What’s in the Dish?

What’s in the Dish? — Interpret ingredient lists, allergen declarations, and cross-contact notes on a restaurant menu.

A menu before dinner

You are choosing dinner at The Green Table. The menu gives ingredients and a few allergen notes, but one detail is unclear. Roasted pepper soup — red peppers, vegetable stock, cream. Contains milk. Wild mushroom risotto — Arborio rice, mushrooms, white wine, Parmesan. Contains milk. The kitchen’s stock may contain celery. Lemon-herb chicken — chicken, lemon, herbs; served with couscous. Couscous contains wheat (gluten). Prepared in a kitchen that also handles tree nuts. Warm lentil bowl — green lentils, roasted vegetables, tahini dressing. Contains sesame. The kitchen cannot guarantee that dishes are free from traces of peanuts because ingredients are prepared in shared areas. You need to avoid sesame. You like the lentil bowl, but its dressing is listed as tahini. You are not sure whether tahini is made from sesame, or whether asking about an ingredient will sound awkward. Your goal is not to guess from the menu: ask a clear question so the restaurant can check the dish and explain any relevant preparation note.

Read the small print carefully

A menu note can tell you that an ingredient is included, that a dish contains a named allergen, or that cross-contact is possible. These statements are not interchangeable. For example, “contains sesame” is direct information; “cannot guarantee that dishes are free from traces of peanuts” describes a risk related to shared preparation areas. If the information you need is missing or unclear, ask the restaurant rather than inferring an answer. You can name the dish, state the ingredient you need to avoid, and ask whether the dish contains it. A question about whether staff can check the preparation is useful when the menu mentions shared areas. Keep the request brief and give staff room to answer accurately.

What exactly are you asking?

Useful menu language

A polite, direct restaurant question

In many English-speaking restaurant settings, a brief question beginning “Could you please tell me…” or “Could you please check…” is a conventional way to make a courteous request. Being polite does not mean being vague: clearly naming the dish and ingredient helps staff respond to the question you actually have. If the menu mentions shared preparation areas, you can ask whether the kitchen can check that specific concern. Avoid treating a menu description as a personal safety guarantee; ask the restaurant for the information you need.

Check, complete, and repair

Build a clear enquiry

Write the message you need

You are messaging The Green Table before booking. You need to avoid sesame. The menu says the lentil bowl has tahini dressing and contains sesame, but you would like to ask whether the dressing can be left off and whether the kitchen can check the preparation arrangements. Write a short, courteous message that names the dish, states what you need to avoid, and asks one clear question. Do not assume that a substitution or a particular preparation method is possible.

Materiał przygotowany z pomocą AI.