PaiGu

Avignon is a charming little town in the south of France. At one point, it was an important place to be, as the Pope resided here. Now, it’s a town with cobblestone streets and quaint cafes.

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Since the last time I reviewed Skyland de Shanghai, I have been back three more times, and I have never been disappointed. There is something to be said about the power of consistency, especially with Chinese restaurants. Now that I have sampled a decent chunk of their menu, I am ready to give my SassyChef Stamp of Approval to a few dishes.

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J Dee’s Market Grill is like a cross between a cottage and a sports bar. The wooden benches and counter, the fish tank, and the random street signs hold a certain charm.

They boast the best burgers in town but at $12 a burger, they’d better be good. We settled on chicken fingers, poutine, salad, and a cod sandwich.

The chicken fingers were made from fresh chicken breast, and were tossed in a thin breaded coat with light seasoning. They were piping hot and absolutely delicious. Not oily or soggy in the least.
The poutine was made with what seemed to be beef gravy, on a bed of thick-cut fries. The fries were delicious, but the dish would have been even better if they hadn’t used cheddar cheese strands.

The side salad was your average garden salad, but the homemade sauce, in my case honey dill, was surprisingly good. The Guinness-battered cod was tender but bland, although the tartar sauce was one of the best I’ve had. The burger/sandwich was too large to eat together, so I had to eat each half separately.

For dessert, apple crisp was the featured special. The apple was heavily doused in syrup and cinnamon, with a generous serving of vanilla ice cream on top. Presentation was a bit shabby, but the taste made up for it.

Rocky road mud pie was nothing more than chocolate ice cream cake, with loads of almonds and a very yummy chocolate crust¹.

Service was attentive, and the food arrived quickly, although that may have been because the place was practically empty at noon.

Rating:

1. The crust tasted like an Oreo crust even though the menu said “wafer crust”. [↩]