Escape Academy Cafeteria Walkthrough: Master the Trial by Taste Puzzle

Welcome to one of the most flavorful and tricky challenges in Coin Crew Games' hit puzzle title. If you are currently scratching your head inside the escape academy cafeteria, you are certainly not alone. Officially titled "Trial by Taste," this seventh escape room tests not only your deductive reasoning and inventory management, but also your ability to keep a cool head when things literally start getting heated.

Navigating the escape academy cafeteria requires a sharp eye, precise timing, and a willingness to explore every nook and cranny of a commercial kitchen and dining hall. Whether you are playing solo or teaming up with a friend in co-op mode, this comprehensive walkthrough will guide you through every padlock, secret compartment, and antidote mixture step by step.

Unlocking the Serving Dish and Finding the Strange Forks

Your journey begins right in front of a heavily padlocked serving dish. Traditional keys won't work here; instead, you need to track down three "Strange Forks" to pop open the three unique padlocks.

According to community reports from players tackling the escape academy cafeteria, locating these unconventional tools can be a bit disorienting if you don't know where to look. Use the breakdown below to find all three forks quickly:

To figure out the microwave timer, check the "Microwave Forbidden Knowledge" sign on the wall near the window. It lists "Unidentified Meat" as 3:35. Set the microwave timer accordingly, use your Fire Extinguishers on the resulting blaze, and retrieve your third fork. Once all three are in your inventory, unlock the serving dish to claim your reward—a delicious milkshake!

Escaping the Kitchen and Entering the Dining Hall

Enjoy that milkshake while you can, because you've just been poisoned! You will need to act fast to escape the kitchen area and find a cure.

First, head over to the central island and interact with the toaster. Various bread products will fly out, leaving behind a clear visual code: Square, Ring, U-Shape, Square. Head to the freezer door, input this code, and step inside.

Inside the chilly freezer, ignore the large poster for a moment, head to the far-right side, and pick up the Kitchen Knife from the hanging meat. Next, inspect the box of cube shapes on the bottom shelf to grab an Ice Cube (with Key).

Exit the freezer and walk over to the hob on your left. Drop your ice cube into the frying pan filled with hot sauce to melt the ice, leaving you with a Small Key. Use this key to unlock the main kitchen door and step out into the sprawling Dining Hall.

Deciphering the Antidote Recipe and Lazy Susan Puzzle

Once you enter the Dining Hall, head down the steps to your right and use your Fire Exthesinguisher on the fireplace to uncover a Dirty Plate.

To clean this plate, you must backtrack briefly into the kitchen, fill the sink on the middle island with water, and wash the plate. This reveals the Cryptic Plate. Take it back to the Dining Hall and find the lazy Susan table on the left side.

Following these precise rotations will make the lazy Susan rise up, granting you access to the hidden Antidote Recipe. The recipe calls for a mix of the poison that affected you, three dashes of the opposite substance, and a splash of mineral water.

Unlocking the Encyclopedia of Poisons and Eavesdropping

To find out what kind of poison you ingested, you need to inspect the birthday cake located near the fireplace. Use your Kitchen Knife to cut the cake and reveal its four distinct layers. Note the color sequence: Red, Yellow, Purple, Blue.

Next to the cake sits a present secured by a four-color padlock. Input the cake layer colors (Red, Yellow, Purple, Blue) to open it and claim the Encyclopedia of Poisons.

The encyclopedia reveals that Belladonna causes purple-tinted vision and an audible heartbeat—matching your current symptoms. Therefore, Belladonna is your poison, and Calabar is its opposite.

Navigating the Dumbwaiter and Securing the Skeleton Key

Now head to the back of the Dining Hall to find a blackboard listing "Today's Specials": Cheese, Apple, Meat, and Bread. Swinging this board aside reveals a hidden button console.

To determine the correct button sequence, return to the freezer and inspect the "ESCAPE YOUR BAD DIET" triangle poster.

Input Top, Right, Top, Bottom into the console behind the blackboard to open a hidden dumbwaiter. Step inside, pull the switch to descend, and listen in on Jeb and Eel while grabbing the Skeleton Key from the room. Pull the switch once more to return safely to the Dining Hall.

Mixing the Antidote in the Escape Academy Cafeteria

With the Skeleton Key in hand, head over to the drinks cabinet located on the left-hand side of the middle Dining Hall. Unlock it to access the mixing station.

Recall the precise formula from the Antidote Recipe ("The Solange"):

• One dash of what poisoned you (Belladonna)
• Three dashes of the opposite (Calabar)
• One splash of mineral water
• Use the shaker

For more details on game mechanics, check out the official Steam Community Hub for Escape Academy. Shake the concoction well, drink it down, and you will successfully cure your ailment, wrapping up this thrilling culinary escape room!

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I open the serving dish at the start of the escape academy cafeteria room?

You need to collect three Strange Forks. One is found on the conveyor belt near Jeb, the second is in the dish bin next to the serving dish, and the third is retrieved from the microwave after cooking the unidentified meat at 3:35 and extinguishing the resulting fire.

What causes the character to get poisoned in this level?

After opening the serving dish and drinking the milkshake offered by Eel, your character is poisoned by Belladonna, resulting in purple-tinted vision and an audible heartbeat.

What is the exact antidote recipe for Trial by Taste?

The antidote requires one dash of Belladonna (your poison), three dashes of Calabar (the opposite), and a splash of mineral water, all mixed together using the drink shaker.

How do I solve the lazy Susan puzzle in the dining hall?

After washing the Dirty Plate in the kitchen sink to make it a Cryptic Plate, spin the dining hall lazy Susan clockwise until the arrow points right, anti-clockwise until it points left, and clockwise until it points down.