There seems to be a fashion developing in certain hipper- than- our restaurants for the chefs to deliver dishes directly to the diner in the restaurant......
I was caught out last week as my waiters, unexpectedly distracted by certain canine visitors and youngsters in the garden were nowhere to be seen and I realised that it would only take a couple of seconds to take some starters out to the dining room before they got cold waiting at the pass..
As I delivered these two dishes I noticed most of the other diners looking around at me. Some smiling, others with sad looks that seemed to be saying ‘we must be second class diners as he merely sent a servant out to us’....
I wish to make it perfectly clear I am a fossil [as attested by those who shall remain nameless] and still believe that your time in my dining room is your own, we do not have a floor show. I also need to tell you that we cannot let the cooks moonlight as actors as while we are cooking your food we have many other dishes on the go at the same time. I know its old fashioned but we really still cook stuff so while the real waiters are taking food to you we are finishing the next set. Often the fish on a table of 6 only begins to cook when the first set leaves the kitchen.
I have on occasion seen as many as 4 chefs each deliver a dish to a table at the same time. I can only guess how this is done. This sort of Tatiesque ballet could I believe make a very fine sketch or cartoon but it seems that only the New Yorker still runs foodie style funnies with any regularity.... come on Epicure the Age still has the best black and white artists in the country ........
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