MENU

Types of Menu

There are only two types of menus:

• Table d’Hote
• A la Carte

Table d’Hote

Table d’Hote menu refers to a menu of limited choice. It usually includes four to five courses available at a fixed price. It is also referred to as a fixed menu. This type of menu is still used for buffets, conferences, special packages or banquets. This comprises a complete meal at a predetermined price. It is agreed by the host and hoteliers in case of banquets. Table d’Hote menus should be well-planned and properly balanced. As the guest is not given a chance to plan his meal, so the menu should be interesting without any similarity in colour, or taste of food and at the same time it should be palatable and well presented.

A la Carte

An A la Carte menu is a multiple-choice menu with each dish priced separately. A la Carte means from the card. If a guest wishes to place an order then a la carte menu is offered from which he can choose the items he wants to eat. In this menu, the food is cooked to order. Depending on the type of dish chosen, the cooking time will vary. It is necessary to inform the guest about the approximate time the preparation might take. An extensive a la carte menu is very impressive but requires a huge amount of mise-en-place.

Menu Card

A menu card is a document used as a selling tool in the restaurant. It helps create an image in the minds of the guests above the class of the establishment. Hence maximum care should be taken for the compilation of the menu, its presentation and the format of the menu.

The menu card should be spotlessly cleaned and attractive with pleasant colours. This should be available in sufficient numbers to be presented not only to the host but also to each guest. The contents of the menu card indicate dishes available in the outlet and by the proper menu management system one can generate the highest revenue in the outlet. The dishes listed in menu cards should be described in simple and clear language. The prices should be indicated neatly. The items that are not available to the guest because of last-minute changes due to equipment failure, non-delivery of raw materials or natural calamities, should be deleted from the card.

COURSES OF MENU

The number of courses of the menu varies with the type of the type of meal, type of restaurant and the price charged. A full classical menu with all the courses is rarely served but three to four courses are usually served for lunch, four to five courses for dinner and three to four courses for supper. There can be five to six courses of the menu for the banquet. Eas course has a different name and the sequence, of course, is as follows:

• Hors-d’oeuvre
• Potage (Soup)
• Ouef (Egg)
• Farineaux / Fanaciuos (Rice and Pasta)
• Poisson (Fish)
• Entree
• Sorbet
• Releve
• Roti (Roast)
• Legumes (Vegetables)
• Salads
• Buffet Froid (Cold Buffet)
• Entremet de Sucre (Sweet)
• Savoury
• Fromage (Cheese)
• Dessert (Fresh Fruit)
• Cafe (Beverage)

Hors-d’oeuvre

This course is usually a small appetiser dish with which a meal often commences. This is composed of the salty and tangy taste of food items that help to stimulate the appetite. The term hors-d’oeuvre applied to a variety of dishes such as cold salads, meat salads, potato salad, sardine (fish), smoked salmon, cold egg preparation, smoked ham etc. A single item out of these items can be served as a part of hors-d’oeuvre besides some other items like fruit juices, shellfish cocktails, melon, oyster, caviar, and Roe of Sturgeon fish. For serving fruit juice a glass placed or underlined with a teaspoon can be used. For shellfish, a cocktail dish with crushed ice, an underliner and a teaspoon is given. For grapefruits, a grapefruit cup, underlined and a grapefruit spoon can be given. For the melon, a half plate with a fruit knife and fork can be provided if the melon is over-riped then a dessert spoon may be given with a fruit knife and fork. Oysters are served on a big plate on a bed of crushed ice with an underliner and an oyster fork which is placed on the right side. In the plate of oysters, a fish fork may be used. The user for Cavier can use a Cavier knife with a fish fork and fish plate.

Potage

Soup may act as an appetiser for the course to come. In general, soup is an extract of meat or vegetables. Mainly there are two kinds of soup provided; thick and thin. Thin being a clear soup (Consomme) and thick soup like Cream of Veloute, Puree etc. may also be served. Some special forms of soup can also be tried like Bisque, bortsch, petitte marmite etc. The Clear soup is always placed first on the menu. The thick soup is served in a soup bowl, underliner and soup spoon. Consomme which is known as clear soup is served in soup in soup cups, underlined and dessert spoons but nowadays both soups are served with soup bowls, underliners and soup spoons.

Examples:

• Tortue Claire: Clear turtle soup
• Consomme Julienne: Clear soup garnished with strips of root vegetables
• Consomme Celestine: Clear soup garnished with strips of savoury pancakes
• Creme’ de tomatoes: Cream of Tomatoes

Poisson

This course is served after the soup, before any major meat course. Fish being a lighter non-vegetarian food prepares the palate for heavy joints of meat. On the menu of a formal banquet, generally, two types of fish preparation are provided.

