Balanced menu for bistros

CHICKEN ROULADE Chicken fillet rolled and crumbed, filled with spinach and feta cheese in a creamy pepperdew sauce. Served with mustard mash CHILLI CHOCOLATE MOCHA BEEF FILLET Marinated in a chilli, choc sauce served on a potato cake with avocado puree and butternut sticks, with a red wine jus. CATCH OF THE DAY Grilled line fish on a bed of basil pesto mash served with a lemon butter sauce. ESCARGOTS UNDER COVER Creamy garlic snails covered with puff pastry casing. CHICKEN MAYO AND CRUNCHY NUT SALAD Greek salad with chicken mayo and nuts. GREEK SALAD BACON BILTONG AND FETA CHEESE SALAD. BUTTER NUT SOUP Served with a roll BILTONG FONDEU Served with a cheese roll SKILPADJIES Served with a thick onion sauce, with regular mash or mielie pap. CHEESY RYE BREAD MELT Cheese, mushroom and bacon bits served on rye bread with cottage cheese, top with a cheesy béchamel sauce. OR Spring onion and smoked salmon served on rye bread with cottage cheese, topped with a cheesy béchamel sauce.

Portion control and packaging procedures

Portion control means controlling the size or quantity of food to be served. The amount of food depends on the following three considerations: Type of customer or establishment – there will obviously be a difference in the size of the portion served, such as those working in heavy industry or to female clerical workers. The quality of the food – better quality food usually yields a greater number of portions than poor quality food. (Low quality stewing beef often needs so much trimming that it is difficult to get 6 portions to the kilo and the time & labour involved looses money. Good quality stewing beef will yield 8 portions to the kilo, with much less time and labour.) The buying price of the food – this should correspond to the quality of the food. A good price should mean good quality, which should mean a good yield. Portion control should be closely linked with the buying of the food. (Without a good knowledge of the food bought, it is difficult to state fairly how many portions should be obtained from it.) To evolve a sound system of portion control each establishment needs individual consideration. Convenient portioned items are available. Such as: Sugar, jam, sauces, salt, pepper, milk, cream, butter, margarine. The golden rule: A fair portion for a fair price. There are certain items of equipment which can assist in maintaining control of portion sizes: Scoops – ice cream and mashed potato. Ladles – soups and sauces. Butter pats – regulating pats from 7grams and up. Juice glasses – 75 – 150 grams. Milk dispensers and tea measuring machines. Individual pie dishes - moulds and coupes. Portioning & Packaging. Make sure all areas are clean and hygienic. Ensure all packaging is ready and of correct size. All re-usable containers are cleaned and sterilized. Accurate portioning of food, according to procedure. Chill food as quickly as possible and seal. Portions must be controlled when filling, in order to: Standardize costs. Control costs. Facilitate stores control. Assist in food service. Standardize thawing and re-heatin

Balanced recipe creation

Balance has many different aspects which are mainly : colour: colours of a dish must work together, blend and compliment the dish, too little or too many colours can spoil the look, visual quality is highly important, because it shows a customer that time, effort and style was used to make the dish and this encourages positive feedback course :different courses must compliment eachother, flavours and food products must be used carefully to encourage nutritional and balanced eating. Size, portion control and flavour play a big part when serving various courses texture:texture is the physical appearance and feel of a recipes ingredients, and how well they fit together, textures can differ, from hard to soft, light, dark, rough and smooth etc., these must be used sparingly to ensure adequite physical appearance flavour:this is the taste of your dish, which in relation to all the above, must taste as good as it looks, the flavours mustnt be bland, nor overpowering. Recipes give weights and ingredient specifications to ensure a great taste. Flavoirings and sauces can be used, but every different food in a recipe must compliment the other, in a sense to entice the palette Smell:smell can make a person crave food and it is very powerful, because it can give a s taste:" the Proof is in the puddIng × taste wthe most important. This must be done by taking aspects mentioned into context. garnish must be edible, and aid visual qualities. The freshest foods must be used to obtain highest quality and taste, this is a fact. Spoces, herbs, flavourants, sauces, pesto's etc. Can be used to flavour, Ingredients:high quality and fresh foods are the best to use, suppliers must be obtained with the highest quality assurance and price. Ingredients must work in combination(sweet & sour, honey mustard, chilli chocolate) in a way to enhance foavour, without over powering or affecting other foods flavour. Each food product is prepared, cooked, stored and served differently and each hasna unique quality, combining and mastering ingredient knowledge is a must have. The

