I came across a tweet from a well-known restaurant critic last week which read... 'Thrilled the Camerons went for dinner at Oslo Court last night, and if you want to know why, here's my review from 2006'
Now aside from the shameless name dropping to be associated with the Prime Minister & his wife the part of this tweet that infuriated me was the date of the review - January 2006. That was almost 6 1/2 years ago!
Now I may be wrong but I think any review that is past six months old is out of date, especially when it comes to food. Regardless of whether the review is positive or negative, how on earth is it relevant to the quality or the food or service that Oslo Court or any other restaurant would be offering now?
Now I covered this topic in my blog here: http://wp.me/2lXUv but I would love to know what the TableTalk members think of this.
Is a six year old review still relevant or is it only relevant to the reviewer who refuses to return to an establishment once he has reviewed it?
I fully agree on this, reviews need to have a use by date, a change of chef manager or even a single waitstaff memder can make the world of differance in a restaurant or bar.
The other pet hate I have is out of date signs I have considerable concerns when a hotel last aweard is from 2004...
We do need to encourage more proffesional reviewers to stand up and take up the challange. It could be a nice new role for the nations Masters of Wine to step up and take on as a bench mark for the trip advisors and tweeters who have a certain lack of credential and knowledge.
Perhaps this isn't relevant because I live in Italy and that's my reference. Here, things change EVER so slowly. A restaurant will have the same suppliers for 30 years, even the chef and the waiters never change, especially when they are family members. 6 years is still a stretch, but it does show continuity if the restaurant continues to be fully booked for example or if the Prime Minister goes there.
I'm from Denver Colorado and there are restaurants that I always go back to when I go home. Even after 23 years away I still get consistent food and service. I'm not familiar with Oslo Court, but I can imagine the Tavern, in the Brown Palace Hotel, a place that never changes, where the Beatles once stayed etc. , the food and service has never changed, and frankly that's what people like about it, that's what they count on and that's why they keep going back. So it could very well be that Oslo is still tops.
I suppose it was shameless advertising to use names, but we salesmen do it all the time..although it's better if the person who's name you''re using agrees. Perhaps the Camerons were'nt so thrilled since they may have just wanted a little privacy and may never go back as a result.
Something tells me the owner needed the publicity and asked the critic, who'd already viewed him favorably, to give him a hand.
Reviewers should definitely go back however and re review, I fully agree. Not being a critic in London I'm not qualified to say how often, but surely within 6 years..I would think.