• Poached or Steamed served with sauces.
• Fried or Grilled (Ex: Fish Fry, Flat Sole, Flat Phekets, Poached Salmon, Fried Pomfret)

The silver used for this course is a fish knife, fish fork and fish plate. Ex: Sole Meunierre, Sole Colbert, Truite au Bleu

Entree

Entree course is generally small well-garnished dishes which come from the kitchen pre-plated and ready for service. These are served with a rich gravy or sauce. If the Releve course follows entree then potatoes and green vegetables may not be served along with the course. If Releve is there on the menu then these vegetables may be included along with the Entree course. Ex: Poulet Saute Chasseur, Chop de porc grille, Minced grill, Kebab Orientale, Foie de Vee, Steak diane etc.

The silver used are A.P. Knife, A.P. Fork and Joint Plate.

Releve

This course is generally larger than Entree and consists of big joints of meat which need carving. These are either boiled or roasted a sauce or roast gravy with potatoes and green vegetables are served along with this course. Ex: Roast leg of lamb, Roast saddle of pork

The silver required are joint fork, joint knife and large plate.

Sorbet

Because of the lengthy courses on the French classical menu,, the sorbet is considered the best course between Releve and Roti.

The dinner is used to prepare the taste for the next part of the meal. The sorbet counteracts the richness of the dishes already served and stimulates the appetite for the next course.

So it consists of crusted ice flavoured with liquor or champagne served in an ice cream cup, underlined and a teaspoon.

Cigarettes, Cigar and Liquor can be passed in this course.

Roti

This course always consists of roast poultry or game birds like chicken, turkey, duck, pheasant etc. which are roasted and accompanied with roast potatoes, roast gravy with green vegetable salads served in a crescent dish. Ex: Roast chicken or roast turkey, roast duck

The silver required for this course is join knife, join fork and full plate.

Legumes

At this stage, the course of the menu is gradually returning from heavy to light. This course of special vegetables like asparagus, artichoke, corn on the cob, pommes sautes, pomme au four, choufleur polonaise etc.

Entremet De Sucre

This course consisted of hot and cold puddings, confectionery items and all types of Indian sweets. The silver is required for all types of dessert spoons, dessert forks and sweet plates except ice cream which requires an ice cream cup, cunderliner and ice cream spoon or teaspoon. Ex: Crepes, Coupes, Glaces, Omelette au rhum, Bombes etc.

Savoury

Savouries are salty in nature, items which are served on toast in this course. The food items which come under this course are liver on toast, hamburgers, hot dogs, angels on horseback, devils on horseback, salty biscuits etc.

The silvers required are a fish knife, fish fork and fish plate.

Dessert / Fruit

Dessert normally means fruits either fresh or dried served after Savoury and before the cafe for all sorts of fruits provide fruit knife, fruit fork and half plate. Fruits are decorated on a fruit basket or fruit bowl placed on an underplate with a cutting knife and placed in the center of the table. In the case of grapes, provide a grape scissor and an extra finger bowl containing fresh water for rinsing of grapes. For dry nuts provide a nutcracker.

Cafe

This course is served at the end of the meal which is coffee with or without milk or cream or with both. The coffee is served in a demitasse with a coffee spoon along with a coffee set.

MENU PLANNING

Menu planning means composing a series of dishes for a meal. Composing a good menu is an art and requires a useful selection of dishes for a suitable meal. The planning of the menu is based on cost factors and the reputation of the organisation rather than the desire to provide a nutritionally balanced diet. The dish included in the menu must be attractive and palatable on the other hand. Menu planning for welfare catering organisations requires nutritious food with a limited budget. So a well-planned menu must be nutritious and appetitive and look for guest satisfaction.

Points to be considered while planning a menu:─

Type of Menu

Whether the emu will be planned for breakfast, lunch, dinner, hi-tea or supper.

Type of Service

There are different types of service menus like table d’hote, a la carte and whether the service will be Table d’Hote, menus are planned for a complete meal which has to be kept ready before service. It’s a complete meal at a fixed price which must include three to five courses with a limited choice. Table d’Hote menu planning starts in the classical sequence Hors-d’oeuvre, soup or fish, main course either releve or roast, vegetables and finally a sweet to conclude.

A la carte menus are planned for a quite long period with a wide choice of dishes from each course. These are cooked to order and the portion size is longer than the Table d’Hote menu. In the case of an A la Carte menu, the guest should be informed to wait for a certain time. For service in the case of an a la carte menu major part of cooking is done in advance and final preparation is done after the order is received.

