Bites: Why cream is the latest dining trend

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

Are you part of the "cream" crowd? Not sure? Fret not – it's just another cunning marketing ploy with a recession-themed acronym. According to the manufacturers of Sybarit, a new dinner-party game for foodies, restaurants are out, creaming (Cancel Reservation, Eat At Mine) is in. Haven't they heard the good news? A new Brindisa (pictured), London's crazily popular Borough Market tapas joint, has opened in Soho. And, unlike the original, where a two-hour wait is the norm, it takes bookings.

Also rather jolly was the recent London opening of Jean-Paul Maurel's Bel Canto, where aside from modern French cuisine, the menu also features Puccini and Mozart – sung by the opera-trained waiting staff.

In Spain, however, restaurant fans have less to celebrate: El Bulli, "the world's best restaurant"™, has extended its customary six-month closure (while chef Ferran Adrià scours the globe for inspiration) to eight months. Wonder how much that'll add to the 125-year waiting list? Might be time for a dinner party after all.