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Credits: Google Images
If you are a tad tired of the soaring popularity of the unimaginative lawns in most campuses, Hansraj promises to be a pleasant change. It’s not that the college doesn’t have a stretch of green to boast about. It sure does, it’s just that students have discovered a zone tucked well into the heart of the campus which they have christened the ‘Lover’s Point’, AKA the College Canteen.  When we hear the name ‘Lovers point’, a picture does conjure up in our minds of a cosy corner or a private nook where sweethearts spend time oblivious to the world. On the contrary it is infact a tiny triangular place which is lined up by a row of eateries. This place is called the Lover’s Point because it is believed that Shahrukh Khan proposed to Gauri, his childhood love interest at the same place and since 1989 it’s been called the Lover’s Point to celebrate the bond of love and togetherness which the star couple shares till date.

The eateries at LP stand out from the other colleges, serving finger licking and mouth-watering vegetarian cuisines.The non-veg lovers however need not be disappointed as the canteen offers delicious egg noodles and egg fried rice, to fulfil their ‘chick-en’ desires! The menu offers a wide variety of appetizing food  ranging from north Indian cuisine like chole bhature, rajma rice ,pavbhaji, paneer pakoras to Chinese cuisine such as spicy noodles, fried rice and last but not the least the heavenly chocolate shake and  fresh fruit juices.

Despite the location of the college being right across Kamla Nagar Market; students prefer to sit and spend their time checking out the cool crowd at the LP and enjoy the scrumptious muffins and hot chocolate.

The canteen stands out for its fresh and hygienic food. The silken chocolate frappe and the grilled sandwich come at an affordable combo. HansRaj College canteen’s spring rolls served with the divine mint chutney are a wonder plus the cafeteria’s frappe and maggi are the most sought after items and are also very light on the wallet. The cheese omelette and the variety of paranthas to choose from are extremely tempting. The south Indian delights like butter paneer dosa and vada sambhar is also popular amongst students with its spicy savoury taste. The tomato soup is a hot favourite among students in winters and the chilled ice tea promises to quench your thirst in the sweaty afternoons during the scorching summers.

Next time you plan a visit to Kamla Nagar market skip that thought and instead pay a visit to Hansraj college canteen which guarantees delicious food at affordable prices and you will definitely end up lovin’ it! 


Aanchal Mehrotra
Columnist

 
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Courtesy- Onusha
Tangible artistry, the heart & cheek stylizing of an Urbane setup with a tinge of ‘Villagey’. The most youthful place that one can find here in ‘Dilli’.
Of course it is our very own ‘Hauz Khas Village’.
It is a place synonymous with the arts ranging from visual to culinary with every place trying to creatively carve out their niche among the stiff competition. It is in this place, in one of the many lanes that one gets to witness a board atop a doorway named ‘Kuzart Lane’, a name very popular among the foodie circles. 
As you decide to give it a chance, you see a lane just wide enough for about three people to fit in, with the walls lined up with the works of various young and talented budding artists and with small but cozy sitting for people to relax. 


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Courtesy- Radhika
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Courtesy- Onusha
The restaurant’s rightly named ‘The Kuzart Kitchen’. The name ‘Kuzart’ comes from a phrase 'Kuzhinë Artistit's which in the Albanian language means an Artist’s Kitchen. The walk from the entry of the Kuzart Lane to the restaurant gives you an inkling that you are in some different zone all together, the ambiance gets you high. 
The idea of decorating a dingy lane leading to a restaurant and making it the USP is quite brilliant a curative for people who want to let go.
The restaurant is an average sized room with a few tables at one end an ordering desk on the other, a handkerchief sized but lovable arrangement.
Why exactly the narratives?
Well it was ‘THE BEAST FEAST’ which drew huge amount of crowds from different corners of the city, especially foodies and students.
For the Non-vegetarian foodies the feast starts with the crispy Chicken Schnitzel Steak with some garlic bread and mayonnaise dip. The Corn and Jalapeno Chicken Steak was a surprise with a tang of sweetness and a hint of spice. The Kuzart Special Steak was cooked to perfection with an amazing barbeque dip. The Grilled Mutton Hulk Burger was worth dying for. It was bout of 'Perfection' in cooking it with 'Love'!

