Places To Eat

cson

Cson is a very angry bear at the minute. Decided to have a spot of dinner earlier, hadn't tried the restaurant in the main building so gave it a go. I asked for the pork, got given bacon (same difference to some, but not to me), offered the choice of spuds or rice (wtf!? ) as a side, I obviously chose the spuds. Was given 3 small rock like lumps of potato drenched in butter. This came to €8.60. After coming out from a law lecture I was led to believe there was a 10 year mandatory sentence for rape. Campbell catering musn't have been charged yet.

Safe to say theres not a rats arse notion I'm ever going back there again. So where d'yall think is the best place to eat?

Funkstard

You left out the nicest place, well to me anyway. The Millstream Courtyard over by the new bridge, looks super fancy and the food is but it's still €7 for a meal. Lovely stuff too, the portions sometimes aren't the biggest but you can just ask them to throw in some extra.

By far and away the nicest food on campus IMO

zilog_jones

Your first mistake was going to the restaurant in hope for good food. Me and my friends have been going there for over 4 years - the food was not the main attraction though. The student special used to be dirt cheap - €2.95 when I started - but the regular price hikes made it increasingly less attractive (I think it's nearly a fiver now, or more!). The soup's usually edible, unless they try something silly like putting cheese or fruit in it (believe it or not they've done that a few times!) - great when you have very little money and you're too lazy to make a sandwich at home or something.

Their pie-like pizza is also quite a bizarre experience. Unlike everywhere else in the world, they put all the toppings UNDER the cheese, and said toppings nealy always include pineapple and sweetcorn. I think there was carrot in there too a few times.

They occasionally have nice food there. *Occasionally*. Also, their christmas special is awesome, mainly thanks to FREE MULLED WINE.

Tea and coffee is affordable too. Also, big tables. And you can get away with bringing in your own food or a roll from the shop if you're feeling like a jerk.

Been going to Java's a lot recently over the restaurant. Kinda expensive though, and the menu is usually something + chips - not somewhere I could go to every day.

Also also, you forgot several places around UL:

- B-block canteen
- Canteen in the CSIS
- Cafe Allegro in the Foundation
- Cafe Sportif in the PESS (that building smells too much of chlorine and feet for me to ever try it)
- Some sort of canteen in the nursing place (expensive/far away)
- Ciaran's in Dromroe (I think it's all veggie menu or something)
- Probably somewhere else

rmacm

zilog_jones wrote: »

Also also, you forgot several places around UL:

- B-block canteen
- Canteen in the CSIS

Personally I like the Paddocks it may not be fantastic food by any manner of means but it's edible. The B-Block canteen is very expensive although the rolls they do over near the Red Raisins coffee place are nice. The canteen in CSIS does pretty good food aswell but as always it's as expensive as hell and even though I pretty much lived in CSIS for a year I only ever ate in there on the odd occassion.

Anyway I don't have to worry about it anymore the slop in my current place of employment will be serving as dinner for the foreseeable future.

Cheers
Rory

ixus

Funkstard wrote: »

The Millstream Courtyard over by the new bridge,

You'll have to forgive me, but my knowledge of the campus is still limited. It stretches from the Schuman - library - Java - Arena.

Where exactly is this wonderful and magical place you talk of and how do I get there????

cooperguy

I cant believe the main Reastaurant is actually winning in the poll at the moment! The place serves TINY portions of crap food.

I remember my Orientation week being told by my guide that the place was terrible and I tried it a few times over the last few years and she was definatly right.

zilog_jones

You either "get" the Restaurant or you don't. It's an acquired taste, mostly acquired by avoiding most of the food offered there. There are often days when the menu is so dubious we just wouldn't bother with it. If you're a regular or look like a lecturer you may get slightly larger portions.

It's still the cheapest around, and offers a variety of soup (unlike the Paddocks and Stables which seem to have had the same vegetable soup since the dawn of time).

Where exactly is this wonderful and magical place you talk of and how do I get there????

