Platy

It's being announced in the press that Neil Perry is over the whole restaurant / fine dining lark...

http://www.goodfood.com.au/good-food...31-gp8571.html

.....perhaps it's time to wonder where that leaves the QF association as well?

...if Perry doesn't want out of QF, would QF still want an association with a celebrity chef without the restaurants and an "I"m over it all" attitude?!

og

I don't care who they associate with, but whoever it is, I really hope that they give SLF a decent sized salad instead of the abbreviated offerings that Perry serves up.

Blackcloud

Are you talking about the serving size at Rockpool or what Q Catering provides SLF?

og

The Q catering version (and similar operations where Q catering don't have the contract) - which I assume Perry has some control over.

JClasstraveller

I think OP has missed the point of the article.

More than a few chefs could go the way of him and go back to deliciousness and honesty rather than how pretentious can I become.

Anyone should embrace that, including QF.

number_6

Neil Perry has been evolving in this direction for the past decade (focus on ingredient quality and purity of flavour rather than foam and elaborate preparation). For example his restaurant Rosetta has been this way for past 5 years and achieves greatness by things like making some cheese fresh every day in the restaurant. Simple yet also quite difficult to pull off and with great results. It is partly back to classic recipes and approach to cooking.

I think this "new approach" fits QF well and would be an improvement in the food, if pulled off successfully. Of course catering meals served almost a day later is a bit different from this "perfectly fresh restaurant" approach.

Platy

I don't think the OP has missed the point...actually...

Perry is quoted as being "fatigued with flavour" not suffering ennui from the pretentiousness of fine dining - that's entirely your personal spin.

In any case, perceptions of pretension in fine dining are subjective (and wonderfully parodied in the novel, American Psycho).

The issue here is one of branding. The moniker "Rockpool" pervades the QF landscape (website, menus, PR releases, etc) and is being used as a brand promise for fine dining in the air and the lounges.

By contrast Virgin Australia and the Luke Mangan brand pitch has always been about quality more "simple" fare.

The question is whether Perry is (1) over it all and (2) where the QF association may or may not go without the brandscape of Rockpool.

Oh, and fresh, simple meals are fine by me, providing they have a quality commensurate with the price paid for the class of travel.

Platy

QF could always embrace THE BURGER PROJECT

falconea

Good riddance if he goes - his food is so often so stupidly designed for being reheated. Dry pieces of fish with no sauce and similar, in premium cabins.

Also lack of sensible choices. I don't tolerate spicy food well, and am never impressed when given a choice between two spicy dishes. This seems to happen rather frequently.

Audrey

Cedar Jet

Ditto! good riddence to overall small portions and overly creative concoctions and without fail cold served 'hot' breakfasts. As for the glorified garnish 'salads' they are woeful and calling that a salad is simply insulting to a passenger who has payed 8K for a J class fare.

lokijuh

It's interesting the different way we read the same article. I very much took the article not to be "I'm over it all", but just a discussion about rebranding his business at the site - renaming and refocussing the restaurant and the type of food it serves.

Platy

To clarify...the article claims Perry is over fine dining. He's no longer continuing with Rockpool the restaurant.

Will the "fine dining" and moving on from "Rockpool", the restaurant, lead to a change in or cessation of the association with QF...(?).

Will QF view the "fine dining" aspect as an essential branding element (assuming they have to promote high quality dining of some sort to compete in international premium).

Will the promotional copy have at least to be revised from "Rockpool" to "Rockpool Group".

Or perhaps with change in the air it's an opportunity for the parties to have a fresh start (a different focus as some have suggested on simple and fresh) or a parting of ways...(?).

Princess fiona

The re-branding of Rockpool restaurant in Bridge St Sydney is IMO nothing at all to do with his association with QF. Nor will it have any effect on this relationship at all.
Perry's Rockpool Group operates several Rockpool Bar & Grill restaurants as well as Rosetta and Spice Temple and it is from these that the QF menus both onboard and in the F Lounges take inspiration.

rick253

Have to agree with Princess Fiona.
Changes at Rockpool will not affect the QF relationship.
There are still 3 Rockpool Bar & Grills, so the general Rockpool name can be used for the QF association. No need to add Group.
As for food, Neil Perry has not lost his love for food, just looking for different directions in cooking.

bensyd

Rebranding one of his restaurants isn't really an "I'm over it all attitude". I can't see how this affects QF and their relationship with Neil Perry. The QF menus emphasise Neil Perry and the Rockpool Group, not the Rockpool restaurant, iirc.