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À la carte or set menu?
A COMMON stumbling block for those who are new to the foodie world and are beginning to venture out into the exciting world of restaurants is the phrase ‘à la carte’.
The expression, as with so many things relating to eating, is French in origin and means simply to order from the menu. But it isn’t quite as straight forward as that in modern restaurants.
Most establishments offer set meals (French: prix fixe - fixed price), together with their à la carte menus. If you choose a set meal you will probably be faced with the choice of around three starters, three mains and three desserts and the price will be fixed.
If you choose a la carte the choice increases dramatically - six or more different dishes for each course is not uncommon (you choose one for each course), but inevitably the cost of your meal rises significantly too. However it gives you greater scope to experiment with a wider selection of dishes, and if you’re feeling particularly flush, you can order more dishes than you need simply to try them.
Many restaurants today are offering extremely good value set lunches and dinners, and under no circumstances should you feel mean by ordering them. They are there to showcase the full, or à la carte menu and serve a useful purpose of enticing diners into an establishment with a fixed cost meal.
Another expression you may come across which is relevant, but relatively uncommon outside of France, is ‘table d’hôte’. This is effectively the same as a set meal, or prix fixe, and will consist of several courses for a fixed price, given on the menu.
It is worth noting that set lunches and dinners rarely include the specials of the day.
Most establishments offer set meals (French: prix fixe - fixed price), together with their à la carte menus. If you choose a set meal you will probably be faced with the choice of around three starters, three mains and three desserts and the price will be fixed.
If you choose a la carte the choice increases dramatically - six or more different dishes for each course is not uncommon (you choose one for each course), but inevitably the cost of your meal rises significantly too. However it gives you greater scope to experiment with a wider selection of dishes, and if you’re feeling particularly flush, you can order more dishes than you need simply to try them.
Many restaurants today are offering extremely good value set lunches and dinners, and under no circumstances should you feel mean by ordering them. They are there to showcase the full, or à la carte menu and serve a useful purpose of enticing diners into an establishment with a fixed cost meal.
Another expression you may come across which is relevant, but relatively uncommon outside of France, is ‘table d’hôte’. This is effectively the same as a set meal, or prix fixe, and will consist of several courses for a fixed price, given on the menu.
It is worth noting that set lunches and dinners rarely include the specials of the day.
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