Two courses in a restaurant. Are you ordering....?

[noblegiraffe]

....a starter and a main, or a main and dessert?

When I go to a restaurant, I'm scanning the main courses and then looking at the dessert menu before I've even ordered. I don't even look at the starter menu, as far as I'm concerned those items would delay your dinner and probably ruin your appetite so that you had no room for pudding.

When I've been out, and someone asks the question 'is anyone having a starter?' generally there's a shake of heads and we get on with looking at the good stuff.

In my mind, the starters have always been there for people who feel like they could tackle the whole menu and are headed for 3 courses. Someone who has a starter and a main but no pudding has simply failed to complete their meal.

But I've heard tell of people who would deliberately choose to have a starter and a main, knowing that this would leave no room for dessert. They prefer it that way. Savoury over sweet.

These people must be ultra-rare, right? Who in their right mind chooses garlic mushrooms over chocolate brownie? (I struggled to even think of an example of a starter, so rarely do I look at that bit). Or are there lots of people out there who are regularly crushed when no one else wants a starter, the same as I am when people say they couldn't possibly have dessert?

Please vote! (Note: People who would only have one course and declare themselves full to the brim don't get a vote).

I tend to look at the starter and dessert menu's and then decide what takes my fancy more tbh. Default is usually main and dessert unless there's something spectacular or unusual on the starter menu (or the dessert menu is lackluster but the starters look good. There's one particular pub we go to where their dessert game isn't great so I go for starter/main when we visit as the rest of their food is gorgeous)

Can't vote as I'm on the app but starter and main always.

A) I generally prefer savoury to cakes and puddings (except when I was pregnant and an absolute cake monster)

B) If I'm still hungry I can still order a dessert if one appeals to me

C) Dessert menus seem to be increasingly poor

I couldn’t vote as my choice more often than not is a starter and a dessert and no main! Or two starters and dessert. I don’t eat meat (do eat fish) and get better choices this way on a lot of menus. Does depend on the type of restaurant though.

I’m a starter and main gal, mainly because I’m quite fussy on puddings and don’t like a lot of them.

Two starters -can’t stand ‘dessert’

Restaurant puddings tend to be a bit pants. I'd rather starter and main, and then a pudding if i've got room. I'll have a mint tea if others order a pudding.

Main and dessert
Or 2 starters and a dessert!

I rarely get pudding in a restaurant, it’s usually disappointing! My main gripe being the lack of sauce when ordering sticky toffee pudding and you get a thimble full of butterscotch to pour over the top 😤

Starter and main for me.

I'm not really a dessert person.

Although if I'm the only one wanting a starter, I've no problem having it when everyone else is having dessert.

Well I’m a double weirdo as often I prefer the starters on the menu and will sometimes order starter followed by another starter for the main! (Whether this is a ‘starter’ size or made bigger to be a ‘main’ portion depends on restaurant and appetite - it’s not that I’m worried about the calories, more that the starters often appeal to me more than the mains and I find it hard to pick)

I sometimes do starter and dessert. I find both a lot more tempting than a main course.

Chocolate brownies are so dense and sickly. I'd absolutely prefer a savoury starter over that.

Garlic mushrooms over brownie every time. I don’t have a remotely sweet tooth

Starter is the best part of a meal for me.

I dont dislike puddings, but they are the worst bit. Especially as they have all gone double choc extra fudge in style.

The only situation where pudding is better than starter is Sunday roast in winter. When a hot something is nice.

I just prefer coffee and cake as a meal in its own right rather than sticking a sweet thing on dinner out.

I made a big mistake once of having a starter because everyone else was having one and then I had no room for dessert, disaster! Always skip the starter now unless I'm really hungry.

An ex was so inclined for savoury over dessert that if we were out for a group meal and everyone else was having 3 courses he was sometimes known to order a garlic bread or some truffle fries as his 'dessert'.

In defence of him sounding like an absolute pig, he had a very physically demanding job and could burn 2000 calories a day without trying

Main and dessert. Although often I don't have a dessert if I don't fancy any of them.

I once ordered all the starters on the menu for the table instead of any mains or desserts. It was one of the best restaurant meals of my life. I highly recommend doing this.

Rarely do starters, only do a pud if it takes my fancy and is home made not bought in. I'm a sucker for home made good ice cream.

Starter and a main, but I often have two starters in lieu of a starter and a main dish anyway, especially if there is a cheese option on the pudding menu!

I do this too! Starters are usually more interesting than the mains and it means you get to have 3 courses.

If I go out with dh we usually share a starter and a desert and get our own main.

2 starters and a dessert is fine, as the two starters just count as a main - I assume you order them to arrive with the mains! You're still having savoury and sweet.

Starter and main for me 😊

Usually a starter and a main although sometimes I have an espresso martini or an Irish coffee for pudding I rarely want to eat anything after a main course.
It depends what's on offer though, there's a place we walk to for a Sunday Roast there's loads of extras with it so I don't have a starter but order a pudding to take home. By the time we've walked back I quite like a cup of tea and a slice of cake.