Today, Lunch Watch calls to three colleges in the greater Dublin area. DCU offered the tastiest eating experience, with bright, cheery surroundings; NUI Maynooth erred on the plain side, while the Buttery, in TCD, was simply awful. The prices at all three canteens were very reasonable.
Of course, one visit may not be completely fair. A fellow diner at DCU did mention the previous week's cod and rice disaster.
The Buttery, TCD
Ambience: dark and gloomy underground cavern, complete with plastic tables and chairs, unless you're lucky enough to get one of the few wooden booths under the windows (one wall only has windows). The floor had dirty marks on it. Paper napkins were much in evidence, unlike the squashed chips that I noticed only after slipping on them.
The food: main courses included lamb curry, rice, veg, and potatoes (£3); chicken princess (£3.95); tagliatelle provencal, veg, and potatoes (£3). Prices posted are for visitors. There is a substantial discount for students and staff. For instance, the student special, marked as the healthy option, included soup, lamb curry, rice, veg and potatoes (£3.80 to visitors; £2.65 to students). Service was efficient.
The eating: the tomato soup had a sweet stickiness that was echoed in the provencal sauce on the tagliatelle (vile orange gloop enlivened by soft vegetables, mainly broccoli and green beans). The lamb curry sauce was spicy but the meat required diligent chewing. Some nearby students, with less application or possibly softer teeth, had left the chewed bits of gristle to one side on their plates. Served with rice, two scoops of lumpy mashed potato and dull overcooked green beans, the meal was an assault on the visual senses. But it was purely on taste grounds that both my companion and I decided our main courses were inedible and went back for plates of chips. The most that could be said for these was that they were filling.
The verdict: stay away. Freshers be advised.
DCU canteen
Ambience: bright, cheery, newly refurbished with wooden tables and chairs. Serving area appeared very clean.
Choice of main course: grilled breast of chicken with garlic and rosemary, and rice £2.50; traditional Irish stew £2.25; baked mixed salmon pasta £3; vegetarian lasagna with chips £2.10.
It all sounded too heavy for a sunny day: the panini counter (I kid you not) was offering panini with a choice of filling from Cajun chicken to roasted Mediterranean vegetables, with side salad, for £2.95.
The eating: the panini was very tasty; although the side-salad, mainly leaves, was a little tired. The dessert, a rhubarb pie and custard (80p), tasted better than it looked.
Beside me, a scoffer of vegetarian lasagna and chips gave it the thumbs-up while another panini eater was happy with her lunch although she did tell tales of the "dire" smoked cod and rice dish on offer earlier in the week.
The drinking: Fairtrade tea and coffee
The verdict: good food for a reasonable price
For posher, more intimate surroundings, try the Zero 1 cafΘ, below the library. Salads, sandwiches, rolls, soup, tea and coffee. Can be taken in comfortable navy easy chairs or couches or at tables.
Maynooth canteen
The location: back of the north campus (that's the modern one).
The ambience: bright, with plenty of windows, yellow tabletops and ceiling. A little chaotic at the entrance where two high chairs (testament to NUI Maynooth's high proportion of mature students) and a suggestion box take pride of place.
A notice warns loiterers off: diners only between 12 p.m. and 2 p.m.
The menu: hot specials; roast rib of beef, baby boiled potatoes and green beans £3.95; veggie lasagna £1.90; savoury filled baked potato and cheese £1.90. Salad specials included a portion of salad at 70p, filled baguette at £1.90 and jumbo doorstep sandwich £1.80.
The food: the salad bar you might expect in a deli in a small town, 10 years ago, with lettuce, sweetcorn, tuna, egg mayonnaise. The only hint of the exotic was in a mixed tomato and cucumber salad.
The eating: hot food looked dry and unappetising. Opted for surprisingly tasty cream of broccoli soup (90p) with a boring bread roll (27p), followed by three salad portions, all edible but uninteresting. Beside me, a large plate of chips, jumbo sausages and beans was being consumed with an appetite that matched the large portions.
The verdict: unsophisticated canteen food at reasonable prices. Not terribly appetising. Probably better to bring your own while the weather lasts: head over the bridge, and enjoy it in the leafy grounds of the college's south campus.
Lunch Watch plans to visit various campuses around the State, over the coming academic year to sample the quality of their lunches and general ambience.
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