On a restaurant menu, which phrase means you can order something separately, instead of as part of a set meal?

'À la carte' is a French phrase that translates into English as 'by the card' or 'according to the menu'. Certain dishes on a restaurant menu may be offered 'à la carte', meaning they do not belong to a set meal or special offer.

The first people to use menus were the Chinese during the Song Dynasty around 1100 CE. Unlike inns, which only served whatever food was prepared that day, restaurants gave customers a list of items to choose from.

In Europe, dining establishments such as public restaurants did not appear until the late 1700s. The first modern day European menus evolved in France, from which we also get the word 'menu'. The word is derived from the Latin 'minutus', which describes anything small and detailed. Initially, any brief list of information was considered to be a menu, but with the rise of restaurants in 19th century France, the word took on its new meaning.

One of the first American establishments to give diners the option to order individual items off a menu was Delmonico's in New York, which arrived in the 1830s. French words were used on the menu, including 'à la carte', which also remain in use on many menus today.

Other French phrases used on menus include 'table d'hôte' ('host's table' - preset menus), 'les spécialités' ('the specialties'), 'le plat principal' ('the main dish'), 'entrée' ('starter'), and 'le dessert' ('the desserts').