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).

Not a pudding person. Give me garlic mushrooms every day!

Think my ideal is sharing some starters with a drink. Then main course and finish with another drink.

I have a huge sweet tooth but I don't particularly like puddings unless they're chocolate and come with custard. I would much rather have a Mars bar or Curly Wurly than most puddings.

Me too, but then I follow it up with chocolate.

My ideal film-watching snack would be Doritos and dip followed by some sort of chocolate. Main followed by dessert. It definitely wouldn't work the other way around.

DH s family are all starter and main people, and I am main and dessert. It's a bit rubbish, because if I don't have a starter because I want dessert I have to wait through their starters for my main, and then when main is finished they all want to leave so a lot of the time I don't get a dessert. Or I do have dessert but can't enjoy it because I feel like I'm keeping them waiting. I wish there was a way for me to have main while they have their starters, and order dessert at the beginning to come when their mains are ready. In fact maybe I should try asking for this!

Starter and a main.

According to my foody friend if you just order mains it messes with the kitchen's timings. Order a starter so that you're not just waiting for your meal to be cooked from scratch while getting hungrier and becoming more impatient. Relax, take your time, enjoy each mouthful of food and sip of wine or whatever. Have a chat, take in the atmosphere. You're out for the experience, not just to feed yourself.

Then if you fancy a dessert - go for it!

No. I always snack on crisps and/or cheese.

Same

Depends.

As a rule there aren't many starters I like but there are always a few desserts I'm more than happy to have.

However if I'm watching what I eat (which for me always involves cutting out all refined sugar) then it's a starter. And if possible a starter to share.

Starter and main here. I prefer savoury in general. Also, many restaurant desserts are largely ice-cream or sorbet, which is a bit meh for me.

I prefer the savoury but if there's a good tiramisu or cheesecake, then it's the dessert.
I once went for a set two course meal with 3 friends and two of us ordered starters, and two ordered dessert and we shared them. Just right for portions too.

I'm probably ordering a starter and a main... and then dessert. But I love eating.

It depends on how good the starters are. Seafood, carpaccio/steak tartare on offer and I'll possibly forgo pud.

No I don’t, I don’t particularly like them.

I’d have crisps, crackers etc as a snack.

Generally two starters.

I love a starter . Do like desert but more of a savoury person .

Quite often, two starters - I tend to fancy them more and mains are often too big.

Ideally I'd have starter and main and my husband would have main then dessert. Then I'd share his dessert.

Starters are usually better in my opinion. If o was going with someone who wouldn't share then I'd still have starter then main and probs have a coffee if they had dessert.

I’m a savoury person. Don’t have a sweet tooth. I’d have a starter and a main if I was having a treat. Otherwise I’d have just a main. Very little interest in a pudding.

No. Because I don't have a sweet tooth. I don't enjoy sweets or chocolates so I don't snack on them. It makes me feel sick.

I do enjoy savoury snacks so I eat them.

That's how it works. Different people enjoy different types of snacks. 🤣

Exactly that. I have no interest in chocolate or sweet. If I crave a snack it would be a few salty nuts or crisps.

Not voted as it would depend on the particular menu. Sometimes the pudding choices are shit, and if that’s the case I’d rather have a starter. Or sometimes I like to have a cocktail as a pudding, and then I’d have a starter too.

Two starters and a side for me. Always, always prefer starters to mains

Depends where I am.

Anything Asian and Indian - starter and main as I don't like their desserts.

Any upmarket restaurant - 3 course as it's a pleasure to eat small portions and a bit of everything.

Any pub/gastro pub, Italian chain or similar - main and maybe dessert or an espresso martini. I like then when they do a coffee and a mini dessert.

For me, most restaurants have too big main portions and their desserts aren't really anything exciting.

I will sometimes but given the choice of sweet or savoury I'd choose savoury every time.
Whenever I eat some chocolate or something I always feel like it was such a waste of calories because I feel so meh about it.

Starter and main, unless the dessert is a decent cheeseboard.

I am a proud baker and sweet pudding maker at home and restaurant quality is often poor in comparison.