IELTS Cue Card Sample 2 – Describe your favorite restaurant.

Note: You will have to talk about the topic for one to two minutes. You have one minute to think about what you are going to say. You can make some notes to help you if you wish.

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Model Answer 1:

Moving to New Delhi from a small town because of the job, of course, has its disadvantages. But, it has some benefits as well, and one such benefit is that you have many, literally a countless number of great restaurants to try your favorite food. Today, I would like to talk about one such restaurant which has been my favorite since the day I moved to the capital of my country.

The name of the restaurant is “Bukhara” which is located in the diplomatic enclave of New Delhi. This high-end fine dining restaurant has an extravagant ambience and stylish aura which reflects the modernity and glamorous style of “Indian Royalty”. The interior wall of this famous, all-Indian restaurant is made of expensive tiles with a perfect lighting scheme to illuminate them. The tables are not placed too close to each other either in order to ensure the privacy of the customers. The plates and cutleries look exceptionally good and elegant which perfectly blends in with the royal interior of the restaurant. And, as for the foods, the celebrated restaurant serves authentic Mughlai foods such as Murgh Tandoori, Tandoori Guchchi, sumptuous Mutton Biryani, Chaamp Taajdar (mutton chops braised and grilled), authentic Butter Chicken and Daal along with Malai tikka and Raarhya Meat which are served with crisp Rotis and Ulta Tawa parathas. It also serves “Sarson da saag” and “Makki di roti”. Finally, Dal Bukhara, served with the Tandoori Naan, Kastoori kebab, Reshmi kebab would also satisfy your taste buds anytime.

It is my favorite restaurant mainly because they always serve fresh food with the best ingredients available in the market. Besides, whenever I come to this restaurant, the staffs always treat me like a “royal” with a very friendly attitude. I love this restaurant also because it always serves the foods at the right time, after ordering for them, without keeping me waiting and hungry. Finally, this is my favorite restaurant also because it perfectly blends the taste of different kinds of Indian cuisines from different parts of India.

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Model Answer 2:

Thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to talk about my favorite restaurant. The name of my favorite restaurant is Diner’s Paradise and it is located in the downtown of the city I live in. I like it because it offers a nice environment and delicious food. Moreover, I have many pleasant memories related to this establishment. My parents celebrated some of my birthday parties there, our college friends arranged get-together parties twice, and on one occasion, one of my cousins’ marriage ceremonies was celebrated at that very place; and all these events make it special to me.

The restaurant has three floors and the sitting arrangement is extraordinary which does not compromise privacy, unlike many other restaurants. Paintings of famous artists hang on the wall and the place is clean. The interior decoration is simply gorgeous. Besides, the ground floor can park more than 50 cars. It also has a large playground for children. Finally, the front view of the restaurant is unique as it gives the aura of a green and lavish garden.

The restaurant offers several dishes including continental menus, Italian, Thai, Indian, Pakistani and local menus along with delightful exotic desserts. Not to mention, the prices are reasonable and the food is served reasonably quickly, contrary to some other eateries where you have to wait for a long for your food to be served. Besides, the attendants and other staff members are friendly and they treat the guests cordially. The restaurant offers a wide range of dishes to pick from and no additional service charge is imposed on the final bill. The soft background music and instrumentals make the environment more enjoyable and soothing. As I have said, tables are not congested and people can enjoy their personal conversations and enjoy sports on large TVs. The large glass-made windows offer a city view which makes the place worth visiting. The place is famous for dining and I have often noticed many foreign tourists visiting the restaurant. It’s a good thing that the authority invites customer feedback and comments on food, service, and dining experience and they take prompt actions against customer complaints.

I would say, this is a really nice restaurant to go to and enjoy the tasty food and I like it very much.

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Model Answer 3:

Thank you very much for this nice topic. I would like to talk about my favorite restaurant and mention where it is, what it looks like, the kinds of food it serves, and why it is so special to me.

My favorite restaurant is in England! It is actually in the suburbs of the city of Sheffield where I live in. The restaurant is on a busy street very near to a large park. It is quite a small and hectic place called Jonty’s because Jonty is the name of the person who set up the business.

From the outside, the restaurant doesn’t look very impressive. It has large glass windows at the front and some benches outside for people to sit on if they are waiting to go in. There used to be a large sign with the name of the restaurant written on it in big letters, but recently they have taken down the sign and not yet replaced it! Inside there are lots of square wooden tables, each with about four chairs around them. The restaurant is on two levels, I prefer to go upstairs to the first floor because there you can sometimes get a window seat and enjoy watching people as they go past in the street outside.

The restaurant serves mainly breakfast and lunch meals. It does really good coffee – I like their latte’s best – and lots of sandwiches, salads and special soups. The restaurant also has a selection of delicious, gooey homemade cakes. However, when I go, I always have the same thing – scrambled egg on wholemeal toast with mushrooms, because that is what I like best!

The restaurant is very special to me and my friends because we meet there every Saturday. On Saturdays about 500 people go to the local park at 9.00 in the morning to take part in a 5 km run. Afterward, I like to go to breakfast at Jonty’s with three of my best friends. We feel we deserve a big breakfast after our run, and we enjoy catching up with each other’s news over a leisurely meal together.

So if ever you are in Sheffield, I hope you will find Jonty’s and enjoy it as much as I do.

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Model Answer 4:

‘Dine Excellence’ is the largest restaurant in our city and this is my favorite eatery in my area. This place offers a great dining experience and the view, both inside and outside, is spectacular. This is a beautiful restaurant with a great price and a clean environment. I often go there to enjoy my meal with my wife and on some occasions, with my friends.

