A technique to produce blur in close-up photos taken with a single-lens reflex camera.
Photograph the plate at an angle where the front edge of the plate with the dish comes to the center of the screen. Then, the blurred edge of the plate will produce a sense of blurring to bring out the in-focus dish.

The table at a bright window with contrasting light and shadow. In such a case, enjoy that situation by turning the bad conditions to your advantage without treating them as a "nuisance". For example, the shadow created by the glass can be considered unexpectedly beautiful. While eating your meal, trigger your camera toward the artistic creation of "light and shadow" only during that time, and you can savor the time at the table much more efficiently.

Although there are various keys to photographing dishes so as to make the dishes look tasty, the most important thing is to express "the sense of sizzle and reality". When you try out the food at various restaurants, you will not always be able to obtain a suitable lighting environment such as that used by professional media photographers. To make viewers experience a "tasty-looking" feeling when they see your photos, I think it is necessary to retouch the photos. When retouching photos, you should keep "the sense of sizzle and reality" in mind. Being aware of this point should prevent you from making mistakes such as using unnatural paint colors or overly emphasizing artificial outlines of the dish.

There are many restaurants serving good food in every town.
A plate of tasty food served at a restaurant in which you had a happy time; do your best to take photos of such food so that it looks tasty.
It will show "gratitude" toward the restaurant, and will allow you to quickly pass on information about "the place that makes you happy" to viewers.
This will be for your own pleasure as well as giving ideas to someone who sees the photographs.
It's nice if you can try out the food at various restaurants like that, isn't it?