There are fashions in the way food is served; always has been, always will be.
At the moment, the two dominant features seem to be smearing sauces, and piling each component on top of each other. The smearing I can live with: it can be quite artistic, though it does seem to mean that you end up with fairly small amounts of sauce. I’m not keen on the piling, though; it can make it difficult to see what you’re being given, and it squishes all the flavours together. I find I spend my time deconstructing it.
Plates presented that way do look pretty, but as you point out once you cut into it the effect is ruined. I usually use my knife and fork to lift the top layer (generally the protein) to the side, and then proceed.
I like the squid ravioli in a lemongrass broth and free-range rabbit with goat-cheese profiteroles, maple syrup and arugula, the swordfish meatloaf with onion marmalade and roasted partridge breast with corn chowder bisque, peanuts and dill, and the blackened lobster with strawberry sauce and peach ravioli.
My daughter piles her corn on her mashed potatoes and my husband smears his mashed potatoes on his meatloaf. I feel both these practices are wrong on a deep and spiritual level, because every right-thinking person knows different foods aren’t supposed to touch on the plate.
Not that I completely agree with all modern plating practices, but my impression (from lots of Food Network viewing) is that the pile is supposed to be eaten together. The chef wants those flavors to blend in a single bite. As near as I can tell, it’s a way of letting them use strong flavors but provide a mitigating flavor to keep the first from being overwhelming.
That said, some of the stacks I’ve seen require near-professionally utility with a knife and fork to be edible as a “stacked bite”. Too much time and trouble (for too little reward) for me.
Another off-putting aspect of stacked food is that I can’t help thinking of a Big Mac.
I’m always having this debate with myself about separating or mixing foods. I like the taste of individual items, but one of the points of paying for a good chef’s food is to enjoy his ability to mix and blend tastes.