1. Menu Planning What is menu planning? What is the purpose of a menu?
Defined as a process by which menus are planned.
What is the purpose of a menu?
To reflect the overall style of the restaurant

2. What is the function of a menu?
What is a menu?
List of dishes that are available to be served at a meal.
What is the function of a menu?
Communication
Marketing
Information – Customer
- Staff

3. Communication inform them of what is offered
let them know about the preparation styles currently in fashion
to tempt the guest to try something he/she might not have thought of trying
to encourage conversation about your menu and style of food.

4. Menu’s should therefore:
accommodate a wide range of dietary needs and culinary preferences
accommodate the current trends in dining. For example, there is an increasing trend towards healthy eating, while heavily sauced food has fallen out of favour
be sufficiently innovative to appeal to the most adventurous eaters, while accommodating the more conservative ones
give enough information to enable guests to make an informed choice

5. Factors influencing menu planning:
Customer preferences
Number of customers to be served
Nutritional needs based on age, gender, activity levels
Food habits
Season and availability
Pleasing combinations (gastronomic aspects)

6. Formal Dinner What is a formal dinner? Sit down dinner
Special occasions
Silverware placed on table, in order

7. Menu planning for formal dinners:
Courses carefully planned
Courses – smaller
- spread out
5/8/10/12/21 courses
Table d’hôte menu
Limited choice

8. Classical vs. Modern Classical Modern
Hors d’oeuvre (appetizer) Potage (soup) Oeufs (eggs) Farineaux (rice & pasta) Poisson (fish) Entrée (entry of 1st meat course) Sorbet (flavoured water) Reléve (meat course) Rôti (roast) Légumes (vegetables) Salades (salad) Buffet Froid (cold buffet) Entremet de sûcre (sweets) Savoureaux (savoury) Fromage (cheese) Desserts (fresh fruits & nuts)
Starter Soup Fish Sorbet Main dish: meat/poultry Dessert Cheese

9. HORS D’OEUVRE CLASSICS Aimed to stimulate appetite
Aimed to stimulate appetite
Composed of tangy and salty dishes
Small portion sizes, to set off the palate
Potato salad, Caesar salad, Russian salad, caviar,
smoked salmon, oysters, etc.
CLASSICS
Caviar served with blinis, butter, lemon wedges, sieved
egg whites and yolks, chopped shallots and parsley
Chilled melon served with castor sugar and ground
ginger
Oysters with cayenne pepper, Tabasco and chilli vinegar,
lemon wedges and brown bread and butter
Smoked salmon with lemon wedges, onion rings, capers,
lettuce garnish, brown bread and butter
Snails with melted butter and bread cubes

10. CLASSICS POTAGE Refers to soups
Two types – clear (consommé) and thick (cream, veloute or
puree)
Clear soups usually listed first
Borscht, Ox tail, French onion, Clam chowder, Mulligatawny,
Gazpacho
CLASSICS
Consommé Julienne – garnished with strips of root vegetables
Consommé Celestine – garnished with strips of savoury
pancakes
Petite marmite – beef and chicken flavoured consommé
Soup a l’oignon – clear onion soup
Borscht – duck flavoured consommé  

11. POISSON CLASSICS Normally poached/steamed/baked fish
Served with appropriate sauce and boiled vegetables
Certain farinaceous dishes like risotto, pastas or gnocchi may
be served in place of fish
Egg dishes may also be served instead, especially during lunch
CLASSICS
Meuniere – fish shallow fried in butter
Veronique – in white wine sauce, garnished with white grapes
Bonne femme – in white wine sauce with mushrooms
Lobster Newberg – with thickened sauce of fish stock and
cream, flavoured with brandy and marsala, finished with butter
Fried fish with tartar sauce

12. ENTRÉE CLASSICS The first of the meat course in the sequence
Usually compete in itself
Does not have much accompaniments, if at all
Very small and light
Pan fried goose liver, carpaccio, vol au vents
CLASSICS
Poulet saute chasseur – chicken in rich brown sauce flavoured
with tomato and mushroom
Minced chicken with savoury rice
Chicken liver with savoury rice
Steak Diane - minute steak shallow fried and flavoured with
onion and mushroom finished with red wine sauce or cream

