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Food and Dinner

Describe a dinner you enjoyed with your friends.
You should say:

  • when and where you had the dinner
  • what you had
  • who you went with
  • and explain why you enjoyed the dinner.

Model Answer

I have had many meals and taken part in many celebrations and parties over the years but among these, there’s one particular time that I remember the most. A few months ago, I went to a barbeque party on the rooftop of one of my friends’ homes. It was actually a farewell party for my best friend since she was going to study abroad, and the meal and the party were both really fantastic.

We had been planning this party for a long time and so on the day, we gathered at my friend’s house and all went shopping and prepared everything together. We had a lot of amazing food that night as my best friend has a real talent for cooking. Thanks to her secret recipe, all the meat was marinated and seasoned perfectly and the taste was simply delicious. Besides the main dishes, a lot of drinks and snacks were served too. I myself enjoyed the dessert the most. It was a fluffy red velvet cake with a classic cream cheese frosting. We bought that from a famous bakery in Hanoi and it was worth every penny.

So we ate the grilled meat, drank beer and chatted the whole evening. During the dinner, we talked about our future, our funniest memories together and everybody had a real blast. There’s no doubt that it could be quite a long time until we can all gather like that again, so that party is very memorable to me.

Vocabulary Highlights

  • farewell party – a party to say goodbye to someone
  • talent for – a natural or good ability to do something
  • marinated – to soak something in herbs, spices and/or flavourings
  • seasoned – to improve the flavour of something by adding salt, herbs and/or spices
  • frosting – the sweet layer on top of a cake
  • worth every penny – it was worth the money that was spent
  • a real blast – a good time

Describe a foreign food you would like to try.
You should say:

  • What it is
  • Where you can eat it
  • How you know about this food
  • And explain why you would like to try it.

Model Answer

Today I would like to tell you about crepes, one of the most popular French street foods that I have been longing to try.

I first became interested in this food after learning about it through a TV program that I watched about a year ago on different cultures around the world. The show gave a really detailed description of how to prepare this dish, what ingredients are required, the different stuffings that are used to make different types of crepes, and why this food is so closely related to French culture. I was watching with utmost interest and attention and
immediately jumped onto my computer to do some more research about it after the show ended.

It’s said that, walking around Paris you can locate street stands selling crepes everywhere and that this dish is a really tasty afternoon snack to indulge in before dinner without ruining your appetite. And even though it is not that hard to find a crepe shop in Hanoi, I believe the taste cannot be compared to the authentic recipe that only street stands or restaurants in France are capable of delivering.

Since watching this program, the idea of walking down the street in Paris while enjoying a delicious crepe has been on the top of my wish-list ever since, and I’ve been saving up money recently hoping that I get to fulfil this dream sometime soon.

Vocabulary Highlights

  • longing to – a strong want or desire to
  • utmost – greatest or most
  • to indulge in – to allow yourself to enjoy something
  • ruining your appetite – to eat something before a meal that makes you not feel hungry anymore
  • authentic – real or genuine, to not be fake
  • capable of delivering – able to offer or achieve
  • wish-list – a list of things someone wants to have or do

Describe a café you like or dislike.
You should say:

  • Where it was
  • When you went there
  • what you ate or drank
  • And explain why you liked or disliked the café.

Model Answer

The fast pace of modern life in the city can be too much for an introvert like myself and I sometimes desire some time to retire into my shell and take a little retreat. Fortunately, I found the perfect place called “Secret garden” which I am going to share with you right now.

“Secret garden” is a garden themed coffee shop located on the rooftop of a building in the centre of Hanoi. The café is well-known for its floral and botanical inspired design, which gives you a sense of peace and tranquillity while enjoying some cake and coffee at the same time.

I have become a frequent guest there and usually go on the weekend. My favourite activities in this coffee shop are reading books while listening to relaxing instrumental music, having a warm cup of tea with cookies or simply just sitting in the exterior garden and enjoying the view.

Despite being popular, the coffee shop’s still able to manage a quiet and soft atmosphereThe setting is perfect with relaxing music, and the staff are really well-trained and cater to the guests’ needs quite well. Also, other guests there are usually really quite respectful and generally don’t disturb other people by talking or laughing too loudly.

It’s rare to find a place like this in Hanoi and I always recommend it to my friends who need a break from the busy city life.

Vocabulary Highlights

  • fast pace – high speed
  • introvert – someone who prefers to be quiet and spend time alone rather than speak with people often
  • retire into my shell – to spend some time alone
  • retreat – to go to a quiet place to escape from something
  • themed – related to a certain idea
  • floral – made of flowers
  • botanical – of plants or trees
  • tranquillity – calm, peaceful and quiet
  • instrumental music – music that does not have any words or lyrics
  • exterior – the outside
  • atmosphere – the feeling of the surrounding area eg. quiet, peaceful atmosphere
  • the setting – the place or room
  • rare – very uncommon
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