What do you order at the restaurant?

[SparklesandGold]

For me it’s:

Starter - soup/nachos/cheese board etc

Mains - chilli chicken strips/steak/burger/curry / lasagne / roast dinner etc

Dessert - pavlova/choc fudge cake/sticky toffee pudding/cheesecake

You've got a healthy appetite, I'll give you that.

FFS one post in and it's competitive under eating or judgy hoiky pants, gotta love MN lol

I usually just go for the main, as I'm not usually a dessert fan (got to be in the mood for it!) so if I do get another course I go savoury.
Usually something like bruschetta, or soup and crusty bread.
Mains I usually go vegan so something like curry, or tofu based.

I actually don’t think it was that much to eat for a meal out. I mean, presuming that op is describing different options. Slightly different if she’s saying she’d have a pavlova plus sticky toffee pudding plus chocolate cake.

Starter - soup/nachos/cheese board

Cheeseboard as a starter? I've never seen that

I do either starter and dessert or just a main depending on what sounds best.

Starter- scallops
Main- ideally a selection of small plates to share tapas-style
Dessert- coffee and petit fours, or sharing the cheeseboard if the cheese is interesting

Something seafoody or garlic mushrooms usually...

Pizza if thin/authentic/woodfired,
fish if by the sea and a 'nice' place, quality homemade burger and chips if in a nice country pub or a roast...
Often a curry too...hard to answer as there's such a choice depending on where you are!

Dessert rarely occurs but love a good sticky toffee pudding or creme brulee.

Oooh fun. Today at this magical all-cuisine restaurant I'd have:

Starter- a variety of amazing wontons/dumplings

Main - really big pumpkin ravioli pillow things with burnt sage butter.

Possibly something green and salady but not too much of it

Dessert - a small but intensely rich chocolate creme pot thing.

Espresso

My mouth is literally watering thinking about it!

(I haven't been out for a meal in over 18 months!!!)

In a normal type of restaurant

Garlic mushrooms

Seabass with prawns
Poached pear

What's a 'normal type' of restaurant?!

Ate out Saturday night and Sunday lunch - by Sunday night I was just ready to sleep I had eaten so much .

Sat: 3 langoustines to start with a piece of warm bread, lovely pink steak with salad and fries then DH and I shared a piece of lemon tart. Lots of wine too .

Sun: no starter, chicken Cesar salad, more wine and a cheeseboard for two between three.

Great thread! I couldn't possibly choose I'd be here all day trying to decide, but came to recommend the Off Menu podcast where celebs describe their perfect starter, main, dessert, drinks etc if they were in a dream restaurant with a genie to conjure up their hearts desires. It's very funny and enjoyable when the celebs menu is.... interesting.

Starter: rarely order these but when I do I’m drawn to goat cheese, artichokes, and bacon, not necessarily together.

Main: steak, creamy pasta, some chicken dishes. More and more lately the only thing on the menu I can order at many places is the steak because I have so many allergies and the push towards multi-grain especially makes eating out a minefield.

Dessert: I rarely actually get a choice here because of allergies. I’ll be getting either the chocolate dessert or a slice of plain cheesecake if they have that.

My perfect restaurant meal would be

Starter:

• mussels in a white wine/garlic broth and some garlic-rubbed bread
• a really nice soup with some nice garlic bread, Chicken lemon and tarragon is my favourite.

Main:

• a crispy duck breast with creamy mash, nice al-dente veg, and a rich flavorsome sauce
• A really nice pasta dish (I have a really good seafood Italian restaurant near me and my favourite dishes are spaghetti with tuna tartar and a parmesan sauce with some truffle oil - it's heavenly, or giant ravioli stuffed with prawn, courgette and ricotta with a fresh tomato sauce)

Dessert:

• Cheeseboard

A garlic butter lobster/langoustines would also be up there for starter (as you can tell I like garlic and seafood!)

Another starter I love - steak tartar

In a world where I could eat bread, and soy sauce (bloody intolerances) and could have anything I wanted:

Starter: prawn cocktail with buttered brown bread

Main: chilli chicken ramen with a side of duck gyoza

Dessert: lemon meringue pie

@disculpe

Great thread! I couldn't possibly choose I'd be here all day trying to decide, but came to recommend the Off Menu podcast where celebs describe their perfect starter, main, dessert, drinks etc if they were in a dream restaurant with a genie to conjure up their hearts desires. It's very funny and enjoyable when the celebs menu is.... interesting.

Yes, I also thought about that podcast too. My dream restaurant would be one where I don't get too full so I can actually eat two or three courses. Plus not be driving so I can have wine and a G&T to finish.

I'm not a tiny eater but I eat little and often and am also more hungry early in the day so restaurant meals for dinner don't work for me.

Or I could go for a bottomless brunch with fizz and not eat for the rest of the day.

All the seafood, garlic prawns, calamari and scallops. With delicious crusty bread and allioli and a few chips. Plus some salad.

Maybe a bit of really good wood fired pizza.

Or an Indian Street buffet with just the whole Bundobust menu, I like pretty much all of it.

Not particularly bothered about puddings.

POPPADOMS OR BREAD @disculpe

Depends on the restaurant but I don't have a starter. Main is usually something chicken based or a pasta dish, I don't eat pork and I'm not a huge steak fan.

Dessert - chocolate brownie, creme brulee or if I'm feeling full something lighter like lemon tart/posset.

@Redglitter

Starter - soup/nachos/cheese board

Cheeseboard as a starter? I've never seen that

I had it in a restaurant near me as a started before lockdown started last year. The restaurant has since closed down though

I would really love a cheese board at home. Does anyone know anywhere that does them?

Starter and main course, never pudding.

I'll usually order something slightly unusual I'd never cook at home. Often fish or lamb for the main course, something like crab or squid or bruschetta or a little tart to start. But obviously it depends on the restaurant.

Last time I went out I had some nocellara olives and thin deep fried courgette strips to start, then open ravioli with lamb ragu and a basil oil and butter dressing. Bloody lovely it was.

My ideal menu would be straight into a main but with lots of side dishes.
Katsu curry and sticky rice or a fish ramen bowl, with sides of steamed dumplings, dipping sauce, Asian greens, gyozas.

Generally no pudding for me, unless I'm somewhere that does a nice cheese board.

Cheeseboard as a starter?!

@QuimReaper

Cheeseboard as a starter?!

Yep, although the one I had was quite small