On the Menu: The world's favourite piece of paper

by Nicholas Lander

From the Financial Times's long-standing restaurant critic Nicholas Lander comes this celebration of the history, design and evolution of the world's favourite piece of the menu.

On the Menu is a stunning collection of menus, from those at the cutting edge of contemporary culinary innovation, like Copenhagen's Noma, to those that are relics from another a 1970s menu from L’Escargot on which all main courses cost less than one pound; the last menu from The French House Dining Room before Fergus Henderson departed for St John; a Christmas feast of zoo animals served during the Siege of Paris in 1870; and three of the world’s original restaurant menus—now hanging proudly in London’s Le Gavroche.

Throughout, Lander examines the principles of menu design and layout; the different rules that govern separate menus for breakfast, afternoon tea and dessert; the evolution of wine and cocktail lists; and how menus can act as records of the past.

He reveals insights from interviews with Michael Anthony, Heston Blumenthal, Massimo Bottura, René Redzepi, Ruth Rogers and many more of the most renowned contemporary chefs of our time, who explain how they decide what to serve and what inspires them to create and design their menus.

These are truly pages to drool over.

Genres: Nonfiction, Food

358 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 3, 2016

Reviews

[Wendelle]

this book charters the stylistic evolution of menus, and globetrots in interviews of leading chefs regarding the contexts that guide their choices of the contents of their menus

[Wanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an entertaining read, but it doesn’t go into too much depth. This book offered a glimpse into a menu and all the considerations that go into structuring one. I like the fact that it should have equal parts aesthetic but also function for the design. It should catch the customer’s eye to understand the offerings cohesively, but in a fun way.

There’s some tidbits about behavioural economics (what section do customers order the most, therefore place the highest priced items) or how much detail is too much for the fear of giving away the intellectual property?

This book will make me do a double take when I peruse my next menu.

[Dmytro Safonov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

Very entertaining, very knowledgeable. I’ve definitely enjoyed this unique collection of menus and the history behind them. Highly recommended to everyone in the industry

[Vidu]

Read for Menu RA job.