Sudarshan Rawat

Kathmandu

Essential rules to place your tableware Glasses: You need to have stemmed glasses of different types — at least three champagne glasses (flutes), classical shaped stemmed glasses, larger for water and smaller for wine. If you wish to be more sophisticated, you can add a third of smaller size which will be enable you to serve red and white wine (smallest for white wine).

Order of display on the table: From left to right starting with the biggest champagne flute — water glass — red wine glass — white wine glass if you have on size glasses, put two side by

side per person (you absolutely need to have one for water and one for wine).

Cutlery: Knives should be displayed on the right side of the plate, the blade turned towards the plate.  Forks are displayed on the left side, prongs on the table cloth.

Soup spoon is displayed alongside the fork outside.

Teaspoon or cake fork are displayed on the top between the plate and glasses.

If you have to display several pieces on the same side, the rule is to display in the order of use. You may display a different numbers of pieces on each side.

Plates: Must be placed 2 cm/ 1 inch away from the table edge.  If they are decorated the pattern is displayed, the plates should be around 60 cm/ 25 inches apart.

At first you must not display one plate on another, except for a soup entrée’ where you may put the soup platter on a dinner plate.

You must use the same set of tableware, except for cheese and dessert or specific pieces like soufflé dish or a gratin dish. 

In this case, prefer white dishes, which will easily match with any other set.

The writer is the executive chef at Everest Hotel .