There’s a reason why the first two sittings of Bermuda College’s The Prospect Room were fully booked before it had even been advertised that the restaurant was open.The food, service and presentation have received rave reviews from diners since the four-course lunch was first offered last week.According to Trescot Wilson, the college’s dean of hospitality, there’s a waiting list of people eager to sample the $28 menu prepared by culinary arts students.“Folks are becoming aware of the work we do and what the college does in terms of its hospitality programmes and we get a lot of support from the family and friends of the students involved,” Dr Wilson said.The Royal Gazette stopped by The Prospect Room recently to find out what all the buzz was about.Stepping into the kitchen you could smell as fresh bread rolls were taken out of the oven and put into a basket as the first patrons started to arrive.Ilda Lopes, 19, was charged with creating mini grilled cheese sandwiches to go along with the tomato soup appetiser.The cheese mixture was made out of a combination of heavy cream, cheese, milk, onions, garlic and a splash of white wine and seasonings, spread in between two small rounds of buttered bread.Miss Lopes grilled each piece until it was golden brown on the griddle.The creamy tomato soup was made with vine-ripened tomatoes and sweet garlic, then puréed and finished with a hint of pesto and heavy cream.The vegetarian chilli with sweet peppers, chipotle peppers, green onions, garlic, tomato paste and black beans, combined in a cumin broth with mild heat proved a favourite with diners.Prepared by Raeven White, it resembled a chunky vegetable soup with some real bite thanks to the chipotle.Guests next feasted on ocean fresh clams that were steamed and encrusted with Panko breadcrumbs.Twenty-three-year-old Christen Burgess helped make the filling for the clams.She combined diced turkey sausage and turkey bacon with garlic, shallots, lemon zest, parsley, tarragon and sun-dried tomatoes. She then sautéed the mixture in olive oil and stuffed it into the steamed clams.Students were given a “basic recipe concept” by instructors Shawn Ming and Teneika Eve, then allowed to improvise, Ms Burgess said.They’re pushed to pay attention to every detail on the plate and create garnishes to help the guests “eat with their eyes” before taking the first bite, Ms Eve said.A salad of fresh greens was topped with a nest of shredded beets and carrots pickled in vinegar, sugar and pepper flakes.Over in a separate kitchen, hospitality management students were busily working on the main course under the leadership of Mr Ming.Nikki Thomas, 20, helped create one of the side dishes called the Golden Pomme William Potato.Mashed potatoes were shaped into pears and put in the freezer until hard. They were then coated in flour, egg and breadcrumbs and deep fried until golden brown.A little clove was put on top of the potatoes to complete their look as pears.Miss Thomas said she liked that the college programme taught her both the service and cooking aspects of the hospitality trade.She said: “I was a bit more nervous before today than I actually am today because we did all the prep work and I felt by the time people got here we had half of it already prepared and ready.“It’s nice that everything has gone smoothly this morning, so we don’t have to worry too much.”A layered vegetable dish, called Vegetable Napoleon, was also on offer as a side dish. These were paired with entrees like the pan-seared grouper steak, wrapped in crisp hickory bacon and then rested in a bay of citrus butter sauces.Herb-roasted chicken, marinated in a fresh herb garden medley and slowly roasted until tender, was also on offer as a main course.Dessert was a creme brulee, served with tea and coffee.Said Shane Morrissey of his experience as a waiter during the busy service: “At first I thought it would be pretty hectic, but it’s cool learning the other side of the business.”Miss Lopes made the creme brulee by mixing heavy cream and sugar in a sauce pan, before adding vanilla beans and bringing the pot to a boil. She then tempered the egg yolks into it, to avoid them cooking too fast and ending up as scrambled eggs.The treat is then placed in a water bath and baked on low heat for 30 to 45 minutes.Adion Robinson, a former Bermuda College student now studying baking and pastry arts at the UK’s Johnson and Wales University, helped out with the opening lunch..He made a whipped cream topping from a ready-made product containing heavy cream, powdered sugar and dash of vanilla. The budding pastry chef blended it until it was medium to stiff after around five minutes of beating.The whipped topping, fresh strawberries, a chocolate sail decoration and mint from the herb garden were put on the plate to accompany the creme brulee.Guests such as former MP Dale Butler and college president Duranta Greene appeared pleased with the meal.Mr Butler said he made his reservation as soon as he heard about the restaurant’s reopening, having enjoyed the service there years ago. “The presentation was excellent and the food tasted very good,” he said. “I give them an A-plus”.Contact Tiara Symonds on 236-9000 ext 4461 for reservations.