How to prevent a chef from going into Gordon Ramsay mode (part 2)

You’ve decided on a restaurant to host your fabulous dinner party and have adhered to my tips from part 1 on how to keep the chef sane in the kitchen. By now, you know why it’s vital to have a confirmed date and why you should never ask a chef to duplicate someone else’s menu.

But wait, there’s more! Now that your event is fast approaching, the chef still needs your help to ensure that things run smoothly.

If you’re not hosting and will be attending as a guest, you too have a part to play that goes beyond attending and feasting.

 
Chef Eugene Lee, senior sous chef, Tanzini 

1)   DO: Give your meal breakdowns if asked to

Very often, restaurants will ask for a meal breakdown, like how many beef or fish meals for your party. While bigger establishments can afford to do a little over-ordering solely for your event, smaller places don’t have the same luxury. It also wouldn’t be fair for a client to say, “well, I’m the customer so this is not my problem.”

Restaurants will often ask for meal breakdowns about 3 to 4 days prior to an event. Giving them the allocation 3 hours before an event may be considered “prior” to the party in your books, but let’s go( back to point number five in part 1 – “things do not appear in the kitchen overnight.”

If your guests are flying in from all over the world, get their meal selection via email or Facebook. If you really have to, you could ask the chef for his estimation by telling him a little about your guests. The chef may not be accurate (it is a guess, after all!), but he should be able to roughly tell based on his experience.

 
(Image: Thinkstock)

2)   DON’T: be vegetarian or gluten intolerant halfway through the meal

We love vegetarians and gluten intolerants but please don’t change your mind in the middle of a meal. Let the chef know about all dietary requirements beforehand rather than on the day itself. Chefs cannot make ingredients suddenly appear.

If you decide to be vegetarian, don’t give up mid-way through a meal. Don’t wait until the main course and decide that a piece of fish looks so delicious that you want to have seafood instead. That decision should be made well before the meal starts.

3)   DON’T: change your meal selection if you’ve already decided

If you ordered the beef as your main course, then focus on the beef; don’t look at other people’s plates and decide that you want to swap. The kitchen does not have time to do that for you.

If you really want to try that piece of fish, ask your partner to save half for you then swap. Or simply ask for a small piece to sample and to satisfy your curiosity.

 
Tanzini Upperdeck, G Tower Kuala Lumpur

4)   DO: stay in your seat

When meals are being served, please be seated because the only way the servers are able to identify you by your name and meal selection is by your seating arrangements.

If you must move around, return to your seat – and stay there. Otherwise, you might be served dishes that you didn’t order at the expense of you being a social butterfly.

 
64% Valrhona Manjari served at Tanzini (read the review here)

5)   DO: listen to your server

When servers ask you to consume your food before it melts or before it gets cold, listen to them. They know what they are serving. The chef would have reminded them about the dishes so they are conveying the message with the aim of you enjoying the dish in its optimal form.

Don’t play musical chairs and run around the table, only to return to your seat and complain about melted ice cream or asking for a change of dessert because the sorbet has melted.

Click here to read part one of ‘How to prevent a chef from going into Gordon Ramsay mode’ 

Chef Eugene Lee is the senior sous chef at Tanzini Restaurant. 
One of Malaysia Tatler’s Best Restaurants winner, Tanzini is located at G Tower, Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur.

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