Who should replace O'Briens?

Tom65

marcos172 wrote: »

Epicurean Food Hall! Those northsiders have had one up on us for too long :mad:

+1


There's enough terrible food on campus without Subway, Supermacs et al being there too.

ProjectColossus

+1 for Subway. Unhealthy? First of all, I don't care, but secondly, it's only as unhealthy as you make it. Don't get the calorific sauce, do get lots of (no added cost) salads on your meat sub. They have lo-cal stuff I think.

I hate O'Briens so much, even if we are just left with a steaming crater, it will be a massive improvement.

Knowing my luck, whatever clowns are operating in the main Arts Restaraunt will probably just expand to the other side of campus. That would suck.

timo87

An O'Briens off licence, much prefer their cans than their sandwiches:D

Breezer

ANYTHING where the queue actually moves!

Oh I'm back by the way. Did anyone miss me or notice that I was gone?

GobBass

On second thought,Leo Burdocks.

Accept no subsitutes.

Thomas_S_Hunterson

Campus badly needs an offo or a bar that'll compete on drink prices.

Kat Slater

I think catering in UCD is generally rubbish. The main restaurant is total dung, although I like Cafe Infusion which does good big filled sandwiches. O Briens is nice but pricey.

If they do replace O'Briens, a Subway might be a good option. I don't think a Supermacs or another takeaway is needed on campus.

The god-awful 911 beside the library needs to go anyway, it's a disgrace or at least it was a couple of years ago when I stopped going to it.

Tayto2000

Does nobody do packed lunches anymore then?

KeyLimePie

bnt wrote: »

Yeah, but only because Sushi is considered posh here. It doesn't have to be expensive.

I was thinking "lunchbox bentō", not the big trays they serve in restaurants. It doesn't even have to be contain fish - could be a Donburi (rice + whatever is going that day). Still, this is Ireland after all, I'm not seriously expecting anyone to make an effort or take a risk.

subwaaaaaaaaaaaay..........................!! I'm vegetarian anyway so like =p

Red Alert

When you think about the food on campus, the only nice places left are:

Centra (great value, fresh ingredients)
Elements (pricey but generally good)
Cafe Spoirt

The rest are between hit-and-miss and downright appalling. O'Brien's, for example, shouldn't be reheating anything with Coleslaw on it. But they do this day in day out. (I only discovered this when I asked in Centra why they wouldn't do it) Then moving on don't get me going on the food quality in the main restaurant: for the price they charge you'd expect better. The selection is poor, the food is tasteless and the chips are chronically undercooked. About the only edibles are the sweet desserts.

I wonder is it worth people suggesting removal of certain outlets to the Commercial office? Or would they even listen?

Dr Strange

Red Alert wrote: »

...Then moving on don't get me going on the food quality in the main restaurant: for the price they charge you'd expect better. The selection is poor, the food is tasteless and the chips are chronically undercooked. About the only edibles are the sweet desserts...

One thing I say for them through: their breakfast is good. I like the fried eggs, hash browns, black and whites, and the sausages. And a tea/coffee for 1 Euro. Won't go near the rashers unless they are burned to a crisp but that's a preference of mine you hardly get in any place.

Tayto2000

Main restaurant is OK especially compared to how it used to be, but still wayyy too expensive. Dead right about the chips - they're always crunchy, but not in a good way

Centra is the best on campus at the moment imo, but I like the new arts cafe stuff too now since they changed suppliers.

Can't hurt to give feedback to the commercial office, worst that could happen is it'll be ignored.

RandolphEsq

Red Alert wrote: »

The rest are between hit-and-miss and downright appalling. O'Brien's, for example, shouldn't be reheating anything with Coleslaw on it. But they do this day in day out. (I only discovered this when I asked in Centra why they wouldn't do it)

lol I discovered that in Centra too when I wanted coleslaw on my €4 cooked pizza!

Red Alert

Centra really are showing the others up, they've got their food safety practices nailed IMHO. Pity they're not in a more central location.

Time Magazine

RandolphEsq wrote: »

lol I discovered that in Centra too when I wanted coleslaw on my €4 cooked pizza!

Crime against humanity. Don't go spoiling a good pizza.

slackerdude

I work in UCD and really dislike the sandwiches on offer at O'Brien's. Also the variety is sadly lacking in terms of what's available. Why not offer quiche or lasagne slices with a side salad? Also, a few nice dessert slices would go down well. Muffins and doughy snacks can get very boring.

