I'm wondering how many people out there have dined solo? And I'm talking
dining, not going for a bite at McDonalds or going to some cheap Chinese corner place for a 10minute bite.
I'm talking about dining solo, as in a proper night out at a proper restaurant, like:
I'm curious to hear about the experience. What got me thinking was the below article which appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald today:
Quote:
The Sydney Morning Herald, Good Living section
What's the story with that woman sitting alone in a buzzing restaurant? Or that man. Has someone stood her up, is he from out of town? You'd never know for sure, unless it was you ... Lissa Christopher and Richard Jinman go solo.
Dining out on your own is about as appealing as public speaking or undergoing root canal work. As you pull up a chair at a table for one, you're a target for curiosity and supposition. And self-consciousness doesn't make great company, especially when it's all the company you've got.
Casting off your inhibitions is a fine idea - "getting over yourself" it's called - but easier said than done, especially in extroverted Sydney with its penchant for being seen and having lots of glam pals with whom to be seen.
Is it so very bad in reality or is eating alone merely a chilling idea? Only one way to find out. So, Richard Jinman and I have given it a go, dining alone at three Sydney hot spots: est. (for a taste of the high end), harbourkitchen&bar (at the Park Hyatt Hotel and therefore likely to have more business people or out-of-towners dining solo) and Jimmy Liks with its communal table.
Aside from rampaging self-consciousness, there were other concerns. As social pariahs, would we be seated at tables within the swing of the toilet door? Would there be resentment that we were taking up valuable real estate but spending on only one belly?
We experienced no such rudeness. For example, at est. I was given an extra course to help pass the time it takes to prepare a souffle. Richard was given magazines. "We're probably more aware of [solo diners] and so is the kitchen," says est. sommelier Stuart Halliday. They might, for example, ensure a loner's meal is delivered quickly. It's kind and thoughtful, certainly, but we fear it borders on pity.
A solo diner does not necessarily equal a skinny bill, either. Halliday points out he has known solo diners to order a $300-plus bottle of wine and so spend more than many tables for four.
Read on for the full story, but overall, Richard gives the experience 1 1/2 stars out of five and says don't do it unless it's at gunpoint. He believes the only good meal out is a shared one.
More the greedy introvert, I give the experience 2 1/2 stars and say, give it a whirl. Take something to read, relax over your wine and enjoy the food. I dare you.
Full article here
---Lissa Christopher and Richard Jinman
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Normally solo diners have a stigma attached to them...loser/pariah/Nigel-No-Friends/etc. I admit that personally I've never dined alone at a proper dining establishment, mainly because a) I can't stand the thought of not talking to anyone during dinner
; and b) I get very bored by myself. The only time that I've ever eaten alone in a proper restaurant was when I went to NZ for business, and I decided to check out the restaurant at the Grand Hyatt. Most other times I just order room service.
But I'm sure that some people MUST have done this. So...what was it like for you solo flyers?
[ 05-04-2004, 09:02 AM: Message edited by: Memnoch ]