Disneyland Paris Restaurant Review: Restaurant en Coulisse
Going back many years now I’ve seen En Coulisse in Studio 1, Walt Disney Studios as an overcrowded canteen style restaurant with poor quality food. I haven’t eaten there in quite some while, not since it was a last attempt to get food one busy summer afternoon and I was treated to a poor pizza and a struggle to find a seat. This past weekend it wasn’t my restaurant of choice, but a friend had booked a slot for us there, so I went begrudgingly. The next day, Monday 11th June 2018, I went back, and it’s that experience that I am writing this review about.
I booked a slot using the Lineberty app, which I did for 11.45am. I knew I wouldn’t be eating breakfast and I also like to eat lunch before the mad rush starts. I arrived a few minutes early to an empty line at this reserved till, and after a chat between two Cast Members was allowed to order my food, 2 minutes before my allocated slot. I actually chose the same as the previous day: 8 star-shaped chicken nuggets, 1 portion of fries and a Nutella muffin. Being that I hadn’t had breakfast I also added 4 mozzarella sticks in a moment of impulsive decadence. I generally only drink water when I’m out and about in Disneyland Paris so I didn’t need a drink, or a meal deal that included one, as the water fountains serve me well.
My food was on the tray very quickly and the server was all smiles and gave me two sachets of mayonnaise, 2 ketchup and 2 portions of BBQ sauce. I love sauces with this kind of food so was over the moon to get so many. I wish I’d taken her name as she deserved a Cast Compliment. There was plenty of seating downstairs but I’d never eaten upstairs, so ascended the stairs and took a seat close to the edge and overlooking Studio 1. It’s actually really nice up there, with some amazing views of Studio 1, allowing you to see things you wouldn’t normally notice. It’s also a lot quieter up there with some beautiful music playing rather than hearing the hustle and bustle of hungry guests around you.
Before starting on the food I had to do my usual mixing of the ketchup and mayonnaise to create a simplified cocktail sauce. There was no spare food packaging to do this on so I made do with the back of my receipt! Oh come on, I can’t be the only one that does this? The star-shaped chicken nuggets were delicious, and every bit as nice as the ones I’ve had in Inventions and Plaza Gardens. They had something in the breadcrumb coating, maybe a small seed of some kind? Whatever it was it added an extra bit of texture which was very much appreciated. Listen to me talking about chicken nuggets like I’m on Masterchef! The fries were just standard fries. I’m actually more a fan of a chunky chip, but they weren’t on offer. You’d have to go to Toad Hall for those, or Lucky Nugget Saloon. The Mozarella Sticks, oh my goodness, they were so delicious! I tweeted at the time that they were better than the ones from TGI Fridays and that’s true – way cheesier. I finished it all off with my favourite, a Nutella Muffin, which had so much Nutella in, unlike the Nutella filled doughnut I bought in Krispy Kreme a few weeks back, which was basically 95% roll.
The prices were as follows:
Chicken Nuggets x 8 – €7,99
Mozzarella Sticks x 4 – €4,99
Fries – €3,59
Nutella Muffin – €3,99
That comes to €20,56, which with my Infinity Annual Pass 15% discount, meant I paid €17.48. Now I realise that is probably not the cheapest way to eat, meal deals are more economical, but this is what I wanted to eat, and remember, I had no breakfast.
For counter service fast food I was really pleasantly surprised with Restaurant En Coulisse. It far surpassed my expectations and put En Coulisse back on the good list after the post bad pizza years. Would I eat there again? Absolutely, and I’d recommend anyone who is going, to get in early and eat upstairs. Oh, and get those Mozzarella sticks while they are on sale – yummy!
