frmichelin1-7, Exercise 2: Bistronomy and the gastropub

Model answer (check the details):

Origin: bistronomy grew in Paris in the 1990s, when chefs trained in grand kitchens opened small restaurants of their own; La Régalade (1992) is a frequent example. The gastropub began in London in the early 1990s, when pubs started to serve restaurant-quality food (check).

Aim: both aimed to offer serious cooking without formal service and high costs. Bistronomy started from the chefs' wish for freedom and a lower price; the gastropub started from pub owners and cooks who wanted to bring a failing pub back to life.

Price: both are cheaper than a formal restaurant with stars but often dearer than a traditional bistro or pub meal.

What each shows: that the line between everyday and fine dining is thin, and that guides and diners can reward quality without ceremony. The guide has given Bibs and stars to both types.

Differences: the bistro tradition is French and urban, while the pub is a British social institution with drinking at its heart; the labels were also used as marketing, so the words alone prove little.

Care: both terms are loose. Compare particular examples, not the labels.