OBJECTS, PLACES & PEOPLE IN A FRENCH RESTAURANT:
The restaurant can have two rooms:
- Une salle intérieure: You can eat inside / in the "salle intérieure".
- And une salle extérieure : You can eat outside / on the restaurant terrace / "en terrasse".
Une salle intérieure
Une salle extérieure
On the table, one can find:
- Une serviette (paper or cloth) to wipe one's mouth.
- Un set de table to protect the table and sometimes the menu is written on it.
- La carte des vins in which different alcohols are listed.
- Une nappe made of cloth or plastic that covers the table.
- Le menu or la carte where I can find the list of dishes.
- Les sauces such as ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise.
- Les couverts (from left to right) the fork, the knife, and the spoon.
- Un verre in which I'll be served water.
- Une corbeille de pain to accompany my meals.
- Une carafe d’eau which is free in France.
- Le poivre to pepper my dishes and le sel to salt my dishes.
Une serviette
Un set de table
La carte des vins
Une nappe
Le menu / La carte
Les sauces
Les couverts
Un verre
Une corbeille de pain
Une carafe d'eau
Le poivre et le sel
In the restaurant, I can see:
- Le serveur or la serveuse who will serve me throughout this meal.
We call them by saying "S'il vous plait". We don't say "Garçon!" nowadays.
- You can also spot in the kitchen le chef or la cheffe.
La serveuse / Le serveur
Le chef / La cheffe
Depending on what I order, I might be brought:
- Une assiette plate which is the most common type of plate.
- Une assiette creuse for soups or dishes with sauce.
- Un verre à vin which is the empty object, without the wine.
- Un verre de vin which is the object filled with wine.
- Une bouteille de vin or de champagne available on the wine list.
- Un bol in which salad or soup will be served.
- Une tasse in which tea or coffee will be served.
- Une soucoupe that will be under my cup.
Une assiette plate
Une assiette creuse
Un verre à vin
Un verre de vin
Une bouteille de vin
Un bol
Une tasse
Une soucoupe
The different types of cutlery:
- A knife or a steak fork if you order meat (viande).
- A knife or a fish fork if you order fish (poisson).
- A spreader or a butter knife to spread butter (beurre) on bread (pain).
- A cheese knife to cut cheese (fromage).
- A teaspoon to drink your coffee or tea (thé).
- A tablespoon or a soup spoon to eat soup or pasta (pâtes).
THE MENU:
Let's look in detail at the menu:
This booklet, we can call it the menu. Inside, we can find the list of menus or formulas (formules).
A menu or a formula typically consists of a starter (entrée), a main course (plat), cheese (fromages) or dessert.
A starter (Une entrée)
A main course (Un plat)
Cheese (Du fromage)
A dessert (Un dessert)
At the restaurant, you can choose to order a menu, à la carte, or the daily menu (le menu du jour).
A menu
À la carte
The daily menu (Le menu du jour)
MEAT IN FRENCH (LA VIANDE EN FRANÇAIS):
Let's see now, the different types of meat (types de viande):
We have beef (le bœuf) and here are the different types of beef cuts we can find at the restaurant:
- A rib steak (Une côte de boeuf)
- A ribeye steak (Une entrecôte)
- A sirloin (Un faux-filet)
- A rump steak (Un rumsteak)
- A flank steak (Une bavette)
- A hanger steak (Un onglet)
The cooking of meat (La cuisson de la viande):
Blue (Une cuisson bleue)
Rare (Une cuisson saignante)
Medium (Une cuisson à point)
Cooked (Une cuisson cuite)
Well-done (Une cuisson bien cuite)
We have veau (veal) and here are the different types of veau cuts you can find in a restaurant:
Le veau
- Une côte de veau
- Un filet de veau
- Une noix de veau
- Un osso buco
We have agneau (lamb) and here are the different types of agneau cuts you can find in a restaurant:
L'agneau
- Une côte ou côtelette
- Un filet de veau
We have canard (duck) and here are the different types of canard cuts you can find in a restaurant:
Le canard
- Du magret de canard
We have poulet (chicken) and here are the different types of poulet cuts you can find in a restaurant:
Du poulet
- Un filet
- Des aiguillettes
- Une escalope
- Des nuggets
- Un suprême
- Un poulet rôti
- Une cuisse de poulet
We have porc (pork) and here are the different types of porc cuts you can find in a restaurant:
Le porc
- De la charcuterie
- Un filet mignon
- Un jarret de porc
FISH IN FRENCH:
We have fish and here are the main types of fish that can be found in restaurants:
- Du bar
- Des anchois
- Du brochet
- Du cabillaud
- Du colin
- De la daurade
- De la lotte
- Du merlan
- Du saumon
- De la truite
SIDE DISHES IN FRENCH:
With meat or fish, you can choose a side dish. Here are the main ones that can be offered:
- De la salade
- Des frites
- Des pâtes
- Du riz
- Du gratin dauphinois
- Des légumes
- Des crudités
- De la ratatouille
COOKING METHODS IN FRENCH:
In restaurants, it is sometimes specified how the food is prepared, or you can ask for its cooking method. Here are the different methods:
- À la poêle
- Vapeur ou à l’étouffée
- À l'eau
- Au wok
- Au four
- À l’huile ou frite
- Au grill
CHEESES IN FRENCH:
In restaurants, it is very common to eat cheese after our dish. Before dessert or as dessert. We also find many dishes with a cheese sauce. Let's see the main cheeses:
Du brie
Du camembert
Du morbier
Du saint-nectaire
Du roquefort
Du conté
Du chèvre
Du cheddar
Du parmesan
Du Saint-Félicien
Du mont d’or
Du Beaufort
Du tomme
Du reblochon
De l’emmental
De la feta
De la mimolette
Du gruyère
ALLERGIES AND INTOLERANCES:
One can experience intolérances, when the digestive tract has difficulty assimilating a food.
And one can be allergic, have allergies that are directly linked to the immune system.
One can be intolérant(e) or allergique to:
- arachide
- oeufs
- fruits à coque
- lactose
- gluten
- blé
- fruits de mer
- soja
- sulfites
DIFFERENT DIETS IN FRENCH:
Here are the different diets:
- Omnivore = who eats everything
- Flexitarien = who occasionally eats meat and fish
- Végétarien = who doesn't eat animal flesh (no meat or fish)
- Végétalien or végan = who doesn't eat or use anything derived from an animal
It is sometimes indicated on the menu if a dish is végétarien, végétalien and also spicy.
DRINKS IN FRENCH:
Various drinks are offered on le menu or la carte, but there is also la carte des vins where you can find the different wines available.
- Du vin
- De la bière
- Du cidre
- Du sirop
- Du jus de fruit
- Des sodas
- De l’eau plate
- De l'eau gazeuse
- Un café
- Un thé
- Une tisane
Beer quantity is specified in cl:
- 12.5 cl,
- 25 cl or un demi,
- 50 cl or une pinte
In a restaurant, you can have un apéritif, which is an alcoholic or non-alcoholic drink consumed before the meal to stimulate the appetite.
There's also the digestif which is an alcoholic drink consumed after the meal to aid digestion.
BILLS AND TIPS IN FRENCH:
Let's conclude with the vocabulary related to payment at the restaurant:
When we've finished our meal, we can ask for la note or l’addition. We can pay at our table or au comptoir of the restaurant. We can pay en espèces, by carte bancaire or by chèque.
One can also leave a pourboire. It's not mandatory, but if you really enjoyed the restaurant's service, it's possible. You can leave a tip in cash or by card, and ask to add a few euros to the total bill.
