Presentation Of Food…
As a chef, I take great pride in not only my cooking, but also how that food should be presented.
Take something as simple as shrimp cocktail which is a basic appetizer staple at most seafood restaurants. Most of the times, I expect to be served a martini glass with a bunch of shrimps “rimmed” around the lip with the glass filled with cocktail sauce and a sprig of parsley.
By spending some time and thinking outside the boundaries, there are many ways to create a simple yet elegant way of presenting food. There’s a saying that “people eat with their eyes first” and that statement is one that I wholeheartedly believe in. First impressions are important when meeting people and they’re just as important when serving food to a guest.
Here is one example of a presentation solution that I came up for serving shrimp cocktail after being inspired by the plate itself.
hamatama 
Lovely presentation and great photography.
I am often amused by restaurant trends in presentation. One that has been hanging in a bit too long here in Dublin is serving food on slates. Apart from the obvious “put it on the slate” gags, the country has been in a deep property bubble led recession for the past 4 years. Seeing our food being served in good restaurants on developers cast offs leaves a sour taste.
Another recent trend is serving chips in small buckets or little deep fry baskets. The buckets are good as they do help keep big chunky chips warm without going soggy but the deep fry baskets are just odd. Glad I got that off my chest!
Happy New Year,
Conor