An old yet new trend is emerging in the world of gastronomy. Top gastronomy is not enough in itself, the aim is to wow your guests. The wonderful ingredients, the delicacies, the curiosities are now available in many places. The exclusive, or even innovative, environment of the restaurant attracts the guest, but after a while it becomes a habit. Fortunately, there are still ways for restaurateurs to surprise their guests.
Culinary magic
Enjoyment at the table, now that's all you need. When going to the restaurant is beautiful the play becomes a reality, the waiters arrive, the food and the matching wines offer a wonderful experience. But all this can be further enhanced? Yes, it can be. You can add „attractions” to the experience of being served, as if the actors in a theatre production were inviting you on stage during the performance. Who wouldn't enjoy it if the chefs, especially the chef, were just looking after us? Who wouldn't enjoy having their meal finished right in front of them? The magic doesn't happen in the kitchen, the fruits of which are presented to us by the waiter, but is there and then at our table through a direct transmission.
When Martha Stewart opened her first Las Vegas restaurant, The Bedford, one menu item was on every front page. Mashed baked potatoes were prepared at the table. Imagine a waiter arriving with a whole baked potato, which is smashed and transformed before your eyes. It is topped with chives, crème fraîche, seasoned and served. Table-side presentations, from crushed chopsticks to flaming chocolate, are all in their heyday. The fried Alaska and Suzette pancakes, the flambéed steak, a favourite of American fine dining restaurants, bring not only flavours to the guests, but also a sense of wonder and wow. Stirring the Caesar salad at the table or finishing the steak by setting it aflame provides an unforgettable dining experience that will keep them coming back to the restaurant.
The show must go on!
Just think about how good it feels to have a barbecue in the garden, where the raw materials. The smells, the sights, have a much more intense effect than the food itself. In fact, this is what table presentations can do, but in a professional way.
By the mid-seventies, restaurants had become a dying breed. Conventional table service returned, developed to perfection but never quite reaching the peak of hype. There is only one way for the guest to interact with the whole restaurant beyond the menu, and that is through table service and finishing operations at the table. Chef Michael Mina, in his new Greek restaurant, has presented a wonderful experience using a certified fish sommelier. They arrive at the table in a fish trolley, presenting the fresh catch of the day. Based on the guest's choice, the fish sommelier suggests the most suitable preparation for the type of fish and prepares it in front of them.
In fact, table-side presentations are creative and innovative in one. They go beyond classic presentations and can turn a meal into a „theatre performance”. These small solutions are not only entertaining, but they also generate interest, not to mention the fact that the guest can feel a direct connection with the food and the chef. The point is that whatever is possible should be done by professionals, not in the kitchen, but at or near the guest's table. Everyone is interested in the process of food preparation, and if the restaurant adds the right visual elements, adding the emotional touch of the waiter or chef, guests can go home with an unforgettable experience.
In the guest area, the flavours are different
The table-side presentation will also allow diners to experience how different cooking techniques change the food. How textures, colours and flavours change. This makes it much easier for the chef to explain what pre-flavour, mid-flavour and final or after-flavour mean.
Social media loves it
Nowadays, everything goes online, especially a dinner with visuals. Instagram, Facebook and TikTok videos are leading the way. Interesting content reaches thousands or even millions of people. Whether the uploader or the Restaurant it is a fantastically simple, yet effective advertisement. The development of food-centric social media - particularly TikTok recipes - has also contributed to diners becoming more curious about the steps required to prepare a beautiful, delicious meal. Interest now extends beyond ingredients, sustainability, specific techniques and expert nuances. In line with this, tableside presentations can be educational as well as exciting.
It's a fun, culinary, yet serious performance art. The flaming desserts, the tangled pastas and the dramatically smashed potatoes are fun. It allows for a more intimate relationship between host and guest, and a more conscious understanding of gastronomy.
Source : https://www.finedininglovers.com/article/tableside-presentation
