Restaurant
Reservations
Call ahead if you’re going to be more than 15 minutes late, and cancel as far in advance as possible if your plans change so that someone else can get a table. |
Upon
arrival
Try to arrive at least 10 minutes early. If possible, turn off your mobile phone or switch to silent. |
Napkins
Remove the napkin from your place setting and put it in your lap – no tucking into trousers boys!DON’T clean the cutlery or wipe your face with the napkin. NEVER use it to blow your nose! Whenever you leave the table, position the napkin to the left-hand side of your place setting. |
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When to eat
Waiters serve food from your left and remove from the right. Generally, wait until everyone has been served if your party is less than seven people. If the party is more than seven, start tucking in as soon as you get your food, as it could go cold.
Start your soup as soon as it arrives. Always scoop food away from you.
Pass food around the table from left to right. Taste your food before seasoning it. Try to keep your elbows off the table! |
Cutlery
-Where to start?
The first course cutlery is on the outside, working in towards the plate as the courses progress.
Your dessert spoon and fork are above your plate or brought out with dessert. The knife for buttering your roll will be placed on the side plate to your left. Any 'special' cutlery (eg steak knives) should arrive with the dish they are needed for.
If you remember the rule to work from the outside in, you'll be fine.
Once used, your utensils, including the handles, should not touch the table again. Always rest forks, knives, and spoons on the side of your plate or in the bowl. To signal |
that
you have finished, rest your fork
and knife (blade in), with the handles
resting at five o'clock and tips pointing
to ten o'clock on your plate. Any
unused silverware is simply left on
the table.
A water glass is sometimes placed just above the knife, with the wine glass – or glasses to the right of it.
When you are finished do not move your plates – leave them for the waiter!
Do leave a tip. Tips can vary from 10% to 15%.
REMEMBER:
Eat left, drink right – Any food dish
to the left is yours, and any glass
to the right is yours.
We'll have you dining with Royalty
in no time!!! |
À
la carte
À la carte is a French expression meaning
"from the menu". It may refer
to a menu of items priced and ordered
separately rather than selected from
a list of preset multi-course meals
at fixed prices (see Table d'hôte). |
Al
dente
Al dente describes vegetables that are cooked to the "tender crisp" phase. It is often considered to be the ideal form of cooked pasta. |
Al
forno
Al forno is an Italian phrase describing food that is from the oven. Baked pizza, breads and pasta dishes are often part of this genre. |
Carvery
A carvery is a restaurant where meat
is freshly sliced to order for customers,
sometimes offering unlimited servings
for a fixed price. The meat is usually
accompanied by a choice of potatoes
and other vegetables with gravy and
accompaniments. |
Entrée
(Starter)
An entrée refers to a smaller course that precedes the main course. |
Maître
d'
The maître d' (headwaiter or host) is the person in charge of assigning customers to tables and responsible for the various waiting on staff. Any issues regarding your meal should be queried with the maître d'. |
Side
dish
A side dish accompanies the entrée (starter) or main course at a meal – usually vegetables, salads, bread, potatoes or rice.
Signature
dish
A signature dish is a unique recipe that identifies an individual chef or restaurant. |
Silver
service
Food is served to your plate by a waiter using service forks and spoons from the customers left. The waiter should serve clockwise around the table. Glasses are placed on a diagonal to the right and away (above the knife), with wine (by course) in order, and then lastly, water glass in front. |
Table
d'hôte
Table d'hôte is a French phrase which literally means "host's table". It is used in restaurant terminology to indicate a menu where multi-course meals with limited choices are charged at a fixed price. Such a menu may also be called prix fixe ("fixed price"). |
