'It's invading menus': Top chef on overrated trend he doesn't get - and world's best food city

Every Thursday, our Money blog team interviews chefs from around the UK, hearing about their cheap food hacks and more.

This week, we chat to Mike Reid, renowned TV chef and "Aussie Beef Mate". Good food doesn't have to be expensive...

tasty food is simply tasty food. Obviously, better ingredients and produce (which would usually mean higher costs) would lend to a better flavour.

However, some of the best food I eat is street food, from local markets or vendors. When I was in Singapore last year, I tried one of the cheapest Michelin-starred restaurants in the world, with a pork noodle dish at about the equivalent of £5 for a one star dish.

It proves that good food doesn't have to be expensive. Money blog: Follow the latest Michelin-starred food isn't always the tastiest, but...

it is definitely a marker of consistency and talent. We are blessed in the UK with a thriving food scene, with so many great chefs, and not all of them are cooking within Michelin restaurants.

What I would say with Michelin restaurants is that it is a very good marker for a place to eat where you should be getting great service and great food. It is a guide to help you.

I love dining out at Michelin restaurants and have cooked at this level too, but I'm just as happy dining across the great spectrum of restaurants that we are blessed to have. The best chefs I've worked with are...

legends such as Michel Roux Jr and Gordon Ramsay. I also had the pleasure of making "Five Star Chef" with Michel for Netflix, and that was such an incredible experience of working with him again.

His professionalism and talent stand out every day, and I learned so much from him about being on set and the energy and expertise he brings with him. I handle a TV chef cooking me a bad meal by...

styling it out - I would never want to publicly embarrass anyone. Food is so subjective, even though it may not be to my taste, the next person who tries it might love it.

So I would try my best not to pass comment. Or my other tactic is to focus on a redeeming element, so for example: "Oh wow, the flavour of that beef is beautiful, or the colour of that sauce is so vibrant." What annoys me the most about the industry is...

how we have an expectation now of being able to eat most foods all year round - then we actually complain about how it doesn't taste as good. We need to get back to respecting our produce more and understanding the seasons.

To enjoy strawberries in summer and not look for them in winter. To get back to eating tomatoes that have been grown and ripened on the vine in the sun, as opposed to in a greenhouse, grown and picked early.

It will be so much better for the planet and better for us to enjoy things as nature intended. The biggest mistake I see chefs make is… overcomplicating their dishes.

We have such a desire when we are younger and starting out to showcase our skills, to show on each plate what we can do, and this often leads to dishes being overly complicated and too much going on. Sometimes you see 10 elements on a plate when only five are needed to make it really outstanding.

Restraint is the mark of confidence and a true belief in the food that they are cooking. I remember so clearly when the penny dropped for me and my food went to another level after this.

My chefs were happier, too. The most overrated single food item is… Dubai chocolate.

I do not understand why this has swept the world and taken over. It's invading menus in every area, breakfast is now littered with it, inspiring dishes, and dessert menus are overloaded with it too.

I think it's overly rich and way too sweet. But that's just my humble opinion! What I think about food influencers is...

that love them or hate them, they drive covers to your restaurants, so you need to embrace them. I have worked with and met many - most are lovely people and big foodies who feel fortunate to do what they do.

The minority can be a little "needy.