large booking at restaurant- how to split the bill?

onlyroz

No mention at any of these that the entire table must have the tasting menu:

http://feraatclaridges.co.uk/menu/

http://thechancery.co.uk/menus/menu.shtml

missbiggles1

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

My dad grew curly kale too. He grew lots of veggies.

However, my mum would never eat anything out of the garden in case an animal had pee'd on it.

Now she was an awkward person to eat anywhere with. She was a vegetarian, which in itself wasn't a problem, but also she didn't like many of the things veggie food is based on, such as tomatoes, mushrooms or courgettes.

She also didn't like to eat food she hadn't prepared herself.

She lived to be 93 and had a balanced but very restricted diet of (veggie) cheese, peas, potatoes, yogurt and apples and bread. Milk and eggs if they were cooked in things, but not 'neat'. Not much else.

She loved the home she spent her final days in as they gave her what she liked to eat and didn't try and make her eat anything else.

Perhaps that's why I hate people being fussy or precious about their food, because my mum was so fussy with hers!

She certainly wouldn't have eaten anything out of our allotment then, my dad used to buy fertilizer made from human waste from the sewage works!

duchy

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

But Pastures New, I have never had anyone try to shaft me in underhand ways like that - you seem to have loads, in fact the way you talk it seems as though every meal you go to people are trying to swindle you. Don't you ever go out and just having a relaxing time not worrying about it?

Or if you have you were oblivious to it....which is almost as good

seven-day-weekend

missbiggles1 wrote: »

She certainly wouldn't have eaten anything out of our allotment then, my dad used to buy fertilizer made from human waste from the sewage works!

My dad used to tell her that the ones she bought from the shop had far worse things on them. She had to tell him not to tell her that, or she'd never eat anything

seven-day-weekend

duchy wrote: »

Or if you have you were oblivious to it....which is almost as good

Perhaps I don't look for or expect it.

Homeownertobe

PasturesNew wrote: »

Tasting menus are an invention by "posh chefs" to elevate the kudos of their establishment. They created the product and created a buzz around it so that "people who like to be seen dining at the right places" could be seen now not only dining there, but having the (more expensive/special) tasting menu.

It's one upmanship on just eating at a posh place

So, those of us who haven't been/won't ever be going will never "get it" - it's not about the food, or number of courses, it's about being able to say you've been to XYZ Posh House and had not the common or garden menu, but the Tasting Menu.

You really have no idea, do you? It must be so crippling to go through life so intent on seeing negativity everywhere.

missbiggles1

onlyroz wrote: »

No mention at any of these that the entire table must have the tasting menu:

http://feraatclaridges.co.uk/menu/

http://thechancery.co.uk/menus/menu.shtml

At the first one, the tasting menus are the only food offered on Friday and Saturday evenings in the summer.

onlyroz

missbiggles1 wrote: »

At the first one, the tasting menus are the only food offered on Friday and Saturday evenings in the summer.

Fine, but for the rest of the week it seem like you can have what you want.

For the record, I like the concept of a tasting menu, and if I was going to a restaurant that served them it would probably be what I would choose.

However, where a restaurant offers a choice between the tasting menu and the standard menu, I really don't see why it makes a difference if different people at the table choose a different option. Sure, it might require a bit of an effort on the part of the waiters to coordinate when the various courses are served, but that's what they're paid to do.

Andypandyboy

On the Claridges menu it does say that from May 6th only tasting menus will be available on Saturdays, so no other choices. My guess is that they would tell you on booking that the table needs to take part, but they may be the exceptions, who knows.

onlyroz

Andypandyboy wrote: »

On the Claridges menu it does say that from May 6th only tasting menus will be available on Saturdays, so no other choices. My guess is that they would tell you on booking that the table needs to take part, but they may be the exceptions, who knows.

So on Saturday there is no choice but the tasting menu. So what.

Let's say diner A chooses an 8-course tasting menu while their companion diner B chooses the standard 3-course meal. Presumably the tasting menu courses will be smaller and so will take less time to eat. Therefore, serve diner B's starter with the first course of diner A, and serve diner B's main whenever they're ready. I really don't get the issue, and I don't see how either diner A or B's experience will be diminished by their companion's choice.