It is a four-storied restaurant and the 2nd floor is reserved for parties and special events. The playground for children is large enough and a good number of toys are placed there for children to have fun. The roof-top is my personal favorite as it gives a very clear view of the surrounding nature and the clear blue sky. If it is not raining, I like to enjoy my dinner on the roof-top. The interior decoration of the restaurant is something that makes it stand out from the crowd. The soft music, delicious dishes, and well-mannered and prompt staffs make it a worth visiting place for food lovers.

The variety of dishes this restaurant offers is another great thing about it. Someone will find almost any local or famous foreign menu there and the master cooks make the food tasty and worth enjoying. Interestingly, the price of the food in this restaurant is comparatively cheaper and that’s the main reason I love this restaurant so much – it is indeed pocket-friendly.  Many other restaurants in my city offer delightful dishes and good services, but most of them are expensive.

The weekly music concert and discount for regular customers are two other reasons I prefer it more than other restaurants. I was very surprised to get as high as 30-35% discount on a few occasions and they told me that this was their way of rewarding loyal customers. I would recommend anyone in this city to enjoy the delicious menu this restaurant offers and I am sure most of them would love the experience.

 

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Tips for answering this Cue Card Topic:

You should talk about a restaurant that you know well. Do not pick a renowned restaurant that you know very little about. You are free to describe the interior design, service, external environment, dishes that are served in the restaurant the way you like. It does not have to be an exact match with the restaurant you actually go to a lot. You should add some of your memorable events of this restaurant. Some of the common features that people like about a restaurant are:

1. Delicious dishes.
2. Reasonable prices.
3. Easy to go there from home.
4. Quiet and nice environment.
5. Attractive decoration and view.
6. Playground for kids.
7. Open space.
8. Privacy.
9. Service and behavior of the staff.
10. Special treats for the regular customer.
11. A variety of dishes.
12. Past memory related to the restaurant.
13. Recommendations from friends and family members.
14. Discounts, etc.

In your answer, you can use some of the above-mentioned points and expand them to make it sound realistic.

Necessary vocabulary for this cue card:

The appetizer, beverage, bill, cheque, buffet, complimentary, delicious, dessert, fine dining, homemade, patio, reservation, self-serve, side dish, waiter, waitress, set menu, cutlery, napkin, starter, main course, tip.

If you prepare for this cue card topic you should be able to answer the following cue cards as well:

1. Talk about a place you often go to. (You can say that you often go to this restaurant)
2. Describe a place you would recommend to your friends to visit.
3. Describe a party center you went to recently.
4. Describe a restaurant you recently visited.
5. Talk about a place where you often meet your friends.
6. Describe a restaurant that you enjoyed going to.

Part 3: Details Discussion:

Q: Which one is better: homemade food or food from a restaurant?
Answer: This question is really enticing. It seems to me that homemade food is healthier; of course, because you are completely responsible for its preparation and you know exactly the ingredients that are included. For example, you are aware of the quantity of salt, olive oil, sugar, pepper et cetera.

On the other hand, the food at restaurants is undoubtedly more delicious and satiating, but it isn’t as wholesome as the former. These types of food are high in saturated fats and oils and they aren’t easily digestible. So I would argue that restaurant food is tastier but homemade food is healthier. Moreover, food in restaurants is expensive while homemade food is not.

Q: What traditional food do you have in your country?
Answer: For the last three years I have been living in the UK but I am a native of Greece so I would like to talk about Greek traditional foods. Greek cuisine is renowned worldwide and not without a reason. First and foremost we have the famous Greek souvlaki combined with tzatziki. This is the food that anyone who comes to Greece wants to taste. Going further, I can think of Greek mousakas which is a really tasty dish and it consists of potatoes, eggplants, minced beef, and cream. Similar to mousakas, pastitsio is equally delicious with some variations. There are many other types of food, but I think that those I have already mentioned are the ”landmark” of the Greek diet.

Q. What types of food do tourists in your city prefer?
Answer: The types of food tourists in Greece try and enjoy vary greatly. Some tourists come here to enjoy traditional food like Barbouni, Dolmades, Kokoretsi, and Gigandes. Some try fast food and like to visit a food court that has brands like KFC or McDonald’s. Finally, many solely prefer vegan items like Fava, Spanakopita, and Skordalia.

I have even seen some tourists who try anything they find interesting and young tourists mostly fall into this category.

Tips: You can talk about some local food items from your hometown, or from your own country as well for the above question. You can see some examples below:

England: fish and chips, different kinds of meat pies such as kidney, cottage, steak and pork pies, black peas, scotch eggs, roast beef, and Yorkshire pudding.
Italy: pizza, spaghetti, breadsticks, acquacotta, carbonara, tortellini.
France: soupe à l’oignon, boeuf bourguignon, flamiche, ratatouille.
Germany: doner kebab, currywurst, wiener schnitzel, kasespatzle.
USA: pancakes, club sandwich, cheeseburger, macaroni and cheese, pumpkin and apple pie.
India: Chhole Bhature, Rogan Josh, Makki Ki Roti, Matar Paneer, Panipuri, Tundury Kebab, Hilsa Fish Curry, Vada Pav, Hyderabadi Biryani, Dosa, Indian Chaat.
Japan: Sushi, Tempura, Sashimi, Udon, Kaiseki.

[Part 3 answers and tips are written by Mary, UK, Economist with Main Field of Studies in Business Economics.]