I have the exact same problem, no matter how confident I'm feeling, when they look at me expecting me to say something I freak out and normally blurt out something I don't even want. Strategies I use: -try and point on the menu and say "this one here" -change around the word order of the dish or something -say something first that you're comfortable saying like "can I have some water and an xxx", or even ask a random question about a dish so you feel more at ease The language thing I also sometimes struggle with, but people tend to care much less and dismiss it as just language proficiency.