Restaurants taking menus off the menu
Print Edition
Last summer, head chef Mikael Jonsson scrapped the menu at his Hedone restaurant in London.
Now several top eating places in the UK capital are following suit. William Drew, of the 50 Best Restaurants publication, said: 鈥淚 think the idea of not having a menu is growing.
鈥淚t plays to the idea of diners having a 鈥榖espoke experience鈥 which is tailored to their wants and needs, but in practice it also allows the chefs to have more freedom based on availability of ingredients and so forth.鈥
The shift has also been noted in France and New York, but is likely to remain confined to gastronomic centres.
鈥淚鈥檓 not sure it really works in restaurants that are not destinations for foodies already,鈥 Drew said.
鈥淵ou have to earn the right to work on this basis, to have built a formidable reputation so that the diners trust the judgment of the staff and the chef.鈥
Restaurants following the trend in London include sushi restaurant Araki, which has two Michelin stars and offers a unique set menu, and the two-Michelin-starred Hibiscus which offers a surprise tasting menu in the evening.
But others are following outside the capital. The Checkers, in Montgomery in Wales, offers between five and nine dishes a day in a tasting menu.
鈥淲ith an a la carte menu there will always be a degree of wastage,鈥 said Kathryn Francis, who manages the Michelin-starred restaurant.
鈥淭his new format gives our kitchen team greater control over what they need to prepare.鈥
It also makes sense financially in a sector where margins are tight, Francis added.
鈥淢any fine dining restaurants now offer tasting menus only 鈥 it is a reflection of the need to be minimising wastage 鈥 offering your guests the very best you can and maintaining a profitable and healthy business.鈥
Jonsson, a 49-year-old Swede with one Michelin star, said: 鈥淢ore and more regular customers do not want to see the menu, and want a personalised menu drawn up by me.鈥
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