Can delivery and takeaway food from Michelin-starred chefs ever deliver?
Weve all been there – that desperate moment when were picking up the phone to order a takeaway.
Like on those Sunday afternoons after a heavy Saturday night out or, in my case, when Ive been too disorganised during the week to buy food.
Except, I would – without fail – lament for hours over whether to order a takeaway, and if so, what.
My indecision comes from the fact that I cant justify a takeaway.
I feel guilty because I should have been organised enough to buy food, or had the foresight to batch-cook and freeze my dinner. And I should definitely be less lazy about going for a grocery run, even if I just want to hang out in my PJs.
And then theres the expense.
I give myself a dining budget every month so I dont eat my way (excuse the pun) into my savings.
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While eating out is helpful for work – because I write about food – I cant justify spending that money on a takeaway in the same way.
I dont get to meet the chefs, I dont get a sense of the atmosphere and its hard to derive pleasure from it if Im only slumming it on my sofa. And yet, Im still depleting that same dining budget.
Is it just because Im eating mediocre pizza, though? Or is it more than that?
When I heard about the collaboration between Sushi Shop and Anne-Sophie Pic, my interest was piqued.
Anne-Sophie Pic is the only female three Michelin-starred chef in France, and I wish I had visited her restaurant Maison Pic while I lived in France. She now has a restaurant in London, La Dame de Pic at the Four Seasons Hotel in Trinity Square, which Ive yet to visit.
Both are pretty expensive, as you can imagine.
But this collaboration with Sushi Shop, which saw her create a selection of sushi based on her French culinary heritage, meant I could finally try her food at a fraction of the price, and in my own home no less.
According to Pic: This collection is an expression of how French cuisine incorporates and takes inspiration from different cultural and culinary influences and reinterprets it in its own light.
I was really inspired by the heritage of Japanese gastronomy and how ingredients are presented in an elegant and refined manner so that you can experience the very essence of their taste.
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She added: This menu is a fusion of the two cuisines – a balance between symbolic Japanese styles and my culinary identity.
Some of my favourite products to cook with include matcha, sobacha, sake kasu and genmaicha so it was great to be able to explore the flavour profiles and match them with other complimentary flavours.
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The result is four flavours: tuna, green apple, dill and sobacha maki; California roll made from fresh goats cheese, matcha green tea and bergamot; mushrooms, rose geranium and ginger maki; and Yellow tail, sage and lemon balm pesto, and smoked tea nigiri.
It all sounds very fancy; it also got me thinking about fancy takeaways.
This collaboration is certainly not the only takeaway created by Michelin-starred chefs.
Years ago, Benares in Mayfair kicked off the trend by offering a takeaway wrap.
Galvin at Windows in Park Lane briefly offered a three-course meal through Deliveroo, and this month, theyve introduced a takeaway window at their Galvin HOP venture.
Andrew Wong at A Wong in Victoria has recently launched The Chinese Takeaway exclusively with Deliveroo Editions.
And then theres Supper, which lists Tamarind in Mayfair as one of its restaurants (though you cant order from them right now as the restaurant is currently being refurbished).
Of the options Ive tried, all have been excellent. Expensive – more expensive than your regular food delivery though less than eating at the restaurant – but also significantly better than regular takeaways in terms of both the flavours and the quality of the ingredients used.
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Theres only one problem: they lacked soul.
I know, I am only slating my own home in saying this, but part of eating out is the experience.
At a Michelin-starred restaurant, and eating out at good restaurants in general, youre not just getting whats hopefully great food, youre also getting the atmosphere and the service.
I dont know about you but in my home, on those takeaway days, the atmosphere is non-existent and the service is similarly s***. Unsurprisingly, if I cant be bothered to buy food or cook, I wouldnt have the extra energy to rustle up some pomp and ceremony either.
Back to that Anne-Sophie Pic box. I managed to get a box couriered to me and, although it was a bit bashed up in transit, I must admit it was some of the most beautiful sushi Ive had.
Even though I didnt make an effort to dress up my home for the occasion – I ate it in front of my laptop – it did somehow feel a bit fancier than Pizza Hut, possibly because the sushi came in a stunning presentation box rather than corrugated, grease-soaked cardboard.
Flavour-wise, it is very good but it doesnt compare to the omakase at The Araki, currently the only three Michelin-starred Japanese restaurant in the UK.
But then again, youre also not sinking £300 plus per person on dinner.
The Anne-Sophie Pic box costs £24.90 for 23 pieces – about double of what you might expect to pay for a box of sushi of a similar size for delivery or collection in London – so its not exactly cheap either.
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I suppose the proof of whether it delivered would be whether I would re-order.
Well, I have to say it would be very tempting, if not for the fact that five boxes would equal a very nice meal at La Dame de Pic.
Fortunately, I live outside of Sushi Shops normal delivery zone, so I guess Im stuck with those often-delayed pizzas.
MORE: 10 places to get your fried chicken fix today
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