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Small plates are everywhere. But done badly they're just expensive tapas, too little food and too much theatre. Done well, they're one of the best ways to eat. Here's how we think about them at Fable.
The small plates format has been adopted so widely that it's easy to forget why it works when it works. Sharing food changes the dynamic of a meal. It's more exploratory, more conversational, more generous in spirit. The problem is that most small plates menus are built around the format rather than the food, which gets things exactly the wrong way around.
At Fable, the evening menu was designed from the ingredients outward. The question wasn't "what can we put on small plates?" but "what flavours do we want to build the evening around, and how should they be served?" The sharing format followed from that, not the other way around.
"Small plates work when the kitchen is confident enough to let the ingredients do the talking. Restraint is harder than complexity, and more rewarding to eat."
The Fable kitchen
The evening menu changes with the seasons, which is how it should be. The selection reflects what's good right now and what the kitchen is excited about. The best way to know what's on is to come in and ask. The team will point you toward what's worth trying that evening and what pairs well with what's on the wine and cocktail list.
As a general rule, two or three plates between two people is the sweet spot. Enough variety to be interesting, enough food to be satisfying. Order a couple to start, see how you feel, and go from there.
The wine list at Fable has been chosen with the food in mind. Something like the Tilia Malbec from Mendoza works well alongside richer, more substantial plates. The Curious Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough is a better fit for lighter dishes. The Peyrassol organic rosé from Provence sits comfortably alongside almost anything.
If you're unsure what to order, ask. The team knows the list and the kitchen equally well, and a good pairing recommendation takes about thirty seconds to give.
Resist the urge to order everything at once. The menu is designed to be explored gradually, ideally with a drink in hand and nowhere to be for a while. Order a couple of dishes, see how you feel, and add more as the evening progresses. It's a more relaxed and more enjoyable way to eat.
