16 Weird Ways Customers Have Been Served Food On Anything But A Plate - Tasting Table

"In the quest to tempt appetites and land on more social media feeds, chefs around the world have taken culinary creativity to new heights by playing with the presentation of foods. Whether captivating or annoying, plateless dishes mean that courses are served in unique vessels - or sometimes, even suspended in air. Ranging from children's toys to cut slabs of wood, courses served on anything but plates have attracted gawking netizens, some entertained by the whimsical spreads"

"Often entertaining and sometimes extreme, plateless presentations may not affect the taste of the food itself but certainly influence the perception of the restaurant and what goes on in the kitchen. We scoured the internet for documentation of some of the platterless ways customers have been fed to let you decide which food platings are ridiculous and which ones you might consider hunting down and shelling out cash for - or perhaps even trying at home."

"You may have dried certain food ingredients like meat and fruit, but at the Azul Tequila Bistro in Arkansas, cooked tacos are presented on a clothesline-like contraption, clipped with wooden clothespins onto a line. Though the presentation might be unorthodox, the order known as quesabirrias has received rave reviews from visitors. " The birria tacos and quesadilla make my mouth water just thinking about it," gushed one diner on Instagram."

Plateless plating uses unconventional vessels and displays to present dishes, from toys and wood slabs to suspended arrangements. Such presentations prioritize visual impact and social-media appeal over conventional plating norms. Plateless approaches often do not change flavor but shape diners' perceptions of the restaurant and its kitchen practices. Reactions vary widely, with some patrons delighted by whimsical or dramatic serving methods and others finding them pretentious or impractical. Notable examples include tacos clipped to a clothesline at Azul Tequila Bistro and pasta served in a copper pot at Jacuzzi in the UK.

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