On a restaurant or café card you describe taste, atmosphere and people. An Uzbek choyxona or a national-food restaurant is a great choice: new and interesting for the examiner.
The cue card
Describe a restaurant or café you enjoyed going to.
You should say:
where it is
what kind of food it serves
who you went there with
and explain why you enjoyed it.
One-minute notes
- where: choyxona near my university, Tashkent, by a canal
- food: plov at lunch only, shashlik, green tea
- who: classmates after exams
- why: atmosphere, tapchan by the water, owner remembers us, cheap
Model answer (about 2 minutes)
I'd like to describe a choyxona near my university in Tashkent. A choyxona is a traditional teahouse, but in practice it's a place where people come for long, slow meals and conversation.
This one is on the bank of a small canal, and in warm weather you sit outside on a tapchan, which is a kind of wooden platform covered with cushions, where you take your shoes off and sit around a low table.
They're famous for their plov, which they only serve at lunchtime, and once it's gone, it's gone, so you have to arrive before one o'clock. They also do excellent shashlik in the evenings, and of course endless pots of green tea.
I usually go there with my classmates, especially after exams. It's become a sort of tradition: whatever happens in the exam, we end up there afterwards, discussing every question we got wrong.
The reason I enjoy it is mainly the atmosphere. Sitting by the water in the shade, with the sound of people chatting all around, it feels completely different from a modern café. The owner remembers us and always brings an extra plate of salad without being asked. And it's cheap, which matters a lot when you're a student.
Useful words and phrases
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| on the bank of | on the bank of |
| a teahouse | a teahouse |
| once it's gone, it's gone | once it's gone, it's gone |
| endless pots of tea | endless pots of tea |
| in the shade | in the shade |
| without being asked | without being asked |
| adapt | adapt |
| overwhelmingly | overwhelmingly |
How to answer
- Explain cultural words: "a tapchan, which is a kind of wooden platform".
- Vary adjectives for taste and atmosphere: "crispy", "tender", "cosy", "lively".
- Talk about a tradition or habit: "It's become a sort of tradition".
- Give several reasons: the atmosphere, the people, the price.
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The AI examiner asks you these questions, listens to your answers and shows your mistakes.
Part 3: follow-up discussion questions
Why do people like eating out?
Partly for convenience, but mostly, I think, for the social side. Eating out gives people a reason to meet, and it's a break from cooking and cleaning, especially for women, who still do most of the cooking in many families.
Are traditional restaurants losing popularity to fast food?
Among teenagers, a little. But traditional places are adapting, with delivery and modern interiors, and for family celebrations people still overwhelmingly choose national food.
Should restaurants be required to show calories on menus?
How has eating out changed in your country?
Part 2 strategy: the cue card guide. Next step: the Part 3 guide.
Practise this topic now
The AI examiner asks you these questions, listens to your answers and shows your mistakes.
