RESTAURANT MANAGEMENT (HM 432)
CHAPTER 4 (Part 1)
Food and Beverage Service Areas and Equipment
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Bill of fare in English or menu in French

It was not presented at the table…

Programme of the dishes...

It was very large and was placed at the end of the
table for everyone to read.

As time progressed the menu became smaller and
increased in quantity allowing a number of copies
per table.

There are a number of considerations to bear in
mind when compiling a menu, namely:
1. Type

Assess the type of meal required

Assess the type of kitchen and staff available in
relation to equipment and skills

Assess the type of food service area and its
number capacity in relation to the china, silver and
glassware available, the skills of food service area
staff and the number of courses to be served
2. Supplies

Seasonal supplies

Local availability of supplies
3. Balance

Light to heavy and dark to light

Vary the sequence of preparation of each course

Change the seasoning, flavoring and presentation

Ensure that garnishes are in harmony with the main
dishes
4. Food value

Use commodities and methods of cooking which
will preserve the natural nutritive properties of the
raw materials
5. Colour

Avoid either clashes of colour or repetition of similar
colour
6. Language

The menu should be written either all in French or
all in English and be easily understood by the
customer

Ensure proper spelling, correct terms and the
correct sequence within courses

The number of courses on a menu, and dishes
within each course, depends on the size and class
of the establishment.

In an establishment where full food preparation and
service brigades are in operation a full menu may
be offered. In this case the courses or sections of
the menu may be divided as follows:
1.
Hors-d’oeuvre
2.
Soup (Potage)
3.
Egg (Oeufs)
4.
Rice and pasta (Farineaux)
5.
Fish (Poisson)
6.
Entrée
7.
Sorbet
8.
Releve
9.
Roast (ROti)
10. Vegetables (Legumes)
11. Salads (Salades)
12. Cold Buffet (Buffet froid)
13. Sweet (Entremet)
14. Savoury (Savoureux)
15. Cheese (Fromage)
16. Fresh fruit (Dessert)
17. Beverages
Starters
Main Courses
1. Hors-d’oeuvre

Are of a spicy nature in order to stimulate the appetite.

Are either served from a rotating trolley or a tray.

Examples of hors-d’oeuvre are:

Russian salad (mixed vegetable salad)
Potato salad
Anchovies
Tomato salad
Fish mayonnaise
Choux rouges — red cabbage
Egg mayonmzise

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

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1. Hors-d’oeuvre

The term hors-d’oeuvre also covers any item to be served or
listed on the menu before the soup, usually known as ‘horsd’oeuvre substitutes’.
Examples of hors-d’oeuvre substitutes are:

Caviar

Shellfish cocktail — prawns or shrimps on a bed of shredded
lettuce

Saumonfüme— smoked salmon

Truite fume—smoked trout

Huitres — oysters

Cocktail Florida — fruit cocktail made up of orange and
grapefruit segments
2. Soup (potages)

Soup may also act as an appetizer for the courses to
come.

Two soups are usually provided on the menu, one being
a clear soup (consommé) and the other a thick soup
(crème velouté, purée).
Examples of soups are:

Bisque d’homard — thick lobster flavoured soup

Crème de tomates — cream of tomato

Soup a l’oignon — clear onion soup

Bortsch — duck flathured consommé
3. Egg dishes (oeufs)
Examples of egg dishes are:

Omelette espagnole — flat omelette with onion, peppers
and tomato

Omelette aux tomates — tomato omelette

Omelette aux champignons — mushroom omelette

Omelette fines herbes — savoury omelette
4. Pasta and rice dishes (farinaceous/farineux)
Examples of Farinaceous dishes are:

Spaghetti napolitaine — in a tomato and garlic flavoured
sauce

Spaghetti bolognaise — with minced lean beef in rich
brown sauce

Ravioli — noodle type pasta filled with a variety of
stuffings such as chicken, beef spinach

Cannelloni — rolls of ravioli paste filled with stuffings as
for ravioli
5. Fish (poissons)
The method of cooking and type of fish used may vary
to some extent, but will normally be as follows:

Poached: salmon, turbot, trout (each with its appropriate
garnish and accompanying sauce);

Cooked meuniêre: sole, trout, salmon (with correct
garnishes);

Fried: whitebait, sole (sometimes);

Hot shellfish: lobster, crayfish, Dublin Bay prawns.
6. Entrées

An entrée is the first meat course on the French classical
menu.

Entrées are generally small, well-garnished dishes which
come from the kitchen ready for service. They are always
accompanied by a very rich gravy or sauce.
8. Relevés

Relevés are normally larger than entrées and take the form
of butchers joints which have to be carved. These joints
are either poêled or roasted. A sauce or roast gravy and
potatoes and green vegetables are always served with this
course.

The main dish may consist of any of the following items:
saddle of mutton, baron of beef, boned sirloin, braised ham
etc.
9. Roast (rôtis)

Roast always consists of roast game or poultry: chicken,
turkey, duck, pheasant, quail etc. Each dish is
accompanied by its own particular sauce and gravy, with a
green salad served separately on a crescent shaped dish.
The latter is placed at the top left-hand corner of the cover.