2016 Oct 18
Eating out is, no doubt, fun. You can explore different cuisines, new food, new places and a an exciting array of perks while dining out. Colombo’s dining game is going strong with a new bunch of new restaurants mushrooming everywhere.
Having a fancy or a casual dinner is always a good experience. Or is it really? How do you make the best of it? Here’s a little guide we’ve put together to help make better your experience the next time you decide to eat out.
- Always read through the reviews
For those of you that didn’t know we have our very own, independent and informative Pulse Reviews done by major foodies and critiques (self-acclaimed/appointed) on our site as well.
See, the reason I suggest you read up a little bit prior to visiting the place is because then, you know what to expect. The benefit of the doubt wouldn’t really help you and its best to stay informed and know what to expect.
If you’re taking your lady/man out or if it’s a birthday/celebratory dinner then its best to even ask a few friends or colleagues about the place. This way, you can make sure that the money you spend is worthwhile and your experience is up to expectation.
This is also a great way to find out what the happy hours are, if the restaurant has specialty dishes that’s got the whole town talking, if you can BYOB etc.
- Know thy cuisine
This again, I feel, is crucial when dining out. If you aren’t the type to try out different dishes or cuisines individual to different cultures then its best you avoid putting yourself in situations like that.
For instance, personally, I am not a big fan of Sushi so I try my best to avoid Japanese restaurants. I say this because if you don’t know what you like or don’t, you probably would end up having a bad experience. It’s best to know what you do like and what you don’t and choose the eatery you plan on spending your time at wisely.
- Ask the waiter what the fast moving dishes are
This again, is something that only so few of us do. We usually tend to take a look at the menu and then pick out the dishes that have ingredients or are made the way we like it made. This is not the smart thing to do. Since you are eating out, and since the point is trying out something new and interesting, ask the waiter what his/her recommendations are.
If you decide that it’s chicken for the night, ask the waiter what their fastest moving chicken dish is. Chances are, you’ll end up with some really great picks.
- Find out the restaurant specialties – be adventurous!
Again, being informed can give you a great dining experience. See, almost all of the new and old hotspots in town have features and cuisines unique to them. Competition has gotten start-ups to create dishes that are out of the world and one of a kind. It’s a pity if you miss out on something new and authentic because you didn’t know they had it in the first place.
Our review team recommends that you do some quick 5 minute research before you dig into your lunch/dinner and try out restaurant specialties that are authentic and unique to them.
- Portion sizes can vary
Keep in mind, this is also something you’d want to ask your waiter. What we’ve realized is that portion sizes are not uniform from one restaurant to the other. The usual understanding that a ‘small’ meal is only enough for two and a ‘large’ for 4 is very debatable. Some restaurants we’ve been to like Tsing Tao have massive portion sizes while some are more exclusive and offer smaller portion sizes.
You don’t want to ruin your experience by being pissed off at the restaurant for a meal too small, so ask the waiters beforehand and by doing so, you’ll limit overspending or the wastage of food.
Caution: I’ve noticed that in some places, waiters tend to tell you that a portion feeds less people that it actually does. At this one place I went to once, the waiter told us that a large was actually only enough for 2 people, but when the food was brought to the table it was actually more than enough for 3 people.
- Look out for discounts and offers
This is a golden rule when spending your money. Watch out for discounts and offers!! To make this job easier for you, we’re keeping up with a weekly list of all discounts and offers you can expect be it at restaurants or clothing stores.
When you go to the eatery, look out for offers of the day, their happy hour, card discounts etc.
- Tip when needed
It really is terrible to not tip. Don’t be a cheap stake, if you are…not cool man, not cool. Tipping really is one of the most confusing customs. That’s because there are no real “rules” for tipping, and the etiquette of it can seem pretty arbitrary.
That being said, tip when you feel like the service charge is not enough. This I feel is the easiest way to solve this confusion.
- Spend smart
You and I can walk into a fine dining restaurant and you can end up spending twice as much money as I did on a single meal. Does this happen? Yes. How can you prevent this? Spend smart.
This really conjoins with the tip I gave on asking the waiter portion sizes and fast moving dishes. If you know what you want and how much you can eat, then don’t spend unnecessarily. Since we are talking about making better the experience of dining, an empty wallet or too much money spends wouldn’t leave you sleeping peacefully.
Also, it’s good to have an understanding of the taxes you’ve got to pay. Don’t be alarmed when you see “Service charge 10%, VAT 12.5% add Nation Building Tax (NBT) 2%” (this category of taxation is most common in fine dining restaurants) added to your final bill, because this is usually the case. Note; with the increase in taxes recently, this data needs to be updated.
- Stick to the dress code
Maybe it’s just me, but I absolutely despise the sight of people walking in wearing flip flops and summer shorts to fine dining spaces. I feel it’s disrespectful and a very bad display of restaurant etiquette. Most places have signs in place to let their customers know what dress code they expect from them but we still see lots of diners overlook/disrespect this.
We hope these tips help make your next dining experience better! Let us know if you have some golden rules that you stick by when eating out, in the comments section below!
Bon-appetite!
