AT THE RESTAURANT

In all large English towns there are plenty of restaurants, cafes, tea rooms, or public houses (pubs). All the large hotels have restaurants where you can have a snack or dinner.

In London for the really cheap places it is very interesting to explore the little French or Italian restaurants of Soho. Spanish visitors who are feeling homesick can, within a hundred yards of Piccadilly, find the Spanish Restaurant and imagine they have gone back to Spain for the decoration, the salads, the cooking, the wines, the waiters and most of the diners are Spanish.

In the same way there are Indian, Chinese, Hungarian, or Jewish restaurants.

If you want real old English food you must go to the Strand. Here roast beef - cooked at open roasting fire - is wheeled to your table and carved before your eyes.

Most visitors like to go to the "old Cheshire Cheese" of Fleet Street, an old chop-house where famous writers used to go. The traditional dish here is rumpsteak, kidney, and oyster pudding. A plate of this with a pint of bitter beer in a long glass, followed by the pancake or the toasted cheese and special "punch" in a china bowl, is a meal you don't easily forget. At the restaurant you may either reserve a table beforehand by telephone or occupy any table disengaged at the moment you come. There is a menu which contains the names of all dishes available for the first, second and third courses. It offers a choice of appetizers, drinks, meat or fish dishes as well as various kinds of soup and broth. The most popular meat dishes are beefsteak, rumpsteak, roast beef, chicken with mashed or fried potatoes, macaronis or noodles.

For dessert you may order ice-cream, coffee, tea or juice. After you have chosen the dishes the waiter or waitress takes your order and gives you a bill. Some minutes later the dinner is served.

Exercise I

A. Answer the following questions:

1.In all large towns you can have a snack or dinner at a restaurant. What other places for having a snack can you name? Which is the cheapest (the most expensive)?

2. In London there are some international restaurants. Why were they opened? Do you have restaurants like these in your town? Did you have to visit one of them? Do you like foreign food? Which is your favourite? What is the real English food? What are the most popular meat dishes in England?

B. Describe the procedure of visiting restaurants. These questions will help you:

1. What is the way of reserving a table at a restaurant?

2. How can you know of the dishes offered at the restaurant?

3. What other information can be found on the menu?

4. What follows the procedure when the visitor has chosen dishes?

Exercise II

Using the model "We call this (these),.. " answer the questions:

What do we call...?

1) a slice of bread browned on each side by heat especially at the fire

2) two slices of buttered bread with a piece of meat, cheese, etc. between

3) drinks like juice, lemonade, tonic

4) fresh eggs broken and poured on the frying pan (сковорода)

5) drinks like beer, gin, wine, sherry

6) a meal served between half past twelve and half past one

7) a vegetable or meat salad, slices of cold meat, herring served at the very beginning of the meal

8) raw (сырой) potatoes fried crisp (хрустящий)

Exercise III

Name five various kinds of:

1)fish dishes;

2) vegetable dishes;

3) meat dishes.

Exercise IV

Say what you can order at the restaurant or cafe:

1) foran appetizer;

2) for the second course;

3) for dessert.

Exercise V

Write out the menu for:

1) a dinner party at home;

2) a Sunday supper at home.

Exercise VI

Read and translate the dialogue:

AT THE RESTAURANT

Waiter: Good evening, sir. Good evening, madam.

George: Good evening. We’d like a table for two, please.

W: Certainly. Is this table all right?

G: That’s fine. Could we have the menu, please?

W: Certainly. The soup of the day is French onion soup.

W: Are you ready to order?

G: Yes. First I’d like the pate.

Linda: And for me a prawn cocktail.

W: Yes, madam.

G: And then for the main course I’d like the lamb chops.

L: And I’d like the steak.

W: How would you like the stake?

L: Medium, please.

W: That’s fine. What vegetables would you like?

L: Potatoes and cauliflower, please.

W: Would you like to order some wine?

L: Yes. Can I see the wine list? A bottle of French red.

G: And some mineral water, please.

W: Fizzy mineral water or still?

G: Still, please.

______ _______ _______

G: That was delicious.

W: Thank you very much. Would you like some coffee?

L: Yes. Black, please.

G: And can we have the bill?

W: Of course.

G: Is the service included?

W: No. It isn’t, sir.

G: Can I pay by credit card?

W: Yes. That’s fine.

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