Shared Plates

One phenomenon taking the restaurant world by storm of late is the concept of shared plates.  I have to admit that, after a great deal of thought and experience, it is something that I have a love-hate relationship with.  My Art Friend is, as I have quoted previously, a nutritionally-obsessed vegetarian. This is extremely problematic when I want the duck and normally means that we end up eating separately as, more often than not, she will order a selection of smaller plates - all of which I find appealing, but am also forbidden from eating as they are actually 'her meal' and not an opportunity for me to eat more than my fill. It works at yum cha but that’s about it, unless you’re in a group of four or more.

I think it is lazy “chefing” to just send things out when they are ready without any respect for the diner’s requests and diminishes the dining experience dramatically.

Isn’t one of the basic premises of good cooking timing?