Creating a menu

When creating a menu, many considerations need to be investigated/obtained in order to correctly develop dishes that will appeal to your target market with the product availability, cost, resources and quality in mind Small establishments can hand write their menus, but more upper class or larger establishments will print menus with pictures and descriptions to help the customer visualise the product(therefore writing the correct and appropriate words is highly important, in a manner not to mislead the customer) Recipes need to be made for each dish with sizes, quantities and a picture for visual reassurance. Costing must be done for each recipe to acquire the cost, which can be used to work out the selling price, mark-up, expense and profit Balance of dish textures, colours and taste is another consideration to take into context. Keeping balance throughout the menu can be done by not using products that are included in other recipes, large variations and different meals with specific products must be used that fit together(visually, taste, texture and nutrition). Various cookijg methods and presentation also affect balance Resources are needed to store, prepare, produce and distribute food, available resources enable you to do specific tasks for eg. If you dont have an oven, you wont be able to bake a cake/pie Gas is used to light stoves, this is an important resource to have for warming, cooking or preparing foods electricity is used for lighting, warmth, ventilation and to power equipment Availability and cost of commodities must be correct to ensure that you can produce recipe specifications and buy products at a reasonable price so not to over charge or run a loss with sales, seasons and suppliers can affect availability. Quality can change the price of a commodity, this is called quality assurance and must be upheld depending on the chefs needs/requests or the suppliers standards Target market can be found out using market research, this can make or break a business, your market can be many different aspects and groups, like cultural,

Types of menus

table d'hote is aset menu forming a meal, usually two or three courses at a set price. A choice of dishes may be offered at all courses A la carte a menu with all dishes priced individually. Customers can compile their own menus, whivh can be 1, 2 or three courses Special party or function menus these are banqueting or function menus that differ depending on function or special event, finger foods are also used Ethnic or speciality menus these can be set menus, or individually priced dishes, specialising in the food or religion of a country or ethnic group Hospital menus are nprmally menu cards that are given to patients a day before service, so their preferances are ticked beforehand National and private hospitalscater for vegetarians and different relegious requirements Work menus vary depending on company policies and employer,these dishes are mainly light meals,salad bars, soups, main course with vegetables followed by sweets , cheese and yoghurts. healthy foods and vegetarian foods are also uwed on these menus to encourage different types and healthy Eating Cyclical menus are compiled to cover a given period of time: one month, 3 months etc. They are a few menus compiled for a particular organization. This saves time on creating menus, because menus are used for long periods depending on the seasons, product availability and customer requirements outdoor catering: great care must be taken when selecting the Menu, having regard to facilities available.. the secret to outdoor catering is proper equipment, trained staff, good judgement of weather , Properly equipped vehicles and number of customers to be served.. Equipment can be hired and security measures for money and equipment Weddings can be a sit down meal or buffet style, the wedding cake is always the centrepiece and more flower displays will be used. Receptions require cocktails or sherry to be served Cocktail parties uses little room so socialosing and acquintances can be established. Very tiny snacks(savoury, canapes) are served , well dressed bar men to serve drinks and the