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Courtesy- Onusha
For the Vegetarian folks the it starts with the Tandoori Paneer Steak which was juicy, creamy and indefinitely yummy, sauced with the world’s best Indian style gravy. It was a sheer piece of awesomeness with layers of cheese wedged between and desi flavours. The Paneer Aubherghine Steak was well pampered with corns and spiced with the ‘Baked Sausage’. Surely something for the ones in awe for ‘CORNS’
The Veggie Veg Hulk Burger was something to try as it was not the usual aloo tikki burger but something beyond. It proudly flaunted the very desi ‘Baingan Ka Bharta’, can you beat that? And to add it was just awesome tantalizer to the taste buds with ‘Baked Sausage’. 
Potato Wedges decorating every plate, made it all the more tough to let go, and believe us when we say, it was ‘Finger Licking Good’.
‘The Bottomless Iced Tea’ offered in amazing ‘Lemon’ & ‘Peach’ flavors was candy to the eye as well as the tongue.
All in all we would rate it 4 stars out of 5.
You can catch the Beast Feast at Kuzart Lane, Hauz Khas Village till March 3rd 2013 and at its extension Glued, Dynamic House in Noida till March 6th 2013. 
The feast costs Rs. 449 for ‘Leaf-lovers’ and Rs. 499 for ‘Beast-Lovers’.
And it is definitely ‘NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART!’

 
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Courtesy- Google Images
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Courtesy- Google Images
In many ways the college cafeteria holds a higher position of importance in a student’s life, sometimes more than the library or even a classroom, if you were to ask someone, of course ‘Food’ is one essential part of life. The canteen hosts to numerous impromptu birthday celebrations, gossip updates, last minute assignment completion, intellectual and many not so intellectual discussions all with the aroma of food hanging in the background. The cafeteria at Kamala Nehru College manages to be all this and lot more.
There are two sections of seating arrangements to choose from; the outdoors which is a quaint cobbled courtyard adorned with street lamps and umbrella shades and a Nescafe kiosk nearby wafting out the heavenly aroma of coffee and muffins and inside the cafeteria, which is equipped with its own 
Foosball table and a TV, that everyone swears has never been switched on.
The process of getting your food involves four easy steps:
1) Scan the menu quickly or if possible memorize it, for you have less than a minute to make a decision before the crowd swamps you.
2) Haggle with the lone cashier for your receipt and don’t forget to bring change. He is not fond of large denomination notes if you are ordering a Dosa worth Rs. 22. 
3) Now hand over your receipt to whoever it is on the other side of the counter, grab your cutlery and wait patiently for your order to be served. Be prepared to be jostled left and right and suffering a few injuries is a normal occurrence, no need to call the ambulance!
4) Once you can lay hands on your food, safely guard it, scout for a good seat and dig in.
One of the best things about this canteen is the variety of cuisine available and at a price which does not make your wallet weep.                                                              
One can choose Chole Bhature, Shahi Paneer Naan, Pao Bhaji in the North Indian category or if you are already confused then pick the mix thali priced at Rs.45 which gives you a little of everything. For the South Indian food lovers there is Masala Dosa (Rs.22) and Idli Sambhar (Rs.22).
Fried rice, ‘Chow-Mein’, ‘Chilly Paneer’, ‘Honey Chilly Potato’, ‘Manchurian’ and ‘Momos, are available in the Chinese category. The ‘Spicy’ tongue tantalizing chutney the ‘Momo guy’ (yes, he’s called so) provides is a specialty and the French fries, they are orange and scrumptious. For the bread lovers we have the Croissant and sandwiches, bread omlette and Subs. Also served is maggi, chips and egg roll. Beverages include soft drinks, fresh and preserved fruit juices, ice tea, coffee of all kinds and lemonade. For dessert, dig into the pastry, brownie and Donuts or just a kit kat if you prefer.
The head of the canteen Mr. Sanjay, quashes all claims of girls being conscious with their diet claiming that on an average they make Rs.15,000 in a day selling over 100 dishes of the popular items in the menu. The canteen is host to a number of students from neighboring colleges, who come scouting for cheap but delicious and stomach filling food. Apart from the staff, very much a part of the canteen are the squirrels and the crows fluttering about. If you leave your plate unattended for a minute, you come back to find a portion missing, don’t just look at your friend with suspicious eyes, the squirrels are equally to be suspected. 
For the hard core non-veg lovers the canteen could prove to be a disappointment with only chicken sandwich (Rs.50), momos (Rs.30) and patties (Rs.25), available in the menu. 
Other than that, the KNC canteen, does not disappoint at all. This canteen is a must visit and specially if you are one in the South Campus and do not want to spend a fortune on your food or if you just want to have a filling and tasty meal.
"It's Finger Licking Good!"

