Scottish Steak Club at Macdonald Burlington and Singaporean Dinner at Pollen Street Social

Scottish Steak Club​

The four-star Macdonald Burlington in Birmingham city centre recently adopted a distinctly tartan theme for the launch of its new Scottish Steak Club restaurant. The 115-bedroom hotel chose ‘Rabbie’ Burns Night (26 Jan) to mark the celebration of the opening of the latest Scottish Steak Club to be offered by Macdonald Hotels & Resorts. The Scottish Steak Club dining experience reflects the food promise across Macdonald Hotels & Resorts that 'skilled chefs will use only the finest and freshest produce and always prepare dishes from whole, raw ingredients.' Guests at the dinner enjoyed samples from the exciting new menu, including cuts of beef and lamb sourced from accredited Scottish farms. Derek McDonagh, general manager of Macdonald Burlington Hotel, added: “The Scottish Steak Club is the latest exciting development at Macdonald Burlington Hotel and one that will appeal to discerning diners who within a beautiful setting, seek the reassurance of being served only the finest, choicest cuts of meat and produce. And to celebrate the opening of the Scottish Steak Club, until 30 April 2012, Macdonald Burlington is offering patrons who pre-book their dining experience, a special 10% off dinner for up to four people. Everyone is welcome.” Over the past 12 months, Macdonald Burlington has invested over £1 million in its bedrooms and facilities.

Singaporean Dinner​

On Sunday 26th February, three of UK’s top chefs; Jason Atherton, Claude Bosi and Sat Bains, will be teaming up to host an evening of Singaporean inspiration at Atherton’s Pollen Street Social. The dinner is in collaboration with the Singapore Tourism Board as part of the Chef Exchange Programme, which aims to encourage creative ideas between chefs from different cultures. The evening will reflect what the chefs experienced following their four day tour around Singapore with all dishes being inspired by the cuisine and culture. Atherton said: “I am delighted to be hosting this evening with two extremely talented chefs. It gives me great pleasure to share Singaporean cuisine with UK consumers and I fully support what the Chef Exchange Programme is aiming to achieve.” The special tasting menu will be £85 per person, with optional wine pairing in addition. Pollen Street Social came second at the National Restaurant Awards 2011.

February Sale for customers and staff​

The Barracuda Pub Group is offering a range of money-saving deals throughout February for both customers and its own staff. Promoted through the company’s payslips, Barracuda is offering its 3500 employees and their friends and family a 25% discount on food ordered in its pubs. Jane Biss, HR Director at the Barracuda Pub Group said: “We’ve introduced the 25% discount to reward the efforts of all our employees and thank them for their hard work. It gives them a chance to treat their friends and relatives along with sampling some of the great food that we have on offer.” For customers, the national pub operator will be offering a number of food and drink deals throughout each day including a Full English Breakfast for £1.79, Jacket Potato and Cheese for £1.99, and Grilled Tandoori Chicken Naan for £2.99. Pints of ale will be offered from £1.39, while a 125ml glass of Kumala wine is available at 99p. Myles Doran, head of marketing at Barracuda Pub Group, added: “Our customer’s response to our January deals has been received really well and as a result have decided to run similar deals throughout February. Our experience is that people are visiting pubs and dining out, but price, and more importantly quality, is key when deciding where to eat.”

Best Western Business Account​

Best Western Hotels has launched its first ever payment card for business travellers. The card is free to all UK businesses and is set to simplify business travel across the country. The Best Western Business Account also combines hotel accommodation with discounted train travel of up to 51 per cent off. Account holders can use the payment card for hotels stays, room service, restaurant spend, bar bills, newspapers, phone calls, leisure activities such as golf and spa treatments, as well as other hotel expenses at any of the groups 278 British hotels. Further benefits include up to six weeks interest free credit, VAT reporting and Best Western Rewards points for employees. Keith Pope, managing director of Best Western, said: “The Best Western Business Account will ease booking and paying for our business guests and eliminate the need for claiming expenses on hotel and train travel. We are making our guests lives easier and more enjoyable, with more time to spend enjoying life rather than worrying about expense payments.”