On the Menu | I’m in my ‘just fine’ dining era, and no-fuss neighbourhood restaurants are all I need

I don’t know who needs to hear this, but sometimes it is OK to be ordinary. I am talking about restaurants that make great food and create a comfortable environment for its diners, but have neither the ambition nor the so-called skill to gain a spot on the multiple award lists around the world, or to – God forbid – land itself in a well-meaning reel of the influencer du jour.

Or maybe put it this way: I am bored with everything being touted as the next viral moment, the must-try, the “run, don’t walk” destination that you simply must visit before you perish. Inevitably, places become inundated with portable-light-toting vloggers who tend to hype up the food so much it often feels like the restaurant is set up to fail.

It is also strange when this kind of hyperbole falls upon neighbourhood staples that have served regulars for decades. I am in two minds about this: on the one hand, it is fantastic when a humble family-run restaurant gets more attention. On the other, more often than not they were doing just fine on their own, supported by a community of local diners, who suddenly find it much harder to get a seat at the table.

‘Oh my gawd you guys’, expecting every meal to be life changing is extremely exhausting for everyone involved

I am not saying smaller venues should not be held in the same regard as a high-end restaurant, recognised in guides and immortalised in dramatic slow-mo cinematography; surely, every accolade helps prolong its lifespan in an increasingly challenging climate.

But there is a distinct frustration when this hype machine descends upon a humble neighbourhood staple. While any independent joint deserves financial survival, the disconnect between internet hyperbole and real life leaves expectant diners deflated. “How did this place get one Michelin star?” they declare incredulously, unaware of the possibility that the restaurant never even asked for it in the first place.

Anyway, I would hazard that most of these places would just be as happy chugging along catering to a steady stream of regulars who would ask about their day, not an obnoxious creator letting the hot food go cold as they adjust their gimbals.