Guest blog - from the Restaurant Music Review
Some time ago we were eating in one of our favourite local restaurants. It was a slightly sad occasion because the previous owners had recently left – we had become good friends and always enjoyed our dining experience with them – and they had worked tirelessly to eventually get a Michelin star – a rarity in this location! The food had been exceptional, the atmosphere relaxed and intimate, and – most importantly - Martin (the co-owner/chef) had shared our taste in music – always drawing our attention to a new CD he wanted us to hear. We were usually the last to leave and our evening often ended up with a complimentary drink with Martin and his wife/Maitre d’ Michelle and a relaxed chat over a recently discovered jazz album.
We had decided to give the new kids on the block the benefit of the doubt and booked up to see what they had to offer. The décor hadn’t changed much, the food was pretty good, the new owners seemed anxious to please. Then, halfway through the main course, the music cut in – Beethoven’s 5th – fairly quiet in the background, but it’s a small space and we couldn’t avoid it. Our conversation stopped, our eyes met over the half consumed bottle of Chablis between us and we had to work hard not to choke on our passable fish dish. It was funny – but not in a good way. I think we both knew we probably wouldn’t be going back!
We have always been passionate about music and we notice it wherever it pops up – in a shopping mall, a hotel lounge – on the irritating guy’s iPod on the train! And we have always been astounded at the number of restaurants that pay such scant attention to the music they play. It often seems to be an afterthought – something one of the waitresses has bought in and thoughtlessly thrown on the rubbish CD player on top of the cutlery cupboard – or worse still - a radio tuned in to a music station and turned up just loud enough to drown out the possibility of any conversation at all, more for the benefit of the staff then the customers I suspect!
It seems strange that when restaurants spend considerable amounts of time, attention and money on the décor and the food, it’s frequently the case that little or no attention is given to the background music when it can play such an important and integral part of the eating experience.
One of my favourite places to eat a hearty, post hangover, breakfast is Giraffe on London’s South Bank. Of course it’s a corporate set up but, as you would expect, it offers a completely well thought through eating experience – young, attentive, cheerful staff (a bit too cheerful sometimes!), well presented and reasonably priced food – and excellent music from the Putumayo range (“Brazilian Groove” - upbeat modern Brazilian music – we loved it so much we bought the CD!). It sends out a clear message – we want you to leave the restaurant feeling that you have enjoyed a complete dining experience – all your senses have been well served!
Following one particularly depressing night in a fairly up-market local restaurant, when we dined to the sotto voce tune of other people’s knives and forks and whispered conversations (and absolutely no music at all!) we decided to set up www.restaurantmusicreview.com as a bit of fun, in an attempt to reach the attention of restaurateurs who are not paying attention to this important element of the dining experience.
Many of the albums we have recommended have come from our own extensive collection, which covers a fairly wide range of musical genres. Quite a few are albums that we often play at our own dinner parties, so we know what works for us. The music needs to be complimentary to the dining experience, enhancing the atmosphere without taking over from the conversation and the choice will change during the evening – always something more upbeat at the beginning of the evening and chilling out as the evening progresses.
We’ve also paid attention to the current wave of CD’s and downloads available on line. The great thing about MP3 downloads is that it’s now possible to build up compilation files which could be set up to provide enough excellent music to cover a whole evening – changing the mood to suit the particular style and environment of the restaurant.
It’s fairly obvious from our years of dining out that many restaurateurs do not have good ears – or possibly any ears at all! There seem to be many people who can cook lovely food but really have no confidence about the music. So we are offering them good advice, as ‘music sommeliers’ – we listen carefully to every CD/MP3 track that we recommend and we’re not swayed by the wave of other people’s recommendations. This web site will only work if the reviews are authentic. But we have to be mindful of availability, so we have built in easy links to purchase information to make it as easy as possible to get hold of the recommended music.
With luck – www.restaurantmusicreview.com will reach the attention of at least some of the previously musically challenged restaurateurs and benefit the dining experience of a growing wave of happy diners – and as we all know – happy diners keep coming back for more!
Annie Gee (co author www.restaurantmusicreview.com)