Dining do’s & don’ts
- Opinion
- Opinion
‘I used to be embarrassed dining alone, now it’s my Friday night ritual’
More women are eating out alone as a self-care routine − one where they’ve got nothing to prove and no one interrupts their bite of steak.
- Jamie Bucirde
If guests bring a bottle of wine to a dinner party, do you have to open it on the night?
It depends on whether they make it known, subtly or otherwise, that they’d like to drink it.
- Huon Hooke
Stuck in the dreaded ‘gristle’ seat at a dinner party? Try these foodie conversation starters
In the interests of sparking more interesting discussions around the tables of Australia, I hereby pass on 10 questions to help break the ice.
- Terry Durack
How late is too late to arrive at your restaurant booking? (Asking for a friend)
And how do you contact the venue when there’s no listed number? Here’s what hospo pros have to say.
- Billy De Luca
The bottom line: Which restaurant dining chair is best? It depends on this equation
When settling in for an 18-course degustation, I’ll be needing upholstery, writes Terry Durack.
- Terry Durack
The best wines to bring to every kind of dinner party (without breaking the bank)
From dinner with wine snobs to a games night, these tips will help match the right wine to the occasion, whether your budget is $20 or $200.
- Katie Spain
When it comes to dinner plates, it’s not hip to be square
My heart stubbornly belongs to the plain, round white plate.
- Terry Durack
‘Is that legal?’ Hospo identities share weirdest customer requests
From a surprising celebrity encounter to interpretive dance in the dining room, restaurant workers strive to accommodate even the most surprising diner desires.
- Scott Bolles
12 common food and drink myths that refuse to die
Can pork be eaten pink? Can you eat unopened mussels? Do venues really put the highest mark-up on the second cheapest wine?
- Scott Bolles
How to navigate the dos and don’ts of doggy bags in 2025
Alice Zaslavsky dishes up the latest etiquette on taking your leftovers home.
- Alice Zaslavsky