Niharika Singh
Correspondent


 
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If variety is the spice of your life, then Gargi College canteen serves your purpose right. The college canteen is abuzz with friends bonding over food, cursing their mundane schedule and
still managing to laugh it off with a number of delicacies satisfying their taste buds. From chilli potato to chole bhature, the menu won’t fail to impress you.

One can see students indulging in candid conversations as ‘garma garam chaii' soothes their cold nerves during winters. Platter of snacks like chilli potato, bread pakora, samosa and French fries are a hit with students. As Sanjana Agarwal, a 3rd year student puts it, ‘What I am going
to miss the most are french fries undoubtedly. We friends make it a point to have French fries everyday.’ The canteen’s best bets are chole bhature, macaroni and uttapam. If you haven’t had them, you have missed quite a lot! Friends can be seen pooling in money and grabbing a bite, each of Chinese, north Indian and south Indian cuisine. The canteen is jampacked during break to an extent that students have to wait in the queue for close to twenty minutes which is a major disappointment. 1st year student, Nandini Maheshwari adds that, ‘The hygiene factor is often forgotten in haste. Further, the seating arrangement is dab and insufficient to accommodate students during gaps and lunch break.’ However Nescafe steps in as the savior in such situations. Frappe, chicken patty, tomato soup, students swear by its menu. Chocolate
truffle pastry is a major hit among students so much so they don’t mind shelling out 40 bucks for it because it’s totally worth it. Also, a true taste sensation, its maggi is to die for!

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‘Mithas’ outside college is also a famous hangout spot with a lot of variety to offer, its veg sizzler being a major attraction. Affordable prices and comfortable ambience make it the perfect college students’ adda. Let alone mithas, the ‘chaat wala’ outside Gargi and KNC prepares the best sev puri ever on earth in just Rs. 10/- with no compromise on hygiene (He uses gloves. Beat that!). Haven’t tried it yet? Try it now.

If you are a true blue foodie, options are galore in and around Gargi!

- Shruti Maheshwari
UE Columinist

 
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Studying in Delhi University comes with its own perks, from a foodie’s point. With DU canteens serving North Indian, South Indian and continental food at very reasonable prices, we have canteens from JNU campus, providing the students with food that is even cheaper than what we get at DU. Moreover, they
just do not stick to the vegetarian food but also serve delicious non–vegetarian food as well.

The dhabas and canteens are strategically placed all across the campus, so that, nobody ever gets
hungry. One such café is café 24/7, where you find amazing food at surprisingly cheap rates; one can eat
chicken biryani plus raita for just Rs. 50, a delicious plate of chili potatoes for Rs. 35 and so on. Located
right next to it, is a north eastern dhaba that serves probably the best fruit beer you can have for just 15
bucks, even lesser than what we pay for a packet of chips. This is that one place where Rs 100 is more
than enough to fill up one’s stomach with delicious food plus drinks, be it vegetarian or non-vegetarian.

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Nor does it only provide with cheap food but also provides seating and a good view of the campus. Whatever time it might be, this place is never empty as the place is open to all and it’s always buzzing with students not only from the JNU campus but also outsiders.





- Anjali Singhal
UE Correspondent

 
If you are a student from Delhi University, then, Maggi is probably the most reliable source of food. It comes out comparatively cheap, if compared to other things and is readily available everywhere. Subsequently, attracts more students. Located at the most popular hub of south campus: Satya niketan, KEV’s Café aka Maggi point has managed to embed itself in the minds of the south campus students with its huge range of Maggi and shakes menu . 

Kev’s Café brings to you more than 25 flavors in Indian, European and Chinese tastes keeping in mind the exotic taste of Maggi. Each and every flavour is amazing as taste preferences differ. Also, for additional Rs. 10, you can add Chicken/Mutton/Egg/Corn to your Maggi as well. But their menu just does not end with the wide variety of Maggi, they also serve various types of shakes, ranging from milk shakes to Mocktails and lip smacking ice cream shakes, for a very minimal price.

