A ‘Korean burrito’ is obese and clammy, with all the visual allure of a used nappy clogged with indeterminate vegetable matter; thanks to some mushy haddock, it has the fragrance of one, too
The pre-publicity about today’s restaurant is given to gushing about “celebrity chef Tony Singh”. But what is a celebrity chef anyway? Singh’s CV boasts a TV show that I missed and a now-closed Edinburgh restaurant, a glass-and-steel eyrie that looked like the business class lounge at Dubrovnik airport. So I missed that, too.
Anyway, here is his Tasty, also the name of his book (me neither). I have a phobia of the word “tasty”, and, arriving at the Alea Casino, among the Costas and Chiquitos of Springfield Quay, I’m not sure it’s going away any time soon. Singh’s giant face beams out from the Alea’s plate-glass window, in case you’re under any illusions as to who to, um, credit for the place. I’ve been to Vegas, where celebrity chefs cluster like accountants on boybands and where casino restaurants are not necessarily an excuse for fish-in-barrel-shooting: Joël Robuchon at the MGM Grand, for instance, is an experience I’ll never forget. But the flat lighting, putty-coloured carpet and anorak’d punters of the Alea are a million miles from the strident bling of Sin City. Never has decadence looked so joyless.
Related: Rick Stein, Sandbanks: ‘I’m not buying it’ – restaurant review
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