{"product_id":"the-restaurant-by-william-sitwell-9781471179617","title":"The Restaurant","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAS READ ON BBC RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK.\u003c\/strong\u003e The fascinating story of how we have gone out to eat, from the ancient Romans in Pompeii to the luxurious Michelin-starred restaurants of today.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTracing its earliest incarnations in the city of \u003cstrong\u003ePompeii,\u003c\/strong\u003e where Sitwell is stunned by the sophistication of the dining scene, this is a romp through history as we meet the characters and discover the events that shape the way we eat today. Sitwell, restaurant critic for the \u003ci\u003eDaily Telegraph\u003c\/i\u003e and famous for his acerbic criticisms on the hit \u003cstrong\u003eBBC show \u003ci\u003eMasterChef\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e, tackles this enormous subject with his typical wit and precision.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHe spies influences from an ancient traveller of the Muslim world, revels in the unintended consequences for nascent fine dining of the \u003cstrong\u003eFrench Revolution\u003c\/strong\u003e, reveals in full hideous glory the post-Second World War dining scene in the UK, and fathoms the birth of sensitive gastronomy in the US counterculture of the 1960s.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a story of the ingenuity of the human race as individuals endeavour to do that most fundamental of things: to feed people. It is a story of art, politics, revolution, desperate need and decadent pleasure. Sitwell, a familiar face in the UK and a figure known for the controversy he attracts, provides anyone who loves to dine out, who loves history, or who simply loves a good read with an accessible and humorous history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Restaurant\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e is jam-packed with extraordinary facts; a book to read eagerly from start to finish or to spend glorious moments dipping into.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIt may be William Sitwell’s \u003ci\u003eHistory of Eating Out\u003c\/i\u003e, but it’s also the definitive story of one of the cornerstones of our culture.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Simon \u0026 Schuster NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46850375778540,"sku":"9781471179617","price":65.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/22019483482711.jpg?v=1759085135","url":"https:\/\/bookhero.co.nz\/products\/the-restaurant-by-william-sitwell-9781471179617","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}