VCAL Lunch Experience

Lunch at Cilantro Restaurant Holmesglen TAFE Moorabbin

On Tuesday  11 June the Hospitality and Tourism VCAL class went to Cilantro Restaurant on the Holmesglen Hospitality campus. We went in with no expectations of the place and we had no clue what type of food we were going to be served.

We were greeted by a man called Roderick who was learning hospitality and waiting skills at Holmesglen. We sat down at a large round table and were given the menu. The menu was small but had a variety of foods such as vegetarian options, fish, beef and a spicy salad dish. I ordered the fried tofu dish with broccolini and a mocktail called ‘The Shirley Temple’. As we waited for our food we were served our drinks. The Shirley Temple turned out to be a mocktail that tasted like raspberry lemonade - it tasted really sweet and it was very refreshing.

The atmosphere in the restaurant was pretty laid back but the music was terrible, it didn’t really suit the occasion. The table service was attentive. They were always coming around for water refills and were very accommodating. On the other hand,  the waiters and waitresses were still learning. They were quiet and not very clearly spoken, which made it feel like they weren’t prepared and were not familiar with the menu.

When my tofu dish came out, it looked fresh and neatly presented. The tofu was warm and crispy and very flavoursome. We were given fries as a side as well. For dessert I ordered a fruit salad with homemade vanilla ice cream. The fruit salad was generous in size and really filled me up. By the end of the lunch, I was full and satisfied with the food I had ordered. Miss Sears was very pleased with her tasty fish bowl and she said the lemon pudding with vanilla ice-cream was “to die for”, Chris Duke also agreed with this comment. The hospitality was really great and the staff were very friendly to us.  I think everyone really enjoyed themselves and we would definitely recommend this restaurant experience to others.

Erin Reily

Senior VCAL