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Dining do’s & don’ts

Compulsory or discretionary surcharges can add up quickly.

Automatic tips, Friday night surcharges: The fees to look out for on your next restaurant bill

Beyond the rudimentary weekend and public holiday surcharges are other fees with unclear reasons behind them. Here’s Good Food’s guide to avoiding bill shocks next time you dine out.

  • Tomas Telegramma

What style of wine − and how many bottles − should you take to a dinner party?

Ideally, suit the wine to the meal, your host and the other guests, writes Huon Hooke.

  • Huon Hooke
Meynink has launched her own homewares brand, Elbows off the Table, if you want to channel her relaxed style.

Why confidence is key for relaxed, low-key entertaining (and eight simple hosting rules)

Home entertaining doesn’t need to be difficult, or expensive. Here’s how to show generosity without it being costly.

  • Katrina Meynink
Diners grill their own beef Yori Korean BBQ in Epping.

The dos and don’ts of Korean barbecue – and where to find the best in Sydney

With more and more K-BBQ spots opening across the city, grill-your-own meat restaurants have never been so popular.

  • Kevin Cheng
Jamie Bucirde at one of her favourite Melbourne solo venues, Napier Quarter.

‘I used to be embarrassed dining alone, now it’s my Friday night ritual’

More women are eating out alone as a self-care routine − one where they’ve got nothing to prove and no one interrupts their bite of steak.

  • Jamie Bucirde
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If guests bring a bottle of wine to a dinner party, do you have to open it on the night?

It depends on whether they make it known, subtly or otherwise, that they’d like to drink it.

  • Huon Hooke

Stuck in the dreaded ‘gristle’ seat at a dinner party? Try these foodie conversation starters

In the interests of sparking more interesting discussions around the tables of Australia, I hereby pass on 10 questions to help break the ice.

  • Terry Durack
Illustration: Monique Westermann.

How late is too late to arrive at your restaurant booking? (Asking for a friend)

And how do you contact the venue when there’s no listed number? Here’s what hospo pros have to say.

  • Billy De Luca

The bottom line: Which restaurant dining chair is best? It depends on this equation

When settling in for an 18-course degustation, I’ll be needing upholstery, writes Terry Durack.

  • Terry Durack
Aromatic white wines such as off-dry riesling can hold their own with curry.

The best wines to bring to every kind of dinner party (without breaking the bank)

From dinner with wine snobs to a games night, these tips will help match the right wine to the occasion, whether your budget is $20 or $200.

  • Katie Spain