‘Eat around the mains’: How to order better (and save money) at restaurants

Heard the adage about eating better by shopping around the aisles? The same can be said of modern menus. Gone are the days of everyone ordering entree, main and dessert, with maybe a side to add some roughage. Today’s menus are designed to share, and they’re ripe and ready for you to throw the old rules out the restaurant window.

That window, too, is one of opportunity, to dine smarter – a new way to order. My advice in a nutshell: go heavy on starters, entrees and sides, get a main (or two!) to share, and ask to see the dessert menu so you know how much room to save.

This is also the way to order if you’re keen to save some coin, because the big-ticket items are the mains. Protein’s expensive, there’s time and labour involved, and if you all decide to choose your own main, you’ll probably spend half the time coveting your fellow diners’ dishes. By sharing, you’ll taste a bit of everything, and I guarantee you’ll feel happier after nipping at the grass on the other side of the fence.

Having worn the hats of restaurant critic, cook, and even (for a hot minute) helping out in a few restaurant kitchens, I’ve learnt to swiftly scan and select the menu to get the best from it. Here’s how to do it.

Something dippy (and something to dip in it)

Most lists of starters will feature some kind of dippy thing. Make a bee-line for it as soon as you sit down because it’ll keep your hands busy while you choose other dishes and wait for the rest of the food to arrive.

If the dippy thing is bread and butter, ask your waiter to tell you about it before you baulk at the price tag. Chances are, the bread’s baked in-house, or sourced from a nearby specialty bakery, and the butter is cultured or flavoured in some way that makes it deserving of “dip” status.

I know it’s tempting to eat the lot, but I’d be saving the crusts for when the mains come, so you have something to mop up the saucy bits. Don’t be shy about asking for more bread if you run out; just don’t fill up on bread!

Something pickle-y or fermented

Starting the meal with something sour helps to stimulate saliva and cuts through the richness of any aforementioned dippy bits. Additionally, studies have found that pickles can help you feel fuller faster and for longer, while ferments have been aiding digestion and improving gut health across the world for thousands of years.

Veg first

I approach restaurant ordering the way I plan meals: veg-first. This means scanning the menu for anything veg-related: the vegetarian entrees (which, I can assure you, are far more exciting these days than arancini and a risotto), and the vegie sides.

This is the part of the food pyramid that many modern chefs are most excited to experiment with – the food costs are lower, colours and textures abound, and you can get far more creative with veg than with a hunk of meat. Seek out seasonal additions among the entrees by asking what the kitchen is most excited about.

Choose starters that are easy to share, and if it’s something that has multiple pieces per portion, ask whether it’s possible to add enough for everyone to get a bite.

Order the green things from the sides, too. A leafy salad may set you back $10, but those crisp leaves and zippy dressing will brighten up the rest of your meal like sipping on a glass of wine while you eat.

The most interesting main

Proteins are the most expensive component of main courses, so as food costs creep up, it’s unsurprising to see this reflected in the menu. But you may be surprised by how little meat, or fish, the table needs to feel satisfied. If you’re a duo, share one main course (or three entrees, if none of the mains tickle your fancy), and larger tables can extrapolate from there. If you can’t decide which main to order, ask the waiter what people come back for, or which is their go-to.

Order more broadly across the menu, applying my ‘eat around the mains’ principles to get a taste of everything.

Slow-roasted lamb shoulders or butterflied legs are easy to share, as are whole-roasted fish or spatchcocked chooks. Steaks have increasingly become richer eating, so a scotch fillet or T-bone is best shared across a table of four, as long as you’ve some other bits and bobs alongside.

I usually go for something I couldn’t easily do at home, seeking out signposts such as “wood-fired”, or a dish that would usually take several days’ fussing, such as a terrine. Gamier meats and offal always pique my curiosity, too – particularly because chefs will reliably know how best to reach its optimum cuisson (doneness).

If you feel like that won’t fully hit the spot, bulk it out with the vegetarian main, which will have had the same skilful treatment and care from the chefs, at two-thirds of the price.

Share dessert

If you’ve done the wise thing and checked the dessert menu as you chose the mains, you’ll probably already know what you’re getting. But don’t order it until you’re at least halfway through your savouries, when you’ll have a better sense of what the cherry on top should be.

A rich meal is best finished with a fruit-based dessert, or something on the lighter side of the textural scale. Do you have a dessert stomach? Creamy, chocolate-based desserts will satisfy that. If you’re stuck, it pays to ask – there’s always ONE dessert the chef’s proudest of. Again, I tend to choose something I’m less likely to make at home, like layered desserts or pastry.

Leave it to the chef

If this feels too confusing, many restaurants will offer a “feed me” option, a safe bet, particularly for larger groups, where you don’t know everyone well enough to jostle for the dishes that will make the cut.

This menu doesn’t necessarily highlight the restaurant’s most exciting dishes. It’s often about what’s easiest to serve and combine. But if you’re an adventurous bunch, it may pay to order more broadly across the menu, applying my “eat around the mains” principles to get a taste of everything.

This advice is designed for a “sharing” style of meal, which can work even in restaurants where the menus aren’t explicitly “designed” as such. However, some people prefer not to share. If there’s a non-sharer at your table, let them order for themselves or choose a restaurant with a tasting menu, where everyone receives the same drop.

And remember to fill in the “dietaries” section when making your reservation – it’ll streamline your ordering and make for a more inclusive meal.

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