13. RELEVEE CLASSICS Larger joints of meat Usually grilled or braised
Served with accompanying sauce, potatoes and vegetables
Butchers’ cut – need to be carved
CLASSICS
Roast leg of pork with apple sauce
Gigot d’aigneau – roast lef of lamb with mint sauce
Roast ribs of beef with horseradish sauce
Roast sirloin of beef

14. SORBET ROTI Intended to give a pause in the middle of the meal
It settles the dishes already consumed and stimulates appetite
for the following dishes
It is water ice flavoured with champagne or fruit puree or any
Liqueur
Usually served in a champagne saucer
People may break for cigars or cigarettes during this course
ROTI
Consists of roast poultry or game
Chicken, duck, turkey, pheasant, partridge
Served with accompanying sauces or gravy
A dress salad is usually served along

15. LEGUME
The French usually serve vegetables as a separate course
Asparagus with hollandaise sauce, artichokes with garlic
mayonnaise, butter tossed Brussels sprouts etc.
Now days these dishes are had as appetisers
CLASSICS
Pommes lyonnaise – sauté potatoes blended with shallow fried
shredded onions
Petit pois a la francaise – peas, button onions, diced bacon
and shredded lettuce in a thickened sauce
Champignons grille – grilled mushrooms
Choufleur polonaise – cauliflower garnished with a mixture of
fried bread crumbs, sieved egg white and yolk and parsley
Haricots verts au beurre – French beans tossed in butter

16. ENTREMETS CLASSICS This is what we know today as ‘dessert’
This is what we know today as ‘dessert’
Consists of hot sweet hot dish such as souffle, rum omelette
Cold desserts are newer, modern versions of this course
Petit fours are usually served with this course
CLASSICS
Crepes Suzette – pancakes with orange sauce
Crepes Georgette – pancakes with pineapple sauce
Jam omelettes
Rum omelettes
Peche Melba – poached peach copated with raspberry jam
sauce topped with vanilla ice cream
Pineapples flamed with Kirtsch

17. SAVOUREUX
Consists of a tid bit on a hot canape of toast or fried
bread
Welsh rarebit, bruschetta etc.
Now days usually served as appetisers
Alternatively cheese platter may be presented with crackers,
watercress, walnuts etc.
CLASSICS
Welsh rarebit – cheese sauce flavoured with ale on toast and
gratinated
Scotch woodcock – scrambled egg on toast decorated with
capers and anchovies
Canape Diane – chicken liver rolled in bacon and grilled,
placed on warm toast
Champignons sur croute – mushrooms on toast

18. DESSERT This is the final course Consists of fresh fruits and nuts
Sometimes placed on the table as a decoration

19. Banquet What is a banquet? Formal/informal
Def: ceremonial dinner party for a large number of people
Breakfast
Luncheons
Dinner
Cocktail parties
Weddings
End of year functions

20. Compiling a banquet menu
Keep the following in mind:
Serve food quickly
Avoid heavy garnishes (time consuming)
Don’t let food stand for too long

21. Menu Planning for banquet luncheon or dinner
Sit down
Luncheon
3 or more courses
Dinner
opportunity to excel
4 courses and coffee

22. Cocktail functions What is a cocktail function? Cocktail party
Informal/casual, friendly get togethers
No sit down
Light hors d’oeuvres

23. Menu Planning for Cocktail party
All elements of menu planning are relevant
Include:
Hot and cold items
Baked and fried
Keep flavour, colour and texture in mind
Small, easy to eat hot and cold bites

24. Quantity Make sure there is enough Amount of food depends on:
Type of function
Duration of function
Variety of food
Chips and nuts are not included
6 pieces per hour 1st hour
4 pieces for 2nd hour
10 – 20 guests – 6 different hors d’oeuvres
+20 guests – 8-10 different
Try not to repeat main ingredients
TYPE OF PARTY
NUMBER OF BITES
Pre-dinner nibbles
3-5 pieces per person
Two or three hour cocktail party
3-5 pieces per hour per person
Full length part – four hours
12-15 pieces of finger food