Food Outlets: Other BITS Campuses
Written on November 1st , 2017 by {"login"=>"jcbitshyd", "email"=>"journal@hyderabad.bits-pilani.ac.in", "display_name"=>"Journal Club, BPHC", "first_name"=>"", "last_name"=>""}As Mess 2 desperately tries to win back the students for the next mess registration with a "Dosa Festival" tonight, Mess 1 was quick to follow suit with their own gala dinner on Sunday. While the outcome of these shenanigans will only be revealed when the registrations happen, the eateries on campus have always come to our rescue when we're sick of having sambar in almost every meal of every day. Wondering how fellow BITSians in other campuses survive when they're facing the same? Read on to find out.
Goa
In the midst of the lush paradise that is the Goan Campus of BITS lie several eateries that aspire to fulfil the culinary needs of the students and faculty alike. From the hot, fried 'butter-cheese-aloo' at Gaja, to the tastiest of pastries at Mongi - we have it all. Here’s a list of the eateries that the BITSGian crowd indulge themselves in:
Gajalakshmi Popularly known as 'Gaja', this place is a favourite haunt of the students here. Known for its French Toast and Vada Pav specials, it's the go-to place when mess lunch is disappointing. Its specialities are egg-streamingly delicious
Mongini's the cafe near the library is something every student feels a sweet connection with. This is the place where you get those delicious, creamy cakes to plaster on your friends' faces on their birthdays. From stopping between lectures to cramming for tests, you simply can't cross over from the academic building to the library without grabbing a bite here. Also, located close to the acad block, one can find groups of professors sharing jokes over coffee here.
Food King situated behind the library, the diner offers the best dosas and parathas. One finds interesting varieties of Maggi here- plain, masala, cheese, fried and masala fried. It also has a great ambience if you're planning to hang out with a bunch of friends at night.
Institute Cafeteria (IC) located in the centre of the B-Dome (academic building), the IC offers full meals to students and professors. It also houses the Cafe Coffee Day Express stall, a quick stop for dualites running from lecture theatres in the A to the C side.
Red Chilly the newest addition to campus. It is already a student favourite. It is the food paradise of non-veg lovers and does not disappoint vegetarians as well. Set up at the start of this semester, Red Chilly is brimming with students wanting to explore its menu, especially on weekends.
Pilani
ANC: The All-Night Canteen everyone goes to (Food available on ID-card) Got a growling stomach at 2am? ANC is one of the most frequently visited places by the nocturnal BITSian. Fast food (both veg and non-veg) of unusually good quality can be purchased until late into the night. This eatery is one of the few things on campus that isn’t constantly being complained about.
The menu primarily comprises of fast food items: nuggets, rolls, burgers, sandwiches, pasta, pizza, maggi and so on. Among beverages, diet coke, fruit juices and shakes are popular. Of course, one can also get full meals, but it is uncommon to see large dinners happen at ANC. The canteen is managed by Sodexo, an MNC which is also responsible for mess food.
IC: The Institute Cafeteria is a decent place to grab a quick bite or drink between classes. Located in the Faculty Division II, IC offers quick refreshments like Samosas, Dosas, and some drinks like Shikanji and Lassi. It is also frequented by staff and faculty members. One can often find colleagues of a particular discipline sitting together here, involved in animated discussions over a cup of tea.
Skylab: As chill as it sounds Before staring at screens was a thing, Sky lawns used to be populated with student groups lying comfortably on the lawns and chatting the Saturday evening away, perhaps munching on an egg sandwich, or any of the other dishes available at Skylab, the eatery just by the lawns. Although Sky-culture has pretty much died out, Skylab still sees frequent visitors. Fast food, along with some novelty shakes are available: Rosemilk, Oreo shake (crushed Oreo in milk, tastes awesome), and cold coffee which easily trumps most of CCD’s concoctions.
Redi network: Classes done with? Woke up late? Let’s go to the redi.
A set of 9 hostel-side, plastic-stool surrounded outlets which cater between 10am and 7pm. Useful in the following cases: when no other eatery is open, when mess food is inedible, or when you’re feeling way too lazy. Cross a few hundred meters, eat a maggi, dunk a chai and get back. Other popular choices include samosa chaat, fruit chaat and the shikanji (basically lemonade, a life-saver during summers).
The redi network has been around since forever. Since the messes in Pilani don’t serve snacks, redis see a lot of people in the evenings. A number of the redi owners give food to the students on credit, are very amicable and have seen a number of batches graduate from the college. Bless ‘em.
Food King: FK chalega? Meh (Food available on ID-card) Situated near hostels away from ANC, Food King supplies South Indian dishes. FK is a comfortable hangout spot for long dinners. However, the long waiting time, surly staff, poor quality food (especially if you’ve eaten legit Southern dishes) are bothersome. The FK special dosa, loaded with dry fruits and butter, is popular.
Looters: What’s that? (Food available on ID-card) ‘Looters’ the food truck opened recently and is situated right next to FK (whoops). Foodies and aficionados assert that the food appears to be excellent, whilst being a little expensive. Well, at least there’s something new on campus, apart from accented blonde NRI dudes.
C’Not: Dept/club/assoc/placement treat area At the far end of the campus, one finds a row of restaurants and stores referred to collectively as ‘C’not’. Golden Dragon, Kamal’s, Cruncheenos, Sharma’s, and Greenfield are popular, and to the non-foodie, there is little difference between them. All the standard North Indian dishes one would come to expect in Rajasthan are served, and the menus are nearly identical.
Curious first years might order a ‘Midnight Beauty’ drink (MNB, for short) and regret the long waiting time that follows while being chased around the rocky, muddy ground from table to table by fearless stray dogs. Ah, C’not.
</p>
Article originally published on November 1st, 2017. In collaboration with English Press Club, BITS Pilani and DoJMA, BITS Goa.