Though, Kev’s Café does not provide its customers with the seating arrangement and students find it inconvenient in unfavorable weather conditions, but still remains the favorite of many. Kev’s café is located in the most visited suburb of Delhi but has got a few limitations to it as well. While people have to stand while eating to the inconvenient location of dustbins and dogs loitering around.

But as goes the saying, that you cannot have your both hands full, Kev’s café manages to fill the stomach of the students at a very reasonable price with quality food with its drawbacks too, it manages to earn a more than decent crowd almost every day.

Photograph: Anjali Singhal
 
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Canteens can sometimes prove to be much more than just a place where one goes to eat. Especially in colleges and institutes of education, this place is an open arena for debate, budding of new love stories, cracking jokes, discussing the new ‘talk of the town’, in-between as gap fillers. It is the force of double 'f' that drives one to the canteen as often as one can. Food and friends- both initiate with the letter 'f' and canteen always seems to be the union zone for the two. College canteens build up an ambience of rendezvous, where one can forget all the hassles of one’s mundane living.

Such is the canteen of SSCBS. You get a mix of everything! Starting from the morning ‘chai’ at nine till the evening tea at four, the college canteen is buzzing with rich conversations amidst delicious food. In-between lectures, from lunch to evening, one can enjoy snacks, chips, and soft drinks to begin with and then it can be sizzlers, potato fingers, fish rolls, samosa, bread-pakora, chole-bhature, with countless cups of tea and coffee. The canteen serves both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes, including yummy rajma-rice, soya champ, delicious dosa, idli-sambhar and chicken curry. The canteen is also famous for its paneer, veg, and non-veg rolls. Sharing & Caring tends to play an important part in friendships. Funds for food come through sharing. It’s generally a collective fund raised for tea and snacks where each one has a weekly or monthly contribution. Canteen is that one place where one can let go off all the frustrations because it's a land of charm, rejoice and is always in motion. The drabbest may sound the brightest in its premises. One can see laughter, joy, chasing, teasing, tears, all under one roof.

Being off-campus, CBSites may miss out on the ‘campus fun’, but the hangout spots seem to nullify the effect to some extent. Apart from the college canteen, other hangouts include a Chinese stall named ‘Mathela’ which is an all time favourite amongst the students. Undoubtedly, it serves great food which is also easy on the pocket. Other spots are Cross River Mall, which in turn has various joints like Haldiram and CCD. Another hangout is ‘SP’, which again is popular for its various types of maggi such as Cheese Maggi, Masala Maggi as well as for its Coffee, Lemonade etc. One can find at least one CBS-group here at any time of the day. One may not realize but college canteens and nearby hangouts can really make and shape your college life. Thoughts are raised and you too are provoked to think about them. In a nutshell, your college canteen is much more than a simple hangout spot which can add different flavours to your life.

 
A college canteen serves more functions than just providing food. Any college student must by now know that it is the most obvious place to laze around if a class is bunked. Students in the north and south campuses are luckier still as they have more options. But off-campus colleges, like DCAC, where you have to take an auto to reach a decent place to hang out, and canteens are life-cum-boredom saver. 
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Managed by Mrs.  & Mr. Nagpal, the college canteen of DCAC is spacious, airy and well-lit. Adjacent to the ground, students prefer to ‘take-away’ eatable to an even more comfortable zone (read classrooms). Though it cannot compete with Campus colleges’ in terms of variety and price, it sure doesn’t disappoint. The affordable rates have actually helped source lunches for many students who live nearby. Famous throughout the campus for its graffiti, there are options galore whether you want a quick-bite, a proper meal or quench your thirst. Almost all brands of soft-drinks and chocolates are readily available over the counter and they always stay in demand. The Ever-smiling, Mrs. Nagpal (the ‘universal aunty’) calmly operates the billing and finances whereas ‘uncle’ ensures timely service. Aunty knows the name of almost every regular student and never fails to strike a conversation if time permits. Uncle is a bit sterner and you’ll never find him at rest for a moment. Even though the canteen can accommodate the thin rush in between the lectures, the situation spirals out of control in the recess. Those 20-25 minutes are the most stressful for the service staff as the orders keep piling up.  Frequently, new items are added & their sales tested. Recently, Bread-pakoras and Thalis were given a shot, but have been missing in the new semester.

However, the local 'Maggie-point' comes to the rescue by providing tea-coffee-samaosa-maggie-momos-sandwiches24*7. Keeping in mind the chilly winters, the Maggi-wala too updated his 'menu' & added items like chilly potato, spring rolls etc. Still the fact that one has to walk to it & stand in the open proves a dampener. Loyalists stick to the canteen.

