[Sca-cooks] weird idea... medieval restaurant

[Mark Calderwood]

At 12:02 2/06/01 -0400, you wrote:
>If someone approached you to set up a restaurant like this, how would you
>do it and
>what would you put on the menu?

De-lurking for a second to answer this very interesting idea...

I think I would go the route of "mediaeval food in a modern world", and let
the food speak for itself, using period recipes and tastes but presented in
a way attractive to modern patrons.

I would keep mediaeval decoration to a *tasteful* minimum: low-key but
stylish. Sydney is a bright, airy, summery city, and heavy northern
European decoration would not sit well. I'd have nice, polished wooden
furniture and fixtures, but keep it simple and elegant. I'd probably have
the walls painted in soft tones of gold and red, subtly patterned or gilded
with a period design element like foliage, arabesque or calligraphy. Framed
Michelangelo drawings and manuscript leaves, a tapestry on one wall if
appropriate (Taste, from the Unicorn series perhaps...), a couple of
Turkish carpets, and irises, pinks and lilies in period salt-fired vases
would provide the ambience, cosy and unusual without being stifling or
overwhelming. Cheerful and lively instrumental music such as lute, recorder
and oud and early choral or orchestral could play in the background.

The menu would be a three section booklet, printed on quality parchment
like paper. It would be arranged like a modern menu with entrees, fish,
meat, deserts etc. I'd include period Near and Middle eastern dishes on the
menu to complement the Western food and add diversity, and to take
advantage of seasonal food. I personally wouldn't give the period form of
the dishs' name or the source in the menu: instead I'd give the dish it's
modern name and a one-line description. There would be a note on the menu,
something to the effect of "all selections on this menu are derived from
mediaeval and Renaissance recipes". Diners would have modern dishes and
cutlery (including forks) to eat with, and servers would be dressed in
modern clothes (unadorned black), not mediaeval.

As for the food itself, I'd use dishes that are tried and true, that would
appeal to slightly adventurous modern tastes, unusual but nothing
intimidating or revolting. I think as a personal thing I would tend to use
lots of fruit and seafood on the menu (Sydney is famed for it's seafood),
and avoid bland, heavy or stodgy dishes. I would also tend to present the
food in a more modern manner, ie instead of a pottage or stew, serving it
as meat with a sauce; but that's just a personal thing that I feel would be
more attractive to modern diners. I would probably also need to substitute
some ingredients in various dishes in order to make the menu "healthier" ie
lower in cholesterol and fat, but not at the expense of taste.

The menu would also change periodically to take advantage of the season and
produce: a summer meal might consist of a shared period antipasto tray
including fresh fruit and seafood, followed by salmon in orange sauce
served with couscous and courgette fritters, with greengage and almond
cream for dessert. A winter menu would be a bit heavier, perhaps a chicken
stew from Apicius, followed roast pork with apricot and raisin stuffing
served with roasted onions and turnips, and a turkish almond pastry in
sugar syrup with coffee for dessert. A range of period drinks would ideally
be available, as well as mundane beer, wines, soft drinks, tea and coffee.

I would not have a notice board for flyers etc. My business would be a
restaurant, not a billboard for mediaeval re-enactment groups.

I agree with Katherine, the main problem would be distinguishing oneself
from tacky theme restaurants and the like, although with tasteful decor and
superb food, word of mouth and good reviews should make this a minimal
consideration. :o) That's my tuppence worth, back to lurking...

Giles de Laval
Lochac