House Rules
House Rules (or, How to Survive Dinner at Viking’s Table)
Because Viking’s Table takes place in an actual home and not a restaurant, a few simple house rules help keep the evening pleasant for everyone.
Bring Your Own Bottle
I am not licensed to sell alcohol. The bar you will see is my personal collection (yes, I know it looks tempting), but please consider it strictly decorative for the evening. Guests are very welcome to bring their own bottles to enjoy and share. And before you ask: there is no corkage fee. Charging people to open a bottle they already bought has always felt like a strange concept to me. A good Viking brings drink to the table. A great one still remembers the way home.
Shoes Off
The food is French, but the house is Asian. Shoes come off at the door. Your socks will survive the experience.
Be On Time
Dinner starts at 7:30 pm. The French have an unwritten rule: arriving up to about 7 minutes late can be considered polite. Anything beyond that starts becoming suspicious. Please try not to test this theory.
This Is a Home
The furniture, the table, and the art around you were all bought with my own money and, occasionally, emotional debate. Please treat the space the way you would treat someone’s home—because that is exactly what it is. And for that matter, kids are not permitted in the house.
The Evening Has an End
As much as I enjoy hosting, I do eventually need to sleep. The evening usually wraps up around 11:00 pm, which gives everyone plenty of time to eat, drink, talk, and still leave with fond memories (and a functioning host the next morning).
Meet the Dog
There is a dog in the house. He is my baby. He is extremely gentle, slightly shy with strangers, and usually more interested in observing the evening than participating in it.
Dietary Requests
Menus are prepared in advance and designed as a complete experience. For that reason, Viking’s Table does not accommodate lifestyle diets such as vegan requests, highly restrictive gym diets, or other personal food philosophies. I will happily accommodate vegetarian guests when notified in advance.
Influencers (A Friendly Note)
You are absolutely welcome to take a photo of your plate. Food deserves a moment of appreciation. However, if your plan is to photograph every angle, film every course, narrate the experience to your phone, and only taste the food once the lighting is perfect… Viking’s Table may not be the ideal venue for that. The goal here is to enjoy the dinner, not to produce a documentary about it.
Respect the Table
Come hungry, curious, and ready to enjoy the company around you. Good food matters, but the best evenings usually happen when people relax, open a bottle, and forget to check the time.
No Divas at the Table
Divas belong on stage, not at the dinner table. Viking’s Table is an experience meant to be enjoyed, not dissected. I’m not a professionally trained chef and I don’t have stars next to my name—the only stars here are the ones in my eyes when I see people enjoying the evening. If you arrive with the mindset of a food critic or feel the urge to judge every detail, there are many excellent restaurants in the city that will happily accommodate you.