Even though the canteen is probably the most frequently visited place in the whole college premises, a majority of students feel that there is a major room for development. Vaibhav, the president of Clicks, the photography society says that (relatively) the prices are higher than other colleges and the portions smaller. He adds that cleanliness and hygiene standards are not up to the mark & the utensils and cutlery are often not properly washed. A lot others believe that the long time taken to deliver the order and the chaos that follows can be avoided if the man-force is increased at the counter. A student of 1st year says that dogs and puppies cuddle and sit under the tables and are on a constant lookout for left-overs.  Another point of discontentment was that the tables are fixed to the ground & are immovable unlike the chairs. Hence, re-arrangement of seats is not possible and the larger groups have to split up. Nonetheless, every student whenever free turns up to the canteen and if eat nothing, just chat away. In a nutshell, Mr. Prem Ji Nagpal does a great and efficient job but with a little more effort and management can change the face of DCAC canteen.

 
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Sri venkateswara college (DU) is situated at Dhaula Kuan New Delhi opposite to the satya niketan market and is one of the most prestigious college in DU, usually known for its amazing faculty and excellent academic standards .It is said that Cultivation to the mind is as necessary as food to the body , so students need to use the canteen to recharge their batteries and therefore the canteen of a college plays a very important role  in the college though people often underestimate its importance.

If you go to Sri Venkateswara’s college canteen your first impression is quite impressive .You need not worry about getting a seat as there is abundant space which makes you quite relaxed and you can enjoy your dish .If you wish to sit outside, the view is quite relaxing and if you decide to sit inside, the tables and chairs are quite clean and up to a restaurant standard but the counter belongs to the stone age as you need to exchange money for money coupons which gives a bad impression as we are living in the twenty first century (where is  the cash register??????????) and you can view the kitchen which seems to be a makeshift kitchen which quite kills your appetite but the service is good as compared to other colleges .There is no door to the kitchen which tells the customer to remain off-limits so if you want to take a closer view as a health inspector there is absolutely no obstacle for you in your way.

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There is a lot of variety available but the standout dishes are masala dosa, chowmein .Other dishes which are available are samosas etc which are not up to the mark .The biggest let down is that there are no momos (can you believe it!!!!!!!!!!!!) The beverages doesn’t include a variety as they will only have mountain dew or fanta which quite limits your options and I think the refrigerator is a show off piece as the beverages are always at room temperature and not chilled as expected .The usual coffee is always available to get your mind working if you have a hangover from a previous nightout. The menu seems to be of a typical south Indian restaurant which has decided to include some other dishes like noodles etc

SIGNATURE DISH – MASALA DOSA

Visually the masala dosa at Sri Venkateswara college canteen is small in size as compared to the dosa served in other DU colleges but once you start to eat, it shows that power does come in small size. The masala dosa is full of flavors and doesn’t lack anything as compared to a traditional dosa .The sambar has a good consistency and the some healthy vegetables can be found in the sambar which is good news for the healthy eaters .The coconut chutney is in a class of its own as it has just about the right flavor and its not to liquid as it is the case in many canteens of other colleges but the canteen has a problem in turning out a good dosa every time you place a order for it .So if you are lucky you may get an amazing dosa otherwise you may get a dosa which lacks flavor and there is no conviction in it. But if you do the probability you have a good chance of getting a good standard dosa.The price is only Rs20 which according to me makes it a bargain especially when everyone is complaining about inflation. 

OTHER DISHES

To my absolute amazement the chowmein is quite good, both visually and in flavors .It looks quite appetizing and you may want to indulge for another plate and the biggest plus point is that if you are very health conscience then it’s a perfect dish as it is not oily and greasy .It also has vegetables like capsicum which makes it a delight among the healthy eaters. I couldn’t find any fault in it but still lacks a factor which makes it a must eat every time.

OVERALL

If you are passing by Sri Venkateswara College my advice is to go to its canteen and check out the masala dosa and hope you are lucky enough to get a good standard dosa and the chowmein is a must have And my advice is that if you want chilled beverages please get them from outside the college .But its still a good experience to eat at Sri Venkateswara’s canteen .So the fresher’s and the students now know what to check out from Sri Venkateswara’s canteen.