The brief
A two-course sit-down dinner for 16 guests, at home, with waiting staff — one of our Private Dining bookings from earlier this year.
The menu
Starters: Parippu vadas, served with coconut and coriander chutney.
Mains — a thali: Malabar prawns, lamb ishtu, lemon rice, green beans and chickpeas poriyal, appalam, cucumber raita.
What we did
Before the day, we prepared sample menus with the client and worked around their preferences to finalise the thali above — and visited the venue in advance to understand the space and facilities available, so the flow and layout were planned ahead of time rather than worked out on arrival. Full allergen information was provided both in advance and on the day, so every guest had visibility of what was in each dish. We used the client's own kitchen for last-minute preparation, and took care of the table decoration, crockery, cutlery and napkins ourselves — plus individual printed menus for each guest. Waiting staff served both courses — parippu vadas to start, then the mains thali — so the host could actually sit down with their guests rather than run the evening. The same reason people book Private Dining over a buffet: it turns a dinner party into an evening out, without leaving the house!