The WDF Guides
STOP IT!
Ah another weekend done. Another weekend closer to the great big waiter station in the sky. Obviously I am referring to death not air stewarding. I don't mean to be so glum but the attitude of some folks has me bereft of hope for the human race. So much so in fact that contemplating the [...]
Bill Splitters – My Guide to Splitting the Bill…
Bill Splitters isn't the name of a character in a bawdy Carry On film and nor is it a tool used to split the bills of ducks and other such bird type creatures, though why you'd want to split the bills of cute little duckies I just don't know. Bill Splitters are those annoying, and [...]
How to get the best service in a restaurant ever…
There is one, and only one, sure-fire way of getting the best service in a restaurant ever. It's not by arriving on time for your reservation. You could arrive late and it wouldn't make any difference. Actually arriving very late will help, nay improve you chances of getting grade A, supremo, top-notch service. You could [...]
How to make a TV cookery show…
Monday night and Little Miss Manuel and I settled down to watch Lorraine Pascale's, "Home Cooking Made Easy" having eschewed the disappointing story lines of the soaps. We had enjoyed her previous series on baking and were sort of looking forward to this new show. Ten minutes in and I wanted to batter my own [...]
Manuel’s How to…Deal with Tourists (part 2)
Right now that you have learned how to identify tourists from a distance you need to know how to deal with them. Each Nationality has their own irks and foibles and reasons to stiff you and some require more effort than others. It's a fact that the more recent the tourist's family emigrated from these shores [...]
Manuel’s How To…
Tourists eh, they're everywhere and that's despite the best efforts of the knuckle draggers with their ego driven rioting. I mean Monday night at work was like working in the canteen at the United Nations building. Although I'm sure the delegates and what have you of that fine establishment smell better than some of the [...]
What to do when the waiter is more mashed than the potatoes…!
This, this made me laugh. From Inside Scoop, From a reader: I had an odd experience today which gave rise to a bit of etiquette anxiety. Having lunch with my wife and a friend at a restaurant in Oakland, we were beset by a server who acted so bizarrely, who babbled so incessantly, who over-shared [...]
Hide-the-Tip and other Tipping Methods…
"Ta-ra folks...have a lovely evening", says I, all teeny bow and polite smile. I was biding a fond farewell to The Delightful Couple, a retired couple in their dwindling years. They are regulars and as the name suggests they are delightful - not shy with the please and thank-yous and they never complain even when [...]
Public Service Announcement – Proper Beer Pronunciation…
Dear sweet and delightful people of Belfast please listen up as this is your last warning. I've had enough. I cant take it anymore with the incorrect pronunciations. I know this may sound trite, inconsequential, childish even a terrible case of overt pedantry but I don't care. You've pushed me into this corner, you've made [...]
The most important dining advice of the year.
New Years Eve eh. The dawn of a new and fresh year. Time to forget the past and embrace the new isn't it. I wont be embracing the new mind. Oh no I'll be serving the middle classes coffee and brandy and topping up their Cava "it's just as nice as champagne for a fraction [...]
Public Service Post – Correct Coffee Pronunciation.
Dear sweet and delightful people of Belfast please listen up as this is your last warning. I've had enough. I cant take it anymore with the incorrect pronunciations, specifically the word, 'latte'. I know this may sound trite, inconsequential, childish even a terrible case of overt pedantry but I don't care. You've pushed me into [...]
“Don’t eat as if you have only moments to live….” and other wonderful ideas that will never take hold
I've been chortling my way through Nicholas Clayton's, "A Butler's Guide to Table Manners" over the last day or two. It's been a welcome distraction. Any book that starts with "Never be rude or patronising to the people serving you- it's never justified..." is always going to find favour with me. But I'm not sure [...]
