Top 10 things that make a great restaurant
As diners, we are investing in a package deal of food, drink and feel-good factor and, while the memory of what we ate might fade over time, the experience had in a good restaurant lives on. Here's what separates the merely good from truly memorable.
Service par excellence
Great service can lift average food, but great food can never make up for inept service. The best floor staff exhibit a passion for what they do and their their aim for every single customer to leave happy. Great floor staff see everything – from the slightest table wobble to a dropped napkin, to the most fleeting expression of disappointment on a diner's face. Never intrusive, they'll always wait for an appropriate break in conversation to tell diners about specials and have the sense to stay away if we look like we're in mid-argument or having a romantic moment. Top shelf wait staff have a thorough knowledge of the menu and can explain it without crib notes. And far from the old snooty stereotype, wait staff at a truly great restaurant will never as much as lift an eyebrow even if they're asked to bring ice-cubes for wine or take back a steak to be cooked to well-done.
A decor that wows
We all love a bit of bling and a great restaurant doesn't underestimate the appeal of a beautiful, well designed and meticulously maintained space. The best have a distinct and unique style with features that express what the food and general ethos of the restaurant is about. Their decor is designed not to don't date and is appropriate for the location.
An appealing menu
The best restaurant menus have been thoroughly spell-checked. They will be carefully egalitarian and well balanced and not just consist of a list of whatever's currently on-trend. A great menu has appealing dish descriptions that are concise but with enough information to know whether the dish is something we might like rather than requiring 20 minutes and a gastronomic dictionary to translate. A great restaurant uses produce in season, tries to give a sense of place and changes often enough to make return visits enticing.
Consistency
It's not enough to be good most of the time, a great restaurant nails it every single time. We all need that place we can go back to again and again or that we feel 100 percent confident recommending to friends for special occasions. It doesn't mean the venue can't move with the times, but simply that it has a standard it aims for and always delivers on. With new venues opening and closing weekly, stability and reliability are fast becoming welcome points of difference.
Perfect timing
The co-ordination between the kitchen and floor is a well-orchestrated ballet at a great restaurant and you'll never see your meal slowly congealing under a heat lamp at the pass, nor will your plates be whisked away and replaced by the next course while you're mid-chew. Rather the delivery of meals is well-spaced and consistent, with enough time for pleasant conversation and appetite whetting but not enough time to reach the dangerously "hangry" stage. Even if there's a second sitting, a good restaurant will never make you feel you're being hustled out the door and will never, ever bring the bill without being prior agreement.
Bread and butter factor
It may be bread, preferably homemade, warm and accompanied by a pat of good butter, it could be an amuse bouche before the main event or a perhaps nip of cognac afterwards. Yes, the "freebies" are probably built into the overall price, but those small touches give a sense of generosity that makes diners feel special.
Beautiful bathrooms
A neat, tidy bathroom is absolutely non-negotiable. There is nothing worse than excusing yourself to use the facilities to come out nervous about whether the same dire hygiene standards are being applied in the kitchen. Great restaurants go beyond just clean, and offer good lighting, fresh flowers and luxe hand wash. Extra points for real hand towels and scented candles.
Comfortable seating
Great restaurants offer comfortable chairs that are an appropriate height and not so deep diners need to lean forward to reach the table. Their tables are decently sized so wait staff don't have to rearrange the water glasses with each course. They are set far enough apart so diners don't have to do that awkward rise and half turn to get past without putting their bottom in their neighbour's face or knocking over their chardonnay. At a good restaurant you won't even notice the seating until you've had a long lunch or dinner and get up feeling as great as when you sat down.
Spot on sound and lighting
Lighting can have a profound effect on our mood. There's a very fine line between flatteringly low lit and so dark you need your mobile phone torch to read the menu, but great restaurants always get it right, often by employing a professional to figure out how to balance practicality and ambience. They also get the balance of sound right and you'll hear an energising buzz rather than a clamour caused by too many hard surfaces and badly designed spaces that make it impossible to talk over. Tables are spaced far enough away so you don't overhear the conversation of others. If there's music, you should barely notice it, or if you do, it's with a pleasant fleeting acknowledgment rather than annoyance as it will be audible but never intrusive.
A good wine list and wine service
Great restaurants know that bigger doesn't automatically mean better. Instead, they focus on offering a well laid out list at a good range of price points with a mix of recognisable names and boutique drops that someone with some expertise has constructed, rather than being the product of a single wine rep with their own agenda. Wine is served at the table, (even if it's by the glass), at the correct temperature in the right glassware. The person serving, whether the waiter or a trained sommelier, understands they're there to guide and assist the diner to a choice that fits their taste and budget rather than trying to up-sell or judge a diner's choice.
Natascha Mirsoch is editor of the Brisbane Times Good Food Guide 2016. This year'sGuide is available at brisbanetimes.com.au/goodfoodguide for $9.99 including delivery.
Source: Good Food, Natasha Mirosch, 21st August 2015
Originally published as: Top 10 things that make a great restaurant