The Banquet menu is composed of five to six numbers of courses to suit a particular occasion and some special dishes are included. Banquet menus are generally elaborated and food is of high quality.

The sequence is like:─

• Fruit Cocktail / Smoked Salmon / Choice of any Hors d’oeuvre
• Maybe the soup is either thick or consomme.
• One of the fish preparations is either fried or grilled.
• Maybe an Entree or Releve or Roast with vegetables like potatoes or salad
• Must include attractive sweet dishes like Gateaux or fruit-based salad or ice creams.
• Must be Coffee or Tea

The menu for the buffet should be colourful, attractive and well decorated which is displayed on the buffet table. A large variety of dishes should be included in the buffet menu giving choice to everyone, particularly for buffet. The dishes can be easily eaten with the help of a fork.

Lunch menus are generally shorter than dinner menus with less number of courses and simple dishes. The sequence is

• Appetizer
• Soup: Thick or Thin
• Fish: Fried or Grilled
• Meat or Chicken with vegetables and potatoes and a sauce. A nice decorated salad can be accompanied with this course for vegetarians suitable alternatives can be given.
• Sweet: Cold or Hot pudding, fruit salad or ice cream
• Coffee or Tea

Dinner menus are highly garnished and classical dishes with larger joints could be carved in front of guests or flambe dishes could be included.

The sequence may be:

• Appetizer
• Soup
• Fish: Poached salmon or grilled lobster
• Entree / Releve: Dishes with potatoes and green vegetables with appropriate sauce.
• Sorbet
• Poultry or Game Bird roasted with a nicely decorated green salad.
• Sweets: Hot or Cold puddings or pancakes, Crepe, Suzette, Ice Creams.
• Fresh fruits are nicely arranged as a part of the decoration of the table and nuts.
• Coffee or Tea

In the case of Indian menu planning there is not much of a difference between lunch and dinner and the sequence is like,

• Starters
• Tandoori Items
• Fish or Shellfish dishes
• Vegetables
• Pulses: Rajma or Dal etc.
• Curd / Pickle / Chutney / Raita
• Plain Rice / Pulao / Biryani / Lemon Rice
• Indian Breads like Chapati or Tandoori Roti or Naan etc.
• Sweet: Ice Creams, Fruits Salads

Type of Establishment

The menu planning will vary according to the type of establishment for which it is planned like a hotel, restaurant, hostel, industrial canteen, or fast food. The menu for hotels and restaurants will be mostly a la carte or buffet and for budget, it will be Table d’Hote. The dishes should be attractive and suitable for a particular type of clientele, on the other hand, the menu for hostels or canteens will have a set pattern, and a nutritionally balanced diet within a limited budget. As there will be no choice, varieties must be given rotation-wise to break the monotony.

Type of Customer

The type of customer can also affect the type of menu to be planned because young people will need substantial meals, whereas elderly people may require varieties with less fat and spices. But emphasis must be given to palatability and wholesome food.

Season’s Availability

Season is important in the choice of food. For example, A cool crisp and fresh fruit is ideal for the summer season whereas heavy and rich food may be planned for winter. The seasonal specialities should be included in the menu as they are fresh and have good colour, and flavour and are plentily available at a cheaper cost.

Occasion

Special dishes must be included in the menu in accordance with the occasion. Ex: Christmas cake for X-Mas

Capability of Kitchen Staff

The capability of kitchen staff is also to be taken into consideration while planning a menu whether they are experienced and have the skill of preparing dishes or not. If the kitchen staffs are not capable then it will be difficult to produce a good menu. It is also important to see that the kitchen is well equipped and to be able to cook with the preparation of various dishes or not.

Capability of Service Staff

Equal importance should be given to service staff whether they are efficient and capable of serving well-dressed and garnished dishes in a neat and presentable manner or not. If the waiters or not skilled staff are there then the selection of dishes must be done carefully. Sophisticated dishes can be introduced if the waiters are highly skilled.

Price of Menu

Always try to give value to money paid by the customer or host. The food cost of the menu should not exceed 40% of the selling price which is an important factor when selecting dishes for the menu. If the price of the menu is economical then expensive dishes may not be included.

Balancing of Menu

To have proper balancing of the menu the following points can be considered i.e. reputation of ingredients should not be there. For example, the basic ingredients of particular dishes should not be included in the following items which become monotonous. Repetition of colour should be avoided as far as possible. If there is less number of courses on the menu, then the dishes should be in bulk quantity.

Similarly, if there are more courses in the menu then portions should be less in quantity. Avoid similar types of garnish in all the dishes. Select the menu terms which a customer can understand.

If the menu is written in French, try to give an English description of the dish and ensure correct spelling of menu terms.