FRA: Restaurant Jussieu
Awesome canteen food for just €3.00!
I'm sorry for this long overdue review on the canteen food I had during the summer school. Unless I can find out the addresses of those random cafés I visited, this shall be the last review related to the summer school. For just €3.00 (~S$4.95), you'll get a full meal consisting of appetiser, main course and dessert. The variety of food available is amazing. During that period, I think I ate more than ten times in the canteen. To avoid a super long review, I've decided to pick three of the meals randomly. Enjoy!
Meal Set #1
Appetiser (Beetroot Salad) - Taste: 8/10
Main Course (Salmon Dish) - Taste: 8.5/10
Dessert (Chocolate Mousse) - Taste: 8/10
(excluding the Minute Maid which was paid separately)
Since I love beetroot, I couldn't help but take the beetroot salad for appetiser when I saw it. Slightly sweet, slightly sour, the beetroot cubes the other day were fresh.
For main course, I chose salmon which was cooked just right as I could still feel the fine texture of the meat. It came with a huge lump of mashed potatoes which was smooth and milky, as well as zucchini slices which were good, but not exceptional.
The dessert, chocolate mousse, was a good ending to the meal. It was smooth and airy; very chocolatey, but not too sweet.
Meal Set #2
Appetiser (Luncheon Meat) - Taste: 7.5/10
Main Course (Squid Dish) - Taste: 6.5/10
Dessert (Chocolate Éclair) - Taste: 9/10
Luncheon meat for appetiser? That was pretty new to me. Anyway, it tasted alright; slightly fatty and not salty. The pastry that came with it was crumbly.
Squid wasn't a pretty common sight for main course in the canteen, so I was tempted to try it. Apparently it wasn't that fantastic. While the squid wasn't overly chewy, the sauce was leaning towards the bland side. The cous cous was cooked right, but it was bland. I prefer cous cous which has already been seasoned, say, with a bit of salt and lemon juice.
I believe I chose the right dessert the other day. The éclair was godly with its inside-out chocolate. One bite, and I fell into a dreamy, sugar-induced trance. Oh, before I forget, the bread is free.
Meal Set #3
Appetiser (Ham) - Taste: 7/10
Main Course (Meatball Dish) - Taste: 9/10
Dessert (Almond Tart) - Taste: 8.5/10
The ham was just an average appetiser, but its slightly salty taste was nicely balanced by the sour pickles.
The meatball dish was one of the best main course dishes I had during the summer school! The meatballs were really savoury, and they passed the texture test with flying colours ("We'll do our best whatever test, and keep our colours flying", oh, that's Raffles Institution school anthem XD). Also, I'm a big fan of farfalle ("bow-tie" pasta), and it was cooked al dente. Yummy!
Although the almond tart couldn't beat the éclair, it was also a brilliant dessert, although I wish it could be a bit more crumbly. The almond and vanilla filling was really aromatic.
Melon's Rating
Taste: 8/10
Ambience: 7/10
Overall: 7.5/10
I wonder if I'll ever be able to eat there again? NUS, please implement something like this, LOL! Oh, for those of you who're curious, I think I paid €0.90 (~S$1.50) for the Minute Maid. Pika's advice: You can mix and match; for example, if you don't see any appetiser dishes that can win your heart, you can take an additional dessert in place of the appetiser.
Restaurant Jussieu
3 Avenue Albert Einstein
Villeurbanne
France
(Mon-Fri: 11.30am - 1.30pm, 6.30pm - 8.00pm)
*Prices quoted are nett prices.
Have a nice meal,
Cliff(y)
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