Summer vacation is finally here! I bet many of you have already planned your trips abroad and are getting ready to feast on incredible food overseas, right? However, I often hear friends complain: "Every time I get an English menu at a restaurant abroad, it truly feels like reading hieroglyphics!" In the end, unable to read it, they can only point to the dish at the next table and say "I want this," or spend ages scanning it with a translation app on their phone—only for the dish that arrives to be completely different from what they imagined. Don't worry! Today, I've put together a super practical "Menu English" cheat sheet. From cooking methods to beef cuts and doneness levels, you'll get it all at once so you can order with confidence abroad and never hit a culinary landmine!
Pan-fried, boiled, stir-fried, or deep-fried? First, understand these "Cooking Keywords"
When you walk into a restaurant, the meat for the main course usually has a string of adjectives in front of it—those are actually the "cooking methods." As long as you recognize these few words, you can instantly picture the texture and flavor of the dish in your mind!
First is pan-fried, which refers to cooking in a pan or searing. It usually yields a dish that is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
- Let's order the pan-fried salmon for our appetizer.
Next is a method very familiar to many food lovers, "stewed" or "braised," which in English is braised. This word is typically used for meats that need to be slow-cooked over low heat for a long time, resulting in an extremely tender and flavorful texture.
- The braised beef short ribs are the specialty of this restaurant.
If you like a rich, aromatic smoky flavor, just look for the word smoked!
- I highly recommend the smoked pulled pork sandwich.
When ordering, we often want to ask the staff how a certain dish is prepared. At this time, you can use this simple sentence:
- How is this chicken dish prepared?
How to choose a steak cut? Differentiating Ribeye and Tenderloin
When entering a Western restaurant, the most headache-inducing part is often the steak cuts. In fact, the two most popular cuts are very easy to distinguish.
If you like a rich, juicy texture with a deep beefy aroma, please choose ribeye. This cut usually has a distinct patch of fat in the middle, which becomes bursting with flavor after being seared.
- I would like the 10-ounce ribeye, please.
If you prefer an elegant texture that is soft, tender, and almost fat-free, then tenderloin (filet mignon) is your best choice.
- The tenderloin is so tender that it melts in your mouth.
At this point, learners often accidentally speak literal translations:
- ✗ I want to eat ribeye meat.
- ✓ I'd like to order the ribeye, please.
In English, when ordering a steak, simply state the name of the cut (like ribeye, tenderloin); there's no need to add "meat" after it!
Asked "How would you like that cooked?" when ordering steak—how should you reply?
After choosing the cut, the server will definitely ask you this question: "How would you like your steak cooked?". At this point, make sure not to literally translate terms from your native language into numbers or direct translations!
Let's look at the authentic English terms for steak doneness:
- ✗ three points → ✓ rare / medium-rare (rare/medium-rare; the meat is pink and extra juicy)
- ✗ five points → ✓ medium (medium; pink center, just the right texture)
- ✗ seven points → ✓ medium-well (medium-well; mostly cooked through with just a hint of pink in the center)
- ✗ full cooked → ✓ well-done (well-done; fully cooked through and grayish-brown)
Pro tip: If you want to enjoy beef at its optimal tenderness, ordering medium-rare or medium is the safest and most delicious choice.
Let's look at a complete ordering conversation:
- Waiter: How would you like your steak cooked?
- You: Medium-rare, please. And could I have the sauce on the side?
The one-second trick to reading English menus
Ordering food abroad is actually very intuitive. Here is a handy "Golden Ordering Formula." Next time you look at a menu, apply it directly to understand the details of the main course in a second:
[ Cooking Method (braised/pan-fried...) + Main Ingredient/Cut (ribeye/salmon...) ]
For example, when you see "Pan-fried cod" on a menu, first identify the cooking method "Pan-fried," and then the main ingredient "cod," and you'll instantly know it's pan-seared cod!
I hope this practical guide to menu English helps make your overseas trips enjoyable and authentic. Next time you walk into a restaurant, look at the menu with confidence and order directly from the staff! See you next time!