How did business lunch historically come about?
A business lunch is a lunch for busy people served in restaurants during certain hours, most often between 12 and 15. It includes tasty, hearty but easy-to-prepare dishes so that you can have time to eat during your lunch break. And business lunch is also relatively inexpensive compared to the regular menu, which also makes it attractive to office workers.
Each of us has been to a restaurant for business lunch at least once in our lives, but not many people know its history. Let’s fix that!
How it all began
Business lunch appeared in England in 1706. In those days, businessmen did not have their own offices, and all important issues were solved in restaurants, over a shot of cognac or a cup of coffee and a cigar. Tea was not served in such places — the drink was considered rare and expensive, and it was more often preferred by women, who were not allowed in places where men drank alcohol and smoked tobacco.
Restaurateur Thomas Twining decided to kill several birds with one stone at once — he opened a tea room at his restaurant and introduced the drink into everyday life, excluding alcohol on principle. The news that there was a quiet place where you can quietly negotiate, soon spread throughout London, and gradually the restaurant acquired a reputation as a business center. And the snacks served with tea and sandwiches, which were invented in the same England a little later, began to be called business lunch — that is, a lunch at which all business matters could be resolved.
In our country, the convenience of business lunch was appreciated a little later — only in the 19th century, and it was served exclusively in inns. And in the days of the Soviet Union it changed its name altogether, becoming a «set lunch». In inexpensive establishments this phrase is still used today, while decent restaurants have returned the business lunch to its usual name, although the principle of the three-course menu has been preserved since the Soviet times.
Where to try
Today, business lunches are offered by most of the capital’s establishments. Usually they are a standard set of soup, salad and hot food, sometimes they can be supplemented with drinks and desserts. At the same time, the dishes themselves may vary, and it usually depends on the cuisine offered by the restaurant.
There are business lunches and in the menu of Belgian brasseries Lambic. And it bears little resemblance to the Soviet «complex lunch» — here we are rather talking about refined cuisine. For example, you can order cheese soup with shrimps, fish and chips with tartar sauce, bruschetta with chicken liver with caramelized onions for only 790 rubles. Salad+soup" or ‘salad/soup+hot food’ sets will cost you even cheaper. And since Lambic is a beer restaurant, you can ask for a glass of refreshing beer to pair with the dishes, breaking all Thomas Twining’s principles. We are waiting for you for lunch!
Porter beer: from the working class to the aristocrats
If you ask beer connoisseurs what a porter is now, many will answer: a noble dark beer whose flavor is dominated by notes of chocolate, fruit, coffee beans, biscuit and toast. But all these flavors did not appear at once, and far from always the variety was considered refined. How porter came to be and when it acquired a recognizable flavor profile — we’ll tell you in this article. Back in the past The first mention of porter dates back to the early 18th century. It went down in history as the first style to be aged — brewers used to put their products on the counter immediately after production. Porter got its name from the English porter — loader. The point is that the new style became especially popular among the working class and port movers because of its high caloric content. The first London Porters were much stronger than modern ones — about 6.6%. At first they were made exclusively from brown malt, then they switched to a mix of light and black malt — 95 and 5 percent respectively. Until now, this recipe is not considered strict, but many producers use it. Sometimes caramel, chocolate, brown and other varieties of malt are added instead of black malt, but not roasted, as it adds undesirable notes to the drink. Hops and yeast are usually English, but in other countries producers often change them to local ones. At the end of the 18th century, porter became popular in Russia. In our country it was considered the drink of aristocrats. After World War II the drink was practically stopped being produced, and its triumphant revival took place in 1978 thanks to the efforts of the Penrhos craft brewery, which was later joined by other producers. Types of Porter There are several official types of porter: — brown — the weakest, with a strength of about 4.5%;— strong — existed until 2015, now conditionally divided into English with a strength of 4 to 5.4% with a pronounced malt character and American (bitter, dry, strength up to 6.5%);— «pre-dry» — reminiscent of American, but milder, strength up to 6%;— Baltic — the strongest porter up to 9.5%, with pronounced fruity tones. How to drink? Porter is recommended to be consumed chilled to 8-12 degrees. It goes well with mature cheeses, various meat dishes, including steak, chocolate desserts. You can try a quality porter in any of Lambic beer restaurants. Our list includes hundreds of varieties from all over the world, as well as many delicious dishes, pleasant atmosphere and excellent service. Come — we will find something to surprise you!
09 August 2024
Hook Norton Double Stout beer: twice the fun
Dark, dense, with hints of coffee and chocolate — of course, we are talking about stout. This English ale has long been on the menus of all beer restaurants and in the personal top of true beer connoisseurs. There are hundreds of stout varieties, each of which is unique in its own way. We will tell you about one special variety — Hook Norton Double Stout — in this article. What’s unique about it? Hook Norton Double Stout is produced by the British brewery of the same name using an ancient recipe dating back centuries. It is kept in strict secrecy, and it is not surprising: Hook Norton Double Stout differs significantly from other similar brews. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that two types of malt are used: brown and black. The first one gives the drink dryness and characteristic mild bitterness, the second one is responsible for rich dark color and aroma. The flavor of Hook Norton Double Stout is rich, tantalizing, with notes of toast and roasted coffee beans. A bit of history Hook Norton Brewery traces its history back to 1849, when founder John Harris bought a farm with a malt house in Oxfordshire. At first, he focused solely on selling malt, but in 1856, he began brewing his own beer. Today, the Hook Norton complex has dozens of buildings, including its own visitor center. The brewery is especially proud of its Hooky line. This is a series of English ales of the highest quality, which includes Hook Norton Double Stout. How to drink Double stout is recommended to drink from tall glasses, which allow to better reveal the aroma and taste of beer. However, the ideal glass for a stout is the Irish pint or pint tulip. This glass widens slightly in the middle — its top is slightly wider than the bottom. The drinking temperature is room temperature or slightly lower (around 12-14 degrees Celsius). Hook Norton Double Stout beer goes well with a variety of meats — pork, beef, game, as well as barbecue dishes and dark chocolate desserts. You can try the unique Hook Norton Double Stout beer at any beer restaurant in the Lambic chain. We have hundreds of beers on the menu, as well as delicious food and great atmosphere. We are waiting for you!
09 August 2024