MasterChef judge and food critic Grace Dent has shared a list of 10 restaurant dishes she says she would avoid, pushing back on the idea that some menu staples are always safe choices. Her comments cover everything from breakfast and brunch to more expensive dinner options.
Among the items mentioned are poached eggs at Sunday brunch, chilled soups, hotel porridge and a 40-day aged steak sold as a more luxurious pick. The warning is notable because these are exactly the kinds of dishes many diners might see as dependable, fashionable or worth paying extra for.
Dent's view appears to be that popularity does not automatically make a dish a smart order. By highlighting familiar favorites alongside more premium-sounding choices, she raises questions about value, consistency and whether some menu items are more hype than substance.
The list has attracted interest because it comes from an award-winning critic whose job involves judging food at a high level. Her latest restaurant take turns ordinary ordering decisions into a bigger conversation about what diners should skip, even when a dish looks like an easy win on the menu.