RandolphEsq

The Economist wrote: »

Crime against humanity. Don't go spoiling a good pizza.

Well since there was only ham left as a secondary topping to cheese I didn't want to be hungry after it. Coleslaw is an excellent compliment to meat, heated or not. Don't actually no the reason why coleslaw shouldn't be heated

Breezer

slackerdude wrote: »

I work in UCD and really dislike the sandwiches on offer at O'Brien's. Also the variety is sadly lacking in terms of what's available. Why not offer quiche or lasagne slices with a side salad? Also, a few nice dessert slices would go down well. Muffins and doughy snacks can get very boring.

Elements does all that kind of stuff, but you pay for it.

slackerdude

Elements may offer more choice at peak times but in the late afternoon the menu is limited to sandwiches. It's ridiculous to have a cafe in a building the size of the Health Sciences Centre that only offers soup and sandwiches. This can get very boring for staff and students. If a small range of hot food options (quiche, lasagne, cottage pie, etc) were available then it would justify the large amount of building space given over to it. Tables and chairs in abundance cry out for solid meals not just pathetic sandwiches. Perhaps the solution would be to introduce a mini elements restaurant here.

ozt9vdujny3srf

Because the 200m walk to the elements in science is too far?

slackerdude

I mentioned a mini elements with a smaller variety of options which I don't think is a big ask. Surely a top of the range modern building can offer more to its many inhabitants, staff and students, than a pathetic sandwich bar. It might also impact on the massive queues in elements at lunchtime.

anonymous_joe

I always liked the O'Briens in UCD.

It's better than the Nine-One-One for sure.

ChocolateSauce

SUBWAY. Though it should replace 911, not O'Briens.

Assets Model

Preusse wrote: »

One thing I say for them through: their breakfast is good. I like the fried eggs, hash browns, black and whites, and the sausages. And a tea/coffee for 1 Euro. Won't go near the rashers unless they are burned to a crisp but that's a preference of mine you hardly get in any place.

The chocolate cake and custard in the restaurant is fantastic.

Dr Strange

Assets Model wrote: »

The chocolate cake and custard in the restaurant is fantastic.

Well, I am sure I'll try that next time I'm there.

Tayto2000

911's heyday was when you could get a 500ml coffee in a giant polystyrene cup... it was awesome... although one of the guys making the sandwiches used to pick his nose in between customers so I guess it was swings and roundabouts to a certain extent.

I'd rank them Centra > Insomnia > 911 > O'Briens. O'Briens coffee is particularly vile for some reason.

Nothing wrong with heating coleslaw, as long as it hasn't been heated before... arguably it's safer since you're cooking the raw eggs in the mayonnaise dressing! What exactly are O'Briens reheating that has coleslaw?

mloc

Food in UCD is plain ****e, from both a price, taste and nutritional point of view. I work there and I'd have at most one of my 6 meals a day in a campus eating place. The rest I'd go to the effort of cooking myself.

If it had to be anything, I'd vote Subway. Too many pseudo-macho ignorant youngsters to appreciate something as decent as sushi, though Trinners has a sushi place now and it isn't bad. Good riddance to O' Briens, their employees have all the sandwich making skills of a blind armless elephant.

rainbow kirby

Tayto2000 wrote: »

911's heyday was when you could get a 500ml coffee in a giant polystyrene cup...

You just reminded me of the old Perk jumbo coffees for €1.50 when I was in first year. Similar size, and oh so worth it - couldn't survive 9am lectures without them.

Somewhere which does industrial-sized coffees for a cheap price would be awesome...

Jev/N

mloc wrote: »

Too many pseudo-macho ignorant youngsters to appreciate something as decent as sushi, though Trinners has a sushi place now and it isn't bad.

I'd agree with this as I eat a lot of sushi, but it's not cheap and wouldn't be suitable for that reason IMO

mloc

Jev/N wrote: »

I'd agree with this as I eat a lot of sushi, but it's not cheap and wouldn't be suitable for that reason IMO

It's not super-cheap, but I think decent servings for 4-6 euro are possible. We are overrun in Ireland with places like Yo! which are a massive rip-off compared with chains like Wasabi in the UK. I wonder if the guys in the small and decent priced Michie Sushi could be tempted into UCD or even the new Irish chain Sushi King which has a branch in TCD.