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Apr 15, 2024

Pav Food Review: A Reconciliation Attempt with On-Campus Cuisine

Following her polarising review of the Buttery, Ella Parry attempts to make good with praise of the Pav.

Ella ParryFood and Drink Editor
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Photo by Ella Parry for The University Times

Anger gets the best of all of us sometimes. And by all of us, I mean me. I just thought I’d drag everyone into it. While writing the last issue’s articles, I might have been ruled by my volatile, female emotions. The alpha males are bound to be right occasionally, if only accidentally. Even though my review of the Buttery was nothing short of slanderous, I would like to distance myself from the condemnation of all on-campus cuisine that some readers might have surmised from that piece. It would be far from my natural disposition to make sweeping, generalising statements and fail to back them up with cold, hard evidence. Please consider this article as the counterargument to the last issue’s Buttery hate piece. Also, I would like to add that my friend Anna likes their sausage rolls. I like Anna, so I guess by extension I also like the Buttery. I won’t go as far as apologising to the Buttery. I wouldn’t apologise to a cheating ex-husband either which I’d consider a fitting analogy. However, in hindsight, I do acknowledge that I was working late a lot and maybe didn’t tell him that I loved him enough (It’s absolutely no problem if you don’t understand what I’m saying here because I barely am myself).

Cheating ex-husbands aside, the Valentine’s Day excursion shook me to my core. However, remembering the Pav, or as my dad unironically says, “The Cricket Pavillon”, has somewhat reconciled me with on-campus cuisine. So often in life, we tend to focus on things we dislike rather than on the things we cherish. The Buttery is your partner’s snoring. It is irksome and a sufficient reason for a speedy divorce but your friends also think you complain about it a bit too much (the analogies today are very monothematic and not improving). 

The Pav is arguably more likeable than the Buttery. To be fair, the fact that they serve alcohol also helps their reputation. Maybe the Buttery should try that. If they do, I want a 10% share of the profits. Back to the Pav: while we all love to frequent the establishment in the evenings for a little pick-me-up, I think that it is an underrated lunch spot. This time of year even occasionally makes it possible to sit at one of the tables outside without contracting hypothermia which is just lovely.

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Let’s get to the food menu. The chips are fantastic and big enough for sharing at only 3.60€. Side note: the bowl they serve them in looks a bit like a gravy boat. Just thought that was noteworthy. They also serve soup daily. This not being served on an indistinguishably coloured tray is a huge plus. The bar is on the floor, guys. In all seriousness, the soup is great. It’s served with cheesy garlic bread which I endorse. In my opinion, more culinary enterprises should serve cheesy garlic bread with their soups. I’d sign that petition.  

I won’t lie, I’ve never tried one of the Pav’s mains. If you have any complaints concerning my service in this matter, kindly email [email protected] and I’ll send you my Revolut tag xoxo All proceeds raised will go to my purchasing Pav mains. 

In conclusion, Pav food is great. Also, I might have been a bit harsh on my cheating ex-husband, the Buttery. Will I be more measured with my criticism in the future? Perchance.

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