How the other half live…
For any regular readers, you will know that I usually favour a picnic in the park over a Michelin starred restaurant any day of the week.
However, as a result of the very kind generosity of our friends, Justin & Sara, we indulged last night in some of the finest cuisine that Marseille has to offer at Chez Fonfon.
After work, we strolled along the sea pass and into one of the most renowned seafood restaurants in the city.
And it was easy to see why…
Chez Fonfon
Upon arrival, we wandered through the little harbor area outside of the restaurant and took some photos of the sun setting under the bridge looking out to the Mediterranean Sea. So far, so romantic!
We entered the restaurant, and were welcomed by a charming, friendly, yet typically Marseillais (anyone who has visited Marseille will understand what
I’m referring to) waiter. He showed us to the tables, recommended some dishes and wines and left a lovely appetizer of terrine, mousse, hummus and some kind of anchovy paste, along with a selection of delicious breads.
After choosing a nice bottle of rosé wine, I decided on the “bouillabaisse” – a specialty of the city. Upon ordering, I was presented with a tray of fillets of the most wonderfully fresh looking fish I’d ever seen outside of the sea!!
Meanwhile, my fiancée sampled the delights of the chef’s menu – a starter of courgettes with a fish we were are ashamed to say we didn’t know the English translation, a main of swordfish, some excellent goat’s cheese and a dessert of Orange Macaroons and citrus fruit.
Finally, a rich and delightfully presented espresso (and nibbles) completed the meal nicely. It was truly delectable and we had a wonderful evening!
The meal came to €115 for two people (about £100), but the majority was covered by the kind generosity of our friends in the form of a voucher. However, I’m not writing this (just) to gloat about our meal. It got me thinking why I enjoyed it so much and whether it was worth the cost.
How would I rate its “value”?
When I pay out money on a discretionary spend, it is important for me to understand the value of the activity. Not the monetary cost, but the value of the product or service which I have purchased. I’m going to do this by looking at some metrics that I usually adopt when measuring “entertainment value”:
Price per hour: We arrived at 8pm, and left at 11pm, so it cost around £17 per hour each. For any activity, I would say that this is fairly expensive
Future cost: if you have recently read the post here, you will understand that I work out the cost of items today in their potential future value. £100 meal’s true cost by this metric is around £400 for me personally. Wow, £400 for a meal, I don’t think I could every think that was good value.
Hours worked: Equally in the post, considered against after tax earnings, I would have had to work 10 hours in order to afford the meal. 10 hours worked does seem like a long time to earn a meal!
Conclusion
So, all the metrics suggest that it wasn’t worthwhile. However, my fiancée both completely agree that it was. Why is this (other than the fact that we didn’t physically pay all that cash ourselves!!)?
Well, we have decided that it was because it was “special” for us! It was a unique experience. We probably only eat out once every few months and we both couldn’t think of a more expensive meal that we’d ever eaten before. The pleasure of the romantic stroll beforehand was heightened by the thought of the meal to come. The food wasn’t just food, but it was new and exciting!
Therefore, because it was unique, it was worth it. And the uniqueness factor, trying new things and embracing new experiences is something that I find very difficult to measure in a monetary sense. But, all we can agree on is that the experience at Chez Fonfon WAS “worth it”.
I also think it is amazing how food can split opinions. I bet there will be people who read this who think I am amazingly tight for even considering this as an “expensive meal”. On the other hand, to others, spending half of that on a meal would be something that they wouldn’t consider.
Where do you fall in this spectrum? What do you consider to be an “expensive meal”? Is it worth it? How do you “measure” the value of eating out?
For us an expensive meal is $100, and we treat ourselves to something like that a few times per year. Some people might think that’s too extravagant, but we definitely consider it a treat and part of what we pay for entertainment throughout the year.
We don’t go out for super nice meals very often. I find it hard to justify the costs because I do the same and think about how long I have to work for it.
For me and expensive meal would be anything over $20, but to say whether it would be worth it would depend on a while host of factors. I rarely eat out, but last night I met a friend whose father just passed away and wanted to get out and be doing something to keep her distracted. We met at a restaurant that is a chain and low priced. Was the burger and sweet potato fries that mind-boggling and awesome and worth it? No, not usually. But did it make me feel good to be there for my friend? Absolutely. So it just depends on the circumstance.
I love how you split the cost of the bill per hour! 😛 I personally think that any meal that is over £50 per person (not including drinks and tips) is expensive. But again, this is my personal opinion. I love eating out and explore the restaurant scene. These days, I only go out to network after work to events that are paid for by organisers. Sometimes, in Michelin starred restaurants 😛
I usually treat my family for lunch out every after going to church. It’s just a fast food chain and it will only cost me about $15-20 a week but my point is I want to make Sunday as a family day.
I am in Bretagne at the moment and we just had oysters for 10 euros a dozen, that you eat next to the beach in a small eatery next to the producer. Before that I had half a dozen oysters as part of a 100 euros meal in Paris, and it was not that nice a moment, the fancy restaurant didn’t compare to the lovely time I had with my boyfriend by the beach in Bretagne. I don’t mind spending money on food but lately have been disappointed by many mid level restaurants (don’t eat anything on Mt St Michel, microwaved pancakes anyone?) so we prefer to buy a baguette and some nice patés or hams than spending 25 euros on a bad meal, however we would splurge if we got a solid recommendation.
I don’t eat fast food and bring my lunch to work almost everyday. I do this so that when the opportunity arrives every other month or so I can go for a 5 course meal with drink pairings and have an amazing time. Cost: $75 (including the tip)=55 Euros. I just went to a dinner like that on Monday and I had a FANTASTIC time. I find that paying for experiences far outweigh any of the reservations that I may have about price…as long as it’s within reason.
We don’t dine out usually. Mostly because we have better food cooked at home and the costs are smaller. This doesn’t mean that we don’t go out at all though, we do like to go to a restaurant once in a while to just enjoy the experience. Being frugal doesn’t mean not enjoying life at all 🙂
I’d say it was totally worth it. Life and money at the end of the day is meant to be enjoyed and while one shouldn’t make it a habit to always aim for such expensive meals, once in a while its imperative to treat ourselves, indulge ourselves, our senses and our loved ones in those unique and once-in-a-lifetime or a coupla times a year experiences.
That said, I’d consider 100 bucks for a meal and bit on the pricey side.
We love going out to eat. We don’t do it very often anymore, now that we’re on a strict getting-out-of-debt budget, but I think a great meal like the one you two had is a nice treat every so often, and well worth the money.