Iremember when I used to live in Europe, it wasn’t uncommon to serve a single diner. From a bar or a brasserie to a Michelin-starred eatery, everyone was equipped to serve multiple single diners, and it was rare that such tables weren’t occupied, for dinner and lunch.
In India, to ask for a table for one is to invite unrequited aspersions on your social standing, your relationship status, and more. People will judge you from the time you are escorted to a two-seater (now cleared off to seat only one person) till the time you pay the bill and leave.
Mind you, today with our mobile-equipped lives, one is never truly alone, so even if out on our own, we can find ways to occupy and amuse ourselves. But before, even a decade ago, when mobiles were purely for calling and 4G data streaming was an undreamt dream, people still went out for dinners and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
Not too long back while passing through France, I secured a very coveted table for one, so coveted that it took a three-Michelin starred chef to make it happen (Merci, Alain!). I landed up at the prescribed time and was shown to a table that was cut for one, it couldn’t have accommodated two people if they were conjoint twins.
The evening went well, from starters to desserts, and I had plenty of time to introspect as also to observe the world around me. It was quite a wholesome outing in that sense. Here is what I recorded:
1. It is wrong to assume that a single diner craves company or companionship. Instead, think of them as regular diners who are there for a good meal; they don’t need a goldfish in a bowl placed across them to feel complete.
2. A good restaurant will afford such tables a good view. From a scenic outside to a show-kitchen or even the restaurant itself, it is important to seat single diners not facing a wall.
3. The wine list should offer half bottles aplenty or else enough wines by the glass so that the person isn’t stuck for variety when moving from one course to another.
4. It is polite to have the chef come and meet the diners (as and when possible) so that it helps create some animation. The sommelier should definitely engage with the diners a good few times in the course of the meal.
5. For single diners, a fixed menu makes most sense. This could translate into a thaali or a similar offering in an Indian restaurant. The idea is to ensure that they get to try as much of the food without having to waste or feel shortchanged on the choices.
Odd as it may seem, we should all indulge in solo-dining every now and then as an exercise in knowing ourselves better. It can be therapeutic and wholesome not just in a tummy-filling way.
The writer is a sommelier
mail@magandeepsingh.com