) that I haven't 
had time to communicate the status of my restaurant.

It was originally slated to open last month, but I just happened to hire 
one of the most incompetent architectural firms in the city. Their 
inability to manage the project properly or give me believable deadlines 
delayed the project by more than 1.5 months.

Oh well, enough ranting about that. So I'm nearly done with the interiors. 
Some light fittings need to be fixed, some furniture woodwork needs some 
polishing, and one more coat of paint goes in - about 5 days of work. You 
want pictures? Let everything get fixed first.

On the comforting side, the food is coming out great. Initially, I had a 
few problems teaching my chefs the nuances and the trifles that turn good 
food into great food (e.g. "Pull the bloody prawns out after 30 seconds, 
DAMMIT!!!"), but they're slowly coming around. For the last ten days or so, 
we've been having menu trials at the restaurant, inviting 4-6 people every 
day to taste a set menu and give us their comments. So far, the feedback 
has been wonderful, and many people have told me that if I'd just get the 
damned place open, they'd be there the next day.

My chefs were also appalled that I wasn't using any MSG, but after tasting 
the food, they've changed their minds. I think I've earned some respect.

If anyone wants a copy of my menu in Word or Excel format, mail me. I spent 
several days writing the copy for it, so it sells the food well... I hope.

So... since it's best to open on a weekend, Shiok Far-eastern cuisine is 
tentatively scheduled to go live on 05 December 2003 - next Friday. Let's 
keep our fingers crossed, eh?

Regards,

Madhu