As a professional, I accept and encourage criticism. I experiment to bring new ideas to the plates of my customers and their feedback is happily received and integrated. However, I feel that Liz Feltham's critique of my restaurant ("Syn city," March 16) was malicious, and her erroneous comments make me suspect of her food-related education. For example, the "pile of burnt shredded napa cabbage" she referenced was neither napa nor burnt—sadly, she appears not to recognize savoy cabbage with a cream and nutmeg reduction. As well, it appears that Ms. Feltham would have been more comfortable with the creme brulee if I unpeeled a label and stuck it in a microwave, rather than serving her the classic baked custard dessert.
I am of the old school. I prepare my food from base ingredients, not the pre-made, pre-cooked frozen fare found in many of today's restaurants. I take pride in what I do. I agree that means attention to detail and that the detail is found in the food. I change my menu often to reflect the availability of local ingredients and the evolution of the meals. It appears that the menu viewed by Ms. Feltham contained a typographical error. I have dyslexia and even with my triple-checking it appears I made a mistake. Thank you, Liz, for taking what should have been a critical review and turning it into a personal attack. I hope that the public will support this local guy and his restaurant and leave Liz to her chicken.
By Ron Muise, chef and owner of Syn