English discussing about catering, Food items, dishes, how to write review about restaurent

Writing

Read the descriptions of three restaurants in your city.

‘Soul Spice’

Set up in January this year, Soul Spice has already made itsmark in the outside Catering Sector. The restaurant is run by Chef Divta and his team. According to Chef Divta, ‘traditional food worked in a modern way, (in other words, ‘fusion food’) is the secret of the restaurant’s success.’ Canapés are a speciality with smoked lamb; and Sushi made with special Malabar fish is proving
a big hit with clients. Says the Chef, ‘When customers dine at my restaurant, they do so because they trust my team to present them a tasty meal, served in pleasant surroundings and at a price they are comfortable with. Their trust extends to our choice and sourcing of ingredients. They return to us time and again because the dishes comprise the freshest and best raw materials in the market.’

‘LEAN and LOVELY’

Housed in an 18th century style heritage building with wooden panelling running through the thirty-seat dining area, ‘Lean and Lovely’ is the latest attraction in Siddhapuram Nagar. Says the owner and Chef Virina, ‘People come to us for the unusual fare that we serve. Fairly ordinary Indian recipes are ignited with a dash of sauce and spiced with colour. There is a harmony and balance between taste, lightness and tradition. Wholly organically grown vegetables and flour are used. We use the freshest of ingredients that are cut and cooked so as to display their colour and individual texture. Meat and Fish are marinated, then steamed, braised, broiled, or grilled with herbs and spices to bring out their flavours. Minimum oil is used.’ This means that our margins are very low as the ingredients we use are costly. Our desserts are the most popular; especially the apple purrée with cream; And lemonjelly, and the pastry filled with ‘mava’, nuts, and fruit.

‘QUICK and CHEESY’

Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker’s man
Bake me a pizza –the best that you can
Peppers, Tomato sauce, slices of cheese ….
All on a crust of whole meal, if you please.

……reads a brightly lit board at the entrance of this tiny restaurant which has been serving “fast –food” for a decade now. Located at the corner of the Island Road Junction, this recently refurbished restaurant is attracting a lot of customers. The reason ….? Its brand new menu that changes daily! Says Chef Biro, “Our menu includesa variety of ‘chaats’, and curries, besides salads, burgers, pizzas, and milk-shakes. The most popular items on the menu include the ones that bring back aromas of 25 years ago ….. the ‘bissi bela bhath, pepper chicken Chettinad, Indian fish curry and Nilgiri Korma with keema rice.’ A newly installed vending machine with fresh milk serves up to100 cups a day. And makes perfect espresso, cappucino, and latte, in addition to tea, from different parts of the globe, at the touch of a button. “However,” adds Chef B ruefully, “it hasn’t been easy and we’re still waiting to break even.”

Task:Work in pairs and decide which restaurant you would like
to visit. Imagine you visit the restaurant. Then write a report
for the newspaper about the restaurant. Remember to plan
your report and to write in paragraphs.
Here are some tips to help you:

1st para: name of restaurant and occasion
2nd para: description of restaurant - ambience, colour, decor, music,
etc. - description of people working there - whether pleasant, clean,
polite, quick to respond, etc. - description of food - presentation,
taste, quantity, variety, etc.
3rd para: Conclusion - the overall experience

E. Vocabulary

Task 1: Work in pairs. Think of all the words people generally use to describe food. Some may suggest positive qualities, like ‘fresh’ or ‘tasty’; others negative like ‘stale’ or ‘rancid’. Yet other describing words may suggest both, positive and negative, like ‘hot’ or ‘spicy’. Work together and make three lists a) Positive b) Negative c) Common words. Share your lists with another pair. If there are
words unfamiliar to you, consult a dictionary.

Task 2: Here are some words that we associate with food. Some are names of food items; others are ways of preparing food; and yet others are ways of cooking food. Put them in the categories given below.

Names of Food items:
Fish/Shellfish
Poultry
Herbs
Spices
Dairy products
Nuts
Desserts
Beverages

Ways of Preparing food:

Ways of Cooking food:

oysters, chicken, parsley, cinnamon, chocolate mousse, cheese, chop, lobster, deep-fry, yoghurt, almonds, halwa, microwave, slice, bay leaf, Espresso, walnuts, turkey, grille, beat, buttermilk, latte, pepper, mussels, knead, saute, Christmas cake, nutmeg, basil, cream, pine-nuts, whip, butter, payasam, prawn, rosemary, cloves, grate, roast, pancakes, parboil, duck, ginger, cappuccino, cashews, steam, shark, stir-fry.