Sharing plates

Exactly. I genuinely cannot understand OP at all.

Literally the only restaurants where this has ever happened to me are Tapas places. I have never had my ordered main dish presented as one to be shared in any other other dining establishment. If it did it would Swifty be met with the response of 'No, that's mine'

Oh, hah. Was it Osteria Angelina? The food is interesting, but, my God, the noise is insane and the atmosphere feels a bit manufactured.

I love a tasting menu but can't do the wine pairings, so just have them recommend a glass or two.

I'm not being chippy with the OP. It's AIBU. I didn't say she was BU. She's perfectly entitled to like or dislike anything. I just said I happen to like it.

And I was just pointing out that the times I've eaten at Sessions Arts Club, even though it might not say it on the menu, they have made it clear that they recommend it as sharing plates, so it's not like they just randomly plunk your main in the centre of the table and yell, surprise, you're sharing!

No reason to get yourself in a state.

If you are aware it is possible to speak then you should have spoken up in the scenario you described and there wouldn't have been an issue.
But you didn't.

If you find yourself in a similar situation in future then speak up.

I’m another one in the Joey Tribiani camp.

Yuk, I’d hate that. The only person I’d share with is my husband. If I ever went somewhere like that I wouldn’t, I’d insist that I served myself a portion before everyone else got started. It’s then up to everyone else to decide if they do the same. I’m like that with dips at parties. Unless I’ve seen the host open the dip I won’t go up and if I do, I scoop some out and never return. Double dipping is gross 🤮 🤮

Yeah it's gross

I also find that portion sizes on sharing plates are not well thought out. e.g. 3 scallops when there are 4 of us sharing the dish, or 3 haggis bon bons when it is 2 people sharing. The serving staff should know enough about the dish to advise ordering 2 portions if the there are more diners than food items.

I particularly hate sharing naan bread or flat breads in a group. I don't want something that several others have handled with their bare hands.

What fresh hell is this???

There are lots of restaurants like this in the city where I live. And they serve lovely food, so I enjoy eating there. I'm happy to share with dh or with a close friend (and it's nice to try a different range of foods) but I hate sharing when there are several people. Often their favourites are not something I'd ever have, and if I've spotted something delicious on the menu, that is what I want. I've ended up paying my share of the bill for something I don't eat, and not getting much of what I do like. I'm much more forthright about my choices now, and dh always has my back if others try to dig into / 'sample' what I've ordered.

Happy to share sides.

I find the random order in which plates arrive more irritating. Recently a plate of veg arrived right at the end - when all the fish / meat was finished - who wants to eat a plate of samphire on its own?. In one place (wasn't sharing plates but was food arrived when it was ready). Dh's 2 dishes, which were sort of starter and main (e.g. scallops followed by meatballs) both arrived together as the last 2 dishes to be served. He had to sit hungrily through everyone else eating, then got his together, not a combo you'd ever choose to eat simultaneously. It was the restaurant of a famous chef. We won't be going back.

I find I often have to ask for additional cutlery - spoons to serve dishes with, or a spoon to eat the sauce, or clean cutlery or plates because I don't want to eat my meaty lamb dish from a plate that still has some shellfish bisque on it.

I think sometimes it is not well thought through by the restaurant.

That does sound annoying, and yes I agree that sharing plates has become more common whenever I book restaurants (I'm an EA) in London. It was the same in Southern Germany when we held a conference there recently.

Personally I don't go to restaurants enough to see it as an issue, and when I do, the people I'd be with would understand that I would like to eat what I have ordered myself.

I can’t do sharing in a restaurant.

This has never happened to me, the wait staff ask who ordered the xxx and then place it in front of that person. I have shared a pudding before but had to request additional spoons. I think this is a problem caused by who you are going with and not where you are going. I have on occasion shared meals or each tried a bit of each others but we always check who wants what and no person would ever eat it all!

Getting away with it?
If you don't like a restaurant... don't go there? I'm confused by this thread.

Why are posters being so pass agg about this? Agree or disagree but what’s with the obtuse posts ‘it’s a you problem’ bitchiness towards the op? Jeez calm down. 🙄

Yep. Already did on this very thread!

I bet you are one of these people who says "use your words".

I don't mind sharing food but it does depend who with as I'm vegan and I obviously won't eat any non-vegan sharing dishes. If I'm with DH, no problem as he'll order mainly vegan anyway. If I'm with my vegan friend then we'll happily share. And when we eat out with 2 friends who are not vegan, they share between them and we 2 share as usual.
This is because my friends and DH are reasonably people who are not greedy and do not consume all the food before checking if it's for someone else. We discuss when ordering. Oh, we'll share that. I love that so I'm ordering my own. That kind of thing.
I completely agree with the OP that someone taking all the food and assuming it is shared is not on. It's easy to say that you should have said something at the time but this kind of thing takes you by surprise.

You took it literally first! You argued against that specific point that it appeared to be news to you to speak up by saying lots of people on the thread were surprised by that too.

I think you missed something in your quoting.

I’ve not come across sharing plates before. Not sure Im keen to either

I feel like this is an issue of the people you go with, not so much the restaurant really.

It's a recipe for meat eaters to treat the veggie dish as their side and it drives me insane

Surely you just say to the people you’re with “I’m just going to order X, you guys feel free to share amongst yourselves?” And when the food comes, you say “that one is mine?”

being distracted when the food is served is on you. If you’ve ordered something you need to pay attention when it’s being served