Valentine’s Day, New Year’s Eve, birthdays … fun landmark calendar dates throughout the year to be celebrated with others. Right? Well, from where I’m sitting: wrong! Because I’m sitting at a table with a set menu in my hands and I’m not happy about it.
The thing I dread most (apart from being stranded in shark-infested waters and going to prison for something I haven’t done – like The A-Team) is arriving at a restaurant to be handed a Post-it-sized menu and told: “Tonight is our [insert culinary region/landmark calendar date] set menu.”
Let’s workshop two culinary scenarios.
Restaurant on December 30: Welcome, please take a seat. Look at all these delicious items on the menu, often dozens of dishes. Plus, all your favourites, each one ready to be cooked to order and served to you fresh.
Restaurant on December 31: Please sign over the financial rights to your property and/or children up front as collateral. Here’s the set menu. You’ll see we have reduced the usual offerings by approximately seven eighths. You may choose one item from the choice of one item. If you ask to swap anything, the chef will come to your table and show you the meaning of pain using a potato masher and an industrial whisk.
Did you spot the difference between those two scenes? It’s not subtle, but I’ll still spell it out. It’s the difference between culinary democracy and dictatorship. And to that I, for one, say boo.
Of course, I understand why restaurants have set menus.
They allow the chef to order the exact items for maximum profit and minimum waste; they speed up the service because the customer spends less time choosing; and they allow the restaurant to more closely estimate their takings for the night.
Yet still I remain unswayed.
Have you tried to book dinner for double-digit groups lately? If so, call me, we can start a support group
Admittedly, I am what some might call a bit of a picky eater. Actually, perhaps not so much picky as quirky. Discerning, even. For example, I cannot eat chicken someone else has cooked, neither a Michelin-lauded chef nor a trusted family member. This is down to a still-pink-inside chicken situation a friend once put on my plate and from which I have never recovered.
I once told a friend with 100 per cent confidence that I was positive I would survive an apocalypse, to which she snorted her drink out of her nose and told me I wouldn’t make it past the tinned goods running out. I concede she has a point.
All of which means that choice is important to me when dining out. I like, no, I need options.
Time for alternatives to the set menu
My dislike of set menus was recently reignited when I tried to organise a dinner for 10 friends. Have you tried to book dinner for double-digit groups lately? If so, call me, we can start a support group.
When I emailed the restaurant I was keen to try, they immediately sent back the set menu.
"Thank you, but no," I responded politely, "we’d like to order a la carte. We’ll be spending lots of money, I promise."
No, they emailed back in a tone so curt I could almost hear the gritted teeth from home, groups of 10 or more "must order" from the set menu.
What about pre-ordering, whereby a party chooses its food ahead of time?
The restaurant rules are endless. Dishes come on a sharing basis … and you can only pick two per section … and you need to pay 50 per cent up front … and you’ll be charged for every guest even if one can’t make it … and … and … and …
Of the 10 of us, two are vegetarian, one is vegan, one is on a keto diet and six are varying degrees of carnivore. If you could pick just two dishes to satisfy all those different dietary requirements, you’re better at ordering than I am.
So, it was a hard no.
That’s not to say I don’t understand how difficult the after-effects of the pandemic still are for the hospitality industry. And neither is it ever my intention to make a maitre d’s life difficult – I emailed back politely declining the table.
But how about some alternatives to the set menu? What about pre-ordering, whereby a party chooses its food ahead of time? The kitchen is happy because they know what to cook, the waiting staff are happy because the tedious ordering part has been taken care of, and the restaurant can still take my children as financial collateral if they so wish.
As long as set menus exist, I will continue to dine out for Valentine’s Day on February 13 and celebrate New Year’s Eve on December 30. My table might be missing the rose petals and view of the fireworks, but at least I get to eat what I want.
The%20specs
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ADCC AFC Women’s Champions League Group A fixtures
October 3: v Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC
October 6: v Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women’s FC
October 9: v Sabah FA
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Scores
Oman 109-3 in 18.4 overs (Aqib Ilyas 45 not out, Aamir Kaleem 27) beat UAE 108-9 in 20 overs (Usman 27, Mustafa 24, Fayyaz 3-16, Bilal 3-23)
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo
Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
Power: 242bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Price: Dh136,814
Stamp duty timeline
December 2014: Former UK finance minister George Osbourne reforms stamp duty, replacing the slab system with a blended rate scheme, with the top rate increasing to 12 per cent from 10 per cent:
Up to £125,000 - 0%; £125,000 to £250,000 – 2%; £250,000 to £925,000 – 5%; £925,000 to £1.5m: 10%; Over £1.5m – 12%
April 2016: New 3% surcharge applied to any buy-to-let properties or additional homes purchased.
July 2020: Rishi Sunak unveils SDLT holiday, with no tax to pay on the first £500,000, with buyers saving up to £15,000.
March 2021: Mr Sunak decides the fate of SDLT holiday at his March 3 budget, with expectations he will extend the perk unti June.
April 2021: 2% SDLT surcharge added to property transactions made by overseas buyers.
RedCrow Intelligence Company Profile
Started: 2016
Founders: Hussein Nasser Eddin, Laila Akel, Tayeb Akel
Based: Ramallah, Palestine
Sector: Technology, Security
# of staff: 13
Investment: $745,000
Investors: Palestine’s Ibtikar Fund, Abu Dhabi’s Gothams and angel investors
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh122,745
On sale: now
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Akeed
Based: Muscat
Launch year: 2018
Number of employees: 40
Sector: Online food delivery
Funding: Raised $3.2m since inception
Gran Gala del Calcio 2019 winners
Best Player: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus)
Best Coach: Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta)
Best Referee: Gianluca Rocchi
Best Goal: Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria vs Napoli)
Best Team: Atalanta
Best XI: Samir Handanovic (Inter); Aleksandar Kolarov (Roma), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli), Joao Cancelo (Juventus*); Miralem Pjanic (Juventus), Josip Ilicic (Atalanta), Nicolo Barella (Cagliari*); Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria), Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Duvan Zapata (Atalanta)
Serie B Best Young Player: Sandro Tonali (Brescia)
Best Women’s Goal: Thaisa (Milan vs Juventus)
Best Women’s Player: Manuela Giugliano (Milan)
Best Women’s XI: Laura Giuliani (Milan); Alia Guagni (Fiorentina), Sara Gama (Juventus), Cecilia Salvai (Juventus), Elisa Bartoli (Roma); Aurora Galli (Juventus), Manuela Giugliano (Roma), Valentina Cernoia (Juventus); Valentina Giacinti (Milan), Ilaria Mauro (Fiorentina), Barbara Bonansea (Juventus)
More on animal trafficking
The five pillars of Islam
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
The%20specs
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Karwaan
Producer: Ronnie Screwvala
Director: Akarsh Khurana
Starring: Irrfan Khan, Dulquer Salmaan, Mithila Palkar
Rating: 4/5