The Millstream Courtyard is around the back of the Engineering Research Building (the building behind the Foundation building when looking from the main square), near the Living Bridge (the new fancy footbridge going across the river that will never open).

sceptre

zilog_jones wrote: »

The Millstream Courtyard is around the back of the Engineering Research Building (the building behind the Foundation building when looking from the main square), near the Living Bridge (the new fancy footbridge going across the river that will never open).

The private restaurant (not the regular one) there does fantastic food compared to everywhere on campus. No-one eats there though unless it's being paid for by a research fund or something. The regular Millstream place does nice food but portions are tiny.

Java'ss wins for me based on the lunch I had there today, little bit more expensive compared with other outlets but they do give you twice as much. And the lasagne doesn't taste like it's been under a hot lamp for half the day mostly because it hasn't.

The main restaurant used to have nice soup but it hasn't been so since the 90s.

zilog_jones

What, the restaurant used to be "nice"!?

I dunno why I voted for that place actually. We used to just go there - there wasn't any reasoning behind it except that most the other places are jammers at lunch and it's cheap. And the Scholars closed. And the food in the Stables and Paddocks is 90% greasy crap. OK, there's many reasons. But now I have a job and Java's opened...

Mr. CooL ICE

Voted for the stables, as it is the only place on campus that I have decided to eat at over the last 3 years, since I mostly go home to eat my pre-bought food from dunnes. Before those three years, it was definitely the scholars. Taco chips were never the same again after that place, and if you went there often enough, they started being friendly and gave you extra portions. Tried the restaurant a few times, and it is a disgrace. It puzzles me why anybody would risk their health by going there.

digiking

Here, Campbell's catering is the same everywhere - before starting in ul i went to boarding school where campbells were the main caterers but to be honest dominos did more business than campbells on occasions

Alan

cson

Why does everywhere serve chicken? It's like the menu is chicken or chicken with a side of chicken....

Sabre0001

Haven't tried Java's yet...Sports Bar is safe enough but I don't think there is too much variety in the menu. The Plaza has gone downhill in recent times...

And yes, Chicken is EVERYWHERE!!!!!

bluedolphin

Chicken and chips are both everywhere. Mmmmm protein and fatty starch!

I haven't eaten in the fancy place, but ruling that one out Ciarans has by far the best food on campus.
In fact I think Ciarans has the best Veggie restaurent type food in Ireland, because usually veggie food is hearty, healthy and homely, so lacking a bit in flavour. But Ciaran has a gift for creating taste sensations.

ixus

Your name's not Ciaran by any chance??

I often wonder what would happen if bird flu hit this country.... Reckon we'd well and truely be stuck for food.

There'd be a famine in UL!

I'm just fussy about my food...

kodute

LordChessington wrote: »

...scholars. Taco chips ...

Now im not just being nostalgic for the old days and telling you young whippersnappers that life was better in those days but; life was better then....sigh....

pwd

Millstream restaurant is easily the best

Spar roll is the only reasonably priced option on the list. The canteens are ridiculously overpriced for student canteens and the food is mediocre at best. The students union ought to do something about getting more affordable food into the college.

pbug21

Hard to beat the auld Hot Chicken Roll but Paddocks is the best

cooperguy

pbug21 wrote: »

Hard to beat the auld Hot Chicken Roll but Paddocks is the best

I used to think that too but the paddocks has gone to shíte this year. Panninis or wraps is all I get in there now

rmacm

The wraps were good in there last year.....kept me fed quite a few times during the year.

Kaiser_Sma

I don't understand how people can eat at the paddocks, the menu is the same every day, dry under/overcooked meat, vegetables that have been steaming for a day etc.

CaptainCharisma

Java's is good, if a little tough on the bank account.

KerranJast

Java's have a concise menu because of their limited kitchen space but you get more than the Paddocks for prices just less than the Stables and what you get is quality stuff. For example I got Chicken Kiev in the Stables with one of those small cartons of milk the day before Javas opened. It cost €7.50. I had the burger of the day in Javas when it opened. A massive portion and it cost €6.50 I think.