Different menus and food services

Each time of day has a different meal to consume and choosing the best. If not all in your business is a choice made on the principles of Time open and closed Menu style Staff availability Resources available Sufficient sales of food items to cover expenses, and a profit made eventually Breakfast Is an early menu used untill around 10 and lunch is mainly served from 12:00/13:00. Brunch is a mi. Between breakfast and lunch(aroung 11:00) and dinner is served in the evening around 6 or 7:00 if not later. Lunch is an afternoon meal mainly around 12:00 to 1:00, this is the second meal of the day and mostly consists of a light meal or snack, this is to keep the bodies nutritional and mineral level up enough to stay healthy Brunch is a term used for a meal consumed between the hours of lunch and breakfas4, which is mainly a snack mixed with a elements of a breakfast meal. Dinner is a Meal eaten after noon, which ranges from 18:00-20:00, this is a larger meal than breakfast or lunch and consists of starch, vegetables and meat, this can also be split into different courses, which range from 3 upward(starter, main course, dessert etc.) These can be influenced by the type of restaurant or quality assurance of each establishment and type of services offered. This can change dining experiences Fine dining: fine dinig offers food and drinks with high quality, visual quality, large choice of foods and variety of services which adhere to a customers every need, menus used can change depeending on guests or availability Restaurant: this uses a set type of menu(mainly a la carte and banqueting) which changes through seasons, food availablilty, and influences on sales. Menus have different sections and sub sections which make it easier for someone to make a decision oon meals depending on what he/ she desires at the given time Bistros: this is an open area restaurant which serves people through menus which change constantlyand have large varieties of small, large, breakfast, lunch and dinner meals with large variety depending on food product availability an

How to offer a good dining experience can be broken into many small factors

Setting and Ambience: the environment and setting of the area of dining is important to regard because it sets the mood, flow and experience of the customer. Colours are used in contrasts depending on seasons, visual appearance, different function and/cultural difference, this must be discussed and establihed beforehand for functions, otherwise interior decorating and fashion is used in the facility to better the overall appearance, appeal and feel. Colourful lighting can be used, and an relaxed, inviting atmosphere must be established to create a better dining experience. Menu and food: menus types and food produced must fit the criteria of the Customers satisfaction. Food must be planned carefully with many different people as all their tastebuds differ, making it a factor to consider, so different points and questions are asked to ensure the criteria of people being served, fits the criteria of the food being distributed. Appeal, smell, texture,colour and cultural aspects are taken into consideration for each group/customer/allergens Variety and quality of Services offered: each business offers a service if not a few, thesenservices are regarded as extras, which can set your business apart from others. Different menus and food services(a la carte, banqueting,special event catering , conferances etc) create different varieties and posibilities. Which can be a positive influence on customers return business. Wine services, easy access food/drink areas can differ the setting, and bring wider range of customers wanting variety Style/design:the style and design must be done to ensure the correct atmosphere and encourage a warm wecomed feeling. Design and style will mostly change according to seasons, trends, food style, customer satisfaction etc., which brings a new settingand mood. changing and renewing items are done to keep life and new experiences available for new and/or constant customers alike Reception and welcoming:the first experience for a customer is of h

What is Gastronomy?

Gastronomy is the anatomy of the human gastric intestines, this sets peoples tastes and influence their overall eating and drinking, this also differenciate allergies and food restrictions each Person has Cultures, science and habits make our difference and nearly anything can cause a certain like/dislike of food and this needs to be determined especially in each and every business to determine your client/customers wants and needs. Each area and/business is different depending on menus, availability and customer eating habits, Different criteria and restrictions of food do occur when dealing with other races, care and respect must be shown towards them, this is because each person has a different science and art when it comes to eating and drinking for example, if a foreign indian orders halaal food, the customer and manager/chef must discuss of possibilities and solutions taking in regard the customers food restrictions and his product availability into consideration

First year in the real world*

I  finished my advanced diploma in food preparation and culinary arts in October last year and so far I have been experiencing the " real world" as it is called, I have been able to get a few offers at many restaurants and lodges, based around johannesburg,  North West and even limpopo.  Unfortunately I am not sure if these are the right places for me.

It is not because I don't know how to do the work, and I can easily cope with the work that they offer, I'm not sure if the suit me,

These days I have been feeling lost and demotivated*

So im currently doing myself a favour and challenging myself  by any means necessary,

How do you do that you might ask?

I got a job as a salesman,  which isn't glamorous or perfect at all, but If you think you can sell products and services to people , it's not at all easy, nobody want to ever be approached by a sales person.

Not only is it exctionally difficult to sell, but the way you need to approach,  pitch and close is even worse,  im trying to get a promotion at this import and export  company,  which is great,  because I love the fact that I can move up and open my own branch.

Ill try this out for one month and hopefully  it will be worth staying otherwise its back to the hospitality industry